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, George. [At] Tompsetts Bank. 93. Cousin of Henry Thorpe. Born at Stumble Wood on the Forest in Maresfield. Baptised at Horsted Keynes, so his mother told him (but thinks the entry in the Register is not to be found).

When I was a boy lived with Father on Old Brickyard Farm, 18 acres right out in the Forest. Belonged to old Squire Newnham of Maresfield Cross. Lived there till 14 years old. Father turned out cows and sheep and a horse on the Forest. Took litter and brakes regularly for fodder. What I call litter is heath, furzes and fern and the like. Nobody interfered with nobody there then. Father used to cut scrub for firing. Almost all the poor people from Nutley used to come out on the Forest for wood. We always had turf or peat from the Forest to burn. We used to cut bushes for stopping up gaps in our hedges. This is the 8th Lord of the manor I have known. They all stirred up about the Forest and wanted to claim it as their own but never could yet.

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