Introduction

INTRODUCTION To the majority of villagers the past vicars of Nutley are just names on a list. I have tried to create some images of these past influential men of the village. The earliest were quite young and often it was their first post. Many came from families with some wealth and influence, and had family members already as ministers of religion. Copies of the early newspapers from 1847 do exist on film in the Records Office at Lewes but they cover an area from Chichester in the west to Dover in the east, all of Surrey, and some of Hampshire. Looking for news of Nutley is like looking for “a needle in a haystack”. Also the clerical records are not complete. Some of the dates differ slightly from the dates given in previous publications. Rev. Henry J. Peckham, M.A. 1882-1913 Page 2-8 Rev.Charles Neill, M.A. 1913-1915 Page 9-10 Rev. John S. Phillips, M.A. 1916-1932 Page 11-13 Rev. Stephen Pulford. 1932-1940 Page 14-16 Rev. Herbert P. Walkden, M.A. 1940-1954 Page 17-19 Canon Fisher Ferguson, M.A. 1954-1956 Page 20-24 Rev. Christopher H. Flack, M.A. 1957-1968 Page 25-33 Acknowledgements Page 34 1 The Reverend Henry J. Peckham, M.A. 1882 – 1913 The Rev. Harry John Peckham, was born on 15 April 1841, the son of Charles Peckham Peckham and his wife Sybella Jane, daughter of Robert James Carr, bishop of Chichester and later of Worcester. The Peckham family owned an estate at Aldingbourne, West Sussex. This also included the farmhouse and land at Nyton. The estate had been the chief seat of the Bishops of Chichester but was sold in 1648 under the Parliament Act for the sale of Bishops’ Lands. In 1680 the estate passed to Thomas Peckham, on his death the estate passed to John Peckham, whose daughter, Mary inherited when John died in 1782. She married Charles Hewitt Smith and their son Charles took the name and arms of Peckham. Harry John was educated at Balliol College, Oxford where he obtained a B.A. degree in 1862 and a M.A. degree in 1872. He married Edith Robertson, born on 17 June 1856, daughter of the vicar of Henfield, and a first son, Richard was born in 1877. a second son, Godfrey in 1879, a third Arthur was in 1881, Walter, who later became honorary archivist of Chichester Cathedral, in 1883, and Charles in 1886. Godfrey and Charles died in infancy. After initially training as a farm manager he was curate in Coventry, Warwickshire from 1873 to 1876. In 1876 he became incumbent of Compton, Sussex, moving in 1880 to Biddenden, Kent. On the death of his widowed mother in 1879 the Aldingbourne estate was sold. Harry in 1881 In 1882 the living at Nutley church was £120 per annum and residence, a gift of the rector of Maresfield. 2 The family lived in the vicarage in Bell Lane with a cook, parlour maid and a general maid. Living in Vicarage Cottage was a coachman/groom with his family and whose eldest son was a gardener. Nutley Vicarage 1884 The Rev. Peter Walkden researched the following paragraph. “Many of us remember Mr. Peckham, that kindly, humorous man, who lived in the village for 31 years. That he was appreciated is evident as comparatively early in his incumbency here, we read “On Wednesday, May 20 th . 1895, a very handsome standard lamp was presented to the Vicar, the Rev. H.J. Peckham, by upwards of 80 of his parishioners as a slight acknowledgement of his kindly interest in the welfare of the inhabitants.” The plan originated amongst, and almost entirely confined to the cottagers. Mr. Menzendorf kindly undertook the choice of a suitable article, and invited all the donors to The Highlands in order to take part in the presentation.” It was said that Harry Peckham arrived in Nutley on a Monday morning and was teaching arithmetic and reading in the school in the afternoon. Such was his dedication to the education of his parishioners. He inherited a budget deficit of £25 but was able to reduce that to £10 at the end of his first year. Many of his predecessors had only looked after the finances and administration but he involved himself on almost a daily basis. The vicar was always an important person in running the school. He corresponded with the National Society. Every National School had to have a Committee of Management. This consisted of at least three elected members with the vicar or rector and the curate as ex- officio members. Many alterations and improvements were carried out whilst Harry Peckham was in Nutley. His wife was also involved with the school. In 1891 a committee of ladies to supervise the needlework was set up and included Mrs.Peckham, Mrs. Turner, Mrs. Ridley and Miss Cook. The Peckhams were able to travel to far off places. Family letters obtained by the West Sussex Records Office indicate that the Rev. and Mrs. Peckham were survivors of the sinking of the S.S. Victoria in 1887. Also in 1898 there were letters from Japan. Before the outbreak of the First World War they visited their son, Arthur in India. 