WEST GRINSTEAD
The parish of West Grinstead, (fn. 49) which includes
the growing village of Partridge Green, and which is
noted for its long Roman Catholic tradition, lies
midway between Horsham and the north slope of
the South Downs. Though the distinguishing prefix
is recorded from the mid 13th century, (fn. 50) the parish
has no connexion with East Grinstead. (fn. 51) The ancient
parish contained 6,720 a. in 1881. Between 1882 and
1891 a detached part of Ashurst within West Grinstead containing Upper Posbrooks Farm (37 a.) was
added to it. In 1971 the parish comprised 2,733 ha.
(6,753 a.). (fn. 52) The parish is irregular in shape, especially on the south side where Ashurst parish makes a
deep salient within it. In the south-east the boundary
is formed by the two branches of the river Adur,
which join at the parish's south-eastern tip. In the
north and west the boundary partly follows streams.
Elsewhere it follows what are evidently old roads:
that from Partridge Green to Nuthurst in the northeast, and that from Bramber to Knepp castle and
Horsham in the south-west and north-west. (fn. 53)
Windsor common in the north-east corner of Wiston
parish perhaps originally straddled the boundary
between Wiston and West Grinstead. (fn. 54)
The highest land in the parish, between 100 and
c. 160 ft. (30 and 49 metres), is in the north-east,
north-west, and south-west parts. The western
branch of the river Adur flows from north-west to
south-east across the parish and is fed by tributary
streams from both sides. The parish lies chiefly on
the Weald clay, with alluvium in the valleys, and
there are outcrops of Horsham stone and other sandstone beds in the extreme north and north-east. (fn. 55)
The river Adur was subject to serious flooding in
1797, (fn. 56) and continued to be so during the 19th and
20th centuries despite the improvement of its banks
after 1807. (fn. 57) It was tidal in both branches in the
south-east corner of the parish in 1984. (fn. 58) In the
Middle Ages much of the parish was presumably
covered by woodland. By 1830, however, woods,
hedgerows, and shaws were estimated to comprise
less than a sixth of its area, (fn. 59) and in 1983 the parish
was much less wooded than the surrounding country
to north and south. The Lock estate included c. 228 a.
of woods in 1984. (fn. 60) Jolesfield common and Partridge
green in the east remained uninclosed waste until
1872. (fn. 61)
Parkland has been extensive in the parish since the
Middle Ages. The two chief parks, Stock park in
the west, recorded between the 13th century and the
16th or 17th, and the park attached to West Grinstead manor house, recorded between the 16th century or earlier and the 20th, are discussed below. (fn. 62) In
addition, the new gentlemen's houses built after c.
1800 often had parkland attached, (fn. 63) and there was
parkland in the parish belonging to Shermanbury
Grange by 1896; in 1982 it still adjoined Partridge
Green village on the east. Parkland and park-like
farmland were dominant in the landscape in the mid
20th century; in 1965 West Grinstead and Shipley
together were described as 'the Weald ... tamed,
then let back, on a leash as it were, to be wild within
limits'. (fn. 64)
Early medieval settlement in West Grinstead, as
elsewhere in the Weald, was scattered. Some sites
originated as pasture places for manors in the south
part of Bramber rape, (fn. 65) while the farm name Bowshots contains the element scydd which describes
huts built as the seasonal dwellings of herdsmen. (fn. 66)
The name Grinstead was recorded as the hundred
name in 1086, (fn. 67) and was apparently transferred later
to the vill and the parish. The surname 'of Grinstead' occurs locally c. 1230. (fn. 68) A vill of Grinstead
was mentioned c. 1260, (fn. 69) but there is no evidence
for a nucleated village. The only dwellings known to
have existed near the church are Glebe House to the
east (fn. 70) and two buildings that stood beside the churchyard, one of which was used as a shop in the 17th and
18th centuries; (fn. 71) the manor house lay 2/3 mile (1 km.)
to the north. Glebe Cottage, on the north side of the
churchyard, is apparently a 17th-century building,
with exposed timber framing in its northern outshut.
