Bibliography - John F. Howes
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The hoopmaking Budgen family of West Hoathly, by John Howes, published September 2008 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 18 no. 3, article, pp.126-128) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508970] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The Crawley Observer, of 13 February 1953, carried an article about my great-grandfather, William (Bill) BUDGEN, who was one of the last of a long line of hoop makers that came from West Hoathly. The BUDGEN family can be traced to the early 15th century in Nutfield, Surrey but by the 16th century the family had spread out to adjacent areas in Sussex and Kent. By the beginning of the 18th century them were several branches of the family well established in areas of Sussex including Frant, East Grinstead and Worth as well as the branch from which I descend, living in West Hoathly.

Elizabeth Newdigate of Wivelsfield, by John Howes and Ros Williams, published March 2009 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 18 no. 5, article, pp.254-258) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508972] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Elizabeth NEWDIGATE of Wivelsfield is a pivotal ancestor of many Sussex families. Her marriage to William POYNTZ in Reigate on 23 May 15691 connected all of her descendants to some of the most prominent families in England, including the WYDEVILLE (WOODVILLE) family, one of whom was the mother of the 'Princes in the Tower'. It also connects her descendants (albeit remotely for most of us) with Princess Diana and hence the future Kings or Queens of England.

The Chatfields of Ditchling, by John Howes, published March 2010 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 19 no. 1, article, pp.3-7) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508842] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The CHATFIELDs of Sussex are a large family and many SFHG members can probably count a CHATFIELD in their family tree. Like many Sussex families, over the centuries the CHATFIELDs were at every level of society from the lowest agricultural labourer to gentlemen as well as a baronetcy. While most of the family branches were members of the established church, some preferred to adopt the Baptist faith. This leads to problems for the family historian. Baptists were suppressed by the established church especially its the 17th and 18th centuries and so vital records, especially births, christenings and burials were either not recorded in formal registers or inconsistently at best. A greater number of marriages were recorded. presumably to assure their legality but even here records are not consistent. To develop family trees it is therefore necessary to turn to other documents. Frequently adherence to a non-conformist religion was not stated specifically but certain patterns emerge that may suggest that a family was non-conformist. Such was the case with my own CHATFIELD ancestors and particularly my seven-times great-grandfather John CHATFIELD and his children, one of whom, Jane is also my ancestor.

The early Kenward family of Mayfield and nearby parishes, by John Howes, published March 2011 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 19 no. 5, article, pp.236-243) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508846] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

One of my maternal great-grandmothers was Mary Ann Elizabeth KENWARD, born in Burstow, Surrey in 1862 where she was buried in 1947. Although her immediate family was all from Surrey her roots were in Sussex. Her grandfather, Josiah KENWARD was christened in Fletching on 4 June 1775, one of at least 13 children born to Richard and Ann KENWARD. Sometime between the christening of Daniel KENWARD on 21 January 1780 in Fletching and the christening of Sarah KENWARD on 2 December 1781, Richard and Ann moved from Fletching to Lingfield. He was described as a fanner in his will and was probably the tenant at Felcourt Farm in Lingfield where his eldest surviving son, Richard was farming in 1841. Richard's ancestors had lived in Fletching since at least 1606 and can be accurately traced to another Richard KENWARD who married Joan ALLCHIN in Rotherfield on 8 May 1581. Less certain is the identification of this Richard as one christened in neighbouring Framfield on 11 February 1542/3 and possibly a descendent of the Robert KENWARD who died there in 1539 as discussed below.

The Budgen Family of West Hoathly, by John F. Howes, published December 2012 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 20 no. 4, article, pp.183-188) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508975] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