3 Walter Arthur Richard Harry among the vegetables in the garden. Harry Edith In the porch of Nutley Vicarage 1900 Richard became an officer in the 95 th . Battery Field Artillery and fought in the Boer War. Letters to his parents in Nutley are with the West Sussex Records Office. Tragically he was killed on 24 August 1906 in the Portland Yacht Race. A memorial window and a plaque commemorating his death are in the church. 4 Arthur became an architect, and an officer in The Indian Reserve of Officers. He died in Mesopotamia in 1918. The following extracts from a letter written by his father appeared in the Parish News and was copied by the newspaper. “ I take this opportunity of thanking you all most warmly on behalf of my wife and myself for your sympathy with us in our great sorrow. Although our dear son was not born in Nutley, he was only a little more than a year when he came. It was the only home he ever knew and he was most warmly attached to it. There will be some who remember him as a child, as a schoolboy, have heard him read the lesson in church, and may know he designed and carried out the latest additions to the church. A keen volunteer from his boyhood at the outbreak of war he at once applied for a commission but the Public Works Department under which he was serving would not sanction him leaving until March 1915. When he was gazetted 2nd. Lieutenant in the Indian Army Reserve of Officers and after a period of training with the Yorkshire Regiment, he joined the Infantry on the north India. Christmas 1915 he was sent to Mesopotamia”. A memorial window commemorates the death of Arthur. 5 Reverend Harry Peckham. 2 nd . Row. 7 th . from left. Mrs. Peckham. 3 rd . Row. 7 th . from left. Arthur Peckham 4 th . Row. 6 th . from left. Coronation 1902. The Rev. Harry John Peckham retired from Nutley in 1913, living in Chichester until his death on 4 February 1922. Rev. Harry John Peckham in his study at Chichester in 1921. 6 Photographs taken during the ministry of the Rev. Harry Peckham. Club Day procession leaving for the church service. Cadets in a procession with Nutley Band circa 1910. 7 Girls Friendly Society leaving for an outing before 1914 8 The Rev. Charles Neill 1913 – 1915 The Sussex Express newspaper reported the farewell of Rev. Charles Neill on December 3 rd . 1915. The ministration of the vicar had been much appreciated. His final sermon was based on the text “I commend you to God”. He expressed his sorrow at leaving, but said that there were evangelists, pastors, and teachers, and the Church of England should place the proper man in the proper place, though this was haphazard work now. He was going to work for which he was fitted. Too much outside work interfered with preparation, meditation, etc. and it was incumbent of laymen to ease the burden of the spiritual vicar. The vicar and his wife were the recipients of parting gifts of a library chair and travelling clock, subscribed by nearly 200 parishioners. Many people attended the presentation in the school. Sussex Express report dated December 10 th . 1915 stated that the good air of Ashdown Forest had greatly improved the health of the Rev. Charles Neill. Because of this he wished to work for a larger parish and was to return to his former parish in Liskeard, Cornwall. He was very touched by the presents and the long list of subscribers. Note. My research into the background of the Rev. Charles Neill has found three vicars of the same name in 1914. The Rev. Charles Neill, M.A. who graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1866 was a minister in London. The Rev. Charles Neill, M.B.M.A. was the vicar of St. Mark’s Church in Cheltenham from 1910 to 1918. This has been confirmed by St. Mark’s Church. Bishop Stephen Neill, born in 1900 went to Dean House School, Cheltenham during the Great War. I personally favour that his father was the Rev. Charles Neill, vicar in Cheltenham. 9 There were no reported deaths of Nutley men fighting at the front while the Rev.

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