Furner's Green
Encyclopedia
Furner's Green is a hamlet
in the civil parish
of Danehill
in East Sussex
, England
.
and approximately 7 miles (11 km) to the east of Haywards Heath
on the southern edge of Ashdown Forest
.
map) are shown on the 1875 Ordnance Survey map. Lime would have been used locally to improve the heavy, clay-rich Wealden soil, in the mixing of mortar for construction, and was also used in Sussex for plasterwork and 'white washing'. There is no evidence of limestone
outcropping in this area, but Sussex does have small workable outcrops of 'Sussex Marble
' or 'Winklestone' and so it is likely that chalk was imported to this location from the chalk workings of the South Downs
. The abundance of local timber in the nearby Annwood and Maskett's Wood would have been invaluable for lime manufacture
(1 inch to a mile scale), which was to some part based on the findings of an earlier (1778) survey by himself and Thomas Yeakell, it is interesting to note that Furner's Green is referred to as 'Turners Green'. A later anomaly can be found in the 1879 recollections of Thomas Chatfield, a long-time resident of the area, who is reported to call the hamlet 'Furriers Green'
Colin Godman's Farm has been traced back to at least 1550 and reputedly was for a while involved in the smuggling of wool for export. It, and other substantial properties are clearly marked on the 1875 Ordnance Survey map. John Baker-Holroyd
(later Baron Sheffield
) is noted as owning the property in 1768 records
workings at Sheffield Mill are reported in detail by John Shreve, master of works during the reigns of Henry VIII
and Edward VI.
A lease agreement dating to 1580 refers to the 'decaied Ironworks, sometimes called the furnes for the casting of raw iron there'. On the site there is also a 'corne' mill. The degree of development at Sheffield Mill, simply for grinding corn, was substantial at that time, for mention is made of 'banks, baies, ponds, waters, watercourses, waterlaies, fludgates and waterworcks'. The hammer mill and forge required waterwheels, belows, coal houses and places in which to work the material. And yet, to visit the site now, evidence of this industrial history is almost gone.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Danehill
Danehill, East Sussex
Danehill is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village is located five miles north-east of Haywards Heath and on the edge of the Ashdown Forest...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Geography
Furner's Green lies on the Greenwich Meridian about 9 miles (14 km) north-west of UckfieldUckfield
-Development:The local Tesco has proposed the redevelopment of the central town area as has the town council. The Hub has recently been completed, having been acquired for an unknown figure, presumed to be about half a million pounds...
and approximately 7 miles (11 km) to the east of Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
on the southern edge of Ashdown Forest
Ashdown Forest
Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of tranquil open heathland occupying the highest sandy ridge-top of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated some south of London in the county of East Sussex, England...
.
Geology
Lime kilns at Annwood Farm ('Handwood Farm' on the 1795 Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map) are shown on the 1875 Ordnance Survey map. Lime would have been used locally to improve the heavy, clay-rich Wealden soil, in the mixing of mortar for construction, and was also used in Sussex for plasterwork and 'white washing'. There is no evidence of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
outcropping in this area, but Sussex does have small workable outcrops of 'Sussex Marble
Sussex Marble
West Sussex has a good concentration of relatively thin layers of Sussex Marble within the Weald Clay, a freshwater limestone referred to as "marble" as it takes a polish. It is not a geologically described one as it has not been subject to metamorphosis...
' or 'Winklestone' and so it is likely that chalk was imported to this location from the chalk workings of the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
. The abundance of local timber in the nearby Annwood and Maskett's Wood would have been invaluable for lime manufacture
History
In William Gardener's 1795 map of SussexSussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
(1 inch to a mile scale), which was to some part based on the findings of an earlier (1778) survey by himself and Thomas Yeakell, it is interesting to note that Furner's Green is referred to as 'Turners Green'. A later anomaly can be found in the 1879 recollections of Thomas Chatfield, a long-time resident of the area, who is reported to call the hamlet 'Furriers Green'
Colin Godman's Farm has been traced back to at least 1550 and reputedly was for a while involved in the smuggling of wool for export. It, and other substantial properties are clearly marked on the 1875 Ordnance Survey map. John Baker-Holroyd
John Baker-Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield
John Baker-Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield was an English politician who came from a Yorkshire family, a branch of which had settled in the Kingdom of Ireland.- Biography :...
(later Baron Sheffield
Baron Sheffield
Baron Sheffield is a title that has been created four times: once in the Peerage of England, twice in the Peerage of Ireland, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom....
) is noted as owning the property in 1768 records
The iron industry
The ironIron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
workings at Sheffield Mill are reported in detail by John Shreve, master of works during the reigns of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and Edward VI.
A lease agreement dating to 1580 refers to the 'decaied Ironworks, sometimes called the furnes for the casting of raw iron there'. On the site there is also a 'corne' mill. The degree of development at Sheffield Mill, simply for grinding corn, was substantial at that time, for mention is made of 'banks, baies, ponds, waters, watercourses, waterlaies, fludgates and waterworcks'. The hammer mill and forge required waterwheels, belows, coal houses and places in which to work the material. And yet, to visit the site now, evidence of this industrial history is almost gone.