A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



and though some of these had perished before the sixteenth century, and 

 others survived the fall of the monasteries, a few certainly vanished about this 

 time, either being swept away in the general upheaval or falling into decay 

 after the dissolution of the priory upon which they had in part depended for 

 support/ 18 



There seems, however, to have been no rioting on the suppression of 

 the monasteries, 189 a fact which may possibly be partly explained from the 

 economic standpoint by the rapid growth of the iron industry, which gave 

 rise to an increasing demand both for the land which the dissolution threw 

 into the market, and for the labour which had hitherto been dependent upon 

 the more precarious profits of agriculture. 190 



The industry, however, was by no means entirely popular. The destruc- 

 tion of timber, which Drayton m regretted at the beginning of the seven- 

 teenth century from a picturesque point of view, had already been the source 

 of serious uneasiness to the towns of Hastings, Winchelsea, and Rye, in 1577 

 and 1 58 1, 192 and had been to a certain extent met by legislation of the year 

 i585- 193 Nor was this the only grievance of the towns at this time. The 

 growth of commerce had combined with troubles on the continent to bring 

 a great influx of foreigners to the Sussex coast ; in 1523 there were already 

 over fifty aliens of various nationalities (including Scots) in Rye, 194 and in 

 1572 they were dwelling in considerable numbers in all parts of the county. 196 

 In Rye, at any rate, they were at first popular, and when the lords of the 

 council issued orders to the mayor and jurats to make a return of 



howe manie straingers of every nation are within the town . . . howe many are come 

 into that towne since the 25th of March laste, and by what qualitie and meanes they do 

 lyve and sustayne themselves and howe they doe inhabite, and in what sort they do resorte 

 orderly to any churches, 19S 



they reported that as yet they saw ' no cause but the same persons may 

 have continuance.' By February, 1574, however, in spite of orders to 

 ' common passengers or fishermen who shall fortune to come from Diepe ' 

 and elsewhere that they were not to bring any Frenchmen or Flemings other 

 than ' marchantes, gents, common postes or messengers,' large numbers 'of 

 the Frenche being very poore people, both men, wemen and children,' had 

 been brought over ' to the great crye and griefF of the inhabitants of Ry and 

 other places about the same.' 197 



The objections to their admission were obviously twofold : in the first 

 place their poverty, which undoubtedly added to the difficulty of supporting 

 the poor of the neighbourhood, and secondly their competition in trade, 

 which was regarded as an offence against the exclusive system which still 

 prevailed. 198 In 1575-6 the complaints of the men of Rye on this score led 

 to the licensing by the mayor and jurats of two new craft gilds the mercers 

 and the cordwainers. 199 There can be very little doubt, however, that the 

 active interference of both the central and local authorities at this time was 



188 See V.C.H. Suss, ii, ' Religious Houses.' 189 Ibid. 



190 Camden, Britannia (ed. Gough), i, 185 ; and Add. MS. 33058, fol. 8 1 et seq. 



191 Polyolbion, Song xvii. m Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. pt. iv, 56, 64, 76. 

 Ibid, iii, 6. 1M Lay Subsidy R. iff. 19S Ibid. ||. 



'" Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. pt. iv, 4, 6. The returns include several merchants, a bookbinder, a 

 clockmaker, a cooper, a minister, and several families whose occupations are not specified. 



1W Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. pt. iv, 30. 198 Ibid, 30, 37, 55, 85. l " Ibid. 55. 



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