Hastings Histories

15/04/2023

🚨🎧New Episode Released! 🎧🚨

🦁⚽️The History of Hastings United⚽️🦁

In our fifth episode we will be exploring the history of our beloved local football team, Hastings United. We will go all the way back to the clubs origins in the 19th century, discuss the highs and lows of the next 100 years, and reflect on what makes Hastings United such a special club.

What different forms has the club taken over the years? What impact does money have on the lower league game? How has women's football developed in our town and elsewhere? What can Hastings United tell us about the larger history of the beautiful game?

This episode was create in partnership with Leon Pettit, the creator of the brilliant website
www.hastingsfootballhistory.co.uk
Hope you enjoy - feedback is always welcome!

https://hastingshistories.buzzsprout.com/1933508/12651098-the-history-of-hastings-united

In our fifth episode we will be exploring the history of our beloved local football team, Hastings United. We will go all the way back to the clubs origins in the 19th century, discuss the highs and lows of the next 100 years, and reflect on what ...

02/03/2023

Hastings Histories will be returning in April 2023… 🎧

Been quiet over the past few months as I have been travelling. It’s been wonderful seeing more of the world - but nowhere is as lovely as our beloved Hastings of course!

‘The History of Hastings United’ is due to be finished late April once I’m back in the UK. The interviews and research has been finished, just need to put the episode together. Then I have two or three more ideas in the pipeline for the remainder of 2023…

You’ll be hearing more from the podcast soon. Perhaps the episode will tie in nicely with HUFC being in the playoffs…?

26/11/2022

It’s great to see that more and more people are discovering this podcast! Getting lots of new downloads even though we’ve not had a new episode out for a while - keep sharing it with people you think might be interested.

The interviewing and research has been done for the next episode - should be due out over the Xmas period.

Watch this space… 🦁⚽️

11/10/2022

Got the ball rolling on one of our next episodes - The History of Hastings United!

Already spoken to a few people, started the research and have an excellent guest lined up. I’ve got a basic history of the club sorted… but I want to add some more social history/anecdotes.

Do you know any interesting stories from the club’s past? Can you think of any examples of ways the club has interacted with the community, or been involved in the wider story of English football? Any surprising, quirky or fun facts/stories?

If so - get in touch!

24/09/2022

Hello everyone, been a busy month - I’ve started a new job and had a hectic schedule. But fear not my fellow local history buffs, there are three more episodes with guests now agreed and more ideas in the pipeline!

We’re aiming for two more episodes this year and have another lined up for mid 2023. If you have any idea of future episodes (or even better if you have a suggestion for local experts to appear on an episode) then drop me a message.

The kind messages sent over about the current episodes have been really appreciated, thank you everyone that’s listened and engaged so far. Don’t forget to recommend the podcast to any friends you think would be interested 🎧

24/08/2022

🚨🎧New Episode Released!🎧🚨

🐟⚓️The History of Hastings Fishing Part 2 - Within Living Memory⚓️🐟

This is our second episode on the history of the Hastings fishing community. This time we take up the story post WW2 and continue to explore the changes seen to The Stade, developments in the practices of fishing and the challenges faced by the industry in the modern era.

Who owns The Stade and what rights do the fishermen claim? How has the practice of fishing evolved and how have these changes affected our oceans? What impact has government policy had on small fishing communities like Hastings?

This episode was created in partnership with Mick and Steve Barrow. Mick spent started fishing in Hastings in the 1970's and was a prominent member of the lifeboat crew. Steve is the local boat builder and is well known regionally for his craft.

You can find it on our blog, on all podcasting apps, and using the link below. Hope you enjoy - feedback is always welcome!

https://hastingshistories.buzzsprout.com/1933508/11189788-the-history-of-hastings-fishing-part-2-within-living-memory

This is our second episode on the history of the Hastings fishing community. This time we take up the story post WW2 and continue to explore the changes seen to The Stade, the methods of fishing and the challenges faced by the industry in the mode...

22/08/2022

Have you enjoyed the podcasts so far? Well, we've got a favour to ask...

We're about to release our fourth episode and have several more in the pipeline. We've had a lot of positive responses but we're always looking for ways to improve.

Please could you take a few minutes to complete this feedback form? It's really quick and you only need to answer the questions you feel are relevant. All comments and thoughts welcome - it'll be a huge help in improving the podcast going forward.
Thanks in advance! New episode out in a few days...