In the September 2008 Issue of Sussex Family Historian I discussed my BUDGEN ancestors from West Hoathly and their hoop making trade. Since that time I have accumulated extensive information on the settlement pattern of the family in West Hoathly, mainly from using land tax assessments. Although land taxes date from 1692, organized records for most places did not occur until 1780, when they were required to verify voting eligibility. Owners of freehold property that was assessed at £2.00 or above were entitled to vote. They were used this way until 1832, and while records were kept after this date they are considered unreliable. For a detailed review of land taxes assessments and redemptions, I recommend the introductory chapters of the Sussex Record Society Volume entitled East Sussex Land Tax 1785 (Sussex Record Society Vol. 77 1991). Enquiries I made at West Sussex Record Office (WSRO) in Chichester determined that for West Hoathly no records exist before 1780, at least not at WSRO. In addition to the 1785 assessments data has been published for the 1798 land tax redemption by Ancestry.co.uk. In order to gain a fuller picture of the BUDGENs from 1780 to 1832, I acquired selected copies of the assessments for West Hoathly from WSRO. These were the returns for 1780 (earliest), 1810, 1820 and 1832 (latest). Together with the published lists, this gave me a good range of dates over the 53 years from 1780 to 1832. From 1841 onwards, the censuses are a more comprehensive source of information along with the greater detail that appeared in the parish records.

The Early Payne Family Of Sussex, by John F. Howes, published September 2013 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 20 no. 7, article, pp.302-307) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508978] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The PAYNEs were a large and ubiquitous family from Sussex with numerous branches evident in 16th century parish registers and were probably related to PAYNEs in Hampshire, Kent and Surrey.
Many Sussex families can claim to either be descendants of a PAYNE or to have a PAYNE in their extended family tree. For me it is my 10 x great grandmother Elizabeth PAYNE christened in Ardingly on 11 Mar 1592/3, the daughter of Richard PAYNE. The 16th century Ardingly parish registers contain much information on the family but little connects them together and I was unable to find a published comprehensive review of the family. Peter Brown (www.peter-brown.net) has organized many of the 16th century PAYNEs and this persuaded me to start researching earlier records of the family.

The Early Payne Family Of Sussex - Part Two, by John F. Howes, published December 2013 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 20 no. 8, article, pp.341-346) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508979] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Following on from my article in the September Historian (Vol 20, No 7, Page 302) I will now return to the mid-15th century and another likely descendent of the Twineham PAYNEs, Thomas, whom I believe is the ancestor of the various PAYNE families in Ardingly, West Hoathly, and Balcombe.

The Early Payne Family of Sussex - Part Three, by John F. Howes, published March 2014 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 21 no. 1, article, pp.5-10) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508980]

In the two prior articles I have demonstrated the presence in Twineham/Hickstead of a well-established yeoman family of PAYNEs. I also provided evidence to suggest that all the PAYNEs in the Mid-Sussex area were descended from this family, due to strong connections to both the HOMEWOOD and the MICHELBORNE/MASCALL families. While direct links between the early family members are not always documented there is enough circumstantial evidence to suggest a strong likelihood of a connection.
In this article I will deal with the PAYNEs of Horsted Keynes and Balcombe and one of the branches from East Grinstead who also held properties in Waldron and some adjacent parishes. These branches of the family all have good circumstantial connections to the PAYNEs of Twineham, through connections in Lindfield during the 15th century (See Parts 1 & 2).

The Early Payne Family of Sussex - Part Four, by John F. Howes, published June 2014 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 21 no. 2, article, pp.86-90) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508981]

In the three previous articles in this series I have described how the PAYNE Family of Mid Sussex developed in the Twineham/Hickstead area then spread to adjacent parishes in Lindfield, Ardingly, West Hoathly, Horsted Keynes, Balcombe and East Grinstead. More than one branch of this family resided in East Grinstead during the 16th century. The connection to Twineham is less obvious initially but as I deal with the first group referred to initially as the PAYNEs of Pyckstone, their relationship to the earlier PAYNEs becomes evident in a marriage of distant PAYNE cousins in 1583.
In this article I will deal with the PAYNEs of Pyckstone and their probable relative the PAYNEs of Plawhatch. I have also taken this opportunity to mention the PAYNE family of Petworth even though I have been unable to fit them to the rest of the family.

The Early Payne Family of Sussex - Part Five, by John F. Howes, published September 2014 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 21 no. 3, article, pp.129-133) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508853]

In the previous four articles I have provided evidence that suggests the numerous branches of the PAYNE family living in mid-Sussex descended from a single branch that settled in Twineham/Hickstead in the early 15th century and was closely associated with the Bolney family. Both families had significant holdings in the Eastbourne area. This led me to the conclusion that the mid-Sussex PAYNEs had descended from the Eastbourne family and specifically from a John PAYNE and his wife Gunnora (See Part 1).