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Historical records matching Richard Pratt
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About Richard Pratt
England & Wales Christening Records, 1530-1906
- Name: Richard Pratt
- Gender: Male
- Birth Date: 7 Oct 1816
- Christening Date: 10 Nov 1816
- Christening Place: Rotherfield, Sussex, England
- Age at Christening: 0
- Father's Name: James Pratt
- Mother's Name: Kitty
Richard Pratt was born on 7 Oct 1816 in Rotherfield, East Sussex, England. He was christened on 10 Nov 1816 in Rotherfield, East Sussex, England. He died on 7 Sep 1895 in Rotherfield, East Sussex, England. He married Hannah Callow on 14 Apr 1841 in St Denys, Rotherfield, Sussex, England.
- Place of birth: Maynards Gate.
- Place of Death: Bentley Farm, Halland and
- Buried at Forest Fold.
He built a new mill in Crowborough, Pratt's Mill - a letter in The Sussex County Magazine for March 1936 (Vol. X No 3) from G H Payneter (Crowborough) he says
'I have recently read a book entitled 'Wilderness Travel' by Richard Pratt, the builder of the mill, who gives the date "Commenced to build September 1861; finished February 1862" - there is a reproduction of a photograph supplied by G H Paynter which shows the mill in 1890 before the mill was 'towered', reducing it to about half the original height. (This was a steam mill and was situated in Harlequin Lane, Crowborough, eventually bought and run by a man called Bingham.
Richard Pratt was the 4th son of James and Kitty. He was hurt in an accident when he was about four and a half, he was with his father when his father was carting some mould from the ditches in the meadow of Stonehouse Farm, he tried to climb into the cart when his father has told him not to, he climbed up on the spokes of the wheel without his father seeing and when the horse moved forward he fell off the cart and the wheel of the cart passed over his head and hand smashing one of his fingers on his right hand. From 1828 to 1829 he attended a Dame school run by the Misses Saunders at Eridge Forstall, it was his only formal education and would have cost 1 penny per week, he then went to work at Stone Mill with his widowed grandmother, Catherine Ashby, as a miller and book-keeper (1830-1840), he also kept the accounts for a nearby farmer who paid him 12 shillings a week for this service.
His family were nominally C of E, his interest changed to non-conformity, disatisfied with the attitude of the Rector, Rev. Gream, and then attended local chapels. He suffered from Scrofula (King's Evil), and had a deformed right arm following the cart accident, he was interested in herbal remedies. Acquaintance with Mrs Sarah Callow and her daughters led to his marriage to Hannah, who was in service in London. They were married at St Denys by Mr Gream the Rector on April the 14th 1841.
In 1841 he moved to Battersea where he worked as a miller and attended various London chapels (Alie St.) but soon returned to Crowborough Common (census 1841 - living with his sister, Elizabeth Adams, Sheep Plain) working at Crowborough Mill with his cousin Reuben Ashby, he then was for a short time at Withyham.
By January 1842 he had been offered a partnership in the Crowborough Black Mill - this mill used to stand on a site in Mill Lane and Richard took up this offer after borrowing the money to do so. Richard and his partner had money problems and in January 1843 they sold out to Edward Howis who employed Richard to work the Black Mill - all worked out well until Howis asked Richard to grind on a Sunday to meet the demand for more flour and Richard refused - he was given the sack. Despite his meagre savings Richard rented a small field from his father at 7 pounds a year the field was off Crowborough Hill on a site now know as Mill Drive it was very rough and covered in sandstone, the field had to be cleared before any crops could be grown and Richard used the stones to build a small cottage which he added to over the years.
In June 1843 when the cottage could not have consisted of much more than 2 small rooms, the family moved in. In the first year Richard managed to grow four and a half acres of potatoes which enabled him to sell some and bargain with others in order to have the cash to raise other crops. He continued to grow potatoes and it was with these, in October 1843, that he was able to persuade a lady farmer to part with a horse she had advertised for £4. Two years later when Richard read in a newspaper that the Black Mill's lease was up for sale even though he had had a terrible time, his daughter died and his 1845 crop of potatoes had been blighted he borrowed money for the lease.
