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:

Dival, Jesse. Quabrook Common, Hartfield. Born 6 March 1811 at Chuckhatch. My Father used to make bricks in the yard there in summer and in the winter he worked at litter cutting and the like. When I was a little boy I used to go out and help rake it together for him and I recollect one of the people he used to cut for was Mr. Cook of Blackham Farm, Withyham, (Price owner). Why I recollect this so well was that the men who came to carry it used to bring a good meat pie for lunch, I suppose as an encouragement for them to bring a good load. I always used to scheme to be there at lunch time. I should then have been from 9 to 10 years old. It was sometime before I went to service. The Ladytide after I was 14 1 went to service to Mr. Quaife butcher at Hartfield Street for 4 years. I then went to service with my uncle Thomas Divall at Chuck Hatch and worked at tile making in the summer and at wood cutting and litter cutting in the winter. At the end of 1 1/2 years I came to live with my Father at Quarock. When I was about 24 I went to live with Mr. Thomas Foster at Little Parrock Farm and worked for him for 5 years. During that time after we had finished wheat sowing I used to go out on the Forest and cut litter for him and helped bring it home. I did so every winter while I was in his service. I also cut a little turf for him, about 2 loads every summer in a part of the Forest we called Lodge Mires between Quarock and Broadstone. I also cut a few brakes for him. He used to turn out young stock on the Forest I used to drive them out. When I left home I got married at Hartfield Church the Christmas after I was 29.

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