From Kelly’s Post Office Directory of Essex, Herts, Middlesex, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, 1867
STEYNING is a parish, market town, and polling place for the Western division of the county on the Shoreham, Steyning, Henfield and Horsham, line of railway, 53 miles south-west from London, and about 5 north from Shoreham, giving name to a hundred and also a union, in the rape of Bramber, Brighton county court district, diocese and archdeaconry of Chichester, and rural deanery of Storrington, at the foot of a lofty hill, about a mile west of the river Adur, which is navigable for barges. The town consists of a wide street, running from south to north, from which branches another, leading east to the church and railway station, and has been much improved both in building and general appearance. The town is lighted by gas, and supplied with pure water from two springs in, and another issuing from, the base of a hill half a mile from the town, its stream turning two corn mills belonging to Steyning. The market is held every alternate Monday for cattle and corn; and a considerable fair is held on the 11th October, for cattle, &c. Steyning is the seat of a petty sessions, which is held on market days. The town is a borough by prescription, having returned two members to Parliament from the time of Edward I.; it is now disfranchised, but Steyning, with the whole of the rape of Bramber, now forms part of the Parliamentary borough of New Shoreham. The church of St. Andrew is a large structure in the Norman style of architecture: the interior is richly decorated, and is supposed to have been built about the twelfth century: it is said that King Ethelwolf, who died in 858, the father of Alfred the Great, and St Cuthman, were buried here, in a Saxon church, which formerly occupied the site of the present building. The living is a vicarage, value £400 per annum, with residence and 33½ acres of glebe, in the gift of the Duke of Norfolk, and held by the Rev. Thomas Medland, B.D., of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. The vicarage stands on the site of an ancient priory, once belonging to the Abbey of Fecamp, in Normandy, to which much of the property in this town was presented by William the Conqueror. Here is a Grammar school, founded and endowed in 1614 by William Holland, an alderman of the city of Chichester: the fund produced now is about £100 per annum, arising from land and buildings in Steyning: the boys in and around Steyning are instructed in the Greek and Latin languages, and writing, arithmetic, and mathematics. Here is an extensive parchment manufactory, also two breweries. Steyning union comprises the following parishes, viz.:- Aldrington, Ashurst, Upper Beeding, Bramber, Bottolphs, Coombs, Edburton, Fulking, Hangleton, Henfield, Hove, New Shoreham, Old Shoreham, Patcham, Portslade, Poynings, Preston, Shermanbury, Sompting, Southwick, Steyning, West Blatchington, and Woodmancote; the Union House is at Shoreham. The Wesleyans have a neat chapel. A reading-room has been established for mechanics. The area of Steyning is 3,383 acres, and the population in 1861 was 1,620.
Parish Clark, John Cuckney.
POST AND MONEY ORDER OFFICE, P0ST OFFICE SAVINGS BANK, AND GOVERNMENT ANNUITY AND INSURANCE OFFICE.- Mrs. Mary Sone, receiver. Letters from London & all parts arrive at 5 a.m.; dispatched at 8 p.m. via Hurstpierpoint; on sunday dispatched at 6.15
INSURANCE AGENTS:-
Kent Fire, J. Baker, High street
Liverpool & London & Globe Fire & Life, Thomas Bennett, High street
Norwich Union Fire & Life, George R. Luff, High street
Phoenix Fire, John Ingram, High street
Rock Life, John Ingram, High street
Royal Fire & Life, John P. Durrant, High street
Royal Exchange, Joseph Curtis, High street
Royal Farmers’, Edward Cripps, High street
Sun Fire & Life, Frederick Baldey, High street
PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS:-
Police Station, John Bray, superintendent
Railway Station, Ernest Briggs, master
Stamp Office, Thomas Bennett, sub-distributor
Inland Revenue Office, White Horse
PUBLIC OFFICERS:-
Clerk to Magistrates, & Clerk to Commissioners of Horsham, Steyning & Worthing Turnpike Roads, & to the Commissioners of Sewers & River Adur Navigation, John Ingram
Clerk to Guardians of Steyning Union, Edward Cripps
Clerk to Commissioners of Taxes, Edward Cripps
Superintendent Registrar, Edward Cripps
Inland Revenue Officer, Thomas Chester
SCHOOLS:-
Endowed Grammar George Airay, master
Infant Mrs. Mary Gates, mistress
National, James Morris, master
CARRIER TO BRIGHTON & SHOREHAM:- Henry Holden, tuesday, thursday & saturday, returning same days
Airey Mr. George, Church street
Bannister Thomas, esq. Nash farm
Bennett Mr. George. sen. High street
Breach Mr. George Thomas, sen.
Cripps Mr. Edward, High street
Duke Mrs. High street
Gates Ferdinand, esq. Gatewycke house
Gates Mrs. Spring wells
Golds Mr William Nye, High street
Hammond Mr. Frederick
Hodson Mrs. High street
Ingram Major R. B. High street
Ingram Rev. Hugh, M.A. High street
Ingram John, esq.
