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:

Underwood, John. 74. Living at Glen View, East Grinstead. Born 1 January 1805 at Ashurst Wood, East Grinstead. Baptised at East Grinstead.

I have heard my Father say that when I was 1 1/2 years old he bought the land now belonging to Mr. Slack at Tompsetts Bank, Forest Row, from a Mr. Prentice and we moved there. (This is apparently an enclosure not entitled to Common.) When I was 9 or 10 I went to school for 2 years to Sackville College to and fro every day. After that I worked about our place at home and cut litter for ourselves. My Father cut the litter on the Forest and I recollect from the time soon after I left school he cut litter for about 12 years for Mr. Cranston of East Court Farm, East Grinstead. I helped cut and load. After my Father's death the property came to me and I continued to live there till 1870 when I sold it to Mr. Slack the present occupier. From the time I left school I cut litter every year on the Forest without missing one year and used it on our land till I left and we constantly turned out two cows and at times a heifer or two and a horse. We had a little peat and turf for firing every year dug generally at Stone Bridge between Kidbrooke Farm and Warren.

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