 Poster: A snowHead
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... Geer, Bridgman (no e), Barnden and Boaks (of the eight who died).
... Sherlock and Rooke (of the seven who survived). Mrs Sherlock was a grandmother. Jeremiah Rooke was a labourer (I believe a teenager - still checking this out) and the force of the falling snow or housing broke his femur. He had a brother called James Rooke.
Others involved in the disaster, either directly or in some other way, had the names Thomson (no p), Berry, Button, Verrall, Gell, Gear and Drakes.
The avalanche occurred on December 27th 1836 at 10.15am, destroying seven houses at the end of South Street below Cliffe Hill, Lewes.
Anyone know anyone with the above surnames? Tracing genealogy over 170 years is a complex business, but one thing which helps is that many people who grow up in Sussex stay in Sussex (not surprisingly).
I'm happy to get direct emails on this: dgoldsmith[at]btinternet.com
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I live 4 miles or so from Lewes in place called Woodingdean. My local pharmacy is called "Bridgman Pharmacy" (note - no "e")
I used to go to school just down the road outside Rottingdean where there was a lad in my year called Nik Boaks - I was there 1979 to 83.
And weird things is - just logged into Friends Reunited for the first time in a year and I've got a message from one of my exs!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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petemillis, very interesting. Boaks is not a common name. I'd be extremely interested in tracing Nik Boaks. I'll PM you because it would be a personal matter whether he wants to trace some family history.
I've a hunch that your pharmacy family may know about their connections. Ask them if they've been related to a company of monumental masons in Lewes - it was quite a well-known firm and has direct connections with a survivor (and one of the dead).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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One of my best friends has the surname "Button" and she is from Sussex!
I will email her this evening and ask if she knows anything.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The Button (William) connected with the disaster owned and operated a private school in Lewes in 1836. I'd be happy to help trace a possible connection each way.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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David Goldsmith, from the genealogy that I have done, I found the spelling of surnames to be extremely variable, my great aunt's surname was mis-spelt in the births regester and my brothers name was mis-spelt in the marriage registers (and that was only 25 years ago  ). I would suggest that you keep a fairly open mind on the presence or not of an 'e' in the spellings of surnames.
Good luck, its an interesting subject area.
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We're doing just that. Ray, you're absolutely right that the spelling was very variable, primarily due to illiteracy (so that someone could tell an official their name verbally but have no means of defining or checking how it was being transcribed).
The significance of Bridgman (sic) above is that direct descendants have definitely retained that spelling into the 21st century. The nightmare in this exercise is common surnames like Taylor and Wood (two avalanche victims). The joy is rare surnames, which are so much easier to search for using computerised search systems etc.
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Commander Bill Boaks used to be one of the great eccentrics of British politics. He used to contest most by-elections as independent for his own party, which included 'White resident' and 'Road Safety' and possibly 'Monarchist'' in its title.
He was a forerunner to Screaming Lord Sutch except that he was serious.
I think they increased the cost of the deposit to discourage people like him from putting themselves forward for election.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Why is this thread in the piste section 
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Because that's where it was posted
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Latchigo, thanks very much for that reminder. I've been looking at the name for six months and thinking there was something vaguely familiar about it! I'm working with a genealogist, so we might look into a connection there. Thanks.
Was Bill Boaks a 'Piste Safety' expert? (question to keep achilles happy)
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
| Because that's where it was posted |
Why? I have always seen this section as related to skiing.
I do browse - or not - by section. I imgine others do, too, since there seems little point in having sections, otherwise.
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achilles,
I keep an eye on the home page for recent posts and browse from there - I have no idea what section the posts are in really.
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You know it makes sense.
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achilles, 'Piste' is an undefined section of the forum as per the forum's index page. Avalanches are usually discussed here and they're of interest to skiers.
I suppose we could have a section of the forum devoted to 'non-skiing avalanches' or 'miscellaneous pre-Victorian snowslides' or 'unusual snow-related natural disasters in Sussex'
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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holidayloverxx, fair enough. I tend to skim the forum by specific sections in which I am interested, where new posts are shown. Usually, I will go for The Piste (when there are new posts) but not, say, Bend zee knees. So I do find it helpful for threads to be relevant to the section they are in. When I start new threads, I try to honour that - it seems a friendly thing to do to other snowheads.
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Poster: A snowHead
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achilles, I agree with you, as it happens
back to the thread.....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I agree with him as well, as it happens, but there's nothing that can be done now. Like an avalanche, it's reached the point of no return.
