During The Ashdown Forest Dispute 1876-1882 commoners and land owners were interviewed by the solicitor William Raper. Their comments were recorded in a series of notebooks:

Wheatley, John. Suffers dreadfully from neuralgia in the head and will be impossible as a witness. Living at Ravens Cottage on the Forest near the Ridge, Hartfield. I was born 27 February 1809 on this part of the Forest and baptised at Hartfield. When I first remember we lived in the Forest near New Bridge then we moved up into what is now Ashdown Park. Then we went, when I was about 8 years old, to live near Brabies Hatch. Then our house fell down and we had to go to the Hartfield workhouse. Then we came to live in a cottage on the Turnpike near Fincham Farm where we lived several years. While we were there I went when about 14 or 15 years old to service and lived with Mr. Henry Young at Fincham Farm a year. I then went to Possingford and lived with Mr. Richard Streatfield for 1 1/2 years. Then I came home to the house on the Turnpike and have ever since worked about this part of the Forest.

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