An old yew tree grows amongst the graves at the South-eastern corner of St Edmund’s Church. During November last year a volunteer was cleaning ivy off the tree when the ground began to subside. On investigation, he and another volunteer found a large hole there. After clearing away about an 8-inch depth of grass and soil, they discovered an “empty” brick lined pit the size and depth of a grave.
The Diocese was informed, and the County Archaeologist came to inspect the “pit”. She confirmed that it was indeed a grave with evidence of human remains at the bottom. She also stated that it had originally been sealed with three stone slabs, but the central slab is missing. There are no broken bits at the bottom, which leads us to believe that it had been deliberately removed at some time in the past.!
The headstone is that of a James List who was buried in the 1830’s; so, one can only surmise that for soil and grass to build up over the grave, the central slab was replaced by some sort of wooden cover which had gradually rotted away over the centuries.
The Diocese gave us permission to temporarily seal the grave whilst we try to trace Mr List’s descendants. This is because they are responsible for its maintenance and the PCC must be sure of their wishes before having the grave permanently sealed.
James List was the tenant/owner farmer of Wootton farm. We understand that he had two sons, Daniel and James List who owned a shipyard at Fishbourne. The younger James was killed in a shipyard accident in 1825.
Daniel died a wealthy man in 1868, he had four children, but the three sons died before him. Daughter Mary died in Binstead in 1857.
Daniel’s mother was Martha (nee Gawn) and his step grandfather was a John Gawn. The information we have indicates that the family was fairly compact and that the male line died out in this country in the early 1900’s, except perhaps in Australasia and the U.S.A.)
There is no record of an exhumation, and one wonders why else a sealed tomb would be opened except in the case of an additional burial in the same grave. The grave would have had to be properly resealed in accordance with canon law. And, why not re-use the slab? If it was broken when it was moved then it should have been replaced by a similar, one. So why a temporary “wooden” cover?
New research has given us a lot more information—
In those days smuggling was big business; old maps, of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, show that St Edmund’s Church was very remote and isolated in fields with only the farmhouse and farm cottages anywhere nearby. Less than a mile away is Wootton Creek and even closer is the foreshore at the end of New Road, while King’s Quay is also close.
There is a story that the roof of the former Wesleyan Chapel at Wootton Bridge was once used to conceal kegs of brandy which had been landed at King’s Quay, which is a small, secluded inlet to the north west of the village. This may or may not be true, but there are certain local buildings of similar vintage which could well have been used for the purpose.
After the Napoleonic wars, and well into the 1860’s, the Sloop Inn became the smugglers port of call,
A local paper of 1939 says that at that time there was a hidden tunnel communicating with the Creek bank, and along this tunnel came kegs of brandy to be stored under the stairs of the Inn.,
In those days local fishermen dealt very lucratively with the French and evaded the two Preventive (Customs) men stationed at Fishbourne. The last of those smugglers, a Mr James Young, died in 1939, and he recalled helping the fishermen to pick up the brandy kegs which had been deposited overboard for them to pick up. This was done at night of course, and, after a signal light from the back door of the Sloop Inn, the fishing boat would glide up to the tunnel entrance, where men were waiting to unload and hide the cargo.
It is also on record that many illicit cargoes were hidden in the local churchyard with the help of the clergy!
There has only ever been one local churchyard within easy reach for smugglers wishing to avoid the Customs men and that is the one at St Edmund’s.
This might solve the mystery of the empty grave in our churchyard, but there is no evidence nowadays to confirm it, and we can’t say for certain without finding those old records, but such reports as there are, together with the circumstances surrounding it, do strongly suggest that one could be forgiven for conjecturing that St Edmund’s Churchyard might have been a smugglers delight!?
If anyone has information about the descendants of Mr List, would you please call 01983 301880 and leave a message for us
Thank you
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