A TALK GIVEN BY LADY TEVIOT TO THE FRIENDS Of ST. ANDREW'S WATERLOO STREET ON THE 12th SEPTEMBER 2010

As we all probably know the architect of St Andrews was Sir Charles Barry who was also the architect of St Peters Brighton and the Houses of Parliament. Now over a 180 years old and although made redundant in 1990 it still plays a vital role in the society and cultural activities of Brighton and Hove.

When St Andrews was built the adjacent Brunswick Town was developing rapidly and it was felt necessary for the residents to have their own place of worship, the population of Hove which was only 100 in 1801 would rise by 1841 to 2,500.

Construction began in April 1827 and an Act of Parliament was granted on the 3rd of April 1828 to the Revd Edward Everard giving him and his successors ownership of the church and the right to appoint curates for the next fifty years. Also permitted was two thirds of the income from Pew Rents. Pew Rents were a usual source of income and in the 19th century they could vary from 1 shilling to 5 shillings and one feels sure that various degrees of precedence in society dictated the price paid by the parishioners.
As soon as it was opened on the 5th of July 1828 the church was instantly fashionable and according to the religious census taken in 1851 the congregation numbered between 300 and 350.

The big drawback to St Andrews was that it appears to have been no allowance was made for a churchyard and burials could only take place within the crypt. This lack of burial space of course applied to St Peters and to St Margarets in Cannon Place the latter being now demolished, when my mother first came to live as a child in Cannon Place the steps leading up to the church was where she played. The graveyard at St Nicholas was getting rather over occupied and St Andrews, Church Road Hove was not in a very good state of repair. Up until 1854 there were some 55 burials in the crypt and there were 27 memorials on the wall all but 4 of which were removed by Father Kirkley when he was appointed in 1922

Now to the memorials which we can see and we start with the some members of the Aristocracy.

Then first entry in the burial register is Lord Charles Henry Somerset on the 15th of March 1831

Charles Brownlow 2nd Baron Lurgan
The title was created in 1839 for Charles Brownlow who had represented Armagh as MP in the House of Commons and it finally became extinct on the death of the 5th Baron in 1991 who was the great grandson of our 2nd Baron Lurgan. He had succeeded to the Barony in 1847 and sat on the Liberal Benches in the House of Lords. He was a Whip in the first Liberal Government of William Gladstone 1868-1874 and sadly he was only 50 when he died in January 1882. His wife was a widow then for some 47 years as she did not die until 1929.
I suppose his greatest claim to fame was that he was the owner of the famous greyhound Master McGrath. The dog was born in Dungarvan in County Waterford and it was quite remarkable that it achieved such success given its less than auspicious start in life because as a puppy his appearance was considered to be so unattractive and the runt of the litter that he just escaped drowning only by the action of a young boy called Master McGarth who managed to intervene and convince the trainer Mr Galway, who was a friend of Lord Lurgan, to save the puppy and so he was named after the boy.

The dog first earned fame winning the Waterloo Cup in 1868 and again in 1869, in 1870 there was a hard frost on the course but in spite of this the decision was taken to hold the race which was run on the Salt Marshes between the railway and the frozen river. Master McGrath crashed through the ice into the river and so once more had to be saved from drowning. It is said that Lord Lurgan lost a fortune on the race and that many people in Lurgan had to pawn the deeds of their estates and property to find the money to pay the bookmakers. The dog raced again and in 1871 won the Waterloo Cup for the third time. He was paraded in front of Queen Victoria at her request. When he died in 1873 the autopsy revealed an abnormally large heart which was attributed to his success, nicknamed the immortal black from his colouring he had only lost once in 37 course meetings.

Another memorial was dedicated to Robert the holder of the Cunynghame Baronetcy of Milncraig in Ayrshire. The Baronetcy was a title of Nova Scotia and created on the 3rd of February 1702 for the Scottish lawyer David Cunynghame with the remainder to his heirs male in perpetum.

Robert Cooper Esq who died in November 1835. He was the only son of the Revd Robert Cooper who had been Rector of St Philips in Charlestown, South Carolina and had then come to London where he had been Rector of St Michaels Wood Street. From far and wide they come.
And one removed the little girl Alice Henrietta Dawson Damer who died aged 17th months in April 1832. She was buried in the crypt but her body was removed and taken to the parish church in Came in Dorset by faculty 16 years later in 1848

Oxbridge memorials are here for two Fellows, the Revd Richards Roberts whose father had been Provost of Eton from 1781 to 1791 he was a Fellow of Kings College Cambridge at the time of his death in 1831 at Cannon Place.

John Dawkins was a Fellow of All Souls Oxford until his death in December 1844 at his house at 5 Marine Parade and his funeral took place on the 3rd of January 1845. They were aged 71 and 67 respectively.

EAST INDIA COMPANY AND THE MILITARY

John Stockwell who died in 1841 aged 80 in Brunswick Square had served in the East India Company for 46 years. During his service it was a time of considerable territorial, trade and governmental expansion in India in which the Company was at the forefront. The 1813 Charter Act established the sovereignty of the British Crown over those lands held by the Company.

Philip Staunton of Castle Square Brighton died in November 1836 aged 80 having served in the Company's Military Service under the Bengal Establishment.

Sir George Dallas, 1st Baronet of Petsal in Staffordshire the title created in 1798 and who died in 1833 aged 74 served in the company's Civil Department and was residing in Brunswick Square at the time of his death. He was also a poet whose poetry is published in the new Oxford Book of 18th Century Verse. Fine monument with his grieving widow with a lily in her hand.

