Two of our members—Emma Richardson and Rosemary Peeling—have spent several years exploring the graveyard of our Parish Church. At the 2004 AGM Emma presented some of their results: the first tale concerned George Cutbush and his family

George Cutbush lived, we believe, at what is now Sunnymead in the Lower High Street. In 1841 his family comprised his wife Elizabeth (née Standen) who was born in Leigh, Kent and his children, two year old Laura and one year old George Jnr. George, along with his friend and business partner Thomas Barton Gent, owned the Grocer and Draper business which was situated in St James’s Square. George and Eliza had married in the Parish Church in July 1838. He was the son of John Cutbush a Miller, we think perhaps from Northiam, and she was the daughter of William Standen, a Farmer. Elizabeth was a minor at the marriage so it may be that the happy couple were already expectant parents—not an uncommon situation in those days!.

In 1843 Elizabeth gave birth to another son, Walter ,and two years later to another daughter, Mary Jane. Shortly after this things began to go wrong for the family; young Mary Jane Cutbush was buried on August 8th 1846 aged 14 months. She was followed less than a year later by her father who died in May 1847 of Consumption; he was just 40. Elizabeth was left a widow with 3 children.

In his Will George had left his family well provided for. He left Elizabeth “So much furniture as she shall select to the amount of £30.” His business interest was put into trust for his children under the watchful eye of Mr Thomas Barton and the income from it was to be given to Elizabeth for her own and their children’s maintenance as long as she remained faithful to his memory and didn’t remarry; in this event the money would be given to the children when they reached the age of 21. At 28 years she was 11 years his junior.

Wanting to know what became of Elizabeth we searched for her in the 1851 census. Bearing in mind that her husband had died less than four years earlier we were surprised to find that she had remarried and she was now Elizabeth Reed. Her husband William had also been widowed; strangely enough his wife Sophia Elizabeth had been laid to rest in the Parish Church less than a week after Mr Cutbush. On checking the 1841 census again we found that William Reed had been one of the Village Blacksmiths, living at the Forge which is at the top of Blacksmiths Lane opposite the Greyhound Public House.

Before this the couple had lived at the Forge in Hurst Green where their first son, William had been born in 1837. The couple had married in Tonbridge 10 years earlier and the ceremony had been witnessed by William Walker of Wadhurst and Phoebe Pitt (the wife of Abraham Pitt of the Old Vine Cousley Wood).

William and Sophia had not had a happy marriage as regards to children. Their second son John had died 12 hours after his birth; daughter Esther Sophia had died aged only 3 days. Poor William registered both the birth and death of his only daughter on the same day. According to her death certificate Esther had died of Convulsions. Perhaps she had an infection and died from convulsions resulting from a fever. The couple’s last child Ann lived the longest, reaching an age of 12 days. I would imagine that their eldest child William Jnr was probably very precious to them. As there appears to be such a long gap between marriage and the birth of William, it may be that they had children before him, but as yet we have not found them.

Sophia Elizabeth Reed herself died in May 1847 of some form of cancer which was “ six months certified”. Her age is given as 36 which means she was approximately 18 at her marriage.

On a happier note we found the marriage of Elizabeth Cutbush and William Reed, Blacksmith, had taken place at Cowden in November 1850. She was 31 and he was 43. The witnesses were her brother and sister Sophia Standen and John Standen, who incidentally had been the witnesses at her first marriage 12 years earlier. Elizabeth must have thought a lot of William as she forfeited her financial security to marry him. In the 1851 census the extended family now comprised William Reed Jnr aged 12, George Cutbush Jnr aged 10 and his brother 8 year old Walter—all at the Forge. Laura is residing at Hope Cottage, on the corner of Sparrows Green Road, with Kate Ashman, School Mistress.

William and Elizabeth had two children—Flora Jane in 1852 and Celia Elizabeth in 1854. Both survived childhood and their marriages and children have been traced beyond 1901.

George Jnr and his sister Laura disappear from Wadhurst by 1861. We found them next in London where George is living in The Strand and is trading as a Draper. On January 18th 1865 he married a Wadhurst girl, Mary Jane Walker of Horsegrove Farm. Her father William and Walter Cutbush were the witnesses at the marriage which took place at Saint Martins-in-the-Fields. Shortly afterwards Laura married Alfred Blaker, an Ironmonger in the same church.

However in 1861 Walter was still living with his mother, stepfather and two half sisters. His stepbrother William Jnr is recorded as Blacksmith and is married with a young baby who had been named Walter!

In 1866 Walter joined his brother George and the brothers opened a Draper’s shop in Leatherhead where Laura and Alfred Blaker had an Ironmonger’s shop. Walter had married Isabel Walker, Mary Jane’s sister. The Walker family is a story in itself and will have to wait for a future issue!

The three Cutbush children leave a sad tale behind them. Laura died after only a couple of years’ marriage leaving two sons behind. George Jnr died in 1870 aged just 30 of Hepatitis and “Disease of the Heart” which according to the Doctor he had had for 3 years. His sister-in-law Isabel was with him at his death. With his death the business floundered and Walter was left to eke out a living as a travelling salesman. He and Isabel had many children and times must have been tough for a long while.

Sadly Elizabeth probably never saw her two eldest children after they moved away. She died in 1862. The entry in the Burial Register records “Elizabeth Reed wife of William former wife of George Cutbush buried April 5th 1862 aged 43”. This is a slightly unusual entry as many women in Wadhurst remarried but we haven’t seen a burial entry that refers to a first husband before. Elizabeth was buried alongside George Cutbush although this isn’t mentioned in the Burial Register. The plot had probably been purchased many years before. William survived his wife by many years dying aged 74 in 1891. We have yet to discover the site of William’s grave in the Churchyard as he has no headstone—hopefully he is with Sophia and their children. George and Elizabeth have no headstone either, but theirs may have been moved along with some others when they became dangerous. ER

Rosemary Peeling has added: “During our three summers spent in the churchyard transcribing the headstones, we found the benches in the porch a welcome refuge from the rain, etc. They are quite beautiful and a lovely gift for a little girl to think of giving to her community.”

Inscription: In Loving Memory of Annora Violet Watson Smyth of this parish Born October 23rd 1901 Died April 29th 1912 These seats her own wish given by her Mother

From The Sussex Express Fri May 12th 1912 Annora Violet Watson Smyth.

FUNERAL LAST THURSDAY. Daughter of W D WATSON SMYTH of WADHURST CASTLE. In August 1910 the dear child met with an accident, that led to a complication, necessitating an amputation and several dangerous operations. Since her accident she had been an invalid and bore her sufferings with great patience. She passed peacefully away in her sleep on April 29th. She was held in deep affection, and when out in her invalid car always had a bright smile and a nod for all the many children of her acquaintance. A special children's burial service was held by the Rev M Z Tankin. The hymn was ‘Peace Perfect Peace’. The grave was beautifully lined with evergreens, narcissi and arabis. There were lots and lots of wreaths, Uncle Henry and Aunt Molly, Uncle Francis and Aunt Aggie, Uncle Henry, Nurse Steven's, All at Uplands, Etc. , etc.

[Kenneth Ascott records in ’The Education of Wadhurst’ that Annora fell “when playing in a boat at the seaside”].