Maresfield
Encyclopedia
Maresfield is a village
and civil parish in the Wealden
District of East Sussex
, England
. The village itself lies 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north from Uckfield
; the nearby villages of Nutley
and Fairwarp; and the smaller settlements of Duddleswell and Horney Common; and parts of Ashdown Forest
all lie within Maresfield parish.
word for marsh or pool.
Iron
has also played an important role in the history of the area, during the time when the Wealden iron industry
was flourishing. Within 2 miles (3 km) of Maresfield Church in the 16th century were five iron furnaces: Oldlands, Hendall, Old Forge, Lower Marshalls and Maresfield (powder mills). The Levett
family owned and worked Oldlands, and it probably controlled Hendall as well, before it passed into the hands of Ralph Hogge, who formerly worked for the Levett family.
Among families long resident in the Maresfield area with historic ties to the old iron industry were the families of Levett, Pope and Chaloner, who had intermarried. William Levett
of Buxted, a vicar who was a prime mover behind the iron industry in the Weald, had ties to the Maresfield area during his tenure as an ironmaster
and supplier of armaments to Henry VIII
. Eventually the vicar's former servant Ralph Hogge, who had become a major ironmaster
after Levett's death, operated four furnaces and one or more forges within a couple of miles of Maresfield Church.
which was a deer
hunting
reserve from the time of King Edward II of England
. The village has expanded in the past twenty years, and three substantial housing developments have helped to increase the village population.
Rock Wood
falls within the parish. This woodland is of biological interest, with uncommon mosses and ferns growing alongside the stream which flows through the site.
Eastbourne road; and the A272 cross-country road
, the main road being on a bypass to the west of the village.
.
The parish church of Maresfield, a united benefice with Nutley, is dedicated to Christ.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the Wealden
Wealden
For the stone, see Wealden GroupWealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England: its name comes from the Weald, the area of high land which occupies the centre of its area.-History:...
District of 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...
. The village itself lies 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north from Uckfield
Uckfield
-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...
; the nearby villages of Nutley
Nutley, East Sussex
Nutley is a village in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It lies about north-east of Uckfield, the main road being on the A22. Nutley, Fairwarp and Maresfield together form the Maresfield civil parish....
and Fairwarp; and the smaller settlements of Duddleswell and Horney Common; and parts 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...
all lie within Maresfield parish.
History
The name of the village derives from the SaxonOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
word for marsh or pool.
Iron
Iron
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...
has also played an important role in the history of the area, during the time when the Wealden iron industry
Wealden iron industry
The Wealden iron industry was located in the Weald of south-eastern England. It was formerly an important industry, producing a large proportion of the bar iron made in England in the 16th century and most British cannon until about 1770. Ironmaking in the Weald used ironstone from various clay...
was flourishing. Within 2 miles (3 km) of Maresfield Church in the 16th century were five iron furnaces: Oldlands, Hendall, Old Forge, Lower Marshalls and Maresfield (powder mills). The Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
family owned and worked Oldlands, and it probably controlled Hendall as well, before it passed into the hands of Ralph Hogge, who formerly worked for the Levett family.
Among families long resident in the Maresfield area with historic ties to the old iron industry were the families of Levett, Pope and Chaloner, who had intermarried. William Levett
William Levett (vicar)
William Levett was an English clergyman. An Oxford-educated country rector, he was a pivotal figure in the use of the blast furnace to manufacture iron...
of Buxted, a vicar who was a prime mover behind the iron industry in the Weald, had ties to the Maresfield area during his tenure as an ironmaster
Ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
and supplier of armaments to 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...
. Eventually the vicar's former servant Ralph Hogge, who had become a major ironmaster
Ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
after Levett's death, operated four furnaces and one or more forges within a couple of miles of Maresfield Church.
Governance
There are 14 members on the Maresfield Parish Council, which has its offices in Nutley.Geography
Maresfield is on the southern edge of Ashdown ForestAshdown 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...
which was a deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
reserve from the time of King Edward II of England
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
. The village has expanded in the past twenty years, and three substantial housing developments have helped to increase the village population.
Nutley
Nutley is a village on the main road (A22) north of Maresfield. It has its own church, dedicated to St James the Less, although the benefice is combined with Maresfield.Fairwarp
Fairwarp is a smaller village directly north of Maresfield. Its population and the village properties are altogether less modern than the others in the parish. The church is Christ Church.Landmarks
The Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
Rock Wood
Rock Wood
Rock Wood is a 10.3 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex, England. The site was notified in 1985 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981....
falls within the parish. This woodland is of biological interest, with uncommon mosses and ferns growing alongside the stream which flows through the site.
Transport
The parish lies at the junction of two main roads: the A22A22 road
The A22 is one of the two-digit major roads in the south east of England. It carries traffic from London to Eastbourne on the East Sussex coast...
Eastbourne road; and the A272 cross-country road
A272 road
The A272 is a road in South-East England. It follows an approximate East-West route from near Heathfield, East Sussex to the city of Winchester, Hampshire. It has achieved somewhat unlikely fame in recent years by being the subject of a book by the Dutch author, Pieter Boogaart...
, the main road being on a bypass to the west of the village.
Education
Maresfield has its own primary school in Bonners CE Primary School, although some children travel to Manor Primary School in Uckfield. Secondary school children travel into Uckfield Community Technology CollegeUckfield Community Technology College
Uckfield Community Technology College is a community college situated in Uckfield, UK. It has approximately 1,600 students, including 360 in the sixth form college.The school motto is "Realising Potential"...
.
Religion
See also notes on Nutley and Fairwarp aboveThe parish church of Maresfield, a united benefice with Nutley, is dedicated to Christ.
Further reading
- The Queen's Gunstonemaker: An Account of Ralph Hogge, Elizabethan Ironmaster & Gunfounder, Edmund Teesdale, Lindel Publishing Company, Seaford, Sussex, 1984