Heritage Open Day: St John the Evangelist medieval church was transformed in the 1800s with generous funding from Charles Gordon, owner of Jamaican plantations where enslaved people toiled. Join us at 11am as we commemorate these people by name. This C13th medieval church was restored in C19th using proceeds from the enslavement of African people in the Caribbean and was then funded by landowners who supported the Abolition of Slavery. These family links led to a maritime tragedy for Black East African soldiers fighting for Britain in the First Word War.
We recently discovered that Charles Gordon, a C19th benefactor of Newtimber Church, owned 3 Jamaican plantations, worked by enslaved people.