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:
Rice, Susannah. Infirm. Living with John Blackstone at High Gate. Widow. Age 78 next birthday. Husband John is dead.
We went about 43 years ago [and] took a house and 4 acres on the Forest (no name) belonging to Plaw Hatch, Mr. Blunt's property, opposite Leggs Heath. Lived there 10 years. Turned out our cows and sheep and cut brakes and litter and `scrub' (underwood) for the fuel all the time and paid nothing. Also turf for fuel. Used to buy straw for thatching or take rushes from the gills on the Forest.
Then we moved to a house and 6 acres called the `Goat', formerly a beer house. This was on the Twyford estate. Lived there 27 years.
.......
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
