The Goring Family of Wiston, Sussex 1745 - 1905

In 2004 Harry Goring, owner of the Wiston Estate in West Sussex, asked his sister Jane to ‘look through’ an old wooden estate box full of hundreds of Victorian letters ‘to see if there is anything interesting’.

Jane asked Jill Turner to help, as she had worked for many years in the Estate Office. She in turn invited Joyce Sleight, retired history teacher at Steyning Grammar School to transcribe the letters.

They were soon joined by Janet Pennington, local historian, and over many lunches (always preceded by a small glass of Marsala) the letters were transcribed by the four of us. A fascinating story began to appear, describing travel, romance and family life on a Sussex country estate, as well as life in a Bishop’s Palace on Malta.

From these letters, Goring family diaries, and archives at the West Sussex Record Office, Jill and Joyce wrote the story that turned into a book: Lives, Loves and Letters.

In 2012 Janine Harvey joined the group and started the huge task of typing the letters, setting them into chapters and putting the numerous illustrations into the text

Many hours were spent editing and re-editing the book, the five of us meeting in the Snug at the Chequer Inn, Steyning for several years. An immense amount of work and research by everyone has resulted in this fascinating book:

Lives, Loves & Letters: The Goring Family of Wiston, Sussex - 1743-1905
www.liveslovesandletters.co.uk

The book can be ordered via the website, which accepts Pay Pal, or purchased from The Steyning Bookshop.