Lot 801 , Lewes Prints; Thomas Henwood (1797-1861), Procession of the Lewes Bonfire Boys, 1853, lithograph, 31 x 50cm; John Henry Hurdis, Dinner to Commemorate the Coronation of Queen Victoria, 1838, 23 x 45cm. both unframed.

Lewes Prints; Thomas Henwood (1797-1861), Procession of the Lewes Bonfire Boys, 1853, lithograph, 31 x 50cm; John Henry Hurdis, Dinner to Commemorate the Coronation of Queen Victoria, 1838, 23 x 45cm. both unframed. The second print by J.H. Hurdis shows a dinner given in Southover, Lewes, Sussex, to mark the coronation of Queen Victoria on 28 June 1838. The event was held near the ruins of Lewes Priory, in a sunken area known as the Dripping Pan. The day's celebrations were described in some detail in the Lewes Town Book:

"The town was wakened early by the peal of Old Gabriel and the bells of the parish churches. Work was set aside for the day. The central table was 100 yards long and had 68 side tables, each 42 feet long, on either side. There were 232 joints of beef, veal, lamb, pork and ham, in all a pound of meat for each participant, plus vegetables. To follow were 414 ‘plumb puddings’, the largest of which weighed 58 lbs. The meat was carved by 204 gentlemen and respectable tradesmen, with 408 of their sons and daughters acting as waiters. All the town breweries provided hogsheads of beer. There were processions, bands, trumpets to announce Grace, cannon and sports. Naturally in Lewes, the evening concluded with fireworks." (Lewes History Group, Bulletin 96, July 2018.)

The conical-shaped Mount can be seen nearby (middle left), and Lewes Castle is in the distance (middle right). Surrounded by earth banks and flint walls, the Dripping Pan later became the site of Lewes Town Football Club.
Both cropped but good condition.
£80-120

Sold for £420