It was once a
sanctuary within the jurisdiction of the Abbot of Battle for persons
flying from justice. Hither came men-slayers, thieves, and rogues of
every description, and if they reached this inn-door they were safe.
There is a record of a horse-thief named Birrel in the days of Henry
VIII seeking refuge here for a crime committed at Lydd, in Kent. It
was intended originally as a house for the refreshment of mendicant
friars. The house is very quaint with its curious carvings, including
a great red lion that guards the side, the figure-head of a wrecked
Dutch vessel lost in Cuckmen Haven. Alfriston was noted as a great
nest of smugglers, and the "Star" was often frequented by Stanton
Collins and his gang, who struck terror into their neighbours,
daringly carried on their trade, and drank deep at the inn when the
kegs were safely housed. Only fourteen years ago the last of his gang
died in Eastbourne Workhouse. Smuggling is a vanished profession
nowadays, a feature of vanished England that no one would seek to
revive. Who can tell whether it may not be as prevalent as ever it
was, if tariff reform and the imposition of heavy taxes on imports
become articles of our political creed?
[Illustration: The Star Inn, Afriston Sussex. Fred Roe, 16 Sep 97]
Many of the inns once famous in the annals of the road have now
"retired from business" and have taken down their signs.
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