East Grinstead

It says “East Grinstead Official Guide” on the following website. I am not sure how official it is but it has a great section on the history of East Grinstead.

Here is an excerpt:

“By the mid-C16 the parish of East Grinstead (modern East Grinstead, Ashurst Wood and Forest Row) contained about 1,000 people, of whom some 300 lived in the borough, which in 1564 consisted of 48 burgages (houses carrying votes for the town’s two M.P.s), 24 cottages, blacksmith’s forge, currying house (for dressing leather), slaughter house, windmill, etc. In 1600 it was described as ‘a very good towne’. It continued to thrive till towards the end of the C18…”

It mentions for example that there where 10 inns in EG in 1850 and 16 in 1900! The people must have been a rather jolly lot back then.

http://www.localauthoritypublishing.co.uk/councils/eastgrinstead/history.html