Ross, Thomas & Family, p.2

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Edward Heffer, designer of the Albert Memorial, in 1878 was engaged to produce the plans for an elaborate Tudor style house for Thomas Ross.

“St. Helen's Road, once part of a farm, will be remembered by the first house built there by the late Alderman Thomas Ross, one of the historians of Hastings, and called Ross's Folly. He was thought mad to retire to this spot, but lived to see it peopled, and was, with the late Mr. H. M. Baker, one of the first Churchwardens of Blacklands Church, where Canon Alfred Hodges laboured for over 30 years.”

He was a well respected five times Mayor of Hastings in 1856, 1861, 1870, 1871 and 1872.

He published Ross's Hastings & St. Leonards Guide; Containing a Variety of Information Respecting the History & Antiquities of the Above and Neighbouring Towns; With a Full Description of All Subjects Necessary to the Comfort and Accommodation of Visitors

13 editions of his Hastings and St Leonards Guide were produced between 1835 and 1863.

Ross also published a volume of engravings entitled “17 Views of Hastings and its Environs” based on his own drawings.

“Ross’s Views of Hastings and St.Leonards” -undated but no later than 1849 because they all show Ross at 6 Castle Street (he moved from there to Claremont in 1849).

DEATH OF MR. THOMAS ROSS, J.P.

Saturday 03 September 1881 , Hastings and St Leonards Observer

During the last few days Hastings has lost, with the death of Mr. T. Ross , one of the most useful , men who have lived and worked here during the last half-century. For some little time the deceased gentleman had been suffering from the effects of cold, and on Thursday the dread climax came.

Loved by political friends and opponents alike, although he had withdrawn from ' the political arena, his loss will long be felt by those whom he has severely mauled in Council discussions. Mr. Ross' career has been, in truth, full of great interest to Hastings.

In 1874, at the festive gathering in the Pier Pavilion, when Mr. (now Sir Thomas) Brassey presented him with a valuable service of pl ate, and an embossed address, in which was set forth the appreciation of' the borough at large of Mr. Ross' long and untiring devotion to the interests of his native town, the recipient said “In my early days I thought over the course of life I ought to pursue, and came the decision that I must be attentive to my business, and that all my leisure time ought to be devoted to the promotion of the interests of my native town. I have, I hope, followed out that course and you, fellow-townspeople, have sent me to the Council for a long and unbroken period of thirty years. You have also made me Mayor five times - the greatest honour in your power to bestow -and what more can I expect?" ..........

Mr. Ross was a resolute leader of his party, and when he was pulled down from his high seat as Alderman and sent from the corporate body, of which he had been a member for 33 years, he said he knew it was not meant as a personal slight, so universal was the personal respect that was shown him. Many years ago, but nevertheless within the recollection of several inhabitants of Hastings, Mr. Ross led on a little band of Free Traders to do battle, not merely against political opponents, but against political friends who had not the courage of their opinions. ..............

A Councillor, Chairman of the Guardians, Alderman, Archaeologist, Mayor Justice of the Peace, and in whatever capacity we take him, we found him always holding by his golden principle of working wherever there was work, be done. One thing which struck his friends and acquaintances was the loving way in which he always spoke of his father and mother. ..................…

Mr Ross was born about nine years after his father and mother settled in Hastings ; they arrived about 1800........... Ross received the rudiments of his education at school in Winding-lane, endowed by Parker’s charity, and at that time kept by Mr. Rubie; from this school he was sent to a seminary at Becklev conducted by Mr. James Parsons. Here he stayed about six months, when he returned to Hasting and was apprenticed to Mr. Waghorne, house painter, decorator, and grainer, who the time lived opposite the Anchor Inn, in George-street. It is worthy of mention that Mr. Ross did what ' might be said to be the first and the last stroke of painting for new St. Leonards, viz., he painted the notice boards for the roads before the work was begun, and was sent for from a job at Brighton to finish some graining at the Assembly Rooms Hotel, which the journeymen had been found incompetent to do without him, for the grand banquet which the completion of the work of erection of the new township was celebrated.

Mr. Ross' next important step in life was the opening of a shop, No. 6, Castle-street, for the sale of pictures, stationery, and fancy articles, afterwards removing to the premises in the same street, now, and for several years, occupied by Mr. Charles Amoore. The young tradesman throve in all his business undertakings and married on the l16th March, 1843, the daughter of Mr. Bird, a London builder, who lived for up wards of 30 years as the faithful companion of his domestic life. Here was born his son Thomas, at whose residence his spirit passed away.

Two or three years subsequently he was enabled to finally retire from business, and to accord the promotion of the objects of his party and the prosperity of the borough, the extensive leisure time which fortune had placed at his disposal. He, about 1840, aspired to a seat in our local Parliament, which he succeeded in obtaining.............

Ten years after that Mr. Ross, was, for the first time, elected to the civic chair, and it was either during this or a subsequent early mayoralty that he was appointed Justice of the Peace for the Borough. Mr. Ross was the prime mover in the purchase of the land for the Cemetery, an active agitator in demanding a comprehensive system of drainage for the town, the chief promoter of the erection of the Albert Memorial, of which structure he laid the foundation stone, the originator of the scheme for the acquisition of the Public Gardens and Park, the introducer of the Fitzroy Signals and Russian gun into town; an earnest student of archaeology, holding the post of local Secretary to the County Society for 28 years.

Nor will Mr. Ross' name be confined to Hastings, for in the modern history of the Cinque Ports he has registered his sign manual so that it cannot easily be erased, for, as Speaker of the Ports during two Mayoralties, he twice summoned their local parliaments. Long will he be regretted, and many of the features of this borough will be lasting monuments to his honour.