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfchMA46cIIWWxVmAiUwqTqZkuvYnyP9FEQj109e50jn-BaCw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to complete this feedback form. I'm always looking for ways that we can improve Hastings Histories and your thoughts, comments and ideas are very much welcome. This project was created as part of my masters degree in Public History. However, I've fallen in love w...

21/08/2022

🐟 New Blog Post! 🐟

Thanks for all the feedback and kind comments about the most recent episode on fishing in Hastings. Part 2 of this topic is now finished and due to be released next week!

In the meantime we’ve publish a new blog examining the history behind the complex issue of the ownership of The Stade. We hope you find it interesting. Keep your eyes pealed for the new episode coming soon.

https://hastingshistories.wixsite.com/blog/post/who-should-own-the-stade

The fishermen’s fight against financial might. The Stade is the name for the stretch of shingle beach in Hastings Old Town. ‘Stade’ is the old Anglo-Saxon term for landing place – this name alone tells us that the area is rich in history! Shingle beaches may not necessarily seem like valuabl...

05/08/2022

Already had lots of people get in touch about our new episode - people are hooked!

This is the book I mention in the podcast by Steve Peak. It’s an excellent read. The Fisherman’s Museum has a fair few copies in stock so if you’re about in the old town this weekend pop in and get a copy.

There’s also a great oral history that covers more recent periods called “Voices from the Stade”. Again, highly recommended. A few of the people in that book appear in our next episode 🎧

04/08/2022

🚨🎧New Episode Released!🎧🚨

🐟⚓️The History of Hastings Fishing Part 1 - Beyond Living Memory⚓️🐟

Our third episode is now live - and it's quite the catch. We explore the history of the Hastings fishing community from doomsday till WW2 and get a fair bit of old town history along the way. A perfect episode to release during Old Town Carnival Week!

We look at the practice of fishing in Hastings and how it evolved over time - but also explore the lives of the fishing community more generally. What was it like in the 19th century old town? Why has the Hastings fleet survived all these years when so many have disappeared? What challenges have they faced - from both land and sea?

This episode was created in partnership with the Hastings Fisherman's Museum - I hope it inspires you to pop down and visit them in the Stade!

Part two - "Within Living Memory" - will be with you by the end of the month...

https://hastingshistories.buzzsprout.com/1933508/11080695-the-history-of-hastings-fishing-part-1-beyond-living-memory

In this episode we’ll be exploring the history of the Hastings fishing community from the Doomsday Book until WW2. We’ll look at the work of the fishermen, the community in the which they lived and the challenges they faced.How has fishing changed...

30/07/2022

We’ve very nearly finished our next episode…

🐟⚓️The History of Hastings Fishing Part 1 - Beyond Living Memory⚓️🐟

In this episode we’ll be exploring the history of the Hastings fishing community from the Doomsday Book until WW2! We’ll look at the work of the fishermen, the community in the which they lived and the challenges they faced.

How has fishing changed in Hastings over the years? What was it like in the 19th century old town? Why has the Hastings fleet survived all these years when so many have disappeared?

This episode is created in partnership with the Hastings Fishermen's Museum and it’s been fascinating to create.

Watch this space….

20/07/2022

🚨New Blog Post!🚨

We’ve had a great response to the latest podcast about the America Ground. However, a few people have mentioned that it’s quite tricky to actually visualise what the area looked like as it developed.

We agree - it’s much easiest to get a good grasp of the story when you have some images to help you along the way.

So, to compliment the podcast, our latest blog post tell the story of the physical development of Hastings town centre through images and maps!

We hope you find this useful. The aim of this blog is to visualise how the area changed over the last 1000 years. If you want to get a good sense of the people that lived there and the challenges they faced - give our second episode a listen!

https://hastingshistories.wixsite.com/blog/post/what-did-hastings-look-like-in-the-olden-days

Exploring the physical development of the America Ground through images. Since making the podcast, I’ve been down to America Ground several times and tried to imagine how the area has changed over the years. It's hard to visualise it! 1000 years ago, I would have been standing in the sea – looki...

07/07/2022

The hardest thing about making these podcasts is deciding what to include - there's always so much to say that each episode could easily run to several hours long!

We've decided to launch a website/blog to go alongside the podcast. This site will connect together all the social media accounts and contain links to all the episodes. The part we're most excited about though is the new blog - we'll be publishing a blogpost to go with each new topic.

In each blog we will choose a couple of themes from the podcast and go into more historical detail - including historical sources, academic debates and links to further reading.

The first blog post is already up - about Jack in the Green - and the next one about America Ground will be there soon.

