Tates Citroen Crawley

In 1782 William Tate is known to have inherited a large patch of land from his father according to local records. William was known in the Findon area primarily as a timber merchant, though he also farmed 99 acres of land leased from five different landlords! This would have helped to keep a steady income.

William Tate climbed the ladder of success, becoming a church warden at Findon's St John the Baptist Church, and by 1795 was given the right to vote in the county elections of 1798. Around this time brothers Thomas and James Tate were working as blacksmiths in the Findon area too, and census records also mention a Sarah Tate who was registered as a dressmaker.