1871 — Timms family in Newmarket Farm
The next record of possible tenants in Newmarket Farm, who probably replaced the Baldys, is the Timms family, consisting of James (44) who was an agricultural labourer, and his two daughters, Sarah (15), and Elizabeth (9). James was from Woburn in Bedfordshire, but his two girls were born in nearby Falmer, to which James, his wife Anne, and their first two children, William and John, moved in 1855. Elizabeth is recorded as being a scholar, and may have gone to school in Falmer. This is the first record of a family in Newmarket Farm with a child going to school. James Timms was probably a widower; his eldest daughter, who is not recorded as being in employment, would therefore have kept house.
James Hodson, at 91, was still responsible for Kingston, employing 24 men and 10 boys on the farm, and assisted by his 22 year old grandson John. The house was kept by his two unmarried daughters, Harriet, and Sarah, assisted by two 18 year old servants, Elizabeth Tennell, and Caroline Parker.
29 November 1871 — James Hodson dies—R.J. Woodman new manager
James Hodson died. The Gorings of Wiston, for whom he had worked, were the financial owners of practically the whole of Kingston (which included Newmarket Farm), but they were very much absentee landlords. Therefore, James Hodson, as the manager of their estate in Kingston had, over the years, become the single most powerful individual in the village since early medieval times. He had not only been responsible for having built Newmarket Farm, he had also been responsible for employing all those who lived and worked there for over 40 years. He had been overseer of the poor, including determining and collecting the poor rates from all the residents, and had the power to send complete families to the workhouse in Newhaven.
James had outlived both of his sons. His 24 year old grandson, John Hodson who farmed in nearby Iford, was probably considered too young to take on the position – though he had been helping to run the farm office, and certainly was doing so in 1868.
It seems that James Hodson’s replacement was Richard James Woodman. He was a 36 year old owner of 19 racehorses, and had previously lived in Brighton. His father, Richard Woodman, was a gentleman from Falmer and later, Brighton and knew the Hodsons well, for he had been in business with James’ son, Anthony William. He does not seem to have been related to the Woodman’s who later lived in Balsdean Manor.
1880 — James Stacey—New manager
Woodman’s replacement was James Stacey, 34 years old, and from Horley, Surrey.
1881 — Davey family in Newmarket Farm
In 1881 James Stacey was living with his wife Eliza, and their two youngest daughters Clara, 3 years old, and Eleanor, who was just 11 months old. Their 14 year old son Harry remained at grammar school in Horley, and their 10 year old son James boarded at a school in Guildford with his 7 year old sister Mary, where the family had also lived.
On the Newmarket Hill, the Davey family had replaced the Timms. David Davey was born in Laughton, Sussex, in 1835. He was born into a huge family of 5 brothers and 7 sisters. He married Elizabeth Tingley, from Chiddingly, in 1856. They moved to Kingston sometime between 1871 and 1874 with their children, Sarah, Agnes, William, Genevieve, and Ann. During their time in Kingston, probably in Newmarket Farm, they had a further two children, Ellen Mary and Emily Elizabeth. In 1881, William, his 18 year old son was employed as a shepherd, and two of his daughters, Ann (10), and Emily Mary (6), went to school. School was now compulsory for all children. David Davey’s youngest daughter, Ellen Elizabeth, being only 3 would have to wait a while before going to school herself.
By 1891 they were recorded as living in Horsham.
1891 — Barrow family in Newmarket Farm
The ten yearly census records, which have provided the only evidence for the tenants of Newmarket Farm since 1841, listed every person in the Parish living in each property. Sadly the properties were rarely identified, they were not or rarely listed in the same order, and/or people during this time often changed address, or were new to the village. In this case, it has been difficult to trace both the records for Newmarket Farm and for the Kingston estate manager. Though none of the houses were identified, the most likely family occupying Newmarket Hill were the Barrow’s:
Name Status Age Occupation Place of birth Charles Barrow Head 44 Stockman Beddingham, Sussex Dorcas Barrow Wife 43 Beddingham, Sussex Ada Barrow Daughter 16 Domestic Servant Hand Cross, Sussex Caroline Barrow Daughter 13 Scholar Bolney, Sussex Ethel Wilson Barrow Daughter 12 Scholar Bolney, Sussex Charles Barrow Son 11 Scholar Bolney, Sussex Harry Barrow Son 8 Scholar Bolney, Sussex Benjamin Cronch Lodger 17 Cowman Piddinghoe, Sussex
The family were living in Cuckfield in 1881.
They were supposed to be working for Mr James Stacey but he was absent from the village at this time. However his wife Eliza, daughter in law Olive, and 3 month year old grandson Hugh, were in the village. James Stacey appeared to be farming with his 20 year son, Harry, in Billingshurst. A farm bailiff, David Richard Smith, seems to have been appointed to act on his behalf.