We think this will be a useful companion to the podcast - hope you find it interesting!

https://hastingshistories.wixsite.com/blog

Click here to check out our episodes. We will be releasing a new one every few months so keep your eyes peeled for new content!

29/06/2022

A great response to our second podcast so far - thanks to everyone that has sent over comments and questions!

Not listened to 'The History of Hastings America Ground' yet? You can find it on all major podcasting apps and also here: https://hastingshistories.buzzsprout.com/

We're joined on this episode by Steve Peak, a local historian who has written a book on the topic. The book goes into far more detail than is possible in a podcast - so if you enjoyed listening why not buy his book:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-america-ground-hastings/steve-peak/9780750997317

Buy The America Ground, Hastings by Steve Peak from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.

27/06/2022

🚨🎧New Episode Released!🎧🚨

We’re really pleased to be able to share this new episode with you all - The History of Hastings America Ground.

This episode tells the story of the part of Hastings town centre known as The America Ground - an area of land that grew from the sea and was outside of the control of the council. We’re going to be finding out about the lives of the people who lived there - plus the rise, fall and rebirth of the area. We will be joined by Steve Peak, a local historian who has written an excellent book on the topic.

You can listen using the link below or by searching for us on any major podcast provider.

We hope you enjoy! Please do let us know your thoughts - all feedback welcomed.

Episodes 3 and 4 already underway….

https://hastingshistories.buzzsprout.com/1933508/10861316

Did you know that part of Hastings town centre is known as 'The America Ground'? Perhaps you've seen the mural on Robertson Street or heard the speech at the start of the bonfire procession? This episode tells the story of the part of Hastings kn...

22/06/2022

🎧New podcast out next week: The History of Hastings America Ground🎧

It’s taken a while but the second episode is ready to be released! We’re really excited to share this one with you so keep an eye out for it early next week.

The podcast tells the story of the part of Hastings known as the ‘America Ground’ - an area of land that grew from the sea and was outside of the control of the council. We’re going to be finding out about the lives of the people who lived there - plus the rise, fall and rebirth of the area.

In the meantime - here are some maps and images that might well come in handy when you’re listening to the podcast next week.

Image 1 - Hastings as it may have looked soon after 1066. You can see the castle on the cliff top, but most important for our story is the fact that the priory valley then formed a natural habour where ships could safely dock.

Image 2 - A map from 1746 showing the proposed 1580 Elizabethan ‘haven’. Hastings was at this point based in the bourne valley, focused around what is today the High Street and All Saints Street

Image 3 - An 1829 map of the ‘America Ground’. Large parts are industrial sites owned by the Breed family, but mixed in with that are a lot of residential properties.

Image 4 - By 1836 most of the buildings shown in image 3 were gone. This plan from 1850 shows the proposed redeveloped overseen by Patrick Robertson.

Image 5 - The America Ground today. The part in red shows the area we will be discussing in the podcast.

It might be helpful to refer back to this post when you listen to the podcast. All images come from the excellent book “The America Ground Hastings” written by Steve Peak. You’ll be hearing more from him soon…

13/06/2022

Have you ever watched the beginning of the Hastings Bonfire procession? If you have, you might well have heard this speech:

“The Hastings Borough Bonfire Society will now process onto the America Ground which was formerly sea. William the Conqueror sailed where we shall march today. The prosperous harbour of the cinque ports of Hastings was here until storms destroyed it 700 years ago. By 200 years ago the sea had become land and merchants and people built warehouses ropewalks and homes on it and they prospered. The corporation of Hastings had no jurisdiction here but tried to enforce their rule.

The people rioted and raised the stars and stripes of the United Stated of America in defiance. The borough retreated. The ‘Americans’ stayed independent until the Kings commissioners claimed the ground for the crown. The stars and stripes with the borough arms added was presented to the corporation of Hastings as a friendly gesture by the people of the America Ground in the last years of their occupation. It symbolises that spirit of enterprise and independence, determination and goodwill which characterises the people of the America Ground to this day. We declare our first passage through the territory of the America Ground, may this be the first of many”

The speech paints quite the picture - who were these 'Americans'? What is their link with Hastings? Did they really hold a rebellion under the flag of the USA?

We'll be exploring this story in detail in the next episode - coming soon!

Image from: https://www.hbbs.info/
Video of the speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ktsMToUagk

30/05/2022

Ever noticed this mural whilst walking down Robertson Street? Perhaps you already know a bit of the background to Hastings America Ground - but how much of the famous local story is actually true?

