Bibliography - Don Burgess
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Working from both ends, by DonBurgess, published March 1988 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 8 no. 1, article, pp.39-40) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10736] & The Keep [LIB/501260] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The author uses Land Tax Assessment records to learn occupations and dwellings of his ancestor, John Burgess. Article covers the years 1785 - 1839 in the parish of Ditchling.

Fortunate Survivors, by Don Burgess, published June 1988 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 8 no. 2, article, p.72) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10736] & The Keep [LIB/501260] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The diary of John Burgess of Ditchling

Another piece of the puzzle?, by Don Burgess, published June 1989 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 8 no. 6, article, pp.278-279) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10736] & The Keep [LIB/501260] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Article documents the six children of John Burgess of West Tarring and covers the years 1777 - 1848 in the parishes of West Tarring and Brighton.

Ancestral Immobility, by Don Burgess, published September 1990 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 9 no. 3, article, pp.103-104) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11999] & The Keep [LIB/501261] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Over the Hills and Far Away, by Don Burgess, published March 1993 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 10 no. 5, article, pp.181-183) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14877] & The Keep [LIB/501262] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Family History: The Oral Tradition, Family Mementos, Newspapers Articles and Census Returns

An Interesting Heirloom, by Don Burgess, published March 1994 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 11 no. 1, article, p.23) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14878] & The Keep [LIB/501263] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The story behind the sampler completed in 1868 by ten year old Sarah Jane Parris.

A Perennial Problem, by Don Burgess, published December 1994 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 11 no. 4, article, pp.133-134) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14878] & The Keep [LIB/501263] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Extract from John Burgess' Diary of 1786

An Interesting Heirloom, by Don Burgess, published December 1994 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 11 no. 4, article, pp.141-142) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14878] & The Keep [LIB/501263] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The story behind the sampler completed in 1868 by ten year old Sarah Jane Parris.

About the Militia, by Don Burgess, published September 1995 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 11 no. 7, article, pp.268-269) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14878] & The Keep [LIB/501263] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) served in the militia from 1758 to 1762

A Cautionary Tale, by Don Burgess, published December 1995 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 11 no. 8, article, p.292) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14878] & The Keep [LIB/501263] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The search for the parents of William Paris who died in 1908 in New Zealand.

The Burgesses of Brighton, by Don Burgess, published March 1996 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 12 no. 1, article, pp.34-37) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14879] & The Keep [LIB/501165] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Henry Burgess (1805-1901) married Elizabeth Parsons at St Nicholas' Church in Brighton 3 September 1828. He had a successful butcher's shop at 41 Meeting House Lane where he supplied produce to such customers as the Royal Pavilion. They had four children who died early followed by Elizabeth who died 7 October 1864. Henry married Eliza Lidbetter in October 1866, moved to Ringmer where they had one child, Frank Walter Burgess, born 29 August 1867 who married Mary Ann Paris in March 1893.

Try a Bit of Lateral Thinking (i), by Don Burgess, published September 1997 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 12 no. 7, article, p.274) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14879] & The Keep [LIB/508814] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

James Pockney married first Mercy Marchant on 30 May 1830 at Patcham and they had at least four children.  He married second Mary Edwards on 13 August 1843.

Try a Bit of Lateral Thinking (ii), by Don Burgess, published September 1997 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 12 no. 7, article, p.279) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14879] & The Keep [LIB/508814] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Resolving the births of Thomas Paris and Robert Paris

Some problems in indexing marriages, etc., by Don Burgess, published June 1998 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 13 no. 2, article, pp.48-49) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14880] & The Keep [LIB/508817] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Looking behind the Registers, by Don Burgess, published March 1999 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 13 no. 5, article, pp.166-168) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14880] & The Keep [LIB/508820] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Research into the burial registers of Heathfield

Wealden Ironmaking, by Don Burgess, published June 2001 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 14 no. 6, article, pp.222-223) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14881] & The Keep [LIB/508823] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

A wider ancestry, by Don Burgess, published March 2003 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 15 no. 5, article, pp.208-209) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15249] & The Keep [LIB/508827] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Edwards of Herstmonceux, by Don Burgess, published December 2003 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 15 no. 8, article, pp.376-377) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15249] & The Keep [LIB/508827] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The family of Henry Edwards who married Elizabeth Farncombe in Lewes on 18 July 1753.

A missing Sussex church?, by Don Burgess, published March 2004 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 16 no. 1, article, pp.18-20) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508834] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The story of Binderton Church or Chapel

Some thoughts from the Sussex Burial Index, by Don Burgess, published December 2004 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 16 no. 4, article, pp.178-179) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508837] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Remarks concerning the burial index at Hastings

The grim reaper: what the Burials Index reveals, by Don Burgess, published December 2006 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 17 no. 4, article, pp.196-199) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508988] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Analysis of the Sussex Burials Index relating to the plague and to smallpox

The grim reaper: what the Burials Index reveals (2), by Don Burgess, published March 2007 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 17 no. 5, article, pp.232-236) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508989] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Analysis of the Sussex Burials Index relating to infant mortality, childhood infections and consumption

Volcano deaths in Sussex, by Don Burgess, published September 2007 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 17 no. 7, article, p.353) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508991] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Study of death rates in Sussex and the impact of external volcanic activity

The gravedigger and his 'jernal', by Don Burgess, published June 2008 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 18 no. 2, article, pp.100-101) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508969] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The article on Charleston Farm by Annette Rose in the March Sussex Family Historian reminded me of the role that John BURGESS, my great-great-great-grandfather played as the gravedigger at Ditchling Meeting House. As you can see, he was also involved in enlarging and preparing the vault under the Meeting House for the body of Peter MARTEN in June 1786, a task for which he appears not to have been paid.

