Bibliography - Brightling, East Sussex
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Parish of Brightling, by Thomas Walker Horsfield, published 1835 in The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex (vol. I, rape of Hastings, pp.564-567) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2396][Lib 3211] & The Keep [LIB/507380][Lib/500087] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

John Fuller, Esq., by Mark Antony Lower, published 1865 in The Worthies of Sussex (pp.96-98) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 3208][Lib 3233][Lib 3304] & The Keep [LIB/503515][LIB/504913]

Story of Witchcraft at Brightling, by Unknown Author(s), published 1866 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 18, article, pp.111-113) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2103] & The Keep [LIB/500237] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Brightling, by Mark Antony Lower, M.A., published 1870 in A Compendious History of Sussex, Topographical, Archaeological & Anecdotal (vol. I, pp.76-77, Lewes: George P. Bacon) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8946][Lib 3314] & The Keep [LIB/500159]   View Online

Ordnance Survey Book of Reference to the plan of the Parish of Brightling, published 1875 (article, London: H.M.S.O. & printed at George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode)   View Online

Painted Glass from a Window in the Church of St. Thomas-a-Becket, Brightling, Sussex, by W. C. Alexander, published 1902 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 45, article, pp.180-185) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2130] & The Keep [LIB/500263] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Two Ancient Manor Houses - Old Shoyswell Manor and Socknersh Manor, by Henry Anderson Bryden, published 26 November 1904 in Country Life (vol. 16 no. 412, article, pp.766-768) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9151]

"Mad Jack", the Honest Sussex Squire, by Arthur Beckett, published 1928 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. II no. 1, article, pp.24-26) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9327] & The Keep [LIB/500138]

A Village's Queer Buildings, by Frederick John, published 1928 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. II no. 10, article, pp.442-443) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9327] & The Keep [LIB/500138]

Historic Houses of Sussex - Socknersh Manor, by Viscountess Wolseley, published 1934 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. VIII no. 7, article, pp.412-417) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9329] & The Keep [LIB/500178]

The Windmills of Brighton, by F. G. S. Bramwell, published 1938 (reprint from the articles in Brighton and Hove Herald of 6 August and 13 August 1938, the Windmills of Brighton)

A praise-worthy collection of information about all known mills in Brighton with many illustrations including one showing the removal of Streeter's Mill (by some 70 oxen) from Regency Square to the top of Miller's Road.

Sussex Church Plans LXXX: Parish Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury, Brightling, by W. H. G. [W. H. Godfrey], published August 1947 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XI no. 7, article, pp.146-147) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8229][Lib 2210] & The Keep [LIB/500213] & S.A.S. library

Church organ with a difference - early 19th-century barrel-organ in Brightling church, Sussex, published 21 December 1951 in Country Life (article, p.2109)

Brightling Park, by A. Dale, published 1955 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. 29, article, pp.462-469) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2334] & The Keep [LIB/500201]

Church of St Thomas a Becket, Brightling, published c.1960 (pamphlet, St Thomas a Becket Brightling) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7221]

The Fullers of Brightling Park, by Mary C. L. Salt, published 1966 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 104, article, pp.63-87) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2189] & The Keep [LIB/500325] & S.A.S. library

The Fullers of Brightling Park, Part 2, by Mary C. L. Salt, published 1968 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 106, article, pp.73-88) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2191] & The Keep [LIB/500323] & S.A.S. library

The Fullers of Brightling Park, Part 3, by Mary C. L. Salt, published 1969 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 107, article, pp.14-24) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2192] & The Keep [LIB/500322] & S.A.S. library

The Fullers of Brightling Park, by Kenneth Dickins, published June 1976 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 2 no. 5, article, pp.150-160) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7966] & The Keep [LIB/501254] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Poor Old Rose, by Elizabeth Doff, published June 1978 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 3 no. 5, article, pp.130-136) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7967] & The Keep [LIB/501255] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

A description of the life of Rose Fuller (1708-1777), from Brightling to Jamaica and back.

Gentry Wealth on the Weald in the Eighteenth Century: the Fullers of Brightling Park, by R. V. Saville, published 1983 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 121, article, pp.129-148) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8902] & The Keep [LIB/500308] & S.A.S. library

Fuller: The Life and Times of John Fuller of Brightling 1757-1834, by Geoff Hutchinson, published 1984 (24 pp. & illus., published by the author) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

East Sussex Census 1851 Index: Whatlington, Battle, Brightling, Dallington, Penhurst and Ashburnham, by June C Barnes, published March 1987 (vol. 7, booklet, 104 pp., C. J. Barnes & printed at Battle Instant Print Ltd., ISBN-10: 1870264061 & ISBN-13: 9781870264068) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11236] & The Keep [LIB/503432] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Fuller, The Life and Times of John Fuller of Brightling 1757-1834, by Geoff Hutchinson, published 1988 (revised second edition, published by the author) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

My Elusive Grandfather, by Cathy Thomas, published March 1989 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 8 no. 5, article, pp.219-222) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10736] & The Keep [LIB/501260] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The author's search for her grandfather, Charles Thomas (1874-1939) and covers the years 1874 - 1960 in the parishes of Brightling and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Religious Survey 1851 - Battle district, edited by John A. Vickers, published August 1990 in The Religious Census of Sussex 1851 (Sussex Record Society, vol. 75, pp.18-27, ISBN-10: 085445036X & ISBN-13: 9780854450367) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10578][Lib 13824] & The Keep [LIB/500452][LIB/507827] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Battle district incl. Hollington, Bexhill, Catsfield, Crowhurst, Westfield, Sedlescombe, Ewhurst, Whatlington, Mountfield, Brightling, Dallington, Penhurst & Ashburnham

