History of Sussex

It was the time when the estimable Rev Thomas Walker Horsfield put together his monumental The History, Antiquities And Topography Of The County Of Sussex.

Published by J Baxter, of Lewes in 1835, arguably it has never been bettered.

Across two volumes, the work covered every aspect of the history of Sussex '“ its families and its places '“ and became the standard reference book for all subsequent Sussex historians.

Today it is largely to be found in the library reference sections. Were you lucky enough to come across a first edition, it would set you back around 600.

But Bakewell-based publisher Dick Richardson '“ as part of his one-man mission to rescue out-of-print masterpieces of Sussex history '“ has now brought out a new facsimile edition.

Volume I is for East Sussex and volume II for the West, and together comprise around 1,000 pages.

As Dick says, it is never going to be a work which will fly off the bookshelves. Fall with a clunking thud would be more likely.

But dip into it, and you'll discover a wealth of fascinating detail '“ worthy tribute to the good reverend's great efforts.

"I wanted to do a paperback of it to make it more accessible," Dick says.

"Horsfield actually came from Sheffield. He was born there in 1792 and after his studies at a Unitarian academy, he became minister of the Westgate Chapel in Lewes in 1817.

"Because his stipend was so low he had a school which was very successful until Catholic emancipation was mentioned.

"He was for it so all the parents took their children away from the school!"

In 1827 he became minister of the Mary Street Chapel in Taunton in Somerset, and it was while he was there that he was approached by Lewes-based publisher Baxter. Baxter had bought the rights to Dalloway's History of Sussex and a few other manuscripts.

"Horsfield had left Sussex by then, but Baxter forwarded it all to him and asked him to put the history together. Really he was the editor. He edited all the material that had been done on Sussex."

Eight years later, the massive work was ready for publication '“ and immediate acclaim.

"It was the standard history. All the historians since have referred to Horsfield. He knew what to put in and what to leave out. He was also very interesting about the customs."

The East/West divide was not one we'd recognise today, though. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but the border was much further to the west in Horsfield's day.

The East Sussex volume was 640 pages; the West Sussex 434. Crawley and Horsham were East Sussex as far as Horsfield was concerned.

But the volumes remain comprehensive: "There are chapters in there on the geology, the early history, the military history, the parliamentary history, and then he goes into a Gazetteer format where he goes through every town."

The History, Antiquities And Topography Of The County Of Sussex is available from Country Books/Ashridge Press, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1NN, tel: 01629 640670; e-mail: dickrichardson@country-books.co.uk. ISBN 978-1-906789-16-9. Price 90.