The next episode of Hastings History will be released at the end of June. We’re delighted to have collaborated with the brilliant local historian Steve Peak on this episode. We’ll be releasing more historical teasers over the next month to build up to the episodes release - so keep your eyes peeled!

01/05/2022

🍃💚History of Jack – Day 4💚🍃

We’ve been looking at the national story of Jack – in our final post it’s time to get a bit more local.

The first record we have of a Jack dancing in Hastings is from 1848, although it’s likely it had been happening in the town for a while by then. It was not linked to the old town in those days and actually took place in St Leonards. The first image below is a painting by Joseph Ince, a friend of Turner, which is potentially depicting the St Leonard’s Jack. We can’t know for certain, but the area bears a striking resemblance to Norman Road.

The St Leonards Jack was organised by the Lee family, a group of chimney sweeps who lived in Gensing Road. The second image below probably shows the Lee family with their Jack in the St Leonards Subscriptions Gardens near Harold Mews.

There are conflicting reports of the celebrations in the Observer newspaper from the time. Some cheerfully reported the day’s merriment and others are very critical of the drunken disorder. A common complaint was of a large man with an even larger drum who was often drunk and seemingly had little rhythm!

The tradition died out in Hastings much like the rest of the country… but not for good! There was briefly a Hollington Jack in the 1950’s made specifically for children (see the third image below) but it wasn’t until the 1980’s that the real revival took place. Mad Jack’s Morris – still heavily involved today – revived Jack in the 1983 (see final image below) and Hastings took the idea and ran with it!

We have added a lot of our own aspects to the celebration, such as the bogies and the ‘slaying’ of Jack at the end, but the core of it remains the same as it would have been in the 19th century.
I think the town owes a huge debt of gratitude to those the revived the tradition – and those that manage it today.

If you want to find out more – because there is a LOT more to know – I’d highly recommend the below books by Keith Leech and Roy Judge. You could also listen to our podcast I suppose…

Keith’s book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hastings-Traditional-Jack-Green/dp/0901536105

Judge’s book - https://folklore-society.com/book/the-jack-in-the-green/

Happy Jack-in-the-Green! 💚

30/04/2022

🍃💚History of Jack – Day 3💚🍃

We’ve looked at the possible origins of Jack and what he got up to on Mayday… but where did he go? The 1866 image posted below gives us a clue – a Maypole (not a very tall and thin Jack!)
From about 1850 there is a decline in the number of references to it that can be found in the historical record to Jack in the Green. By 1900 it seems that nearly all JitG traditions had disappeared. So why did this decline take place?

There are several factors in play. Firstly, the material conditions that created impetus for sweeps to go out and parade were changing. Living standards and wages went up in some areas due to increasing class struggle and demand for reform, taking away some of the need to parade. The law gradually outlawed climbing boys, meaning that the sweeps celebrations would no longer benefit from the sympathy and support that children could gain from the crowd of onlookers. The job became professionalised with the more senior sweeps distancing themselves from JitG in order to fit in with the growing middle classes.

There was also somewhat of a Victorian ‘moral backlash’ against Jack. It was a gritty, urban and working-class tradition. It certainly didn’t fit in with the sensibilities of the Victorian elite! The Victorians instead tried to sanitise May celebrations by pushing to the fore more wholesome and idyllic customs. Instead, you saw the promotion of other traditions such as dancing around the Maypole and small children dressed in flowers. There is noting wrong with these traditions, of course, but I think Victorian culture made sure to prioritise these aspects of May at the deliberate exclusion of Jack.

The decline of Jack in the historical record is clear – there were many late 19th century newspaper reports either lamenting of celebrating his demise. But as we will see tomorrow… Jack came back!

29/04/2022

🍃💚History of Jack – Day 2💚🍃

Yesterday we examined the origin of ‘Jack’ – but what would the sweeps actually do with him?

Mayday – or the ‘sweeps holiday’ as it was sometimes referred to in the 1800’s – comes at the end of the chimney sweeps seasonal work. Not much need for a fire (or therefore a chimney sweep) during the warm summer months. Many would find summer work elsewhere, but before that they would mark the end of their season in the usual way… going to the pub! They would create a ‘Jack’ using the leaves available during that time of year and would dance him from pub to pub, clattering their shovels for percussion and collecting money as they went.

You would often find a cast of characters with Jack. There would be a Lord and a Lady leading proceedings (see the source below from 1795), a drumming-man, Black Sal, Dusty Bob, clowns and much more. Many would bring their own interpretation to the parade – as happens now – so it benefitted from a wealth of influences. You would also find climbing boys (young children sent up the chimneys) who would illicit a lot of sympathy on the parade, and therefore a lot a donations.

