My maternal Grandparents, George Hobden and Olive Sinden, were deeply entrenched in the farming community of the Weald of East Sussex.
For many generations the Hobden genealogical line had worked a number of different farms in the area. I cannot clearly recall meeting my Great Grandfather, Alfred Hobden, but I do recall being in his farmhouse at Pilley Farm and being sat in a hole in the wall at the side of an enormous inglenook fireplace. I also remember meeting his brother, my Great Great Uncle David.
My Grandad, George Hobden, lived in a cottage called Beacon Hollow and worked at the nearby Iwood Farm. His son, my Uncle George, worked at Sandhills Farm, which was even closer. I clearly remember following my Uncle George around Sandhills Farm as he cut all of the hedges by hand. He left three small holly trees in the hedge along a lane and he said that they were one each for my brothers, Bruce, Donald, and myself. The trees are still standing having survived the ravages of modern mechanical hedge cutting. My Grandad and my Uncle tried to teach me the art of tickling trout but we were much more successful using a worm on a hook and line tied to a stick.
The Hobden name was well known throughout the area and was immortalised in print by the author and poet Rudyard Kipling in “Pook of Puck’s Hill” and his poem “The Land“. I clearly recognise the family traits illuminated in these works.