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Figure 6.
Titchfield market hall (from Hampshire), rebuilt at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, West Sussex, 1988.
Surgeon Richard Penfold, variously referred to as 'Mister' or 'Doctor',
was the agent of the Honeywood family who owned many Steyning
properties. Penfold proposed that the old building be pulled down and a
new market-house erected on the site of a house owned by Sir John
Honeywood. Honeywood and the Duke of Norfolk were normally only
interested in Steyning properties in order to promote their own
candidates as Members of Parliament. The Duke of Norfolk was Lord of
the Manor, and between 1798 and 1799 he acquired c. 80 properties in the
town, having come to an agreement with his rival in 1794 that they
would share the votes, after two recent disputed elections. Steyning
was one of the many 'Rotten Boroughs' in the country that profited from
corrupt voting practices in the parliamentary elections. Votes in the
town were attached to houses built on old foundations and until the
1832 Reform Act voting was usually a matter of who lived where and who
paid what to whom.12
Local politics were not the only problem. It can be seen that nearly
ten years earlier Richard Penfold had been in correspondence with Mr.
Parham, Attorney at Law in Horsham, over the matter of the market-house
and a new Turnpike Act.13 He wrote on 30 December 1863 thanking
Parham for a copy of the preamble to the Bill, indicating that he
wanted some changes made regarding the pavements in the High Street. He
mentioned the plan which showed '… two black lines drawn
across on each side the Market House as the end of the pavement at each
hollow way ...' (Fig. 2). Four years later, on l December 1767 he was
still writing to Parham, requesting that the pavement of the town might
be included in the new road, as it would be much better for everyone.
He continued that '… we likewise could wish to have leave to
remove the Markett House to any commodious place of the Town that the
major part of the Inhabitants shall think proper …' though
nothing was said about its being in a ruinous condition then. Penfold
kept Sir John Honeywood informed of his views and sent him a copy of
the plan.14
It was noted in 1771 that the town constable (a different inhabitant
was appointed annually) generally let the upper room of the
market-house for one guinea (£1.05) to whomsoever provided
stalls or standings at Steyning Fair each year.15 The person
who looked after the clock had a key to the room, and handed it over
whenever the Parish Clerk needed it. So several people were involved in
the administration of the building. While various inhabitants were
agitating about the fate of the apparently ruinous market-house, Edward
Young (town constable in 1771) was passing along the High Street and
saw Andrews, who normally looked after the clock, pulling down the
bell. He asked what was going on and who had given him authority for
such action. Andrews replied that Mr. Penfold had done so. Hearing
this, Young damned both Mr. Penfold and Andrews, saying that nobody had
the right to touch the market-house without his authority. Andrews
stopped what he was doing and hurried away to let Mr. Penfold know that
the constable was very angry.16
Penfold took quick and tactful action, going round to some of the
inhabitants, and particularly to constable Edward Young to gain his
consent for the taking down of the market-house. In this he succeeded
as '… Soon after w[hi]ch it was accordingly pulled down and
with the old Timber and Mat[eria]ls the present Town Hall or Market
House was Erected upon the Scite of a House [at 72 High Street] then
belonging to S[i]r John Honeywood which was held … of the Duke
of Norfolk as Lord of the Boro' …' (Fig. 3). These two
landowners both had an interest in the building and its site.17
Everyone seemed pleased with the outcome. The obstruction to the High
Street had been removed, which would help the traffic coming down a
possible new Turnpike road, and a new market-house had been built with
the timber and other materials salvaged from the old. 'The Town Clock
and Bell were also removed from the Old Building and Replaced in that
newly erected. The Dungeon or Cage and Stocks were fix'd in the lower
part …' It was agreed that the room above '… being
more neat and decent than the old one …' would be kept locked
by the succeeding constables and not let out as before, though this did
not happen (see below).18 The parish authorities wanted to keep
the room in a fit and proper state for the manorial courts that were
held from time to time, and also for electioneering purposes, or any
other public need.
The town fire engine was put in the lock-up (and presumably removed
when the space was needed for miscreants) and it was agreed that the
constable would have the keys, could let the lower part of the new
building, and use it for the display of earthenware and other goods for
sale at the Fairs. There was also the problem of 'His Majesty's Troops'
who had by custom been allowed to deposit their baggage in the Upper
Room of the old market-house when they were quartered in, or marching
through, the town. The new upper room had to be kept clear for this
purpose too. The old clock was re-erected and can be seen hanging out
over the High Street on the end of a timber support; the bell can also
just be glimpsed in the turret (Fig. 5). Between 1827 and 1840 the Duke
of Norfolk presented the town with a clock which struck the hours. A
new turret was built for it in 1848-9 and the old bell was presumably
removed (Fig. 3).19
On 31st July 1771 a jolly scene can be envisaged, as an account of
Steyning grocer and builder Daniel Easton, who supplied men for the
work, shows 9s. paid for 'Beer at Rearing the Market House'.20
This would have been a celebration after the successful erection of the
timber-framing which can be seen today within the present building at
72 High Street, particularly on the first-floor landing and in the room
overlooking the street (Fig. 7). Whether most of the timber came from
the old market-house or whether some came from the building that
formerly stood on the new site is unknown. Just over a month later, on
3 September, there was more 'Beer for the men', as well as beer for Mr.
Penfold, Peckham and 'myself' (presumably Easton the
builder).21 This was probably for the 'topping out' ceremony.
Nine years later, in 1780, the windows needed mending and in 1788 a new
pair of town stocks was made by carpenter John Streeter, who also put
new locks on the dungeon door.22
It might be thought that that was the end of the story - the old
market-house pulled down, a new one erected at reasonable cost thanks
to the recycling of timber and other materials. But no …
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