As it does not fall within our province to deal with any history but Natural History, we do not propose to say much of the archaeological portion of this book, but to confine our remarks chiefly to a notice of the fauna and flora of the parish, with which the latter half of the volume is occupied. It may be observed, however, that in addition to what may be termed the ordinary sources of information, above indicated, Mr. Gordon has gleaned many curious details of the present history of Halting from a large collection of MSS. known as the "Caryll Correspondence" preserved in the British Museum, and relating to the affairs of one of the oldest Sussex families located at Halting. A curious history attaches to these papers, which were left behind when the last of the Carylls took service in the French army in 1767, and were accidentally discovered some years ago, together with a mass of other documents, stowed up in boxes, rotted with damp, and preyed upon by vermin.
From Mr. Gordon's point of view, the history of his parish is to be collected from the history of the three principal families who resided in it, the Husseys, the Fords, and the Carylls, and he has subdivided his subject accordingly. Referring to the connection between the English surname and the name of the parish, in its various forms of spelling, he remarks that William of Wykeham's first head master of Winchester College was Richard de Herton, "venerabilis et discretus vir Richardus de Herton grammaticus," as he is called in a deed of 1373, wherein he binds himself to William of Wykeham to teach the boys at Winchester for ten years. "Richard de Herton" would in modern form be "Richard Halting," "Herton" being the local pronunciation of the name at the present day.
It is perhaps not generally known that Gilbert White possessed property in this parish, for none of his biographers have referred to it. The fact is thus mentioned by Mr. Gordon:—