The symmetrical south front with end chimneys was
added in the 18th century; at the same time, apparently, the plan of the house was altered to give a
central staircase flanked by two rooms. A one
storeyed red brick range running north-south was
built on the north-east side in the 19th century to
serve as a school; (fn. 72) originally separate, it was later
joined to the house. The main range was extended
eastwards in the 20th century, when various fittings
brought from elsewhere were inserted in the house,
and the shell hood was added over the entrance
doorway. Across the river south of the church are
Fosters, a timber-framed building apparently of the
17th century or earlier, with a possibly 18th-century
brick barn to the south, and Butcher's Row, a group
of 19th-and 20th-century estate cottages. (fn. 73) The other
vill recorded in the Middle Ages was Byne, which
lay partly in West Grinstead and partly in Ashurst; (fn. 74)
again, no nucleated settlement can be shown to have
existed there in West Grinstead.
The sites of some medieval farms can perhaps be
inferred from modern farm names corresponding to
medieval surnames recorded in the parish; examples
are Chuck's, Fuller's, Hobshort's, Lloyts, Need's,
Posbrook's, Thistleworth, and Tuckmans farms. (fn. 75)
Pinland farm was also recorded before 1500; (fn. 76) it,
Hobshort's, Thistleworth, and Brightham's farms
all occupy knolls, like many others in the Weald clay
country. Many isolated farmhouses in the parish
are of the 17th century or earlier, (fn. 77) and many that
are post-medieval may occupy the sites of earlier
buildings. Well Land Farm north of Partridge Green
is a four-bayed hall house with crown-post roof; into
the hall were inserted first a smoke bay, and then a
central chimney. Rookland Farm east of Dial Post
includes a three-bayed medieval range, probably a
cross wing to an earlier house now destroyed. Sand's
Farm nearby and Tuckmans Farm in the north-west
corner of the parish are basically 16th-century, but
the former has a medieval cross wing. (fn. 78) Lloyts Farm,
probably of the early 17th century, is a timberframed house of three-room plan with a slightly later
rear kitchen wing. (fn. 79)
In the 18th and 19th centuries many new houses
were built along the main roads of the parish, benefiting from their improvement under turnpike trusts
after 1764. (fn. 80) The chief areas of settlement at that
time were the three adjacent hamlets in the east,
Jolesfield, Littleworth, and Partridge Green, and the
hamlet of Dial Post in the west. (fn. 81)
A tenement called Jolesfield existed in 1590, (fn. 82) and
Jolesfield was a road destination in 1535 and 1635. (fn. 83)
Some farmhouses of the 17th century and earlier
surround what was uninclosed common land until
1872. (fn. 84) Blanches, near the south-east corner of the
former common, is a late medieval house of four
bays with a two-bayed central hall. In the late 16th
or early 17th century an upper floor was inserted
into the hall and a chimneystack added on the rear
wall. The two-storeyed oriel on the front of the
building is 17th-century, but may represent an
older form. At Joles Farm, south of the common, the
probably 16th-century main range also had a central
open hall of two bays; by c. 1600 an upper floor had
been inserted and the south end remodelled, two
external brick chimneystacks being built.
At least one building described as a cottage existed
on or beside the common in the early 18th century; (fn. 85)
surviving buildings at Jolesfield of the 18th and early
19th centuries include the old Green Man inn at the
south-west corner and buildings on the north side
which housed workers at the Jolesfield brickworks. (fn. 86)
About 1840 there were 15 or 20 buildings around the
common. (fn. 87) The hamlet of Littleworth lay at the
north-east corner of the common along the road to
Nuthurst; some buildings of before c. 1800 survived
there in 1983. (fn. 88) One or two other buildings were
put up at Littleworth before c. 1840. (fn. 89)
About ½ mile (800 metres) south of Jolesfield common, houses began to spring up by the 18th century
beside Partridge green, a strip of waste land along the
road which leads from the Horsham-Steyning road
to Shermanbury and which became Partridge Green
High Street. (fn. 90) By c. 1800 there was a group near the
junction of the two roads, besides other buildings
both south of that junction and east of the green
towards the Shermanbury boundary. (fn. 91) Some 18thcentury or earlier buildings survived in all three
places in 1983.
