Furner's Green

Infobox UK place
official_name=Furner's Green
country=England
region=South East England
static_

static_image_caption=
area_footnotes=
area_total_km2 =
population=
population_density=
os_grid_reference=TQ409267
latitude=51.02
longitude=0.01
post_town=HAYWARDS HEATH
postcode_area=RH
postcode_district=RH17
dial_code=01825
constituency_westminster=Wealden
london_distance=convert|33|mi N
shire_district=Wealden
shire_county=East Sussex
civil_parish=Danehill

Furner's Green is a hamlet in the civil parish of Danehill in East Sussex, England. It lies about nine miles (9.7 km) north-west of Uckfield and approximately seven miles to the east of Haywards Heath.

The village is on the southern edge of Ashdown Forest.

Geography

Tributaries to the River Ouse

Local geology

Lime kilns at Annwood Farm ('Handwood Farm' in 1795 OS map) shown on the 1875 OS map. Lime would have been used locally for agricultural improvements (to improve the heavy, clay-rich Wealden soil) in the mixing of mortar for construction. Also used in Sussex for plasterwork and 'white washing'. At the time of writing there is no evidence of limestone outcroping in this area (Sussex does have small 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 [cite web |url=http://www.snowing.co.uk/sias/newsletters_siasg/newsletter_siasg_3.htm|title=Sussex Industrial Archaelogy Society website |accessdate=2007-03-10]

Local history

In William Gardener's 1795 map of Sussex (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'. [cite web |url=http://www.theweald.org/m00.asp?PicIdto=50810104|title=The Weald website 1795 map |accessdate=2007-03-10] 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' [cite web |url=http://www.theweald.org/P2.asp?PId=4653Portsm|title=The Weald website |accessdate=2007-03-10]

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. [cite web |url=http://www.theweald.org/m00.asp?PicIdto=34652006 |title=The Weald website |accessdate=2007-03-10] . John Baker-Holroyd (later Baron Sheffield) is noted as owning the property in 1768 records [cite web |url=http://www.a2a.org.uk/search/records.asp?cat=179-amsd&cid=5-2 |title=Department for Culture, The National Archive website |accessdate=2007-03-10]

The iron industry in Furner's Green

The iron workings at Sheffield Mill are reported in detail by John Shreve, master of works during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. [cite web |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=5600896&CATLN=6&Highlight=&FullDetails=True |title=The National Archives |accessdate=2007-03-10]

A lease agreement dating to 1580 refers to the 'decaied Ironworks, sometime 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.

Land ownership

Before selling of properties in the early to mid twentieth century, many of the properties in Furner's Green were part of the Sheffield Park or Danehurst estates.

House prices

With an average house price of £ 364,000 property prices in Furner's Green are approximately 50% higher than the English average.Fact|date=May 2008

See also

*Ashdown Forest
*Danehill

References

External links