07

Grace Family at Battle Abbey

   07

                    M.P.Grace and daughter Dita with the donkeycart which overturned - 1903

 The Websters, who owned Battle Abbey and rented it to Grandpoods on a seven-year basis for twenty-one years, were friends and neighbors. One of their girls, called Pickles, was so pretty that even at that early age we all were under her spell. For some unknown reason, an old gypsy woman had cursed the Webster family by the sword, water, and fire. All of these curses were carried out, and only one of the children, Pickles, survived.

After the First World War when the lease for Battle Abbey had ended, Grandpoods was visiting Aunt Glad in Frant. He said that he would like to see his old home again before he died. She collected all her gasoline rations, and they drove the twenty miles to Battle Before  visiting the Abbey, which had been converted into a school, Grandpoods went into one of the small shops on the village street. Someone must have recognized him because when he came out a few minutes later, the whole village had gathered around to shake his hand and wish him well -- no greater tribute could have been paid to royalty.