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History
Findon Diary 1890 Style By local historian Valerie Martin
St. John the Baptist Church in Findon on a frosty morning in 2005. Captured by Valerie.
Let us go back to 1890 when Findon was still a rural backwater. In January the village school was closed because of a rampant malady — reputed to have come from China. All the teachers fell ill and had taken to their beds and most of the children were suffering too. On the 12th January Confirmation was due to be held at the church. The Venerable Bishop of Chichester now in his 88th year, bravely devoted the whole day to visiting the parish. He "laid hands" on 56 candidates for Confirmation. During the inclement days that followed, a torrent of rain flooded the primitive village cesspools. A river of raw sewage ran down our familiar High Street. The vile stench pervaded the air. The churchyard was described by the vicar as — "getting very full." Villagers were reminded that relations or friends of those who died should always ask the vicar before going ahead and should not just assume to hold a burial at the church. In February the news of a suicide buzzed around the village. George Caplin, 57 year old employee of sheep farmer George Hampton, was found dead. It was said that the departed had been a trusted servant for 25 years and was a well-conducted and respected villager. The coroner returned a verdict of "suicide while temporarily insane". He was buried on 17th February and the service was read, as was the custom in those days... "who lay violent hands on themselves". Note: I have found that as late as 1909 the vicar is reputed to have said he would refuse to conduct the burial services of anyone who committed suicide unless actually ordered to do so by the Bishop of Chichester. By March the aforementioned agile influenza microbe that had attacked the village, still raged on and spared no one. The new racing stables at The Vale were completed and the first trainer to be installed was 38-year-old William Henry Burbridge of Kingswood Villa. The Vale
had formerly been Limbers Farm and there are reputed to still be traces of the old farm buildings on the site. Thomas Lawson a labourer living at Lower Farm was run over by a plough in April on the Wyatt family’s Cissbury Farm. He broke his leg in two places and his condition turned out to be very serious and he later died on 8th May. The vicar requested in May that villagers did not let their offspring go unattended to the funerals of strangers. He reminded that if villagers did go to a funeral to please take part in the actual service, including the psalms and prayers — and to remember to rise as the coffin was carried in. Continuing through the year to June… Findon was cricketless. No one it seemed had taken the bother to arrange any matches. In July the vicar made the following dismal comment "Haymaking again. Cloudy weather; now very hot, now very cold; often rain. Some of the hay has not fared well. These have cut too soon; these too late. So pass the years away". In August a list of necessary "funeral furniture" was required for the church. This comprised a revolving "coffin rest", a violet pall, a white pall and some kind of carriage for the body of the dead. The vicar also reported that the church harmonium was on its "last wheeze". In September another Findon tragedy occurred. 11year-old Arthur Caplin of North End, son of John Caplin an agricultural worker, died following a farming accident. This death involved the farm horses during harvesting. A strict gardening tip appeared from the vicar in October. "It is best to plant on a grave natural flowers, such as bulbs, pinks etc; wreaths and gathered flowers should be removed before they wither; artificial flowers soon look tawdry. French cemeteries, from which they are copied are hideous places". Arthur Hampton played cricket for the Findon Cricket Club. He was watching the firework display "from a balcony" when a Roman candle went out of control and hit him in the eye and he lost the sight in that eye. John Colbourne had an established business in nearby Lancing. On 19th November, he was driving home through Findon and was thrown from his cart. He lay completely unnoticed on the cold dark road for some hours. Eventually, when he was discovered, it was too late. The Coroner’s verdict was "accidental death". At the end of 1890 the Southdown Guild held an exhibition of the contributions of combined stitching by the ladies of Findon. In December the report on this was followed by the comment "Why do men never do anything useful for one another?"