Don't ignore burials, by Don Burgess, published June 2009 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 18 no. 6, article, pp.302-303) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508973] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

For a long time when drawing up my family tree I tended to ignore burial details, with the exception of relatives not too long departed. But I have since come to see that this is a mistake, and may sometimes reveal errors in one's researches. Like a jigsaw puzzle, every detail must fit, and if a burial does not seem to fit, one should find out why. In any case, why leave a tree unfinished?
Most burial records since 1813, and some before that, record the age on burial. One can therefore calculate the approximate date of birth, and this should fit in with any baptismal record one may have, remembering that most baptisms took place within weeks of birth. This calculation can be of immense value when there may be two children of the same name living within a parish, as sometimes occurs with cousins.
I have, unfortunately, an antecedent with the surname WESTON living in Mayfield in the 18th century. It seemed to me that nearly half the parish was named WESTON. and I still haven't untangled the roots of them all. I should be grateful to hear from anyone who has! Now my William died on 20 March 1843 aged 65. So I looked for a baptism around 1777-8. I think I've found it but there were two other baptisms it might be, which is why I'm still not sure. So it doesn't always work, but you get the idea.

An unusual survival, by Don Burgess, published June 2010 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 19 no. 2, article, p.70) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508843] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Whilst transcribing an early register from Beckley (PAR 237/1/1/1),I came to he point where it met some data we already had in our Burials Index from 1721 on. As I had the register out, I decided to continue for a few entries to compare them with what we already had, the latter coming from a shelf transcript at the record office. I soon noticed that there were a number of anomalies, which caused me to suspect that the shelf transcript was faulty. I thought 'this chap was rather careless in his transcribing'. However, when I checked the master data on parish registers on the shelf, I found that there was another original register available, PAR 237/1/1/2. So, ordering it up I found myself looking at an unusual survival - what was probably the incumbent's draft register book, written in the same hand in a soft-cover book (registers are usually hardback). It was from this book that the shelf transcript had been made. It contained a number of different, variant spellings of surnames, additional information regarding the deceased's parish of origin, and sometimes omitted entries that were in the 'proper' register.

An interesting souvenir, by Don Burgess, published September 2010 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 19 no. 3, article, pp.146-147) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508844] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

When my maternal grandmother died in 1938 I was 15 years old. My grandfather asked me if there was any souvenir on their mantelpiece I would like to remember her by. Amongst all the Goss china which they had brought home from sundry seaside holidays there was a small old fashioned boot/shoe carved out of wood which I fancied and, now I'm into family history, I'm very glad I chose it. The shoe is 8cm long and is hollowed out with a sliding lid. Inside one can just make out a trace of a brown substance which I take to be snuff. It is decorated with tiny brass pins and on the sides they outline the letters 'T' on one side and 'S' on the other.

A sad tale of intrigue and deceit, by Don Burgess, published December 2011 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 19 no. 8, article, pp.362-363) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508849] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

About one o'clock in the morning of 5 April 1827, about four or five dusky figures could be seen emerging from the end of Chesterfield Street, Brighton, and making their way to the rear of the new mansions being built along what is now known as Marine Parade. They didn't know it at the time, but they were being watched by the local Headborough and some of his colleagues, who had been tipped-off to keep watch thereabouts and were in hiding. The figures made their way to the rear of Lansdown House, where they appropriated several items that were hanging there, and then disappeared from whence they came.
About seven o'clock the next morning, there came a loud knocking on the door of the house of John BURGESS, alias COOPER, in Chesterfield Street. The law officers had come looking for evidence of a crime committed the night before. They found him with a lad of 14 named Henry AYLING. In their bedroom they found what they were looking for, a leg and neck of mutton which had been purloined the night before from where it had been left hanging in a cool place behind the mansion by the cook to Sir Robert WILMOT of Lansdown Place.

Looking behind the Registers, by Don Burgess, published March 2013 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 20 no. 5, article, pp.213-215) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508976] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

From time to time I help ESRO by putting some transcripts of parish registers on to disk. This usually brings to light a number of interesting facts other than the entries themselves. I have recently spent time on the early Heathfield Registers, and was not disappointed. For example, between December 19th and January 11th 1603/4 there were seven entries of people who were 'buried in the fields'. Why, I thought, were these burials done thus?

Was Religion A Moral Deterrent?, by Don Burgess, published September 2013 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 20 no. 7, article, pp.320-321) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508978] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Those of us privileged to attend the Annual Conference to hear Dr. Swinfield's comprehensive explanation of what could be learned from a person's DNA test results were no doubt surprised and amused to learn, as he revealed at the end of his talk, that he was not a Swinfield after all but a Brown, thanks to a female ancestor 'taking in a lodger'!

Gleanings from the Registers, by Don Burgess, published June 2014 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 21 no. 2, article, p.63) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508981]

Some of you may wonder what is of interest in transcribing early burial registers. Here are a few gems I have recently encountered whilst transcribing early Fittleworth.

My Search for Baptist Ancestors, by Don Burgess, published March 2015 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 21 no. 5, article, pp.240-247) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508855]

My 3x Great Grandfather, John BURGESS, was born, it is believed, in 1757 in Heathfield to one Thomas BURGESS, who was a tenant farmer in the locality. Belonging to a family with strong links for several generations to the General Baptist cause, there is of course no record of the baptisms of John or any of his four brothers and five sisters. Baptists believe in "believers' baptism", and as a consequence they are mostly baptised as young men and women when they are old enough to profess their faith and join their local church. This makes it difficult to fit them into a family tree, as early records of such events, if they ever existed, have long since been lost, although there are a very few exceptions in records held at the National Archives.

The Pesketts of Barns Green, by Don Burgess, published December 2016 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 22 no. 4, article, p.173) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/509472]