Documents and copy documents from the practice of Boys and Bellingham of Brighton,...

Introduction Charles Bellingham (1795-1884) was baptised at Wartling, the seventh child of James Bellingham of Boreham Street, apothecary, and his wife Ann, on 3 December 1795. His brother James Bellingham, a surgeon, was coroner of the hundred of Foxearle in 1838 (SHE 2/3/5) in 1844. By 1820 Charles was named as the clerk of Henry Bellingham of Brighton, attorney, possibly his elder brother who had been baptised at Wartling in 1787 (SAS/N 705); in 1825 he was clerk to Mr Fleetwood of Brighton, solicitor (AMS 173-174). His relationship to Thomas Charles Bellingham of Battle, solicitor (d1838) has not been established. In 1829 Bellingham was in practice in Brighton on his own account, but by 1838 had joined forces with Jacob Boys (see below). Bellingham was enumerated at Mrs Ann Grisbrook's lodging-house at 22 German Place, Brighton, in 1841, 1851 and 1861, and by 1871 had moved with her to 12 New Steine; she was then aged 77. He was at the same address in 1881 and died there on 4 April 1884 at the age of 84. His will with three codicils was proved by his nephews Francis Bellingham of West Street, Rye, banker, and Frederick Mills Wellsford of Clydesdale House, Richmond Terrace, Brighton, and by John Colbatch Clark of Brighton, solicitor, on 27 May 1884. The report of his death in the Brighton Herald of 12 April 1884 refers to his collection of prints and drawings of old Brighton, of which he was a generous benefactor to the town's gallery and museum, and to his ownership of property in the Rape of Bramber. He was, the newspaper asserts, the last survivor but two of the scot and lot voters of the Shoreham parliamentary constituency prior to the Reform Act of 1832. Jacob Boys (1796-1884) was born at Ashcombe in Lewes St Anne Without, almost certainly the son of John Boys and his wife Charlotte, five of whose children had been baptised at the Lewes Unitarian Meeting between 1786 and 1793. In 1823 Boys, then of Ashcombe, entered a seven-year partnership as a solicitor with John Webb Woollgar of The Cliffe, Lewes (HIL 1/1), but was in practice in Brighton in 1834 (PAR 372/32/4/6) and by 1838 had joined forces with Charles Bellingham (see above). He maintained his links with Lewes, becoming a trustee of the Westgate Meeting in 1836, a position from which he retired in 1874 (NU 1/9/14). In every available census he was enumerated at either 60 or 59 Grand Parade, Brighton, which was possibly the same house; the property was sold by his executors to Brighton Corporation for the site of the Brighton School of Art (R/C/4/92/1). Boys's first wife, Harriet, was living with him in 1841 and 1851; in 1861, at Kensington, he married Elizabeth Barrack, almost 30 years his junior; by 1881 the couple had at least two daughters. Boys died at 59 Grand Parade on 16 March 1883 at the age of 87, and his will was proved by his nephew Charles Leeson Prince of Uckfield, surgeon, Henry Perceval Hart of Lewes, esq and John Colbatch Clark of Brighton, solicitor, on 2 May 1883. The practice had certainly been formed by 1838 and was still subsisting in 1854 (PAR 269/4/2/4). Among many clients who can be identified perhaps the most valuable was Wigney's Brewery, of which both men were trustees, and to which Charles Bellingham lent £20,000 on mortgage in 1841 (SAS/N776-777). It seems likely that the practice passed to John Colbatch Clark, who acted as executor to the wills of both Boys and Bellingham.

Given by M Bastone, East Grinstead, 10 October 1998 (ACC 7754) and M Packham, Horsham, 4 July 2000 (ACC 8158 part)

These documents were purchased by their donors at an antique shop in Upper Gardner Street, Brighton, and seem in all probability to come from the same source; they have accordingly been listed together. For photocopies of other, unrelated, documents forming part of ACC 8158, see AMS 6714.