Free Gates of Paradise by Beryl Kingston Page A

don’t believe a word of it,’ Reuben said stoutly. ‘They’ll be sunk mid-channel, that’s what. Nelson’ll see to that, you mark moi words. Sunk an’ drowned dead, every last one on ’em.’
    But the census was taken despite his disbelief and highly uncomfortable it was, for no fewer than four men arrived to gather information and, in the villagers’ opinion, they wanted an inordinate amount of it – how many people lived in eachhouse, how old they were, where they were born, what occupations they followed, how many of them would be available to join the local militia. There was no end to it. The complaints in The Fox were long and loud. ‘Danged nuisances, every man jack of ’em, pokin’ their long noses in where they aren’t wanted.’
    â€˜An’ all fer what?’ Reuben said. ‘Tha’s what Oi should loike to know. Oi don’t see no sense in countin’ folk. Never did, never will. Oh, ’twill all be writ down. I grant ’ee that. They been scribblin’ away at it ever since they come here. But what then? ’Twill all be hid away in some ol’ cupboard somewhere, tha’s what then, an’ no one’ll ever see sight nor sound of it again.’

Chapter Five
    The Fox. Monday April 19 th
    My dear Annie
,
    I have spent the day pouring over the census returns in Chichester, which is the nearest market town to this village and the place where all local records are kept, but all to no purpose I fear. I had hoped to find some mention of the mysterious Johnnie Boniface, but despite painstaking endeavour, I am no wiser now than I was at the beginning of the day
.
    The census of 1801 was no help to me, for it merely detailed the number of dwellings in the village (74 in all, so you see what a small place it was – it is twice the size now) and counted the number of inhabitants. There were 129 men and boys ‘capable of active service’, 8 men over sixty, 83 women and girls over seven years old ‘capable of evacuating themselves’ (which shows how real the danger of invasion must have been) and 81 incapable, including those with ‘child at breast’ who would presumably have needed some kind of transport to carry them to safety. There were 97 people described as being employed in agriculture and 41 in trade but none of them were named, so I found no record of the mysterious Johnnie and none of William and Catherine Blake either. Was he numbered among the 41 in trade I wonder
?
From what I have read in Mr Butts’ letters, I believe he considered himself an artisan as well as an artist
.
    The census of 1811 was an improvement, since it gave names and addresses as they do today, but by then the Blakes had left and my quarry was gone too. I found plenty of Bonifaces, some described as fishermen, others as farm labourers, among them my farmer Harry, so they are obviously quite a large family hereabouts, and two were called John but neither were the right age. It is rather a disappointment
.
    However I met a clerk in the office who told me that he thought records of local events would have been kept by the local newspaper, and he thought I might find something about Mr Blake there, particularly if he had been sent to trial for sedition, which is what I believe to be the case. He very kindly gave me the address of their present offices and the name of a reporter whom I could contact, so the search will continue
.
    Your letter was awaiting me when I got back to The Fox and has encouraged me marvellously. I shall do as you suggest and send my notes to you for safekeeping. This is an important work that we are undertaking, my dearest, for William Blake was one of our great artists and has been ignored for far too long. I am blessed to have your assistance in my endeavours
.
    This at midnight and somewhat wearily, from your loving husband
.
    Alexander
.

January 1801
    That January the winter set in with a