Jack-in-the-Green had a clear economic motivation. Many of the chimney sweeps used their money to buy beer, true, but the festival is clearly tied into their pattern of their labour and speaks to the poverty that many lived in. This is especially true of the climbing boys who needed the donations to purchase new clothes and other essentials. I think the whole affair is slightly subversive too. It is deeply working-class in its nature and the parody of the ‘Lord and Lady’ suggests ‘ordinary’ culture being contrasted with the culture of the elite.

We mustn’t lose sight of the main reason that they paraded a Jack however. A reason that is still true today…. It’s good fun!

28/04/2022

🍃💚History of Jack – Day 1💚🍃

It’s been busy over at Hastings Histories – research and interviews for the next three episodes are complete! Look out for the first one being released in June. In the meantime, I think there’s something happening in Hastings this weekend…?

To celebrate the return of Jack in the Green we’re going to be telling the story of Jack’s origin through different historical sources each day!

The earliest record of a ‘Jack-in-the-Green’ is 1785. That’s not to say that there wasn’t one before that – but it wouldn’t have been much before. These customs, however small, would have left some kind of historical record.

Jack was, essentially, a very elaborate Garland carried by the chimney sweeps. Whilst we can’t say for certain whether Jack had any direct ancestor-garlands (if that’s a thing…?), it seems very likely to me that the sweeps took inspiration from the milkmaids. The image below on the left is an early milkmaid’s garland from 1688. It was covered in silver plate and ribbons and would have been danced around the streets during May celebrations.

In the right hand image you can see a Milkmaids garland from 1816 – notice how much bigger it is now. It covers the entire person and is covered in flowers and leaves. Sound familiar…?

I don’t think the sweeps exactly copied the milkmaids garland to create Jack. However, these groups would have been out and celebrating at the same time and it’s almost certain they would have been influenced by each other.

I’m not sure that Jack’s mother was a Milkmaid… but maybe his great aunt was!

06/04/2022

Spent the past few weeks learning about the history of Hastings' fishing industry. It's fascinating!

There have been fishing boats launched from the Stade for over 1000 years - and we still have the largest beach-based fleet in the entire country. Found some amazing stories and can't wait to share them with you all.

Research nearly done for the next few episodes and interviews booked in with some great local experts. Should have a few more episodes ready by June!

22/03/2022

Two exciting research meetings set up next week for upcoming episodes - nearly time to start recording episode 2! 🎉

In the meantime I wanted to share one of my favourite history podcasts. The History of England is an excellent podcast series that has been running for over a decade.

https://www.facebook.com/historyengland/

It starts all the way back in the early Saxon period, and takes a detailed and colourful walk through England’s history. It’s currently at the Stuarts!

David Crowther mixes the ‘high politics’ of each period in with social and economic history, and he has a lovely and personable podcast manner.

https://thehistoryofengland.co.uk/

Well worth a listen 🎧👍🏼

11/03/2022

Delighted with the new podcast logo!
The attention to detail is excellent. Designed by the hugely talented Charlie Suckling.

Follow his Instagram on https://instagram.com/chasdraws?utm_medium=copy_link

Which Hastings history stories can you pick out from the logo?

10/03/2022

Very excited to have the ball rolling on the next four episodes!

The initial plan of ‘one a month’ was perhaps a little ambitious… Research, outreach and production take a while! However, we plan to have these episodes completed between now and August, so watch this space 🎧

04/03/2022

Doing some reading for future episodes - we can highly recommend this classic book!

Written by a former curator of Hastings museum, it’s a detailed account of the lives of the peoples of Hastings and written in a very accessible way.

You’ll hear it referenced more than once on the podcast!

22/02/2022

Calling all Hastings folk - do you have any suggestions for future episodes? 🕵️‍♀️📖📣

We've been asked a few times about what's coming next, and we've got a few ideas being worked on at the moment (the picture below could be a hint...?)
We're hoping to release an episode roughly every month, although they can take a little while to research and create.

❓ Do you have a suggestion of a good story from Hastings' past?
❓ Is there a topic or time-period you would like to know more about?
❓ Do you know someone that would be good to interview for a future episode?

All suggestions and comments welcome!

17/02/2022

Had a brilliant response to the podcast in the first week - thanks to all those that have listened, or sent in comments and questions!

The podcast really only skims the surface of the rich history of Jack in the Green - if you want to find out more then we’d highly recommend these two excellent books
🍃📖📖🍃