Heathfield, Punnetts Town, Broad Oak & Cross In Hand

ALL SAINTS CHURCH: Old Heathfield. Sunday, 8am Holy Communion (BCP), 11am Morning Worship. All welcome for coffee after this service. St George’s Broad Oak, 9.30am Holy Communion. http://allsaintsoldheathfield.org

HEATHFIELD CHAPEL: In Punnetts Town are holding their Harvest services on October 1 at 11am. There will be an evening Songs for Harvest service at 6.30pm. The speaker for both services is expected to be Robin Jones from Horam. An invitation for you to join with the Chapel congregation is given.

AUTUMN FAYRE: Cross in Hand Methodist Church Autumn Fayre October 14, 11am to 1.30pm. Ploughmans lunches, refreshments, coffee/teas and various stalls.

HISTORY SOCIETY: In his fascinating talk Sussex Folk from John Freeland to Rudyard Kipling, Brian Freeland demonstrated to the members how a quest to discover his own family history became the springboard into a study of Batemans and the Sussex iron industry. His ancestor John Freeland bought Batemans from a Wealden ironmaster in 1773 for £950 and sold it to his son in law Robert Pattenden in 1787 while he concentrated on managing the forge at Robertsbridge. His forge was one of the hundred which existed in East Sussex in the sixteenth century. Ironmasters exploited the abundant iron ore, charcoal and water to make great fortunes but when coal replaced charcoal for smelting the industry waned. One local ironmaster was Ralf Hogge of Buxted who succeeded in casting the first iron cannon in England in 1543. Henry VIII was so impressed with his work that he ordered Hogge to cast over a hundred more and forbade him from selling his cannon to England’s enemies lest they be used against us.

Another notable Sussex man was Thomas Brassey of Catsfield. He became one of the leading railway builders of the nineteenth century, not only building rail lines in England but also as far afield as Europe and Canada. In 1854 he built the Crimean railway to ferry supplies to the army. But not all Sussex’s sons were ironmasters. Some found fame in the arts and literature.  Philip Henshawe, Hogge’s son in law, was a leading Elizabethan theatrical impresario. His diaries were written on the reverse of the ironwork’s accounts and provide a great insight into Elizabethan theatre. They can still be seen in the library at Dulwich college.Another literary great, Hilaire Belloc, loved Sussex described Sussex life in prose and poetry as did Gilbert Sargent of Catsfield before him.

Such a wealth of talent from the small villages of Sussex. When in 1902 Rudyard Kipling bought Batemans he became one more in a long line of Sussex literary figures.

FLOWER CLUB: Horam and Heathfield Flower Club presents a floral evening, a demonstration by Sophie Beaney entitled Let the Music Play at Heathfield Community Centre, Sheepsetting Lane on Thursday October 12. Visitors welcome £5. Sales table, raffle and refreshments.