| Share page |
|
HERSTMONCEUX AND BEXHILL 319
churchyard lies Julius Charles Hare, Rector of Herstmonceux and Archdeacon of Lewes (d. 1855), son of Francis Hare-Naylor, while a few feet off under a thorn-tree lies his sister-in-law Maria (whose husband, Augustus William Hare, incumbent of Alton Barnes, died in Rome), and by her side her nephew and godson, Augustus J. C. Hare, with his old nurse. His name appears at the head, that of his nurse at the foot, of the same grave. In his Memorials of a Quiet Life he has written the biography of Maria Hare, and given a pretty complete account of the family for several generations. It is a work in which we get the most charming picture of the best side of clerical life in villages during the early nineteenth century—the life that the late Bishop Durnford, of honoured memory throughout Sussex, declared to be the happiest in all the world. Maria's devotion to her husband and care for all the parishioners, the intense religious fervour that breathes throughout her letters, her keen enjoyment of the smallest joys, and the air of peace that pervaded her whole life (despite the agricultural riots that she witnessed) make the perusal of this work one of the most restful and soothing occupations it is possible to have, while its interest is greatly enhanced by the Continental connections of the family. We cannot turn from these graves without a thrill; the world is better that such people have lived. Curate for a short time to Archdeacon Hare was John Sterling, the author, who was only prevented fighting against Ferdinand VII. of Spain by his marriage, who managed a sugar estate at St. Vincent and was made famous by Carlyle's biography.
For several years a robin has been accustomed to build its nest and to rear its young in the |
||