Today, my 8x great grandfather, John Christmas was baptized in 1664 in Dallington, Sussex, England.
The same year he was baptized, England witnessed a significant political shift with the passing of the Triennial Parliaments Act, which mandated that Parliament be called at least once every three years.
John was the son of Richard Christmas (circa 1626, buried 1680) and Susan Baucombe (circa 1624- ). On June 1, 1686, he married Mary Morris in Battle, Sussex, England. Together, they had seven children, one of whom was Mary Christmas. You'll hear more about her later in this Advent Calendar 2024.
On December 11, 1688, a significant event occurred when King James II was captured in Kent. He was attempting to flee to France following William of Orange's landing in England. Local fishermen in Faversham detained him and held him for three days before authorities took him into custody. This event was part of the larger context of the Glorious Revolution, which changed the course of English history by ending the reign of James II and bringing William and Mary to the throne.
John Christmas lived through a time of great political and social change. Rural working men, like John, did not gain the right to vote until at least the 1880s. It's a reminder of how long the journey toward democratic rights has been.While he might not have been directly affected by the high-stakes drama of kings and parliaments, his life in Sussex would have been inevitably influenced the society he lived in from the laws that governed him to the shifting monarchies.
There is a Christmas Farm on the main road from Dallington to Battle. I wonder if there is any connection? Another item for the To Do list!!
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| Christmas Farm in 2013 |
You might be interested to visit this fairly new Dallington One Place Study website and thanks go to the OPS owner for supplying the fact about Christmas Farm. https://dallingtonhistory.uk/
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