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.
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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.
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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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