Extracts from

"A History of the 'Church-in-the-Wood Hollington Sussex"

published in 1949 by Budd & Gillatt, North Street, St Leonards.

The burial registers 1838 - 1901 contain the entry:

October 2nd 1901, William Lutener Langridge, aged 83yrs. In the margin the rector, the Rev. T.W.Adams wrote, "Forty seven years Parish Clerk & Sexton." He had died on September 26th, only three days before the 47th anniversary of his appointment.

" The clerk's salary rose from Pds1.0.0 in 1680 to Pds 2.0.0 in 1837 and to Pds 5.0.0 in 1864 but the clerk always presented a bill for various extras, no doubt for fees and expenses. For instance in 1868 we read "Langridge's Bill including salary as clerk, Pds12.6.6."

" Mr W.L. Langridge was the last holder of the office under the old regulations - a paid free-hold from which the holder could not be removed." After his death a churchwarden and then the incumbent held the office whilst the work was done and the emoluments received by a deputy parish clerk who possessed no freehold. (Until 31.12.45.)

Two anecdotes follow, the first I abbreviate:

pp.75/76 The rector, reading the banns of marriage at a service, mislaid his notes so said, ' I publish the banns of marriage between ... between ...", at which the sexton called out to the amusement of the congregation, "Between the cushion and the desk sir." This appeared in a letter to the Daily Chronicle from Ed Baldwin but the cutting does not preserve the date.

pp.75/76 The author of the book "was told by an elderly gentleman in c.1946 of his encounter with Mr W.L. Langridge. He was then young and it was his wedding day. He and his friends arrived at the Church in the Wood at the agreed time but the bride and her party failed to appear. The bridegroom in his agitation discussed the situation with the old Clerk who suggested that he might care to fill in the time by selecting and reserving a grave space as it might come in handy one day." (The delay was caused by the running away of the horses pulling the bridal carriage but no-one was hurt and the marriage went ahead but late).

p. 74 ".... the latter's grandson, Mr Arthur James Langridge, stated that the exact date of his grandfather's appointment was September 29th 1854."

pp. 75/76 "The functions and duties as well as the characteristics of these typically English worthies are admirably described in a work entitled "The Parish Clerk" by P.H. Ditchfield (1907)."

p. 79 "The Rev. A.B. Taylor stated in 1944 that it was from Mr A.J. Langridge of 'Rock Cottage', 261 Battle Road, grandson of the former parish clerk that he had borrowed a copy of the (choir) rules." In 1946 Mr Langridge presented to the church a pitch pipe (used for starting each musical portion of the service), a flute and a clarinet once used by the musicians and then acquired when they were no longer needed, by his grandfather."

p. 87 Mr Arthur James Langridge, who was baptised by the Rev. R.F. Whistler on 3rd January 1866 and who died in February 1947 at the age of 80 ..." had kept a copy of the specification of the restoration.

p. 155 "After the death of Mrs A.J. Langridge in March 1946 and when Mr Langridge left Hollington to go and live with his daughter and son-in-law, he gave the church an old pewter chalice which had evidently once belonged to it" ... "in this case W.L. Langridge, parish clerk, probably acquired the pewter chalice in 1866 from the churchwardens" ... (it) "may have been sold to A.J. Langridge's grandfather by John Murray who had paid Pds1.0.0. for it."

p. 224 After his wife's death in 1946, Mr A.J. Langridge left Rock Cottage, Battle Road, Hollington which his grandfather Mr W.L. Langridge, the parish clerk, had built in 1855. Here had been kept for a very long time a variety of objects which Mr A.J. Langridge, on his departure from the parish, generously gave to Hollington church." (I believe the items are listed elsewhere in the book, registers etc) It was an achievment of the Langridge family that the volumes had been treasured in one

house for so many years and very satisfactory that at last they should join their fellow volumes in the rector's keeping.

p. 231 Parish Accounts "1870 Mr W. Langridge, fixing stove, Pds 8.17.2."

"1871 James Langridge, repairs, 11s."

Mr A.J. Langridge recalled that Rock Cottage was the first house built on the Battle Road on the Hastings side of the Victoria Inn."

p. 234 "In 1944, Mr A.J. Langridge, then of Rock Cottage, Battle Road, gave the present writer some interesting information about this school building." (started in Hollington in 1821 by Rev. H.J. Rush. There was no other school for poor children. They attended for several hours on a Sunday and lessons included the three R's.)

p. 235 In 1857, Jan 18th, the New School Room for the poor of the parish of Hollington was opened in Old Church Road, near the entrance to 'Castleham'. "The job of it's erection was entrusted to Mr W.L. Langridge." * A footnote says this

statement was from Mr A.J. Langridge "q.v. Hollington Parish Magazine, November 1944." * W.L. Langridge senior was a farmer & sexton.

W.L. Langridge junior was a builder but aged 20yrs in 1857!

p. 236 "We noted above that by 1870 there was an infant school .... In 1944 Mr A.J. Langridge supplied the following information about that school which adjoins No. 6 Church Road, between Hollington Old Lane and Battle Road and is now a rather dilapidated little building. It is not far from Rock Cottage and the old cowshed school but quite separate from both of them. It consists of two storeys, the upper being then used as a reading room while the lower was the Infant School. The whole building belonged to Mr W.L. Langridge."

p. 270 Mr W.L. Langridge's account of October 15th 1864* for Pds 10.1.3d "for whitewashing the church and repairs" must have involved at least some waste in view of what happend the following year. "In 1865-6 the church was extensively restored." * W.L. Langridge junior? - who was the builder!

p.290 (Re extant buildings) "Mr A.J. Langridge stated in 1946 that his grandfather Mr W.L. Langridge, who lived at Baldslow before he built Rock Cottage, Battle Road, had been employed to pull down Baldsklow House."

N.B. Baldslow is a locality on the outskirts of Hastings.

1. Every member of this choir to attend the church every service and to do her or his best in singing or forfit three pence.

2. Every member to attend at Hollington school from eight o'clock til ten o'clock once in the week for the purpose of practicing or forfit three pence.

3. Any member swering or giving the lie to another to forfit three pence.

4. Any member who is more than four forfits in arrears to be excluded from the choir.

5. No new member to be admitted without the consent of the majority of the choir and each new member to pay his or her instrument belonging to the choir.

6. The mony collected for forfites to be spent upon instruments or Books according to the decisione of the majority of the choir.

7. All disputes as to forfites or any otherwise to be decided by the majority of the choir.

8. The Books and instruments purchased with the money to belong to the choir.

9. When the number of members of choir is reduced to two there are to be divided the books and instruments and the choir to be considered broken up.

10. Each member to have a copy of these rules and of the members name and enter forfits.

11. The choir not object to others singing with them in church.