It all began just over three years ago, when it pleased His Majesty to send Susie Reilly’s daughter to Saint Helena as Deputy Governor. Ann Kaiser, hearing that Susie was planning a maternal visit, mentioned that her grandfather was born on St Helena and she had always wanted to know about her family history.

Susie then found herself ploughing through the island’s archives; a task not made easier by most of the island’s population having the same surname, though her search was eventually crowned with success. But more of that later.

The talk started with Susie giving a very comprehensive presentation of the island’s history and the peoples who had occupied it: Portuguese mariners, the East India Company, the Dutch (unsuccessfully), African slaves, Chinese labourers and Boer prisoners of war. In each case, almost every one of the would-be residents filed away St Helena in the “too difficult” folder and left as soon as they could, but a handful of resolute remnants stayed on and tried to scrape a living on a volcanic rock in the middle of nowhere. The result is that the “Saints”, as the islanders call themselves, have one of the most genetically mixed populations in the world.

Even today, life is not easy. Fresh produce arrives in a boat from South Africa, every 4-6 weeks. Once that has been consumed, the islanders live mainly on tinned food until the next boatload arrives. Tomato paste sandwiches are part of the staple diet! The craggy geography of the island makes getting around time-consuming and difficult, and requires much duplication of public facilities. A population of 4,000 is served by an Anglican cathedral and ten Parish Churches, plus many other denominations. There are three schools, although one is not currently in use as many younger Saints have left due to lack of work and/or excitement. All this on an island which is smaller than the Isle of Wight, and has fewer people than Pulborough.

Susie succeeded in locating a cousin of Ann’s, and they both set off for the island earlier this year. Access is by a plane which flies once a week from South Africa, with a stopover in Namibia. Ann and Susie’s flight was delayed for six hours, waiting for a large package to be carried along the aisle. This turned out to be the new life raft, as the old one had reached its “sell-by” date. Very important when flying for 11 hours over completely empty seas. One of the other passengers was a lady who had left St Helena as a child and was now going back for the first time, over 80 years later. The new Chief of Police was also on board, although no-one was able to work out which of the passengers he was. Ann and Susie’s return flight was delayed by a day due to bad weather preventing the plane from making its outward flight, as often happens. This did not cause any problems with their accommodation, as the next occupants were waiting for the same plane to take off, so that they could fly in!

Ann turned out to have no less than 11 cousins and Susie and Ann met up with most of them every Sunday for afternoon tea, which is an important ritual on Saint Helena. During the interval, we had the opportunity to sample some typical Helenian food, which was very reminiscent of an afternoon tea from the 1950’s.

The talk covered much, much more – the unique St Helena plover, which is flightless and has a peculiar run, rather like Groucho Marx chasing a pretty waitress;  the rock which rings like a bell when two pieces are struck together; and so on, not to mention the Emperor Napoleon’s incarceration and demise there – and of course, Jonathan, who is… Well, you’ll have to come to the next talk to find that out!

Susie finished by telling us how much she had enjoyed her time among the warm, friendly people of St Helena. For her, it was a place which slows your mind, soothes and settles your soul, and stays with you long after you leave. Her daughter has now been posted somewhere much less remote, but Susie is very tempted to go back to the island.

In conclusion, Susie passed on two Helenian thoughts. From Ann’s cousins: “the family that prays together, stays together”. And from a hand-made bookmark that a very distinguished lady gave her in Church: “Let your heart overflow with gratitude, and your joy will increase.”

Two years ago, in 2024, the Friends organised the first event to be held outside the Church building. This was a Barn Dance at Sullington Tithe Barn. It took place on a chilly day, early in April. The parking area was waterlogged from previous heavy rain, and one car had to be pushed out after ignoring the steward’s instructions and driving into a boggy patch! Meanwhile, the events team were frantically carving patterns into cheese for the “posh ploughman’s” supper. However, once the music and the dancing started, the evening was a great success, enjoyed by all, and raised a considerable sum of money.

Two years and a month on, we repeated the experience. The extra month took us into May, which made all the difference in terms of temperature and parking. This time, the cheese was cut into plain slabs, courtesy of an unexpected offer of help, and the preparations just sped along.

As before, the live band and caller were from the Brighton Ceilidh Collective. They again helped create a fantastic atmosphere, perhaps even better than the last time. It was good to see so many new faces enjoying the evening, and we hope our events will continue to engage the wider community.

We thank the Kittle family, and the event’s sponsors:

The Anchorage care Home

Truffles Bakery

Wilmers of Pulborough

The evening raised £xxxx towards the restoration of St Mary’s Parish Church.

