THE HISTORY OF EAST GRINSTEAD - Online Book

The rise and progress of the town and the history of its institutions & people.

	14	HISTORY OF EAST GRINSTEAD.
	now London Road and Hill Place, including Glen Vue, Queen's Road and West Street, then mainly of an agricul­tural character. A diary kept by the great grandfather of Messrs. Frederick and Edwin Tooth, who are now partners in business in the High Street, contains the following concerning his nephew: December 19th, 1827, John Tooth sailed in the "Bencoolen," Captain John Martin, Master, for Van Diemans Land and New South Wales, with hops, rum, porter and hats for sale. His brother had established himself as a brewer at Cranbrook and thence came the hops, rum and porter which formed part of this miscellaneous cargo. The hats came from East Grinstead. The goods apparently sold well, for John Tooth settled down in Sydney, established a brewery there and died worth over £300,000. His descendants have come back to England and are famous for their munificent donations to national and charitable institutions. As already mentioned a few of our traders have had their own coins. In the reign of Charles I. and during the Commonwealth, before regal copper money was brought into general use, many tradesmen issued tokens of a farthing value, and the following were struck by East Grinstead residents:
	This was issued by the proprietor of what is now the Dorset Arms. The famous old coaching house has borne several names. It comprised two of the 36 burgages, giving its tenant a right to a vote for the Members of