Michelham Priory Wedding

Michelham Priory was founded in 1229 by Gilbert de l’Aigle, who endowed it with lands which he held for King Henry III. The Priory became the home fo r a prior and several canons, who followed the Rule of Saint Augustine.
In 1537, during the Dissolution, the church and the eastern range were destroyed and the Priory closed. The remaining buildings were leased and subsequently sold. The Priory became a Tudor Gentleman’s residence, the Tudor Wing being added at the end of the 16th century.
In 1601, the estate was sold to Thomas Sackville, the Lord Treasurer, whose family owned it for the next 300 years. They leased it to tenants as several separate holdings. The main farm, including the area within the moat comprised over 500 acres, a very large farm for the area. Because of the heavy Wealden clay, farming was mainly limited to breeding and fattening cattle. The Sackvilles kept fishing, hunting and shooting rights, and did not encourage progressive farming methods, so the
estate was in decline by the end of the 18th century.
From 1791 to 1861, three generations of the Child family were tenants. An inventory of 1821 shows that beer and cider were consumed in large quantities by a large farming family with live-in domestic servants, and farm labourers.
The Victorian period
The Child family concentrated on pure-breeding beef cattle, and established a new standard for Sussex Reds. They won many prizes at stock shows from 1834-1858. In 1845, when Frank Child was a boy of 13, he wrote and illustrated a fine history of the Priory which can be found upstairs in the Victorian case near the Prior’s room. Frank went to Lewes Academy, while his sisters were
educated in London.
In 1861 Thomas Brown, a new tenant, moved in. Unfortunately, as a general agricultural depression
hit England due partly to cheap food imports, he had to reduce his workforce from 20 to 12. By 1881 he was milling to increase his income. His sons continued farming till 1894.
In 1896, James Gwynne bought the Priory from Lionel Sackville-West, and began a programme of
restoration.
In the Priory
All the rooms you see today were used in the Victorian period, but below are some particular points of interest.
The Undercroft
This room dates from the 13th century. During the Victorian period it was divided by a partition wall, with one half becoming the dairy. It was important to
choose a cool room which was easy to clean, and the Undercroft fulfilled these criteria.
The Kitchen
The kitchen dates from the Tudor period, but on the tables you can see equipment which would have been used in the Victorian period. You can find the following on the central table: pestle and mortar; kitchen scales, colander; oatmeal crusher; sugar cone and nippers; salt block; cabbage and potato mashers; and copper pan and kettle. Next to the door is a large rectangular table displaying some dairy equipment. Look for the creamer,
‘butter hands’, a wooden cheese holder, and next to the table, a butter churn. In the corner of the kitchen to the right of the inglenook, you can see equipment for washday: a dolly, a washboard, a mangle, irons, a press, and a carpet beater and sweeper. The fireplace is equipped with mechanical spits, cauldrons and griddles which pre-date the introduction of kitchen ranges.
Upstairs
At the top of the stairs turn left onto the corridor, where you will find photos and objects belonging the families who farmed Michelham during the Victorian period. Look for the book written by Frank Child. It is beautifully handwritten and illustrated.
The Prior’s Room
This large room was restored at the end of the 19th century, and was used for social functions, including dances. The stone corridor was lined with fabric to prevent damage to ladies’ balldresses.
The Children’s Room
A collection of children’s furniture and toys can be seen here, with some samplers from the 18th century on the walls. They were sewn by girls as young as nine.
Outside the Priory
The Victorian Farmyard
This area was the working hub of the farm at Michelham. Here you can see a range of Sussex wagons, ploughs, drilling machines and other equipment. Inside the yard is a pump, and an enormous barn, dating from the Tudor period. Note the pairs of wagon ways – doors that allowed
the wagons to unload inside the barn, and exit on the other side. The former cattle stalls were converted into the present restaurant and offices. The forge, which is still working, was used to make a huge variety of fittings, including cartwheel rims, horseshoes, tools etc.
The Dovecot
Now a shop, this building was once a cart shed and stable.
The Watermill
The mill, which still grinds wheat, was used in the 19th century to supplement income from farming.
An iron waterwheel was installed in 1896