1895 — John Hodson new manager—Baldy’s Stone
James Stacey was replaced by Mr John Hodson, James Hodson’s grandson. He had been farming in nearby Iford, and would have been very familiar with the position since he had been assisting his grandfather in the early years of his life. John Hodson had been on duty at the time of David Baldy’s murder. Perhaps that was why he created the Downland path which Mrs Alexander, in her book on the history of Kingston, claimed he “made to enable his shepherds to pass easily from the village to that part of the farm on the hill which, with its cottage, was then known as Newmarket Farm. While minding their flocks, the shepherds used to pick out the grass from the path to leave it clear and white.” Roger Taylor in his book, Kingston near Lewes, written in 1990, wrote that “for some years a stone marked the exact spot [of David Baldy’s murder], which is where the shepherds path running diagonally westwards from the end of the Street crosses the path coming from Kingston ridge (the one that diverges left from Juggs Road).” Taylor was mistaken about Baldy’s stone marking the site of David Baldy’s murder. He was killed more than a mile away. The most likely explanation for its being placed in such a prominent position overlooking the village, was that it was erected by John Hodson at the time of the construction of his shepherd’s path, as memorial to all who passed that way. Taylor further wrote: “The ballad of the ‘Death of Mr Bauldy’ used to be sung in Kingston. It is typical of those produced at execution times by James Catnach, a printer of Seven Dials, and usually accompanied by a (fake) confession. There is a strong belief that he too should have been hanged for literary murder.”
1901 — Davey family in Newmarket Farm
John Hodson was recorded in the 1901 census as follows:
Name Position Age Place of birth John Hodson Head 52 Kingston, Sussex Mary Hodson Wife 47 Horsham, Sussex Anthony George Hodson Son 22 Iford, Sussex Charles S Hodson Son 21 Iford, Sussex Francis J Hodson Son 20 Iford, Sussex William Hodson Son 18 Iford, Sussex Dorothy F Hodson Daughter 14 Iford, Sussex Hilda Mary Hodson Daughter 11 Iford, Sussex Frederick J Hodson Son 7 Iford, Sussex Elizabeth May Brigden Servant 15 Little Horsted, Sussex Kate Dowlen Servant 18 Brighton, Sussex
It was nice to discover that the Davey family were back in Newmarket Farm again, though this time it was only David Davey (65), with his wife, Elizabeth (66), and his unmarried daughter, Sarah (43). David was recorded as being employed as a carter though the record was amended to agricultural labourer – the job description of all previous Newmarket Farm tenants. As an old man David would have lost his job shortly afterwards. They moved to Newhaven, where Sarah died in 1908, and David Davey died a few years later in 1916.
1908 — John Hodson replaced by Howell
John Hodson retired, ending a nineteenth century line of ’ownership’ that stretched back to the Rogers family; His grandfather, James Hodson, had been trustee for Thomas Rogers V, on whose behalf he had “built” Newmarket Farm. Thus the farm had been identified as “Roger’s barn” on a map of the meeting places of the Brookside Harriers.
The Goring’s estate in Kingston was next managed by Henry Francis Howell. He was from somewhere in Wiltshire, and brought with him his farm staff, their families, and his horses. He told how “the six Wiltshire families – including the Dobsons and the Paynes – travelled by road with their furniture; nine horses drew the wagons, six horses came by train and others that walked arrived in the better condition.” It was not easy to find information about the Howell family. The 1911 census has not been fully transcribed as yet, and no Henry Francis Howell could be found farming in Wiltshire in the 1901 census. However, one of the Dobson family members, Francis Henry Dobson who sadly died in the 1914 – 1918 war, was in Winterbourne Bassett in 1901, as were a family of Paynes. Also present in the Wiltshire parish was a farmer, transcribed from the handwritten census return as Harry Houck. Referring back to the census return itself the name written
was actually Harry Houell. Harry is an alternate form for Henry, and Houell sounds like Howell. The mystery was solved by going back a further decade to the Winterbourne Bassett census of 1891 where he was recorded as Harry Francis Howell. So it was we were able to start tracing his past history. He was born in Coates, or the nearby parish of Sapperton, Gloucestershire, in 1851. His ancestors variously lived in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire; they claimed to be able to trace an ancestry back to 1497 when they left Wales. Henry (or Harry as he was known) Francis Howell moved to Wiltshire some time before 1880 when in his twenties. He was 57 years old when he moved to Kingston. He seems to have married twice, we have only traced two children. We will have to wait till the 1911 census has been transcribed before we are able to discover if any of them came with him.
Previous: Chapter 6-11. January 18, 1869 — Inquest and Postscript
Newmarket Hill 
One reply on “Chapter 7. Life After Death — 1871–1908”
[…] Chapter 7. Life After Death — 1871–1908 […]