Building continued at Partridge Green in the
earlier 19th century, (fn. 92) and by c. 1840 there were c. 6
buildings at the road junction, including an inn. (fn. 93)
The settlement expanded much faster after the
arrival of the railway in 1861 and the inclosure of the
green in 1872. (fn. 94) Shortly before 1867 some new cottages were built by small proprietors near the
station; having two bedrooms they were superior to
the general standard of cottages elsewhere in the
parish at the time. (fn. 95) Some grander Italianate stuccoed
houses in South Street off High Street are contemporary. Further houses had been built in both streets
by 1896, and by 1909 there was building along most
of High Street between the Horsham-Steyning road
and the edge of the park belonging to Shermanbury
Grange. Building land was offered for sale north of
High Street in 1907 and 1911; at the latter date there
was claimed to be a good demand in the area for
houses and cottages of moderate size. (fn. 96)
Ashurstn And West Grinstead c. 1960
Building land at Jolesfield common was offered for
sale in 1861 and later, (fn. 97) but despite the provision of
new, straight roads at the inclosure of the common
in 1872, only a few more houses were built there
before the First World War, one being the new
Green Man inn. (fn. 98) There was more building in the
mid 20th century, especially after c. 1966, (fn. 99) at all
three hamlets, particularly at Partridge Green. Many
houses and bungalows were built north of Partridge
Green High Street, and much new housing was put
up east of Littleworth Lane, including some council
houses; at the same time the former brickworks
south of High Street were built over. (fn. 1) Detached
houses and bungalows were meanwhile built at the
north-east corner of the former Jolesfield common
as a southern extension of Littleworth hamlet. By the
late 1970s Partridge Green had become the centre of
population in the parish, a dormitory suburb with a
continual turnover of residents. (fn. 2)
The hamlet of Dial Post occupies a knoll of land
on the Horsham–Worthing road in the west part of
the parish. The explanation of its name is uncertain, (fn. 3)
but Dial Post farm, Dial Post fields, and Dial Post
house were named in the early 18th century. (fn. 4) The
name Dial Post was applied later to the settlement
which grew up along the road during the 18th and
19th centuries (fn. 5) and which in the early 19th was
called a small village. (fn. 6) Dial Post House, dated 1712, (fn. 7)
has an 18th-century brick front. At least three other
buildings are timber-framed. (fn. 8) By c. 1840 there were
eight or ten houses in the hamlet, (fn. 9) including an early
19th-century villa at the north end. After c. 1920
some council houses were built on the north side and
new houses and bungalows to the south and west.
In 1974 the hamlet's population was said to be 230. (fn. 10)
Two smaller hamlets grew up during the same
period on the Horsham–Worthing road further
north, both straddling the parish boundary. At or
near the junction with the road to Partridge Green by
the later 19th century were a group of buildings including the Burrell Arms inn and a post office; all
were demolished when the main road was widened
c. 1965. (fn. 11) The hamlet called the Bar in the northwest, (fn. 12) however, survived in 1982, when there were
a pair of low, probably 17th-century, weatherboarded
cottages, some brick cottages apparently of the 18th
or earlier 19th century, and one larger stuccoed 19thcentury house along the road to Copsale in Nuthurst;
other houses nearby in Shipley parish had, however,
disappeared. (fn. 13) Little Tuckmans, further north, is a
three-bayed hall house with later alterations. (fn. 14)
Many other houses were built outside the hamlets
in the 20th century, but the idea aired in 1920 of
developing land for building near West Grinstead
station was not taken up. (fn. 15) The 19th and 20th centuries have also seen the building of larger houses
or the conversion of older ones as gentlemen's residences. Dial Post House was offered for sale as such
in 1811, (fn. 16) and Champions Farm in the north-east
corner was said to be capable of improvement in
1838. (fn. 17) On both occasions the plentiful game of the
neighbourhood was suggested as an attraction to
purchasers, a theme that recurred later. (fn. 18) Large
houses built in the 19th century included West
