Dear Tess >From the Parish magazine of 1893 there was a description of a jumble sale to raise funds for the Swan Lodge. Included in the list of helpers : Mrs W Hawkins Miss F Hawkins and Mrs Jane Hawkins. If you would like a scanned copy of the page I could send it off list. Was the Mrs Hawkins of the Swan Inn one of 'yours'? If so I copied a few items of interest from the old Swan Visitor book a few years ago. My great grandfather ran the watermill next door. One guest wrote a verse in 1896 - " But when the cyclist bent Goes on to his sure fate at Bury Hill Then he sighs for the Swan,mein lieber Schwan And the sound of the rumbling old mill" In 1900 a visitor arrived in a de Dion, the first motor car to be seen in Fittleworth. He wrote " Have come to visit Mrs Hawkins and partake of her excellent fare' Another said " just had a ripping tea here [eight eggs] " Margaret #5836

Dear Margaret, how interesting! yes I would be grateful for a copy. I knew a Mrs Jane Hawkins ran the Swan Inn - I paid a fleeting visit a couple of years ago. I understand that she was quite famous for her hospitality (eight eggs would seem to confirm that!) and also for her support and encouragement of local artists. As you probably know, the dining room is paneled with local landscapes from that period. Sadly when I visited the manager was unavailable and the staff couldn't give me much information about the place. I don't know if the Swan family is 'mine' I have been trying for ages to find a connection. I do have a direct line back to John HAWKINS from Stopham who married a Frances NOEL in 1789. Thereafter the families seemed to have moved between Stopham and Fittleworth marrying locals and living mostly in Fittleworth. I'll keep at it. It will be lovely to get something from the parish magazine that mentions them. Tess Spencer11414 -----Original Message----- From: sfhg-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:sfhg-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of M. Major Sent: 14 February 2008 19:33 To: SFHG-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [SFHG] RE HAWKINS of Fittleworth Dear Tess >From the Parish magazine of 1893 there was a description of a jumble sale to raise funds for the Swan Lodge. Included in the list of helpers : Mrs W Hawkins Miss F Hawkins and Mrs Jane Hawkins. If you would like a scanned copy of the page I could send it off list. Was the Mrs Hawkins of the Swan Inn one of 'yours'? If so I copied a few items of interest from the old Swan Visitor book a few years ago. My great grandfather ran the watermill next door. One guest wrote a verse in 1896 - " But when the cyclist bent Goes on to his sure fate at Bury Hill Then he sighs for the Swan,mein lieber Schwan And the sound of the rumbling old mill" In 1900 a visitor arrived in a de Dion, the first motor car to be seen in Fittleworth. He wrote " Have come to visit Mrs Hawkins and partake of her excellent fare' Another said " just had a ripping tea here [eight eggs] " Margaret #5836 ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SFHG-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message