Maresfield

True to form the Village signpost gives a gist of the past by depicting a scene of a working iron foundry in the process of making canons and canon balls. However, my curiosity was particularly aroused when I noticed an ornate gatehouse with a blue plaque stating that Sir J.V. Shelley Bart had erected it in 1847. Clearly there was more to this village than iron works, which is why I decided to stay awhile and see what interesting items or backgrounds I could discover.

The iron industry in Sussex had been well established since Roman times and used primarily for military purposes. In the 15th century however France was more advanced than Britain having invented a blast furnace system that produced more sophisticated bronze weaponry. When Henry V111 came to the throne he was quick to recognise this and encouraged French bronze foundry men to come to England and work with our iron masters. The village Parish registers attest to this and record that a number of French people resided and married in the area. As depicted on the village sign canons and canon balls were manufactured here by men using blast furnaces; later the village was to boast three iron foundries and  a powder mill. Many other non military iron products were made including such items as road signs, such as the Bow Bells Milestone that can be seen adjacent to the Chequers Inn; one of many made of Sussex iron.

An Act of Parliament in 1740 requiring all Turnpike owners to erect milestones ledto the creation of the Bow Bells Milestones. They portray a string of four bells at the top of which there is a bow;  above that a number depicts how many miles it was to Bow Church in London; the Maresfield milestone depicts 41.

The iron industry made travelling notoriously difficult in Sussex during the 17th century mainly due to deforestation of timber and water dammed to create hammer ponds and provide for the furnaces. Slag heaps, thick mud and water created uagmires making travel nigh impossible. Amongst it all, oxen pulled carts of iron gun barrels and canon balls were constantly churning over the mud. Passenger traffic had little option other than to use the slightly better turnpike toll roads; nevertheless travel was slow, and tiring, necessitating many coach stops. The Maresfield Grade 11 listed Chequers Coaching Inn, adjacent to the milestone, has a blue plaque informing readers that it was built by Nathaniel Newnham in1734 for a sum of £400.

The most interesting structure in the small near by cluster of properties is the medieval style Gatehouse Lodge; it is adorned with gargoyles and an octagonal chimney with more protruding creatures. On the other side of the gateway there is a stone cross surmounting a steepled tower surrounded with eight windows. This striking edifice was built in1847. However, in 1920 the original gatehouse had a additional structure built above the entrance arch, which has destroyed the view of the tower from the front. The Gatehouse lodge, despite its grand looks was in fact the tradesmen’s entrance to Maresfield Park which is now a privately owned dwelling. The lady of the house kindly informed me she still has the original tradesmans entrance sign.

Sir John Shelley with his beautiful and formidable wife bought the estate in 1809 an event that was to herald some dramatic changes to the park and Maresfield Hall. Sir John (not to be confused with his son Sir J.V. Shelley who built the gatehouse) was a charming witty and wealthy man who prior to Maresfield was the owner of Michelgrove near Arundel. Unfortunately he was also a notorious gambler at both the card tables and horse races, and had a roving eye. His excesses were to lead to his having to sell the beloved Michelgrove and pay off pressing creditors. However, as fortune would have it, two years previously he had married an extremely wealthy young lady seventeen years his junior; Frances Winckley. This was not in any way an arranged marriage as they were both very much in love and stayed together until his death at the age of eighty. They had  six children.

Lady Frances Shelley spent £70,000 on enlarging the Hall and Sir John promoted  horse racing stables in the park and produced two Derby winners. She tolerated his weaknesses but was determined her life would develop the way she wished. Her beauty and intellect was very much admired and she was welcome in the highest of aristocratic circles; so much so, that when Lady Shelley was very ill and close to death, Queen Victoria honoured her by coming to sit at her bedside.

During the time that Sir John and Lady Shelley lived at Maresfield the village was to witness many high society visitors. One event in particular was to be the highlight of her dreams. The Duke of Wellington was her idol and she had frequently implored him to visit and although having promised to do so, was constantly delayed through his pressures of work. However eventually on Oct 10th 1819, a message arrived to state he would arrive the next day. Imagine the panic; here was her Hero, the most popular man in the country, arriving - tomorrow!

Staff were instructed to let everyone in the area know the Duke was coming next day; frantic arrangements were made including organising 40 farmers on horseback to be in Ashdown forest to meet the Duke and escort his carriage some three miles to the village. Indeed such was the euphoria in the village that the route became so over crowded the carriage had difficulty getting through,added to which, it was a sunny day with everyone donning his or her most gaily coloured clothes. Lady Shelley couldn’t have been happier. The writings in her diary best describe her feelings –

“ My nervous headache vanished and I was alive only to the happiness and honour of receiving, under my own roof, the great hero and saviour of my country”

The following day was also a success with one or two minor mishaps involving the Duke’s lack of prowess with a hunting rifle. The morning session ended with him having shot a retriever and peppered the gaiters of a keeper. However horror of horrors, that afternoon Lady Shelley went out to join the party and suddenly heard screams of pain from the cottage of an old lady. It seems she was working with some washing in front of the windows when her arms got in the way of another of the Duke’s wayward shots. Lady Shelley quickly took charge, and I quote again from her diaries.

On entering the cottage the old lady cried out:

“I’m shot milady “

Lady Shelley immediately sizing up the situation said

“My good woman this ought to be the proudest day of your life you have had the distinction of being shot by the great Duke of Wellington”.

The old woman saw the Duke approaching and with tears in her eyes and holding out her quivering arms showed both fear and pride; she was soon to be seen smiling happily, the Duke had slipped her a golden coin. Lady Shelley’s reaction was to write

“the scene was worthy of a play”.

Sir John died in 1852 and his wife was to survive him until 1873 at which time the estate passed to his son Sir John Villiers Shelley and from him to a German family.

Prince Munster Von Dernebury held the estate from 1888 until war broke out in1914. I am told that the Empress of Germany, mother of Kaiser Wilhelm visited him at Maresfield. It was not unusual for Germans to visit Britain during those times as we had on the throne a Queen who had married a German aristocrat. However this was no help to Prince Munster who, despite having been a good landlord and charitable supporter to the village; he was to be drummed out of the country and his estates confiscated when war broke out.

Maresfield Park continued first as an army camp then, after the war, was used to house immigrants fleeing from Uganda and the Vietnamese Boat Victims. Finally it was sold off in lots for building and light industrial works. House building is continuing to the present day.

Before moving on I decided a halt was needed for a refreshing cup of coffee- where else than the Chequers Inn? Whilst there I learnt that during alteration works, a 90 foot well, hewn out of solid rock had been found beneath the bar floor; it is now illuminated as a feature to interest visitors. In conversation I was asked if I had seen the memorial coronation light plaque by the overflow cemetery? This was quite a find because I had never yet found a memorial plaque to Edward V11 and Queen Alexandra

Before ending this profile I will answer a question many people ask about the Shelley family;

yes - the poet Bysshe Shelley is related to the Shelleys of Maresfield.