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116 Old Memories of East-Bourne. [Chap. X.
When my Loan Exhibition was being got ready, I applied to the Duke's then local agent, the late Mr. R. Insoll, for the loan of the maps for exhibition. He sent them and in due course they were returned to him, but since that time, now more than 30 years ago, I have lost all trace of them, notwithstanding that search was made for them some years ago by the late Duke's agent, Mr. J. P. Cockerell, both at Comptoii Place and at the Estate Office in London.
My reason for having moved in the matter, and for being desirous still of having the maps found, is the intrinsic interest of both of them as illustrating the changes which have taken place during the last 3^-centuries, and one century respectively. My recollection of the older map, which was on vellum or parchment, is that it bore some such date as 1530, and showed the parish as divided into houses and lands and farms at the time. Though kept rolled up, it was in a very good state of preservation, and would readily have lent itself to reproduction by photo-lithography.
The more modern map bore the date of 1816 and the name of " William Figg, Lewes," as Surveyor. I imagine that it had been made for Tithe purposes from the nature of the details presented by it. What, to the best of my belief, is a copy of it, but not the original, now hangs in the Hall of the Vicarage, but Canon Goodwyn is unable to throw any light upon its history. My recollection of the original map is, that it was coloured with great artistic care, and that the map in Canon Goodwyn's possession is a less artistically finished copy of it.
As a matter of Natural History, the record of which, should not, I think, be lost, I may mention as conveniently here as anywhere else, that the greater part of the Sussex Birds now at the Public Library and Museum were collected more than half-a-century ago, by one Vidler, son of a past Surveyor of the Pevensey Levels. Vidler sold many of them to a chemist in the town named Dutton. Dr. Jeffery purchased some from Dutton and some from Vidler ; and when he left the town to |
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