Grinstead Lodge of before 1832, (fn. 19) near the modern
Roman Catholic church, and Jolesfield House, which
existed by 1874 south-west of Jolesfield common. (fn. 20)
In the north-east corner of the parish the adjacent
Westlands and Belmoredean occupied a southfacing ridge with fine views; (fn. 21) Westlands, originally
a Gothic building of c. 1830, (fn. 22) was later rebuilt. (fn. 23)
The Capite in the south-west part of the parish was
built in the late 19th or earlier 20th century in revived
vernacular style, but was remodelled on a grand
scale in early 19th-century classical style in 1972. (fn. 24)
Seven gentlemen's families were listed in the parish
in 1852, 11 in 1874, and 34 in 1938. (fn. 25) Though West
Grinstead remained a parish of scattered settlement
in 1983, several isolated farmhouses were demolished
after c. 1875, viz. Haven, Goreland, Denman's, and
Whiteson Farms. (fn. 26)
Thirty-one persons were taxed in West Grinstead
tithing in 1296, 24 in 1327, and 38 in 1332, but some
of them apparently lived in Nuthurst parish. (fn. 27) In the
vill of Byne, which lay partly in West Grinstead and
partly in Ashurst, 25 persons were taxed in 1296,
17 in 1327, and 29 in 1332. (fn. 28) In 1378 twenty-three
persons were assessed in each tithing, (fn. 29) and in 1524
West Grinstead had 41 taxpayers, Byne 31. (fn. 30) In 1642
the protestation was subscribed by 179 adult males,
and in 1724 c. 106 families were recorded. (fn. 31) From
939 in 1801 the population rose steadily, despite
temporary setbacks in the 1830s and 1890s, to 1,252
in 1851, 1,582 in 1891, 1,751 in 1961, and 2,579 in
1981. (fn. 32)
Two chief north–south roads formerly passed
through the parish; both are evidently old, since
both are followed in part by the parish boundary,
and both evidently served as drove roads for seasonal
transhumance. That on the west led from Bramber
and Steyning to Knepp castle in Shipley by way of
Ashurst, Pot common, and Rookcross Farm; (fn. 33) its
age is also indicated by its well-worn character,
while the name Rookcross, recorded by 1538, seems
to refer to either a road junction or a medieval wayside cross. (fn. 34) The northern continuation of the road
towards Horsham by way of Copsale in Nuthurst
was mentioned in 1605, (fn. 35) and was called Bar Lane
c. 1875; it was perhaps that road for the repair of
which money was left in 1606. (fn. 36) Bay Bridge, by
which the road from Steyning and Bramber crossed
the river Adur, existed by 1605, (fn. 37) and was rebuilt or
repaired in 1675. (fn. 38) Honey Bridge, by which it
crossed a tributary of the Adur further south, existed
in 1538 (fn. 39) and possibly earlier, (fn. 40) taking its name from
the nearby estate which belonged to Durford abbey; (fn. 41)
in the earlier 18th century its repair was charged on
the occupiers of certain neighbouring lands in West
Grinstead, Ashington, and Wiston. (fn. 42) Most of the
southern part of the road was a footpath in 1983. A
branch road from Rookcross Farm to Dial Post and
Ashington existed in 1724. (fn. 43)
In the east another road from Steyning and Ashurst led by way of Bines Bridge, Partridge green, and
Jolesfield common northwards to Nuthurst and
Horsham. Bines Bridge existed by 1535; (fn. 44) its repair
was enjoined on the tenants of Bidlington Kingsbarns manor in 1544 and 1728, (fn. 45) and it was ordered
to be rebuilt in 1825 by the Baybridge Canal Co. (fn. 46)
The bridge is continued on its south-west side in
Ashurst parish by a causeway. The road was considered a major one in 1724. (fn. 47)
What may have been another north-south route,
between the two mentioned, led across the river Adur
by West Grinstead church and then, changing direction, through and beside West Grinstead park. Stone
flags of the 19th century or earlier survived in the
sections north and south of the river in 1983. (fn. 48) The
road may have been that which led from West Grinstead church to Nuthurst in 1488, (fn. 49) and also the
road to London which bounded West Grinstead
park in the 1550s. (fn. 50) The section alongside the park
had its modern name Park Lane by 1764. (fn. 51)
A road from near Knepp castle to Jolesfield, presumably the modern one, was mentioned in 1635. (fn. 52)
A route from Clothalls Farm to Slaughter Bridge in
Shipley, possibly following the roads called Clothalls
and Bassell's lanes in 1875, was mentioned in 1511. (fn. 53)
