Celebrating our collections dating from 780AD to the present day
Chosen by Annabelle Hughes, researcher I came across this deed in my work as a researcher of historic buildings. I had been trying to find a link between what was thought to be an early 19th century house in Thakeham called Cumberland House and an earlier farm dating from around 1349 belonging to William Payn,…
Continue reading ➞ Deed of Paines in Thakeham, 1799 (Add Mss 198)
Chosen by Tim Hudson, former Victoria County History Editor Incumbents of Anglican parishes must often keep lists of their parishioners with details about them; but most probably destroy them when they move on, as being too private and personal. The West Sussex Record Office has two such lists, compiled by the same man first as…
Continue reading ➞ Incumbent’s register of parishioners, c.1850 (Par 174/7/1)
Chosen by Richard Mant, researcher This is a copy in English of the entry for 12 March 1611 in the Court Book for the Manors of Woolavington, Wonworth and East Dean, dealing with the surrender of land by Edmund Maunt at the court baron in East Dean. The book covers the period 3 Oct 1597-28…
Chosen by Kim Leslie, former member of staff This coaching poster is dated about 1828, when Worthing was an important coaching centre between Brighton and Portsmouth. Stage coaching was at its peak between 1820 and 1840, a time when many coach proprietors were locked in furious competition to outbid each other’s reputation for speed, comfort…
Chosen by the Reception Team Parish registers are wonderful documents which record some of the happiest and saddest moments in people’s lives. This very early register is what is known as a composite register; unlike modern day registers, which are separated into different volumes for baptisms, marriages, and burials, this contains all three!…
Continue reading ➞ Composite parish register, Horsham, 1540-1563 (Par 106/1/1/1)
Chosen by Chris Hare on behalf of Worthing Society for the Blind Worthing's 'A Journey in Time' project is a lottery-funded project being run by Worthing Society for the Blind to fully explore the fascinating history of the sight-impaired community in Worthing and record this heritage for posterity. Volunteers are undertaking archival research and recording…
Continue reading ➞ Worthing Home for the Blind Management Committee minutes, 1937-1960 (WOC/CM64/5)
Chosen by Alison McCann, former member of staff Wednesday 20 July sees the 47th anniversary of the first manned mission to land on the moon. However, West Sussex Record Office has connections to lunar exploration centuries before Neil Armstrong took his famous steps, with a map drawn by a British astronomer in the seventeenth century.…
Continue reading ➞ 1610 Map of the Moon (PHA HMC 241/9 f.17)
Chosen by Anthony Cane, Chancellor of Chichester Cathedral The Archive of the Cathedral and Diocese of Chichester, dating back over 1200 years, is a rich and varied collection. The action of the Dean and Chapter of Chichester in depositing its archives in the Diocesan Record Office followed the establishment of that Office by the…
Chosen by Rhodri Lewis, former member of staff In 1890, a young British man named John ‘Pitt’ Hornung decided to try his luck at founding a sugar cane plantation on the banks of the Zambesi in Portuguese East Africa. Battling setbacks such as flood, drought and plagues of locusts, Pitt succeeded where others had failed…
Continue reading ➞ Concession map of Sena Sugar Estates in Portuguese East Africa, c1920 (Acc 15353)
Chosen by James Peill, Curator at Goodwood House This thin sheet of heavily-folded paper is probably the single most important document in the Goodwood archive. It is the earliest known written rules of cricket in existence. They were drawn up for matches between the 2nd Duke of Richmond’s XII (instead of the ususal XI) and Mr…
Continue reading ➞ The Earliest Known Written Rules of Cricket, 1727 (Goodwood Mss 1884)
West Sussex Record Office 