The Selmeston Puzzle

One inherits a miscellaneous collection of papers from one's ancestors. Some, like birth certificates and carefully-catalogued photograph albums, are self explanatory. Others are not. This puzzle is in the second category.

In amongst my father's many papers were five items which clearly came to him from previous generations: three albums of cartes de visite, sadly not catalogued; an occasional book with various slightly mawkish bons mots and, inserted loosely into the occasional book was a small 5.5 inch x 3.5 inch booklet for the re-opening of Selmeston Church, Sussex, on 10 October 1867.

This puzzle concerns the service sheet and simply asks 'why'?

The occasional book contains a date of 1854 and a series of initials which places it pretty firmly in the Hodgson family of Yarborough, Lincolnshire, one of whom was a great-great grandfather, Henry Edwin Hodgson (1832 - 1866) who married Caroline Dunham (1833 - 1920). The Hodgsons were a farming family and Caroline was a local Yarborough girl.

A look at the Selmeston church website suggest that the church was pretty derelict prior to 1867 and was restored through the energy of the local priest William Parish (b1833 and lived in St Marylebone, London).

Quite by chance, we found ourselves in the next-door village this weekend and took time out to visit the church (just off the A27 east of Lewes, near Alfriston) and to meet the current priest and some of the congregation.

The church is charming with a number of delightful features including a 16th century inscribed tomb and a 17th century brass to a 'painefull preacher' (they may have meant 'painstaking').

We searched in vain amongst the Caldicotts, Mockfords and Mocketts. There was no sign anywhere of Hodgsons or Dunhams, or even a Farbridge. We were left with a blank.

Why would my family have, and have stored, this service sheet for an event with which, as far as one can tell, they had no connection at all?

The mystery continues. Unless you can help.