I have just finished Perch Hill: A New Life by Adam Nicolson.
I found myself rereading entire pages simply to savour Nicolson's descriptions of the High Weald. He writes regarding his curiousity about the history of the 90 acre farm and its previous tennants:
"The written documents run out too early and are no good anyway, a list of men and, from time to time the tax they paid. 1832: Edmund Goldsmith is the tenant of John Fuller, known to history as Mad Jack, a rabid Tory, Member of Parliament, sugar-and-iron millionaire, folly-building eccentric, patron of Turner, buried in Brightling churchyard in a pyramid where he is said, erroneously, to be sitting down to a final gargantuan dinner at a cast-iron table. That's what we know about Jack Fuller. We don't know anything about Edmund Goldsmith. "pp. 121
Photos by Wealden artist Paul Jackson, with kind permission.
3 comments:
..Edmund Goldsmith 1809-1892, my great-great-great-great grandfather apparently. Interesting to find a reference here - I'm sure it's him, he was born in Warbleton and lived his life in the area. I'd be interested to know more about the kind of life he lived.. albeit not so exciting as Mad Jack's, I'll warrant!
Was he a painter. I have a print of a picture he painted in Adelaide Australia in 1885.
Di
Oops - no wrong spelling - disregard my previous post.
Di
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