Brightling - Land Tax 1785, edited by Roger Davey, published 1991 in East Sussex Land Tax, 1785 (Sussex Record Society, vol. 77, pp.27-29, ISBN-10: 0854450386 & ISBN-13: 9780854450381) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11681][Lib 13075] & The Keep [LIB/500454][Lib/507860] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Iron Hoops and Holly Sticks: Schooling in Brightling 1733-1951, by Anne Holman and Pauline Sondheim and illustrated by D. Smith, published November 1996 (30 pp., published by the authors, ISBN-10: 0952931001 & ISBN-13: 9780952931003) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

Fuller of Sussex: a Georgian Squire, by Geoff Hutchinson, published 1 May 1997 (152 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 0951993666 & ISBN-13: 9780951993668) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Brightling - 18c. Schools, edited by John Caffyn, published 1998 in Sussex Schools in the 18th Century (Sussex Record Society, vol. 81, pp.52-54, ISBN-10: 0854450424 & ISBN-13: 9780854450428) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13825][Lib 13828] & The Keep [LIB/500458][Lib/507864] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Perch Hill: A New Life, by Adam Nicolson, published 1999 (320 pp., Robinson, ISBN-10: 1841190543 & ISBN-13: 9781841190549) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

When Adam Nicolson decided to become an amateur farmer on a small farm in Sussex, he didn't realized what he was getting himself into. This book reveals the authentic atmosphere of country life to those who have no first-hand experience of its trials and tribulations, successes and joys.

Field Notes: A bloomery in Brightling, East Sussex, compiled by J. S. Hodgkinson, published 2002 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 22, report, pp.2-5, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506569]   Download PDF

Field Notes: Two Bloomery sites in Brightling, East Sussex, compiled by J. S. Hodgkinson, published 2007 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 27, report, pp.2-5, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506574]   Download PDF

Field Notes: A bloomery in Brightling, East Sussex, compiled by J. S. Hodgkinson, published 2010 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 30, report, pp.3-9, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506577]   Download PDF

Documentary and literary evidence relating to Burwash Forge and Wynhamford Mill, East Sussex, by Kate Mees, published 2010 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 30, article, pp.10-29, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506577]   Download PDF

This article has been adapted from a desk-based assessment, conducted as part of the MA in Landscape Archaeology at the University of Bristol in February 2009. The area of study consisted of a 1km plot, approximately 1.5km southwest of the village of Burwash. It incorporates the sites of Burwash Forge (TQ 6631 2313), which lies within the parish of Burwash, and Wynhamford Mill (TQ 6560 2235), across the parish border in Brightling. Documentary research has revealed much about the nature of the industrial activities that took place at these sites in the medieval and post-medieval periods, and about the families and individuals who were involved in these enterprises.
Research was carried out at the East Sussex County Record Office (ESRO), Lewes, at Hastings Library and online via the National Archives (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a).
The author is grateful to the following for their assistance in the production of this article: Jeremy Hodgkinson, for reading numerous versions of the text and making valuable suggestions; Lesley Mees for help and support; Christopher Whittick, senior archivist at East Sussex Record Office, for locating relevant sources in the Ashburnham Family Archive (ESRO ASH/200a).

Brightling, St. Thomas à Becket - Church monuments, edited by Nigel Llewellyn, published 2011 in East Sussex Church Monuments, 1530-1830 (Sussex Record Society, vol. 93, pp.44-50, ISBN-10: 0854450750 & ISBN-13: 9780854450756) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 17926] & The Keep [LIB/500470][LIB/507876] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

Field Notes: A Bloomery in Brightling, East Sussex, compiled by J. S. Hodgkinson, published 2011 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 31, report, pp.3-8, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506578]   Download PDF

The great escape [Socknersh Manor], by Penny Churchill, published 2 July 2014 in Country Life (vol. 208 no. 27, article, pp.114-115)

Smell of Summer Grass: Pursuing Happiness at Perch Hill, by Adam Nicolson, published 2015 (307 pp., London: William Cllins, ISBN-10: 0008104727 & ISBN-13: 9780008104726) accessible at: British Library & East Sussex Libraries

The Smell of Summer Grass is based partly on the long out of print 'Perch Hill'. It is the story of the years spent in finding and building a personal Arcadia, sometimes a dream, sometimes a nightmare, by writer Adam Nicolson and his wife, cook and gardener, Sarah Raven. Adam Nicolson was determined to leave metropolitan life but the rundown farm in the Sussex Weald was not quite what he bargained for. The scenery was breathtaking and the rural neighbours charming but the hard end of real farming life was another matter - mud, cold, planning regulations and unco-operative livestock. But for the reader the whole enterprise is full of delight thanks to Adam Nicolson's writing: frank, witty and touching, it is a testament to the importance of holding on to your dreams and turning them into reality.

Brightling Parish Register, published (no date) by the Sussex Family History Group and Parish Register Transcription Society (Ref: SXE93, CD-ROM)

Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1560-1607 extracted and transcribed by SFHG chairman Mick Henry. Indexed. Vol.93 .