Jo Hines: A Bear Yard Family

Jo will be talking about the Rickman and Godlee families based at the Bear Yard in the Cliffe in the first half of the 19th century.

She will introduce the hitherto private archive which reveals their lives and personalities in fascinating detail.While researching the life of Sarah Godlee of the Bear Yard in the Cliffe, she was fortunate to discover a private archive containing a treasure trove of letters, journals, poems, sketches and more relating to the Godlee and Rickman families of Lewes.

Their triumphs, disasters, hopes, fears, passions and laughter are at the heart of her forthcoming book, At The Bear Yard.

Her July talk to the Lewes History Group will introduce a remarkable family and give some idea of the range of the material which will soon be widely available.