The Buss StoryIndex Author's
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THE WORK AND FAMILY OF ROBERT BUSS
By the mid 1770s the name of Buss was widespread in Kent. The earliest member of the family we can trace, for our purposes here, is Robert Buss, a well-educated young man, who settled in the village of Bromley in Kent, about the year 1775, holding the appointment of warrant officer under the Excise Department of the Government. The district allotted to him being large, he was required to keep a horse, and pay periodical visits to the neighbouring distilleries, breweries, tallow and glass melters, and numerous other trades and factories whose productions were assessed to pay excise duties for the exchequer.
Here in Bromley, Robert Buss married. As his family augmented, so did his expenditure. To better balance the two, he asked for, and obtained permission, to transfer his family and the exercise of his duties to the larger town of Tunbridge; and thus, in clerical phrase, to very much enlarge his sphere of usefulness. As an additional help in this direction, being educated and intellectual, he by permission now added to his professional work that of a schoolmaster.
[In February, 2005, I discovered a long lost connection with another branch of the Buss family descended from this same Robert Buss. According to their records Robert "was Notary and Schoolmaster at Tunbridge in the County of Kent, England." The family tree document goes on to note, “A notary in those days was a lawyer, and a schoolmaster and carried a very high social position.” (these are James G. T. Buss’s words.) "He had five sons = viz: W. C. Buss (Engraver), G. Buss our Grandfather (a Bookbinder), Robert Buss - (Officer in the Army), Austin Buss – (in the East India Government), and Henry Buss – (Gentleman) which means he had private fortune (I believe he married into a wealthy family.)" See transcription of full document here.
Until this document came to light we did not know the names of any of Robert Buss' children other than William Church Buss. And although Dr. Henry Buss states that Robert had seven children - not five - the connection seems very probable when we read the family tree of George Buss (the bookbinder) and discover that the family of W. C. Buss exactly matches our own knowledge of the same family!
Most of the information on this page comes from Dr. Henry Buss who does not mention that Robert was a notary, though he does say he became a schoolmaster when he moved to Tunbridge. However, in view of Robert's evident capability, and the scope of his other duties, it does not seem improbable that he was also a notary, as intimated above.]
Later on, during the mighty struggles of the French, under the Napoleonic dynasty, with the other Continental powers, the British Government deemed it expedient to aid these with the ‘sinews of war.' Many millions were thus annually distributed to them, as subsidies to keep in check the amazing successes of Napoleon - successes, so marvellous, as to lead himself and others to believe that be, like Alexander, was destined by Providence to achieve the conquest of the world, and possibly to restore the Jews to Palestine.
NAPOLEON, AND REASONS FOR TAXATION
Doubtless, the Bourbon dynasty in France was righteously overthrown, because of its sanction to the iniquities so long practised by the French 'noblesse' upon the people, at the close of the eighteenth century; and so long as the grand military genius of their Corsican general was satisfied to triumph over the enemies of France, under the banner of patriotism, Divine power seemed to sustain his victories. But, when the patriotism was exchanged for the love of martial glory, Divine aid left him to his own resources; and, alas! how suddenly and miserably he collapsed!
At this period, so great was the public expenditure, that the National debt was piled up to between 800 and 900 millions. Purveyors of taxes were employed to find out new sources of taxation. Hence came the duties imposed on the manufacture of gold and silver wares, on glass industries, the wearing of hair-powder, of shoe and knee buckles, of watches; on the use of carriages, armorial bearings, horses, dogs, servants, almanacks, playing cards; on windows for letting in the daylight, on etc., etc., all subjected to excise duties.
Nearly all colonial and foreign produce was taxed by the Custom-house offices, which had supervision of the ports all round the United Kingdom. A large staff of coast-guardsmen were appointed to check smuggling, which was, of course, provoked by the high Custom-duties.
England had to maintain large military and naval armaments to protect our own shores, and to guard our numerous colonial possessions. To this end recruiting pickets passed frequently through our towns and villages, persuading silly rustics and intemperate townsmen to accept of the king's shilling. This constituted in these urgent times, legal enlistment. Big boys in smock frocks and in other trade costumes, decorated with bright ribbons, and inspired with martial ardour by enough of beer, were marched by the recruiting pickets to the inspiriting ‘Fife and drum,' to the many military depôts where these 'raws' were drilled and polished up into smart, soldier-like heroes.
Well, in addition to this force - the king's troops - men were drawn for the Militia. Many of these by choice were afterwards transferred to the Royal troops. When people in good employment were chosen for the Militia, it was possible, by the payment of a fine, to obtain a substitute.
In France, and generally on the Continent, conscription, whether you liked it or not, compelled large drafts from all classes of the inhabitants to go into military service.
The English as a nation, were reasonable and loyal enough to recognize the very great need there was for extreme taxation to enable the Government to sustain with efficiency, these mighty opposing efforts, to the overwhelming triumphs of the French on the Continent.
British Patriotism was encouraged by many noble examples. Mr. Peel, a wealthy cotton lord, presented the Government with the value of a first-rate war-ship. This brilliant example to assist the State in its great responsibilities, was imitated by the wealthiest citizens of the aristocratic and mercantile classes.
The great civic corporations throughout the country inaugurated volunteer corps for home protection. Martial inspiriting songs were written, and became popular at the theatres and public tea-gardens in the suburbs of all large towns. Example:
T’was in the merry month of May,
When bees from flower to flower did hum,
The soldiers thro' the towns so gay,
Merrily marched to fife and drum.
The British Navy was, if possible, still more popular, because of its persistent successes under the plucky, dashing, triumphant admiralship of Howe, Nelson, Exmouth, Collingwood and others. Nevertheless, the press-gang system was revived. Any aquatic-looking swain, whether a salt or not, was pressed into the king's service, taken on board a depot vessel called a tender, and so disciplined with grog, nautical work, sailors' songs and hornpipes, that he soon forgave the indignity of having been kidnapped. He looked forward with interest and longing to the time when he should smell real battle-powder, and take part with his comrades in either seizing, or disabling some gallant war-vessel of his country's enemies.
The loyalty and patriotism of the nation were encouraged and sustained by the lyric poets of the time, especially by Charles Dibdin and others. These stimulating sea-songs went right to the hearts of the Jack-tars, prompting them to emulate each other in the fierce, persisting courage of bull-dogs, to defend till death, the 'tight little island' which held their homes with their mothers, wives and sweethearts.
A CONSCIENTIOUS EXCISE OFFICER AND SCHOOLMASTER
Few things are more exhausting to nations than long continued wars between powerful countries. The constant and increasing demands upon the incomes of the people of all classes, made the collection of these heavy taxes very difficult and thankless. Everybody felt it as well as collectors. Perhaps the excise inquisitive methods of assessing the amounts to be paid were more obnoxious than some others. But, where the excise officials were conscientious as well as vigilant in the exercise of their duties, as was the case with Robert Buss in Tunbridge, the exchequer obtained its due, not, certainly, without grumbling from John Bull, but because John possessed a large bump of patriotism.
As Time toiled on, so did Robert Buss labour in his double capacity of schoolmaster and exciseman. A family of seven children grew up around him, who all enjoyed a good middle-class education, and were sustained by moral and religious conviction.
(At the moment I do not know the names of all seven of Robert Buss' children. Recently [Feb 2005], however, documentation came to light revealing the probability that five of them were named W.C. Buss, George, Robert, Austin and Henry. I cannot account for the disparity of two children. The next chapter will deal with William Church Buss. We know from Dr. Henry that he had a younger brother also called Robert, later to be known as Uncle Bob by the children of William Church. We will tell his story as we open up R.W. Buss' childhood.)