On the 1851 census he is living with his family in Thatch Cottage and his occupation is given as Grocer. In 1851 he opened his shop in the Eridge Road, the area where the mill was subsequently built, he farmed Luxford farm which was taken over by his brother David.
By 1860 his cottage had been much enlarged and the little farm improved, subsidised with cash from his work in the mill but then the lady owner of the mill died and it was put up for sale but Richard could not afford the asking price.
In 1861 he was able to buy a second-hand mill at Tunbridge Wells which he brought to Crowborough on a borrowed timber-tug, drawn by four horses, he erected the mill next to his cottage, buying bricks to make the rounded lower section which would house the machinery bought in Tunbridge Wells and using materials from derelict mills, particularly that on Frant Road, Tunbridge Wells, site of Neville Golf course today. His 'Black Book' was lost, containing records of this time, it ran to 1862. The Mill was in use late 1861/62 and business must have been good because Richard was able to buy another 15 acres of land from his father to add to his farm by the mill.
Tragedy struck with the death at the mill of his son, Jesse - his clothing became caught in the machinery and he died aged 18. Records of mill book no 2 began, continued to 1874, he left Crowborough for Mount Farm, Ringmer in 1877.
His son Samuel took over the mill until his death in 1898. Richard's wife died at Mount farm in 1891.
In 1891 Richard moved to Bentley Farm with his son Richard and died there in September 1895. As a non-conformist Preacher, he was the founder of two chapels, at Crowborough - Gethsemane and Blackness, and a small chapel on Ringmer Green. He preached mainly in the Kent and Sussex Weald, Surrey, Redhill, Croyden in London and the Midlands. He was in association with Mr Gadsby and other prominent non-conformists. He was a sub-contractor, providing labour and transport, hedging, ditching, ground clearence, contractor to railway at Eridge and elsewhere, timber, bricks etc. 1865, labour force drawn from family and relations, wagons and carts for hire. He was Election Agent for Lord Henry Cavendish in the 1864 election - provided transport to East Grinstead to vote (he voted Liberal). He provided Land Valuation - particularly for Mrs Fry of Welches, Jarvis Brook. He was executor of wills - Somerset House - tracing family records. He opened a bank account - Tunbridge Wells.
The publication of his book 'The Wilderness Journey' brought recognition and increased preaching committments - correspondence with Mr Gadsby and other strict Baptist leaders. NB The area of Crowborough, including St John's Common, was common land, essentially cleared by squatters who were enabled to increase their holding by moving back their gorse enclosure, still practised until recent times. The Rating Map of Crowborough, 1841 shows that James (Richard's father), George and David (brothers) held such enclosures between the Cross and Cooks Corner Farm at that time.Marriage extracted to IGI, aged 24 at marriage.1881 Census: Mount Farm, Ringmer, Sussex: 64 year old married Head of Household, a Farmer of 116 acres employing 2 men.
Written by tree owner lilliaadamski on Ancestry.co.uk
Marriages Jun 1841
- CALLOW Hannah Uckfield 7 665
- PRATT Richard Uckfield 7 665
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Richard Pratt's Timeline
| 1816 |
October 17, 1816
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Rotherfield, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom)
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November 10, 1816
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Rotherfield, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom)
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| 1842 |
1842
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Rotherfield, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom)
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| 1844 |
1844
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Rotherfield, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom)
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| 1846 |
1846
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Rotherfield, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom)
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| 1848 |
1848
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Rotherfield, East Sussex, Engand
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| 1850 |
1850
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Rotherfield, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom)
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| 1852 |
1852
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Rotherfield, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom)
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| 1853 |
June 5, 1853
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Rotherfield, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom)
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