The Horsham–Steyning turnpike road was opened
through the parish under an Act of 1764, following
existing roads: the modern Horsham–Worthing
road as far as a point north of Knepp castle, the road
from that point to Jolesfield, and the road leading
from Jolesfield to Ashurst by way of Partridge green
and Bines Bridge. The turnpike was financed largely
from the subscriptions of Merrik Burrell, lord of
West Grinstead manor, and another. A horse road
leading east–west across West Grinstead park was
closed under the Act. (fn. 54) The turnpike was one of the
main roads to Brighton in the late 18th century. (fn. 55) A
branch turnpike road from Partridge green to Shermanbury, also following an existing route, was
authorized under an Act of 1771. (fn. 56) The road from
north of Knepp castle to Worthing was turnpiked
under an Act of 1802. (fn. 57) Its route originally followed
existing roads by way of Rookcross Farm and Dial
Post, the section north of Rookcross Farm being
called Baybridge Lane or Baybridge Hill in the
earlier 19th century. (fn. 58) The straight section of road
which bypasses Rookcross Farm was cut by or soon
after 1823. (fn. 59) Coaches and wagons to Worthing were
using the new turnpike in 1811. (fn. 60) A fourth turnpike
road through the parish was the entirely new one
from Buck Barn on the Horsham–Worthing road to
Cowfold, promoted by Sir Charles Burrell of Knepp
Castle in Shipley to provide a link with his family
estates in Cuckfield. (fn. 61) Authorized in 1825, (fn. 62) it was
described in 1835, together with the section continuing westward through Shipley, as the most convenient east–west route through the Weald. (fn. 63) The
Horsham–Steyning turnpike road of 1764 was
disturnpiked in 1885, (fn. 64) the Partridge Green to
Shermanbury road in 1877, (fn. 65) the Worthing road in
1878, (fn. 66) and the Buck Barn to Cowfold road in
1876. (fn. 67) Much of the Horsham–Worthing road
through the parish was made a dual carriageway c.
1965. (fn. 68)
A motor bus service between Horsham and Steyning plied via Nuthurst and Partridge Green in 1933.
About 1979, when there was a less frequent service,
the southern destination was Henfield; at the same
date Dial Post on the Horsham–Worthing road was
much better served by buses. (fn. 69)
The river Adur formerly provided an alternative
means of communication to roads; in the mid 18th
century, for instance, it was used to bring building
stone for use at West Grinstead manor house. (fn. 70) The
demesne farm of Eatons manor in Ashurst and Henfield is said to have included a wharf in West Grinstead in 1687. (fn. 71) Under an Act of 1807 the river was
improved as far as Bines Bridge. (fn. 72) A wharf below
the bridge had been constructed by 1811, (fn. 73) for the
import of lime, chalk, and coal; (fn. 74) the wharf basin
survived in 1982. The next section upstream, from
Bines Bridge to Bay Bridge on the Horsham–
Worthing road, was improved by the Baybridge
Canal Co. under an Act of 1825 which was promoted
by members of the Burrell family among others. (fn. 75)
By 1830 that section of the river had been widened
and straightened in parts, (fn. 76) two locks constructed,
and a wharf made at Bay Bridge; (fn. 77) already by that
date traffic had increased, (fn. 78) and in 1833–4 coal, sea
sand, gravel, and salt were being brought upstream,
and timber taken downstream, in boats belonging
to Sir Charles Burrell of Knepp Castle and Henry
Michell the Horsham brewer among others. Horsham was a chief destination for goods coming in, (fn. 79)
and in 1835 if not earlier the Bines Bridge wharf was
Michell's property. (fn. 80) Business greatly declined after
the opening of the Horsham–Shoreham railway in
1861, and in 1875 the company was wound up and
the navigation abandoned, (fn. 81) though coal and chalk
were still brought to Bay Bridge c. 1890. (fn. 82) The
wharf basin at Bay Bridge was overgrown in 1982,
but some timber piles of the wharf itself survived, (fn. 83)
as did the two locks, one near Old Lock in Ashurst
and the other west of West Grinstead church; (fn. 84) a
swing bridge near Hatterell Farm had been removed
in the 1960s. (fn. 85)
The Horsham–Shoreham railway line was opened
through the parish in 1861, with a station called
West Grinstead on the Buck Barn to Cowfold road
and another at Partridge Green. (fn. 86) The line was
closed in 1966, (fn. 87) and most of it was used as a bridleway in 1983.
