| Share page |
|
46 BYGONE SUSSEX.
Cathedral, the Huguenots of Winchelsea had died out or had been incorporated in the mass of English protestantism long before the time of Denis Duval. So also the Huguenot Church at Rye ceased early in the 18th century. This is an initial anachronism, but Thackeray took care to make sure as to the constitution and management of these churches, so that the glimpses afforded are accurate.
The French church at Rye began in the reign of Elizabeth, and the arrival of the fugitive Protestants was sometimes a matter of great embarrassment to the authorities, which was increased in 1563 by the return of soldiers and people from Havre when the plague broke out in the little town. There were further influxes in 1568 and 1572, and in 1574 a municipal regulation was devised against the advent of pauper refugees. One of the few exceptions to the good qualities of the Huguenots is afforded by Marie Gosling, wife of Philip Williams, who, in 1598, was executed for "murthering her own child." In 1586, there were over 1,500 refugees in the town. Some of these were persons of wealth and substance. It was impossible for Rye to absorb so large a number, and they found |
||