Ingram Mrs. High street
Maury Francis M. esq. Church street
Medland Rev. Thomas B.D. Vicarage
Michell George, esq. Charlton house
Michell Mrs.
Michell Mrs. Harriet
Newland Mr. George, High street
Norton George esq. High street
Penfold Miss, Church street
Penfold Mrs. High street
Trew Mrs. Church street
Verrall Mrs. High street
Young Edmund, esq. High street
COMMERCIAL.
Airey George, master of Grammar school, Church street
Bailye Alfred, hair dresser High street
Bailye John, shoe maker, High street
Baker James, furniture & upholstery warehouse, liner draper & grocer, High street
Banfield William, beer retailer, Church street
Benfield John, cooper
Bennett John, Star, High street
Bennett Thomas, bookseller, stationer & stamp distributor, High street
Betser Charles, farmer, Staplefields
Bignell Richard, lodging house, High street
Blackaller Stephen, engineer, millwright, brass founder & thrashing, winnowing & haying machine maker & agent for all agricultural implements at maker’s price, High street
Boyd John, shoe maker, High street
Brackley Robert, bricklayer, High street
Brackley William, bricklayer, High street
Breach George Thomas & Sons, wool merchants, fellmongers, parchment manufacturers, coat merchants, leather dressers & glovers, & manufacturers of wheel grease
Breach Edwin, farmer, High street
Breach Robert, wool merchant, fellmonger &c. see Breach George Thomas & Sons
Brockhurst George, shoe maker Church street
Brooks George, shoe maker, High street
Brooks Henry, shoe maker, High street
Brown Edwin, farmer, Huddlestone
Burchell James, market gardener, High street
Chappell John Thomas, builder & contractor & steam saw mills
Cheeseman John, timber merchant, High street
Chester Thomas, inland revenue officer
Churchill Thomas, shoe maker, High street
Cook Edward, stone mason, High street
Cox Albert, Three Tuns, & plumber & glazier, High street
Cox Robert, blacksmith, High street
Cox Sarah (Miss), shopkeeper, High street
Cripps Edward, clerk to the guardians of Steyning union, superintendent registrar & clerk to the commissioners of taxes, High street
Curtis Joseph, grocer, High street
Dalby Charles, architect
Dalby John, builder, Jarvis lane
Dawes James, surveyor of turnpike roads
Drewett James, seedsman, High street
Drewett Walter, pork butcher, High street
Duke Thomas, butcher, High street
Durrant John Payne, plumber, High street
Emery Alfred (Mrs.), dress maker, High street
Emery William, baker, Church street
Etheridge Edward, farmer
Etheridge William, baker, Churton street
Farley Charles Edward, wheelwright & ironmonger, High st
Farley Richard, butcher, High street
Farley Stephen, butcher, High street
Gates George, brewer & maltster, High street
Gates Henry, auctioneer & estate agent, High street
Goodwyn Charles Smith, family & dispensing chemist, High street
Gower Henry, shoe maker, Churton street
Gray Mary Ann (Mrs.), George
Hammond & Son, farmers, Wappingthorn farm
Hammond William Edgar & Frederick, corn, seed, artificial manure & oil cake merchants, High street
Henty Edwin & Co. bankers (Frederick Baldey, manager), open on mondays, wednesdays & fridays, High street; draw on Robarts, Lubbock & Co. London
Hobbs Edward, ironmonger, High street
Holden Henry, carrier, High street
Holmes Edward, baker, High street
Howell John, farmer, Church street
Ingram John, solicitor, & clerk to the magistrates of the Steyning division, clerk to the commissioners of sewers & river Adur navigation & to trustees of Horsham, Beeding & Worthing turnpike, High street
Jenner Alfred, lime burner
Kidd Frances (Miss), blacksmith &,shopkeeper, Church st
King Augustus Henry, White Horse, High street
Lashmar Thomas, farmer, High street
Legatt John, shopkeeper, High street
Lickfield Benjamin, shopkeeper, Church street
London & County Joint Stock Banking Company (open on market days), High street; draw on head office, 21 Lombard street, London e.c.
Luff George Robert, news agent & stationer, High street
Maury Francis M. surgeon, Church street
Michell Edward & Sons, maltsters, brewers, coal merchants & farmers, High street
Millard Kate (Mrs.), shopkeeper, High street
Nailard William, farmer & veterinary surgeon, Horsebridge common
Newman Richard, Chequers, High street
Penfold William, millet & corn dealer, High street
Read Thomas Sone & Alfred, tailors, High street
Rowland John, shoe maker, Church street
Shurey James, beer retailer, Church street
Skinner Richard, tailor, High street
Slaughter Edward, tailor, High street
Slaughter Harry, harness maker, High street
Slaughter John, beer retailer
Smithers – (Miss), seminary, Bidlington house
Standing William, baker, High street
Stanford William, jun. farmer
Stedman Charles, watch maker, High street
Style E. (Miss), dress maker, High street
Taylor Mary Elizabeth (Mrs.), draper & grocer, High street
Trussley John, carpenter
Tyler William, saddler, High street
Wheeler William, carpenter, Church street
Winton John, farmer
Young Edmund, surgeon, High street