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:
Tester, Charles. 68. Laborer working for Mr. Nesbitt. Born at Duddleswell 21 December 1811. Father Charles Tester was a laborer. I have lived in this part [of] the Forest all my life. My Father (now dead) used to cut litter every winter and dig stone and gravel for anyone who wanted them. When I was about 9 or 10 years old I used to go out with my Father on the Forest and take up the litter as he cut it. When I was bigger I used to cut myself. When I was a boy John Page owned and occupied a small farm close by (Summerford Farm). When John died he was succeeded by his son Thomas Page and on his death Tutor hired Cop Hall and used it till about 2 years ago when Page's daughter Mrs Pilbeam came to it. When Edward Page died his widow and sons used it till her death a year or two ago since which Norman hired it one year and Mrs Page's sons now use it.
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| James Tester | m: 10th Dec 1783 St. Michael's Church, Withyham, Sussex | Elizabeth Cheesman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1752 d: May 1836 Maresfield, Sussex bur: 12th May 1836 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | b: 1762 Sussex d: Apr 1845 Maresfield, Sussex bur: 3rd Apr 1845 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John | Charles | Stephen | George | Richard | Mark | Luke | Matthew | b: 1784 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 11th Jul 1784 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1788 Withyham, Sussex ch: 28th Aug 1788 St. Michael's Church d: May 1875 High Hurst Wood, Buxted, Sussex bur: 4th May 1875 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | b: 1791 Withyham, Sussex ch: 2nd Jan 1791 St. Michael's Church d: Mar 1841 Hartfield, Sussex bur: 14th Mar 1841 St. Mary's Church, Hartfield, Sussex | b: 1793 Withyham, Sussex ch: 27th Apr 1793 St. Michael's Church d: Feb 1840 Maresfield, Sussex bur: 13th Feb 1840 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | b: 1795 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 20th Sep 1795 St Bartholomew Parish Church d: Dec 1875 Withyham, Sussex bur: 20th Dec 1875 St. John's Chapel, Withyham, Sussex | b: 1798 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 24th Jun 1798 St Bartholomew Parish Church d: Jul 1875 East Grinstead Union bur: 3rd Jul 1875 St. Michael's Church, Withyham, Sussex | b: 1801 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 1st Jun 1801 St Bartholomew Parish Church d: Dec 1861 Rotherfield, Sussex bur: 1st Dec 1861 St. Denys Church, Rotherfield, Sussex | b: 1801 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 1st Jun 1801 St Bartholomew Parish Church d: Apr to Jun 1873 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| James | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1786 Withyham, Sussex ch: 18th Mar 1786 St. Michael's Church d: May 1862 Buxted, Sussex bur: 4th May 1862 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charles Tester farm labourer | m: 3rd Mar 1811 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | Charlotte Wood | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1788 Withyham, Sussex ch: 28th Aug 1788 St. Michael's Church d: May 1875 High Hurst Wood, Buxted, Sussex bur: 4th May 1875 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | b: 1790 Buxted, Sussex d: Aug 1868 Buxted, Sussex bur: 2nd Aug 1868 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charles | George Cheeseman | Keziah | Sophia | Stephen | John | Philly | Thomas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 21st Dec 1811 Buxted, Sussex ch: 23rd Jan 1814 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | b: 1815 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 23rd Jul 1815 St Bartholomew Parish Church d: Sep 1861 Hove, Sussex bur: 17th Sep 1861 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | b: 1817 Buxted, Sussex ch: 23rd Mar 1817 St. Margaret's Church | b: 1819 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 3rd Jun 1819 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1823 Buxted, Sussex ch: 14th Sep 1823 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex d: Jul 1852 Maresfield, Sussex bur: 11th Jul 1852 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | b: 1826 Buxted, Sussex ch: 2nd Jul 1826 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | b: 1828 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 19th Oct 1828 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1832 Buxted, Sussex d: Apr 1851 Buxted, Sussex bur: 27th Apr 1851 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charles Tester | m: Oct to Dec 1843 | Lucy Chatfield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 21st Dec 1811 Buxted, Sussex ch: 23rd Jan 1814 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | b: 1823 Maresfield, Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thomas | William | George | Edwin Alfred | Eliza | Charles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1847 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 14th Feb 1847 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1850 Oldland, Maresfield, Sussex ch: 2nd Mar 1850 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1853 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 2nd Oct 1853 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1856 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 4th May 1856 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1859 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 24th Jul 1859 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1865 Buxted, Sussex ch: 9th Apr 1865 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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