16

There are some sad deaths in any churchyard but none more so than the death in 1808 of 10-year old James Walker [16] who while following his master on the road between Brighton and Rottingdean was unfortunately killed by falling with his horse off the cliff.

From the record of his death (below) it is interesting to note that the name above his, Martha Beard, is listed as 'child'. At the age of 10, James was not considered to be a child for the purposes of the record. During the 1800s, children between 7 and 12 years old made up a third of the factory workforce. The law banning children under 10 from working underground wasn't passed by parliament until 1842, and not until two years later were children under 8 banned from working.

_{Record of 10 year old James Walker' death in 1808}