In the 1770s the Company had established a monopoly on opium purchase in Bengal and so Bengal was very much at the heart of illegal opium smuggling into China during this period and both these men presumably would have had to deal with this issue during their time with the Company.

Service figures include Lt Col G J Gillespie who had served in the 4th Madras Light Cavalry, demonstrating another link to British power in India during this period. He died on the 17th of December 1826 on the passage home from India. His wife Sarah died in September 1836 and on the memorial it says he died lamented as he lived beloved and her remains are deposited in a vault beneath this chapel

William Walter Vane who died in April 1839 aged 71 at 2 Upper Brunswick Place was formerly a Lt Col in the Coldstream Guards. He too was sincerely loved, deeply regretted by his family and friends. The memorial was erected by his wife and eldest son as a tribute of affection and respect for the bright example he set his family of piety and wisdom

Not forgetting the Navy as we have Robert Rolles who passed away aged 75 at 78 Grand Parade in November 1839 who was an Admiral of the Red and had a long and honourable career in the service of his country.

Perhaps the most notable military memorial is that of John McQueen aged 76 of 18 Regency Square. He who was born in Scotland and whose father had been Lord Justice Clerk of Scotland. He died in February 1837 and he had shared in the glories of the ever memorable defence of Gibraltar from 1779 to 1783. The siege of Gibraltar which took place during the American War of Independence was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France, allies of the 13 colonies, to capture Gibraltar from the British. It was the largest action fought during the war in term of numbers involved and the human costs of the siege weighed heavily against Britain's enemies, 33 were killed on the British side and 911 wounded, on the opposing aide 6,000 in total were killed, wounded, captured or were missing. Sadly in the register on the 8th of June the same is the burial of Adelaide Otway McQueen aged 17 of the same address.

Turning to Sir Ralph Gore his inscription I feel it is worth quoting exactly
The feelings which would have impelled his family to enlarge here on the many excellences which adorned his character are restrained by the conviction that it would be improper of them to inscribe his tablet that praise which if he were living he would have rejected as he was indeed one who confessed with St Peter That in him dwelt no good thing. They will therefore only observe that his life exhibited the effects of Christian grace and truth and that he rested his hopes of salvation solely in the all sufficient merits of that mighty and gracious saviour who is able to save the uttermost by all who come to God by Him Amen even so Lord Jesus. A fine memorial designed by Amon Henry Wilds son of Henry Wilds who with Charles Busby was responsible for the building of Kemp Town.

Sir Ralph who was the 7th Baronet was born in Guernsey and he married Lady Grace Maxwell the daughter of the 1st Earl of Farnham. On the 1841 census return he was living in Brunswick Square and he died the following year aged 83. His only son George inherited the Baronetcy As we can see by the returns through to 1901 his family were still at no 26. His wife and daughters were born in Dublin, his widow Grace died in 1866 aged 94. Throughout the years they never had less than 5 servants usually a Butler, sometimes a footman, ladies maids We can follow the progress of Annie Boorman who is on the 1871 census was first there as a nursemaid by 1881 a housemaid, in 91 an u

pper housemaid and by 1901 head housemaid quite a career progression.
Martha Elizabeth died aged 88 in 1894 and her sister Elizabeth Esther lived on in the house until 1904 when she was 94.

To set the balance I have include just a few of the baptismal entries: In the street surrounding Brunswick Town as they say are the Butcher, the Baker the Candlestick maker, the Servants , the Coachmen, the Lodging House Keepers, the Carpenter and the Gardeners.

On the 8th of Dec1847 a little girl was christened by mother surviving father Lt 14th Kings Light Dragoons Gertrude Parry Himalya dau of Francis Delaval and Ellen Gray bn 26th May 1846 in Simla , India

Late baptisms happened 6 Oct 1846 William son of Joseph and Sarah Ann Kay born 10th April 1840 Spring St, whose occupation was a Musican

An interesting entry is that of Florence Inger Graham who was baptised 28 Oct 1850 the dau of George Graham the Registrar General of Birth, Deaths and Marriages whose address is given as 7 Brunswick Square and London. He was the 2nd Registrar and succeeded Thomas Henry Lister in 1842 and remained in office until 1879, he too had served in the East India Company. He eventually died in 1888 aged 86.

On the 25 Aug 1854 Ernest Egerton Woledge was baptised He was the son of Frederick William Woledge who was an Artist. Frederick was also the father Frederick William Woledge born in 1840 who was the well known Victorian artist noted for his landscapes scenes of Brighton and Southern England and was a Drawing Master at Brighton College

Another entry of a baby far from home is on the 10th of November 1858 Mary Augustus Clinton daughter of Thomas Lindall Winthrop Esq from New York.
Then an entry which shows the people who were a little less glamorous such as in 1837 Charles son of David and Maria Cox of 7 Market St a Coachman
And finally one wonders why Elizabeth Tester was baptised aged 33 the dau of Abraham and Elizabeth Tester of Sillwood Place Brighton a Bookseller.

I have a deep affection for Brighton and Hove, I was born just up the road in Brunswick Road and my first home was First Avenue, my last home before I took the huge step of moving 8 miles over the Downs to Hassocks was in Tisbury Road now under the Hove Town Hall and I often wonder if in a thousand years time when in that area someone on an archealogical dig will discover my wedding ring which I lost in the compost heap in the back garden of 15 Tisbury Road.