Local History Group

Report on April 2010 Meeting

Our April meeting had the intriguing title – John “Mad Jack” Fuller, the squire of Brightling; a costume talk by Geoff Hutchinson. One might ask what is a costume talk? Well instead of our normal format of a talk with slides Geoff appeared dressed as an early nineteenth century gentleman with top hat, morning coat and breeches and then acted out the part of Jack Fuller giving a resume of his life. What followed was a full and highly amusing account of this eccentric man’s life.
Fuller was born in 1757 an only son whose family’s wealth was originally derived from the Sussex iron industry. His father died when he was six and in 1777 he was bequeathed his uncle’s Sussex estates, including the Rose Hill estate at Brightling, and his Jamaican sugar plantations. Like many of his wealthy contemporaries politics was an interest, Fuller becoming first MP for Southampton and then from 1801 to 1812 for Sussex. But he appears to have made little impression there. He dabbled in soldiery becoming a Captain in the Sussex Yeomanry and also for a year acted as High Sheriff of Sussex.
Mad Jack Fuller lived life to the full. He never married his only known proposal of marriage being rebuffed, but still loved the ladies. His main interest appears to have been philanthropy. He sponsored the Royal Institution in London, rebuilt Belle Tout Lighthouse and purchased Bodiam Castle on the verge of it being demolished. The other side of his character, that of an eccentric, is shown in his building of a number of follies around Brightling, perhaps the oddest being his own tomb shaped in the style of a pyramid in which he is buried in Brightling churchyard.

Steve Harms

This page last modified on: 03 May 2010