In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Ashdown Forest like this:
ASHDOWN FOREST, an ancient forest, now a heathland, midway between East Grinstead and Uckfield, Sussex. It lies within the manor of Maresfield, extending into five parishes; and comprises 13,991 acres. It once was fenced, covered with wood, and stocked with deer; but was laid open during the civil war in the time of Charles I., and allowed to be desolated. ...
Most of its timber was consumed as fuel in the iron furnaces which formerly abounded in the neighbourhood; and only a few trees, scattered and on the lower grounds, now remain. The general surface is bare and wild, cut with ravines and glens, or rising into heights which command extensive views. The manor, with the forest, belonged to the honour of Pevensey; was given, among other lands, in lieu of Richmond castle, to John of Gaunt, and took then the name of Lancaster Great Park; passed, at the Restoration, to the Earl of Bristol; and is now divided among various proprietors.
Ashdown Forest through time
Ashdown Forest is now part of Wealden district. Click here for graphs and data of how Wealden has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Ashdown Forest itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Ashdown Forest, in Wealden and Sussex | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/25359
Date accessed: 21st May 2024
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