Monday, 5 May 2025

Brickwall Query

I had a request today for a new brickwall entry to be added to the website which I have done.  


"Searching for a mystery man  who has links to Lily Winifred Cooper and Florence Bardin in the period july 1921 in Cuckfield. Both girls were servants."


Can you help?  If you can then you can reply to Guy and Iwona Jenner on the Brickwall Page here.

Thursday, 1 May 2025

A-Z Challenge 2025: Reflections

It was a case of “Once more unto the breach” and before I knew it I had planned to take part in the #AtoZChallenge for a second time.  Again, I decided to do it on my #OnePlaceStudy of Cuckfield, West Sussex, England.

Last year I chose topics for each day quite randomly but this year chose the Theme of People Connections with thanks to Liz Craig @willsmanonename.bsky.social , my #OnePlaceStudy buddy.  You can find her blog and One Place Study of Sudborne using this link. https://sudbourne.wordpress.com/list-of-posts/

I took onboard some of the ideas I reflected on last year and started scheduling posts earlier and having a spreadsheet of possible topics that I have unashamedly cribbed from other #AtoZChallenge bloggers or even just general reading of genealogy through magazines, social media and newsletters I subscribe to.  This year I have added Theme suggestions to the spreadsheet and will be thinking of those throughout the year.  It makes it sound like I have enjoyed doing it and have plans for next year; I certainly hope too.

The theme of People Connected to Cuckfield gave me a different range of topics I could blog about from buildings, organisations, census, occcupations to name a few.  In more detail they were:

A for anniversaries

B for baptisms

C for Cuckfield Parish Church Vicars

D for Death

E for Earning a Living

F for First World War

G for Gamekeepers

H for Hatchlands

I for Isaac Leeney

J for Journeymen

K for Kings Head

L for Literary Connections

M for Marriages

N for Nurse

O for Obituaries

P for Postmaster/Mistress

Q for Quassilarious

R for The Rose and Crown

S for Schooling

T for Tentercroft

U for Union Workhouse

V for Volunteers

W for The White Harte

X for X marks on documents

Y for ???

Z for zigzagging


Thank you to all those who have followed my journey during April and also to those who made comments.


Wednesday, 30 April 2025

A-Z Challenge 2025: April 30th : Z for Zigzagging


We have zigzagged across a lot of topics during this #AtoZChallenge to find people who have connections with Cuckfield and we have finally reached the last day.

Today I have done a random general search on Find My Past and Ancestry transcriptions for Z connections to Cuckfield.

Zacharias Berry birth registration 1844
Zuholmi Sanders probate 1731
Zilph H Pearman death registration 1923
Zipporah Allcorn death registration 1925
Zacharias Harden burial 1775
Zipah Nye burial 1679
Zechariah Holford baptism 1699
Zillah Alfey married William Vaughan 1776
Zachariah Smith hadd the banns read for his marriage to Patricia Saunders 1763
Zilpah Henty married 1844
Zilpa Harmer married 1866
Zilpah Harriet Kenward married 1876
Zoe Elizabeth Payne married 1900
Zephinah Thomas Smithers married 1871
Zilpha Bear birth registration 1848
Charles Edward Zee married 1891
Harold Spencer Zasson baptised 1899
Richard Zaan baptised 1715
Agnes Zeal married 1898
Mary S Zachary death registration 1925







My blog: Cuckfield Compendium

My website: Cuckfield Compendium 

Tuesday, 29 April 2025

A-Z Challenge 2025: April 29th : Y for ????

Yes, why?  What better day to ask questions.

Why or how are you connected to Cuckfield and if you aren't might you visit it at some point?  

Do take a look at my website (link below) where you can see a wealth of information about the village.


Why or how am I connected to Cuckfield?

I am connected to Cuckfield by attending Holy Trinity Church, although we don't live in the parish.  I sang in the church choir for nearly 30 years as an alto and both my children sang in the choir also.  My husband and I are readers at the morning service and I was a member of Cuckfield Mothers Union for many years. Twice now we have sponsored and decorated a tree for the Christmas Tree Festival and I have helped decorate the Mothers Union and Choir trees.  We still attend the church periodically although more frequently connect via Zoom for the Sunday services.

Holy Trinity means a lot to us; it is a place of peace and prayerfulness where you can't help but think back to it's ancient origins and all that has happened since.



My blog: Cuckfield Compendium

My website: Cuckfield Compendium 

AtoZChallenge

Monday, 28 April 2025

A-Z Challenge 2025: April 28th: X for X marks on documents

I was viewing the online parish register images at Familysearch and have transcribed these as an example of who signed with an "X".


Marriage: John Voice and Jane Fielders married in Cuckfield Church by banns on 12th day of November 1793.  Both of them made their mark on the marriage entry in the register. 

Marriage: James Harland and Susannah Holford married in Cuckfield Church by licence on 17th day of December 1794.  Susannah Holdford made her mark on the marriage entry in the register. 

Marriage: Christopher Denman and Ann Lee married in Cuckfield Church on 16th day of July 1795.  Both of them made their mark on the marriage entry in the register.

Marriage:  Henry Isted and Ann Oram married in Cuckfield Church on 11th April 1813.  Both of them made their mark on the marriage entry in the register as did both of their witnesses, Stephen and Elizabeth Oram.

Marriage: James Weller and Sarah Starley married in Cuckfield Church on 15th day of May 1814.  Both of them made their mark on the marriage entry in the register as did one of the witnesses, Charlotte Starley.

Marriage: Thomas Brand and Jane Vaughn married in Cuckfield Church on 19th day of May 1817.  Both of them made their mark on the marriage entry in the register as did one of the witnesses, William Vaughn.

These will be entered on my website.

My blog: Cuckfield Compendium

My website: Cuckfield Compendium