Lewes History Group

A Zoom talk for members of Friends of Lewes

Marcus Taylor: Cockshut and Winterbourne – the Streams of Western Lewes

Marcus Taylor looks at two streams in Lewes which, though very short, have had a significant effects on the town over the centuries.

One made possible the building of Lewes Priory and supplied its advanced drainage systems and ponds with water. The other, with its seasonal flow and thus a dry channel for much of the year, has brought disruptive flooding to  Southover on many occasions.

Flooding in Lewes, 1960

This talk is part of a series of morning talks for members of the Friends of Lewes. If you would like to join FoL, and attend these talks, please find details on their Membership page. FoL  sends Zoom links to their members a few days before each morning talk, so please join in time! You can contact their Membership Secretary via email.

Mary Rudling: The Poor Law in Lewes – ‘A measure of extreme harshness and cruelty’?

Mary Rudling’s talk for Lewes History Group covers the period 1800-1860 and considers the profile of the poor and the support they received before and after 1834.

Many Lewes residents were opposed to interference from the government in London when the New Poor Law was implemented and there was a difficult relationship between local officials and the Poor Law Commissioners.

She will compare poor relief in Lewes with relief in more rural parishes in the Weald and on the Downs and will include case studies of individual paupers and officials.

Image: Courtesy of Mary Evans Picture Library. Click to enlarge

Venue: The King’s Church building on Brooks Road, Lewes, BN7 2BY. (Between Tesco car park and Homebase)

Entry: Due to limited seating, admission will be by advance ticketing only – no payments on the door. Please book in advance at https://ticketsource.co.uk/lhg

Tickets are FREE for LHG members, and £4 for non-members. We will have lists of ticket-holders at the door and will check you in.

Tickets are available now for members and non-members. Ticket sales will close at 5:30pm on the day of the talk.

Covid precautions: We would prefer it if you wore a mask while in the hall. We will provide hand-gel dispensers at the door, but we will not be able to serve tea/coffee.

See the Talks page for a list of  forthcoming monthly events organised by the Lewes History Group.

50% off 1921 Census records – offer begins Friday 22 April at 10:00 BST, and ends Monday 25 April at 23:59 BST.

The 50% off discount is automatically applied at checkout, with no code required. No subscription is needed to take advantage of the offer.

12-month Pro subscribers who already benefit from 10% off 1921 Census purchases will automatically have their discount increased to 50% for the offer period.

The offer applies only to 1921 Census image and transcript purchases.

Find out more

Image at The National Archives