Reminiscences of Horsham
Albery, the editor of the Reminiscences, had known Burstow from childhood, when he had been a choirboy at Horsham parish church. He had listened with interest to the old man's reminiscences of life in the first half of the century. The book thus served two purposes, to provide for Burstow and to make available information on the history of Horsham, a deep interest of Albery, who would publish much on local history in coming years. The book had two impressions, of five and four hundred copies.
Among many interesting details of rural town life, the book describes: poverty inspired unrest in the 1830s, and the local children's enthusiasm for the cavalry billeted there to suppress it; the reform election of 1832 and the disorderly conduct of that and other elections; the "Beggar pooker", employed by the town to move on beggars and equipped for this with a six foot pole; seasonal celebrations, most notably St. Crispin's Day, on which an effigy of a townsperson who had attracted disapproval would be hung from a pub's signpost until 5 November, when it would be taken down and burnt.
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