Admittedly, a discussion of an event that happened 170 years ago is slightly 'apres'.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just as a point of interest, the 1836 Lewes avalanche remains the worst ever recorded in England.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Here's a small copy of the painting that's in the museum at Anne of Cleves house in Lewes...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You can buy postcards (30p) and greetings cards of it from the Sussex Archaelogical Society (£1.50). The painting was restored by them and no-one's certain who painted it. It's not the only painting of the disaster, but has very interesting detail. The gradients to the right are no exaggeration - this is one of the steepest hillsides in England - possible and stable because it's limestone (partly quarried into a cliff).
The pub - the Snowdrop - was built to the right of where most of the debris and rescuers are visible.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Oh, and there's a jig-saw of the painting too!
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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
| The gradients to the right are no exaggeration - this is one of the steepest hillsides in England - possible and stable because it's limestone (partly quarried into a cliff). |
Just had a look on Google Earth, are you sure it's that steep?
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I stood right on the edge of the hill yesterday afternoon. Only the most extreme skier could tackle it. I'd estimate it at about 50 degrees, but almost sheer where the old quarrying took place. A visit is thoroughly recommended - you take an ancient lane called Chapel Hill, which climbs steadily from South Street (about 200 yards from the pub). It's a very steep track which you really lean into as you're climbing. So, once you're nearing the top you step to the side of the track and look over the edge. It's a formidable sight, and a great view of the centre of Lewes.
Probably best to look at a large-scale map with contours to really get the slope angle.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Mosha Marc, it is definitely that steep. The Cliffe Bonfire Society hold there fireworks dispays there. I've been to them many a time.
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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
| Was Bill Boaks a 'Piste Safety' expert? (question to keep achilles happy) |
I do not know Boaks views on skiing. However, like yourself, he was very keen on railways and deplored increased traffic volumes. He always used to feature on General Election reports when they needed something lighter than the usual big party politics and swings in key marginals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Boaks
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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David Goldsmith, Spoke to my friend tonight - none of her Button ancestors/relations are from Lewes. Her family originated from East Anglia apparently.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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There are quite a few Verralls at my end of East Sussex. I also know a Drakes
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| Quote: |
I agree with him as well, as it happens, but there's nothing that can be done now. Like an avalanche, it's reached the point of no return.
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David Goldsmith, Is that true? - one of my threads was moved with all its comments recently from Trips to Snow Events. So I'm sure it could be shifted to Apres if it was more appropriate for it to be there
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You know it makes sense.
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No, it isn't true. Sorry for misleading you. I was cheesed off because this thread had originally been launched yesterday, and then suddenly vanished because of something the moderators are about to explain ... perhaps.
I think there was a false complaint from somebody.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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David - I've got one of the surnames you mentioned - Drake but as far as i know all my family hail from Yorkshire - and we have no known connection to Sussex. If however you find that the Drake in your avalanche had a Yorkshire connection then please get in touch as my cousin has been doing investigations into our family tree...
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Poster: A snowHead
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David Goldsmith, No complaints from me.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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mountain mad, it was Drakes rather than Drake (though the spelling may have changed later). He was one member of a group of parish worthies who helped the victims' families etc. after the avalanche struck. Because of the complexity of all this I'm just identifying his status in Lewes at the time, but hopefully this will be researched in some depth in future.
On the genealogy front we're primarily looking at the families of the dead and the survivors.
SZK - I didn't think it was you who complained, so no worries.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| stoatsbrother wrote: |
| There are quite a few Verralls at my end of East Sussex. I also know a Drakes |
That's interesting. One member of the fund-raising committee which helped the avalanche victims was called Plumer Verrall, who I understand was the leading auctioneer in Lewes at the time. He lived in the parish of All Saints, Lewes.
It's highly likely that the present-day Verralls know nothing about this, unless he left a diary or correspondence connected with the tragedy. It's only in the last few weeks that we've come up with what seems to be a unique document confirming the above.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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A couple of other unusual surnames which figure quite prominently in the records of the Lewes avalanche are 'Wille' and 'Higham'.
Charles Wille owned a prominent timberyard by the river and was a witness at the inquest, as was Robert Higham, a local innkeeper.
Anyone in Sussex know of people with those surnames?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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David Goldsmith, I knew some Highams. Moved away now I think.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Have just found this site. William Geer was I believe the brother of my ancester. I think he was baptized 1754 at Hurstpierpoint, my ancestor was John b1756. The Hurstpierpoinr registers are odd in that they record three James Geer baptisms in 1754, 1764 and 1772. The one in 1772 must in fact be Henry not James. The one in 1754 is I believe William. William had a large family. William and two brothers: Samuel and Henry all ended up in Lewes. Some brief details of family appear at http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=geereovingdean&id=I500
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jeremygeere, David Goldsmith doesn't call in here very often (if at all) these days so I have emailed him. Out of interest, how the hell did you come across this?
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jeremygeere, welcome to snowHeads 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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jeremygeere, welcome to snowHeads
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Thanks. Found site through simple google search for "Geere Lewes"
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