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:
Gilham, John. Suffers at times from bronchitis. Not safe for another Winter. 83 years old. Was born on Kidbrooke and now living close to Kidbrooke in the house he lived in as a boy. It then belonged to Henry Isted, a butcher. Then was about 2 acres attached to it which Isted used. Came to live in his present house when about 12 years old and remained until 25, then moved to Fletching till about 55 and then returned to this house where he has remained ever since remembered.
When 10 years old went to work in Kidbrooke garden under the Speaker for 4 years, then took to shoemaking and worked at haymaking and harvesting in Kidbrooke till he removed to Fletching.
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John Gillham shoe maker | m: c 1785 | Mary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
b: 1755 to 1760 Sussex | b: c 1760 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John | George | Ann | Elizabeth | Thomas | Henry | William | James | b: 1795 East Grinstead, Sussex ch: 23rd Sep 1795 Rock Hall Chapel, Uckfield, Sussex | b: 1800 East Grinstead, Sussex ch: 20th Dec 1800 Rock Hall Chapel, Uckfield, Sussex | b: 1803 ch: 10th Mar 1803 Rock Hall Chapel, Uckfield, Sussex | b: 1805 East Grinstead, Sussex ch: 31st Mar 1805 Rock Hall Chapel, Uckfield, Sussex | b: 1807 ch: 25th Apr 1807 Rock Hall Chapel, Uckfield, Sussex | b: 1808 East Grinstead, Sussex ch: 15th Apr 1809 Rock Hall Chapel, Uckfield, Sussex | b: 1811 Forest Row, Sussex ch: 11th Feb 1811 Rock Hall Chapel, Uckfield, Sussex | b: 1813 ch: 2nd Apr 1813 Rock Hall Chapel, Uckfield, Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
b: 1798 ch: 7th Apr 1798 Rock Hall Chapel, Uckfield, Sussex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Gillham | m: c 1820 | Jane | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
b: 1795 East Grinstead, Sussex ch: 23rd Sep 1795 Rock Hall Chapel, Uckfield, Sussex | b: 1797 Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Anne | Susan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
b: 1822 ch: 3rd Feb 1822 St. Margaret's Church, West Hoathly, Sussex | b: 1826 East Grinstead, Sussex ch: 1st Oct 1826 St. Margaret's Church, West Hoathly, Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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