The burial records at St Nicolas

 The burial records at St Nicolas are quite poignant, particularly for the Borrer and Peters families. These epitaphs really bridge the gap between their public roles as mill owners and their private lives as "neighbours" in the village.

Here are the details I’ve unearthed from the churchyard monumental inscriptions:

1. The Borrer Vault (North-West Churchyard)

The Borrer family, who lived at the Manor House and owned the Britannia Flour Mills, has a massive presence here. Their family history, however, was marked by incredible tragedy:

• John Borrer (1785–1866): The patriarch of the family. His headstone is a record of survival, as he outlived three wives: Kitty (died aged 27), Mary Anne (died aged 27), and finally Sarah Anne.

• The Carlisle Accident: One of the most tragic inscriptions belongs to his son, also named John Borrer. It records that he was "suddenly cut off" by a coach accident in Carlisle in 1844, just ten days after his wedding. He survived the amputation of his leg but died three days later.

• The Lost Navigator: Another son, William Arthur Borrer, has a memorial recording that he sailed from Singapore in 1845 and was never heard from again, his ship presumably foundering in a "terrific hurricane in the China Seas."

2. The Peters Family Altar Tomb

While the Borrers had the Manor, the Peters family were the practical millers of the village. Their large altar-style tomb is a well-known feature of the churchyard.

• Thomas Peters (1787–1858): For many years, he was the face of Portslade's milling industry. His epitaph is particularly touching:
  "In Memory of Thomas Peters who for a number of years filled various offices in this Parish with zeal, efficiency and with heartfelt consideration for the Poor and Aged."

• The Gleaner's Friend: This "consideration for the poor" likely refers to the village tradition you might want to mention: Thomas allowed poor locals to bring corn they had gleaned from the fields to his mill to be ground free of charge.

• A Long Life: His wife, Susannah, lived to the grand age of 93, dying in 1879. Because the St Nicolas churchyard closed in 1872, she was one of the last generation to see the old village way of life before the harbour truly took over.

3. The "Late of Portslade Mill" Headstone

There is another significant stone for the Mobsby family, who took over the mill after the Peters family partnership dissolved.

• Sarah Mobsby (died 1865): Her stone specifically identifies her as the daughter of William and Caroline Mobsby, "late of Portslade Mill." * William Mobsby (died 1865): Her father followed her just months later. Their headstone was created by a local mason named Mr Parsons, and it stands as a final marker of the era when the mill on the hill was still the village’s main employer.