Alexandra grew up in West Chiltington and was educated in Storrington, before going to University and pursuing an academic career. She is currently Professor of English Literature at Birmingham University. The idea for the book came about on a home visit, when she realised she didn’t know much about the places she knew and loved.

Alexandra’s talk covered a number of local stories, some of which were not included in the book, and  was illustrated with slides of old documents, photos of historic places, and photographs of famous paintings. She began her talk by saying that she had been apprehensive about writing this book since the current trend in academic writing is to address global problems, but here she was, writing about something extremely local!

The first port of call was at St Botolph’s Church in Hardham. Most of us have heard about the mediaeval wall paintings there, but how many are aware of the 'squint' in the South wall of the Chancel? This is a clue to the existence of an anchorite’s cell which would have been a separate building, attached to the wall of the Church. An anchorite, or hermit, would spend their entire life in this cell, dedicating their life to God, and never leaving it. The squint allowed them to hear the services in the Church and see the altar. There were a number of anchorites in the late Middle Ages: Mother Julian of Norwich is the best-known, and Stopham is not the only Church in this area to have housed one.

Next, “What the Water Bailiff Saw”. Nothing to do with pier-side amusements, but the world view of the water bailiff for the Arun in the 16th and 17th centuries. The water bailiff enforced the laws of the river and made sure that the King’s rights for fishing and so on were respected. This bailiff was Walter Barttelot and his jurisdiction ran from Arundel Bridge to Stopham Bridge. At a time when there were few roads, which were often impassable, the river was the main highway through Sussex, so this was a very important position. In view of the recent flooding, it seems that history may be repeating itself here! Alexandra concluded this section by showing a brass from Stopham Church depicting Walter and his family, whose descendants remain significant members of the local community.

“Constable at the Mill”. John Constable is famous for his paintings of Suffolk, but spent three summers in Arundel where he painted a number of local landscapes, including Fittleworth Mill. The best known painting from this period is “Arundel Castle and Mill”, which was also his last work. The emphasis is very much on the mill. Alexandra showed some amusing quotes from Georgian art theorists, pompously dismissing landscape as one of the most uninteresting topics, particularly if, heaven forbid, it contained anything related to industry. Like Alexandra, Constable was swimming against the academic tide.

“Sussex Emigrants”. When it comes to 19th century emigration from Britain to the New World, this reviewer immediately thinks of the consequences of the Irish potato famine and the land clearances in the Scottish Highlands. It was a surprise to learn that there was also a significant exodus from Sussex. In the hard decades after the Napoleonic Wars, many agricultural workers struggled to support their families. Under the Petworth Emigration Scheme, the Earl of Egremont paid £10 per person to families and single unemployed men, which was topped up with another £10 from Parish funds. The emigrants sailed from Shoreham to Upper Canada (an area which covers most of the modern Province of Ontario.) Alexandra showed a letter from one of the emigrants to his old friends and family back in Sussex, proudly telling of his success as a farmer and inviting them to come over to Canada and smoke a pipe with him.

“Ford Maddox Ford and goat”. Ford was described by Anthony Burgess as the greatest British novelist of the 20th century. During the First World War, he was concussed and lost his memory for three weeks, then suffered permanent damage to his lungs due to pneumonia and the effects of poison gas. He had also undergone a nervous breakdown in 1904. His privatelife was complex, as his wife refused to divorce him. After demobilization, he decided to go back to the land and become a smallholder. He settled down with his latest partner in a cottage in Hurston to live “The Good Life”. However, after a few years, the damp and mud of Sussex winters became too much, and he left for the sunnier climate of Cap Ferrat. His “The Good Soldier” was one of Alexandra’s set books for A-level English, and she often used to go for long walks while reading it, little realising she was passing near his home.

“Learning in company”. Alexandra finished by showing us a photo taken in the woods near West Chiltington, in the late 1940s. This showed a makeshift school in front of a Nissan hut, which was part of a camp for 507 dependants of Polish troops. The children learned English, along with some of the adult women.

After a long and sustained round of applause, Alexandra was presented with a painting depicting the Shoreham emigrants. By remarkable serendipity, this had come into the Pulborough Xchange just a few weeks earlier. The evening concluded with a glass of wine and a chance to buy a signed copy of Alexandra’s book.

It really was an evening of luminous prose, Sussex history, and quiet inspiration, all in aid of the church we love. Organised by the Friends of Pulborough Parish Church, the event raised over £2,000 towards the restoration of our beautiful Church.

Allow us to quote from some of the emails we have received:-

‘I loved her passion for her subject and for English literature in general and her curiosity about historical connections on our doorstep - and the fact that she cherished this area where she grew up. What a lovely, exuberant person she is!'

‘What a fascinating talk by Alexandra, I was hanging on her every word, she is so passionate about our place.’