Agnes Nellie Tiller/title>

The Old

Lady

When I was young my grandmother Agnes Moore nee Tiller was always known as "the old Lady" because even then she was old. All us kids called her Gran!

Every Sunday we would go to visit "the old Lady" and all my cousins would be there and we would play in the surrounding fields (now built upon) while the parents chatted over tea.

Each Christmas we would go over to the old lady's for the afternoon and evening, and Uncle Fred would put on his red Father Christmas coat and distribute presents from the many relatives. The children would try to grab any booze that we could without the parents seeing (usually Babycham and bottles of Brown Ale) and the evening would end with a large plate of cold pork and pickles of every description, sitting around a blazing fire with talk of old times and the year to come, and games of "Postmans Knock" and charades.

But what of Agnes herself.....

She was born 26 July 1886 in Heyshott, near Midhurst, West Sussex on
the Cowdray Estate.

Agnes went to school there, starting on 16 July 1889. Her reference number
was 434. She attained Grade 1 in 1895.

During November 1900 the whole family moved out of the village but by
November 1901 they had returned - this was not unusual as this was an
agricultural area and the families moved around the villages from one farm
to another where the work was and depending on the size of their families
to larger or smaller cottages. In 1902 school records stated that her brother
Reginald met with a terrible accident and probably wouldn't be coming back
to school again. We have no knowledge of this incident but he is thought to
have lived in later life at a hospital near Chichester where he "couldn't talk
very well". Another source believes he could have been deaf and dumb.

Her mother died of cancer in 1908 and her father died in 1918 having
suffered from Brights Disease. About this time, Agnes and her two children
aged 3 and 8 moved to Southease in East Sussex, to be close to her brother Ernest.
She married Ruben Alfred Joseph Moore and starts a family in 1920 with their son
Fred, followed by 5 further children.The family moved to Ringmer, Frog Firle,
Witton Street in Alfriston - first the top half and then lower down the hill - and back
to Southease again. It was in Southease that sadly their 3rd child Arthur died aged 10.
And then on to Peacehaven where she lived the rest of her life.

In her latter years she suffered from Diabetes and gradually she went blind.

Sadly Agnes died on the 15 April 1976 at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and was cremated at the Downs Crematorium in Brighton - just before reaching the grand old age of 90!

Agnes was a strong character and kept the family together. She is still fondly remembered by us all.

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