Notes: I do not have a record of Arthur’s actual date of birth but he was the firstborn of James and Isabella and was baptised at the Church in the Wood on 3 Jun 1866. In the 1881 census he is shown as a 14 year old scholar who with some of his siblings is living with his grandparents, William Lutener L and Mary, at Battle Rd. William in this census is shown as a farmer of 40 acres. In 1891 Arthur is described as a dairyman. He married Ellen Matilda (Nellie) Bryant of another Hollington family. Their only child, a daughter Marjorie Ellen who later married Thomas Owen Brunger, was born on 3 Sep 1904.
In a booklet on the history of Hollington produced by the Hastings Local History Group, kindly sent to me by a local schoolteacher, there is a transcription of a radio interview made in 1970 by an old resident born in 1894. This describes a walk through the streets of Hollington in the early 1900s and makes comments about all the shops, establishments and personalities along the way. I quote in part: “On the opposite corner was Oliver’s the butchers. Next to that was the draper’s, Browns and next to that was old Nigger Langridge, the dairyman of Rock Cottage. His garden stretched right along to the shed where Gladwish used to keep his baker’s cart next to the steps. At the other side of the steps was Gladwish’s shop with the bakehouse underneath.” In this booklet there are also a number references to William Lutener Langridge in relation to his various building contracts.
In a letter to me Arthur’s grandson, Will Brunger describes his boyhood memories of his grandfather. He recalls that Rock Cottage had cowsheds for about 20 cows that were of a very good standard for the 30s. These were later converted to lockup garages but he was not told what happened to the land. In one corner of the farmyard were water wells that supplied part of the Hastings water supply and the Corporation was always putting pressure on Arthur to keep farmyard manure cleared away.
At one stage he invested in a mower pulled by oxen to cut grass for hay. The men who normally contracted to the farmers to cut by hand said that if the mower broke down they would not cut the grass. It didn’t. He also bought grass to make hay from miles away and the hay was carted on a lorry from the Hollington Ford agents, the first motor lorry they had. Being the local dairyman he used to deliver milk by hand in cans to homes all over Hollington, sometimes twice a day. He continued to do this right up until 1946 at the age of 80 but gave up when his wife died and he went live with Will’s parents. Will also tells of a story handed down about Aunt Carline who travelled on the first steam train to Uckfield. She gave the driver a tip of one shilling for a fast and comfortable ride. He also mentions a row of very well built cottages in Hollington that were also built by a Langridge but he does not known which one. These were demolished for suburban expansion at the same time as Rock Cottage
Arthur was a staunch member of the congregation of the Church in the Wood and was a sidesman for many years. More details on his church activities are detailed in the extracts from Rev Bullock’s book included earlier in this history. Arthur died in 1947 and he and his wife are buried in the churchyard.