Sir Thomas Sherley of Wiston was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1573. His raised social status soon had him thinking about a new stone house to replace the medieval timber-framed home of his ancestors. Sherley was appointed Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex for a year in 1577 and ten years later he was Treasurer-at-War in the Netherlands, reckoned to be the most lucrative in the Army due to the 'perks' available. Fraud and corruption were rife and Sherley was spending at a great rate, particularly on luxurious possessions for his newly-built house. The story of his fall from grace is a fascinating one that will be illustrated with photographs of Wiston House, portraits and contemporary quotations. As a Member of Parliament for Steyning in 1604, Sherley played a role in constitutional history, and this, unfortunately, has had echoes in the behaviour of some of our MPs earlier in the present century. Wiston House is leased to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as a Conference Centre. see www.sussexhistorytalks.co.uk
Views: 2170 | Enquiries: 0I am an independent historian, giving illustrated talks in Sussex (sometimes just nipping into Surrey) for 40 years. I have a PhD in early-modern Sussex inn and tavern history and give more general talks about the history of English inn signs as well as those in Sussex and south-east England. I also look at the art of the inn sign. My MA is in Regional History, my dissertation about Elizabethan courtier (or con-man!) Sir Thomas Sherley of Wiston House (West Sussex). I worked as Archivist at Lancing College, also teaching local history and palaeography in adult education at the University of Sussex. I am President of the Brighton & Hove Archaeological Society, a member of the Wealden Buildings Study Group, and am particularly interested in the ritual protection of the home. I hold a Diploma in English Local History and speak on a variety of subjects connected with Sussex and the south-east, some covering other parts of England - see the variety of talks listed on my website - www.sussexhistorytalks.co.uk - I have given many talks using ZOOM. Due to my interest in and knowledge of inns, taverns and alehouses and all manner of drinking establishments in England, I have been in more pubs than most people - mainly for research purposes...
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