QO HISTORY OF HARTING. 



the score of youth, justice requires us to remember 

 that 3 1 years only were sufficient to complete the full 

 lustre of the life of Sir Philip Sidney. When men 

 come of age and deliberately take upon themselves 

 the consequences of a false step, it is dangerous as 

 well as immoral to plead their youth : as they make 

 their bed so they must lie. 



Sir Edward Ford had " married " his only child and 

 heiress Catherine to Lord Culpepper, at the age of 12 

 years, and after " his soon death " to Ralphe, Lord 

 Grey of Werk, and son of the Speaker of the House 

 of Lords in the Long Parliament. Hence their son 

 Ford (afterwards Lord Grey) was likely to inherit a 

 Whig and Protestant policy. It must have been a 

 new thing for Harting when a peer of the realm came 

 to reside, as did Ralphe, Lord Grey of Werke, at 

 East Harting. Ford, Lord Grey, was born probably 

 at East Harting, and was baptized at Harting Church 

 2Oth July, 1655.* Ralph Grey's influence on his son 

 would be religious. His initials R. G. with the Ford* 

 Arms, are upon the handsome Paten used to this day 

 in Harting Church. But he was buried June 24, 1675, 

 leaving his son Ford twenty years of age, and hence- 

 forth with little good influence. As, like Sir Edward 

 Ford, Lord Grey was brought to our Parish Church 

 first and last, I must throw myself upon the reader's 

 indulgence if I enter somewhat fully upon his history. 



Bishop Burnet (History of his own Times) never 

 mentions Ford, Lord Grey, without some implied 

 joke about him, due no doubt to what often served 

 him in good stead his youthful gaiety. In the year 

 1680 the parliament had passed a very strict act for 

 the due execution of the Habeas Corpus ; it was 

 carried by an odd artifice. Lord Grey and Lord 

 Norris were named to be the tellers. Lord Norris 



By obvious mistake " Forde the sone of Ralph Grey, Esq., 

 was buryedfor "baptized") aoth July, 1655." Harting Register, 

 No. II. 



