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, Spencer. 49. Living at Crow's Nest on the Forest behind Barnsden. Born on Whitehouse near Duddleswell. I have worked on the Forest nearly all my life, litter and turf cutting and gravel digging.
I know High Hurst (owner A. H. Hill). Edward Diplock was tenant for many years till his death recently. I cut litter and turf for him more than once. The last time I cut for him was 7 or 8 years ago and litter 6 or 7 years ago.
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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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st marriage | Richard Tester turnpike toll collector, farm labourer | m: 29th Nov 1823 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | Elizabeth Yeomans | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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: 1804 Maresfield, Sussex d: Mar 1853 Maresfield, Sussex bur: 25th Mar 1853 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elizabeth | Matilda | George | Alfred | Martha | Anne | Barbara | Harriet | b: 1824 Maresfield, Sussex ch: Mar 1824 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 11th Aug 1826 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 18th Dec 1826 St. Mary's Lane Wesleyan, Lewes, Sussex | b: 1828 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 12th Oct 1828 St Bartholomew Parish Church d: Dec 1895 Lindfield, Sussex bur: 20th Dec 1895 St Andrew & St Mary Church, Fletching, Sussex | b: 1832 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 15th Jan 1832 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1836 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 23rd Jan 1836 St Bartholomew Parish Church d: 27th Jan 1836 Maresfield, Sussex bur: 27th Jan 1836 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | b: 1839 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 26th Aug 1838 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1842 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 31st Jul 1842 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1848 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 30th Apr 1848 St Bartholomew Parish Church | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| James | William | Spencer | John | Eliza | Mary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1825 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 12th Jun 1825 St Bartholomew Parish Church d: Mar 1849 Maresfield, Sussex bur: 17th Mar 1849 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | b: 1827 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 26th Aug 1827 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1830 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 21st Feb 1830 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1834 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 22nd Jun 1834 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 28th Jan 1837 Maresfield, Sussex d: Oct 1844 Maresfield, Sussex bur: 20th Oct 1844 St Bartholomew Parish Church, Maresfield, Sussex | b: 1840 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 23rd Aug 1840 St Bartholomew Parish Church | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spencer Tester | m: 31st Dec 1860 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | Mary Tester | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1830 Maresfield, Sussex ch: 21st Feb 1830 St Bartholomew Parish Church | b: 1841 Buxted, Sussex ch: 21st Oct 1844 St. Michael's Church, Withyham, Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Henry Aaron | Luke | Louisa | Emma Frances | Edward Ernest | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1863 Buxted, Sussex ch: 12th Apr 1863 St. Margaret's Church | b: 1866 Buxted, Sussex ch: 30th Sep 1866 St. Margaret's Church | b: 1870 Buxted, Sussex ch: 28th Aug 1870 St. Margaret's Church | b: 1874 Crows Nest, Buxted, Sussex ch: 4th Jan 1874 Holy Trinity Church | b: 20th May 1877 Crows Nest, Buxted, Sussex ch: 5th Aug 1877 Holy Trinity Church | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Weald is at Database version 14.05 which has ongoing updates to the 395,000 people; 9,000 places; 613 maps; 3,308 pictures, engravings and photographs; and 248 books loaded in the previous version