An alehouse in the parish was recorded in 1623. (fn. 88)
The Roebuck inn mentioned in 1773 stood alongside the modern Horsham–Worthing road in the
north-west corner of the parish, and was known as
the halfway house between Horsham and Steyning. (fn. 89)
There was a public house further south on the same
road at Bay Bridge in the 1780s; (fn. 90) it seems still to
have existed in the early 19th century. (fn. 91) The Burrell
Arms inn at the junction of the Horsham–Worthing
road with the turnpike road to Partridge Green
existed in 1808, (fn. 92) and in 1814 was described as a
hotel. (fn. 93) In the later 19th century or earlier 20th it
was the place for holding both the Burrell estate rent
audits and doctors' surgeries. (fn. 94) The inn was closed
by 1962, (fn. 95) the building, which was stuccoed and of
three bays and two storeys, (fn. 96) being demolished soon
afterwards when the Horsham–Worthing road was
made a dual carriageway. The Hare and Hounds
inn at Partridge Green was one place of meeting for
the West Grinstead hundred court between 1786
and 1802. (fn. 97) It was replaced between 1866 and 1874
by a new building called the Station inn (later
hotel); (fn. 98) in 1887 it was described as a family and
commercial hotel. (fn. 99) After the closure of the railway
in 1966 it was renamed the Partridge. The old Green
Man inn at the south-west corner of Jolesfield common was used for vestry meetings in 1787. (fn. 1) After
the inclosure of the common it was replaced by a
new building nearer the road, (fn. 2) which was still an
inn in 1982, when the old building also survived.
Other inns in the parish, all of which survived in
1982, were the Tabby Cat at West Grinstead station
(fl. 1866), at which horses and carriages could be
hired in 1887, the Crown at Dial Post, recorded from
1874, and the Windmill at Littleworth, which
existed in 1909 and possibly earlier, (fn. 3) and which was
the meeting place of a 'slate club' in 1916. (fn. 4)
Bull baiting was apparently carried on at the old
Green Man inn in the late 18th or early 19th century. (fn. 5) A West Grinstead, Ashurst, and Shipley
cricket team existed in 1802. (fn. 6) Jolesfield, later Partridge Green, cricket club was founded in 1882. At
first it played at the recreation ground on Jolesfield
common allotted at the inclosure of 1872. By 1907,
however, it was using the cricket ground at Shermanbury Grange east of Partridge Green. The club
still flourished in 1983. In the early 20th century
there was also a 'gentlemen's' team at West Grinstead Park. The Shermanbury Grange ground was
bought by the parish council in 1939 as the King
George V playing field and continued to be used in
1982. (fn. 7) Stoolball and football have also been played
at Partridge Green. There was a tennis club in
1982. (fn. 8) Bines Bridge was a resort of anglers in 1907 (fn. 9)
and 1982. Kennels for the Crawley and Horsham
Hunt were built north of West Grinstead station c.
1877. (fn. 10) In the 20th century the Tabby Cat inn by
the station was a meeting place for hunt followers. (fn. 11)
There was a lending library in the parish in 1867. (fn. 12)
A working men's club existed at Jolesfield after 1890,
using the iron mission room which had preceded St.
