 The church pictured is St. Margaret's in Angmering, England, where Henry Redman married Ann Gracemark on June 5th 1792. In my quest to uncover my family's past, I recently stumbled upon a captivating tale involving my 6th great-grandfather, Henry Redman, found in a 1914 political and history pamphlet by Edwin Harris. Born in 1767 in Angmering, Sussex, England, to William and Eleanor Redman, Henry led what seemed to be an ordinary life for the times. He married Ann Gracemark, with whom he had ten children, and had one daughter from another relationship. Living to the ripe age of 80, he passed away in 1847 and was buried in Angmering.
However, a fascinating incident from his life reveals that Henry was anything but ordinary. The story unfolds in the 19th century, an era marked by the industrial revolution and significant societal transformations. Yet, in rural areas like Angmering, old traditions and power dynamics remained deeply entrenched. The narrative centers around a bet between Joseph Collett, the self-important landlord of The Lamb Inn, and my ancestor, Henry. Collett owned a flock of geese that grazed on common land next to his inn. Despite the enclosure of the land by a wealthy magistrate, Collett stubbornly refused to relinquish his right to use it. This act of defiance sets the stage for a clash between the traditional rights of commoners and the growing trend of land privatization, a contentious issue of the era. One fateful evening, a heated argument between Collett and Redman led to Collett haughtily dismissing the notion that someone of Redman's stature could ever outwit him. To prove his point, Collett proposed a wager: Redman had three months to 'best' him or forfeit his money and concede the argument. As the weeks progressed, Collett repeatedly outmaneuvered Redman, taunting him with his sharp wit to the delight of the inn's patrons. Frustrated and determined to reclaim his dignity, Redman devised a cunning plan to salvage his money, reputation, and avenge the series of intellectual and moral affronts he had endured. In a surprising turn of events, Collett's geese started to vanish one by one. Desperate to identify the culprit, Collett offered a reward of 20 shillings, later increased to 40 shillings. Seizing the opportunity, Redman approached Collett in the bar and offered to reveal the thief in exchange for the reward. After pocketing the money, Redman astonishingly confessed that he was the thief and had been feasting on the geese one by one. He then demanded the stakeholder to hand over the wager money. Stunned and outwitted, Collett eventually realized he had no legal recourse, as both he and the geese were technically trespassing on enclosed land. Begrudgingly, he accepted his losses, and the experience humbled him, much to the amusement of his once adoring clientele. Uncovering this story has provided a fascinating glimpse into my ancestors' lives and the societal challenges they navigated during a pivotal period in history. It also highlights the ingenuity and resilience of my 6th great-grandfather, Henry Redman, who cleverly outwitted the arrogant landlord and ultimately triumphed in a humorous and unexpected manner. A simple man who lived a long life, fathered eleven children, and left behind a legacy of wit and cleverness that I am proud to share in my family's history. You can read another story from my work in tracing my lineage here, Amarvellous Blog - Amar Charles Marouf (amarcm.ca)
zini
29/8/2023 05:14:07 pm
collett just got outplayed Comments are closed.
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