Self-sufficiency of old time villagers

IN OLDEN times nearly all rural communities in Sussex were self-sufficient '“ growing their own food, brewing their own beer and producing their own bricks, wood and leather goods.

By The Newsroom

Published 20th Sep 2007, 15:41 BST

Updated 7th Jun 2018, 22:44 BST

A fascinating little booklet called Leather and Cloth, written by M Beswick for the Warbleton and District History Group, describes the varied local trades that went on in that community.

Leather and cloth were the staple industries outside of farming and brewing.

Leatherworking included tanning and tawing the raw hides, glove-making, shoemaking, saddle-making and even bucket-making. Within the cloth trade were spinning, linen-weaving, tailoring and dressmaking. The community, in other words, could look after itself.

Any surplus could be traded with neighbouring communities who might specialise in goods needed at that moment in Warbleton.

Such communities produced an excellent carbon footprint, one would say in this modern age.

Sussex