Michael's church, Partridge Green. (fn. 13) A St. Joseph's
social club on the north side of Jolesfield common
was mentioned between 1907 and 1913, (fn. 14) and a
men's institute between 1913 and 1938. (fn. 15) Partridge
Green village hall in High Street was built in 1904
in memory of Col. Forester Britten of Shermanbury
Grange. The parish council took over its management in 1970, and the building was extended in
1975. (fn. 16) A wooden village hall at Dial Post was
opened c. 1934; (fn. 17)
c. 1979 it was in poor condition
and little used. In 1982 there were many clubs and
societies at Partridge Green, including a choral
society and a drama group, and one or two at Dial
Post. (fn. 18)
A penny-post receiving-house at the Burrell Arms
inn was authorized in 1808. (fn. 19) In 1867 sources of
water in the parish were poor, consisting chiefly of
ponds. (fn. 20) The Partridge Green Water Co. existed in
1914 and 1923; about the latter date it obtained all
its water from the Steyning and District Waterworks
Co. (fn. 21) There was a reservoir south-east of Littleworth in 1896 and later. (fn. 22) A system of sewage disposal at Partridge Green was installed c. 1907, and
between 1908 and 1920 was being managed by a
'Partridge drainage committee', apparently of the
parish council. (fn. 23) A sewage works south of Partridge
Green was recorded from 1909 (fn. 24) and survived in
1982. An electricity supply for Partridge Green was
proposed in 1928, (fn. 25) but gas had not been brought
to the village by 1982. (fn. 26) The fire station at Partridge
Green was built c. 1961. (fn. 27)
A Roman Catholic priory was founded east of
Priest's House in 1869. (fn. 28) There were 36 nuns in
1871, (fn. 29) when it was called St. Juliana's priory. In
1876 it was taken over by three Dominican sisters
from Paris. (fn. 30) Before their arrival an 'industrial
school' for poor children, making coconut matting,
had been set up. (fn. 31) Over several years the number of
children attending it grew to 18, and the school was
thereupon given the title of orphanage, and amalgamated with a refuge for 20 girls which the Dominican sisters were running in the convent. The
orphanage later ceased to take girls, but retained its
'industrial' character in training boys for trades. In
1893 the convent and attached orphanage formed a
large barrack-like block of buildings east of the new
Roman Catholic church; the convent had 50 cells,
and the orphanage could accommodate 200 boys. (fn. 32)
The orphanage was called St. Joseph's in 1903 and
St. Mary's between 1909 and 1922; (fn. 33) between 1904
and 1918 it was managed, and greatly improved, by
the parish priest. (fn. 34) The priory ceased to exist, and
the orphanage was closed, in 1932 or 1933. (fn. 35)
In 1935 the St. Thomas More Approved school
for boys was established in the buildings of both
convent and orphanage. Later it was reorganized as
a community home under the Children and Young
Persons Act, 1969. In 1970 there were places for 90
boys aged between 11 and 15. From 1935 to 1977
the institution was staffed by Presentation Brothers,
but afterwards it was under lay control. (fn. 36)
A house in Park Lane was used as a convalescent
home for c. 12 patients between 1891 and 1905 or
later. (fn. 37) Eder farm in the south-west corner of the
parish was used from c. 1949 until its sale c. 1971 as
a centre for the agricultural education of young Jews
intending to work in kibbutzim in Israel. (fn. 38)
A husbandman of West Grinstead was pardoned
for his part in Cade's rebellion in 1450. (fn. 39)
Alexander Pope (d. 1744) was a great friend and
correspondent of his fellow Catholic John Caryll of
West Grinstead manor house (d. 1736), who suggested the composition of The Rape of the Lock
(1712). Though Pope visited the house at least once, (fn. 40)
there is no evidence that the incident which gave rise
to the poem occurred at West Grinstead, (fn. 41) nor that
the poem was composed under the oak tree in West
Grinstead park which was made the subject of a tree
preservation order in 1951. (fn. 42) E. W. Hornung (d.
1921), author of Raffles, and brother of J. P. Hornung
of West Grinstead Park, lived at Partridge Green. (fn. 43)
Hilaire Belloc (d. 1953) is buried in the churchyard
of the Roman Catholic church, as is the writer
Antonia White (d. 1980).