208 HISTORY OF HARTING. 



consequence of his family connections, Gilbert White 

 was quite at home in Harting from an early period of 

 his life, and that his facts relating to the South Downs 

 were mainly collected here. 



The following draft of a codicil to the will of Gilbert 



White is preserved in his own handwriting 



" Whereas I, the R.ev d - Gilbert White, of Selborne, in 

 the County of South'ton, Clerk, have duly made and 

 executed my last will and testament in writing, bearing 

 date the second day of November last, and whereas 

 since executing my said will I have suffered a recovery 

 of my estate at East Harting, otherwise Harting, in 

 the County of Sussex, now I do hereby give and 



devise unto my all that, my Messuage, Farm 



Lands, Tenements and Hereditaments, with the Ap- 

 purtenances situate and being in the Parish of East 

 Harting, otherwise Harting, in the County of Sussex, 

 called or known by the several names of Deane's, 

 Boyes', Woodhouse and Maxwell's, or by whatsoever 

 other name or names the same or any part thereof is 

 called or known. To hold unto him my said , 

 his Heirs and assigns for ever. And I do declare this 

 to be a Codicil to my said Will, &c., &c. Dated the 

 day of January, 1792." 



It is quite possible that one object of Gilbert White's 

 visit to the Vicarage of Harting during the period of 

 the Incumbency of Thos. Durnford, jun., D.D., was to 

 inquire after Durnford's brother-in-law, the ill-fated 

 poet Collins. Gilbert White wrote a letter to the 

 Gentleman's Magazine, 1781, wherein he states all 

 that he had been able to collect with regard to the 

 madness of Collins, with whom he was connected 

 both by County and College. It is curious that White 

 says in this interesting paper that he did not know 

 where Collins was buried, though in fact it was no 

 further than St. Andrew's, Chichester (1759). 



Dr. Durnford's union with Ann Collins, younger 

 sister of the poet, proved unhappy, and they separated. 



