
audiobook
Transcribed from the 1862 E. Lewis edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org
HISTORY OF BRIGHTHELMSTON OR Brighton as I View it and others Knew it, WITH A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF LOCAL EVENTS.
PREFACE.
Chapter I. THE ROMANS AT BRIGHTON.
Chapter II. SITUATION, SOIL, GEOLOGY, AND CLIMATE OF BRIGHTON.
Chapter III. THE ETYMOLOGY AND EARLY HISTORY OF BRIGHTON.
Chapter IV. AFTER THE CONQUEST, TO 1513.
Chapter V. ANCIENT AND MODERN GOVERNMENT OF THE TOWN.
Chapter VI. THE BOOK OF ALL THE “AUNCIENT CUSTOMS.”
Chapter VII. THE TENANTRY LANDS.
A mid‑nineteenth‑century chronicler set out to map Brighton’s whole story, and even his sudden death at the writing desk could not halt the project. His sons gathered his unfinished manuscripts, smoothing the final pages so the work could reach the public just as he intended. Listeners will sense the reverence of a family preserving a local love‑letter to their town.
The volume sweeps from the shadow of Roman camps on the Downs, through medieval market life, to the dramatic French raid of 1545. Interwoven are vivid sketches of the town’s geology, its ancient customs, the rise of its churches and the bustling seafront that shaped daily commerce. Brief forays into Brighton’s wildlife, historic fairs, and early leisure spots add texture to the narrative.
Presented in a clear, chronological format, the book feels like a guided tour through archives, anecdotes and the occasional humorous legend. Its balanced tone invites listeners to discover how a modest fishing village grew into the thriving seaside community of today, all while keeping the spirit of its early inhabitants alive.
Full title
History of Brighthelmston; or, Brighton as I View it and Others Knew It With a Chronological Table of Local Events With a Chronological Table of Local Events
Language
en
Duration
~15 hours (911K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
Nov 25, 2015
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects
d. 1862
Best known for a lively Victorian history of Brighton, this 19th-century writer captured the town's past with the eye of a local enthusiast. His best-known book was left incomplete by his sudden death in 1862, which gives it an added sense of immediacy.
View all books
by Herodotus

by Order of the Eastern Star. General Grand Chapter

by Robert Lewis Dabney

by H. Clay (Henry Clay) Trumbull

by Patrick MacGill

by Aurora Mardiganian

by Nathaniel Pitt Langford