Wheatley, John. Suffers dreadfully from neuralgia in the head and will be impossible as a witness. Living at Ravens Cottage on the Forest near the Ridge, Hartfield. I was born 27 February 1809 on this part of the Forest and baptised at Hartfield. When I first remember we lived in the Forest near New Bridge then we moved up into what is now Ashdown Park. Then we went, when I was about 8 years old, to live near Brabies Hatch. Then our house fell down and we had to go to the Hartfield workhouse. Then we came to live in a cottage on the Turnpike near Fincham Farm where we lived several years. While we were there I went when about 14 or 15 years old to service and lived with Mr. Henry Young at Fincham Farm a year. I then went to Possingford and lived with Mr. Richard Streatfield for 1 1/2 years. Then I came home to the house on the Turnpike and have ever since worked about this part of the Forest.

My earliest recollect of working on the Forest was at Brabies Hatch where I used to go with my Mother to cut brakes for sale. At that time there was an elderly man who used to go about the Forest as a Ranger. loo I think his name Funnell. He had a gold band round his hat and if he caught people cutting hollies, oak or beech he used to pull them up but he interfered with nobody who cut anything else. After we moved to the cottage on the Turnpike I used to go with my Father who worked on the Forest cutting litter, turf or peat. There was not then a tenth part of the land open for cutting litter. As a small boy my Father used to make me cut 2 or 3 lumps with a scythe as my days work and my brother used to take it up after us.

I cannot recollect at that time who turned out or had litter.

While I was working at Fincham, Mr. Young turned out bullocks on the Forest. I recollect it well because one day while Mr. Young and I were helping Bridger haymaking at the Yew Tree one of our heifers on the Forest was bulling and he told me to take it to the bull up by Holly Hill and I got on the heifer's back and rode it up there. Mr. Young also had litter from the Forest. I helped bring it home with the cart. I know that the Youngs of Fincham have had litter ever since I have frequently cut for them myself and they have some litter ready cut just above our house at the present time (October 1879). They also turned out their cattle and horses. Until lately I have seen them repeatedly down to within 10 years ago, also sheep. William Young does not, I think, turn out now as he goes in more for dairy cows. While I lived here they had turf off the Forest. I used to see it stored in the oast house and had to bring it into the house. It could not be got any where else in the neighbourhood.