Maresfield is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the Wealden District of

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

, England. The village itself lies 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north from

Uckfield Uckfield () is a town in the Wealden District of East Sussex in South East England. The town is on the River Uck, one of the tributaries of the River Ouse, on the southern edge of the Weald. Etymology 'Uckfield', first recorded in writing ...

; the nearby villages of Nutley and Fairwarp; and the smaller settlements of Duddleswell and Horney Common; and parts of

Ashdown Forest Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of 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. Rising to an elevation of ...

all lie within Maresfield parish.

History

The origin of name of the village is uncertain, but the first element may derive from the Old English word ''mere'' meaning 'pool'; the second element is certainly ''feld'' meaning 'open land' (A. Mawer, ''The place-names of Sussex'' volume 2, page 349). 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 Levett is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from eLivet, which is held particularly by families and individuals resident in England and British Commonwealth territories. Origins This surname comes from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, n ...

family owned and worked Oldlands, and it probably controlled Hendall as well, before it passed into the hands of

Ralph Hogge Ralf Hogge (his name has also been rendered "Ralph" and "Huggett") was an English iron-master and gun founder to the king. Web page titled "Historical Village Walk' at Buxted Village Web site, accessed March 2, 2007 Working with French-born canno ...

, 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 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. The ironmaster was usually a larg ...

and supplier of armaments to

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

. Eventually the vicar's former servant Ralph Hogge, who had become a major

after Levett's death, operated four furnaces and one or more forges within a couple of miles of Maresfield Church. The village has expanded in the past twenty years, and three substantial housing developments have helped to increase the village population. Maresfield is an old village (its church was founded in approx 1100; the present nave and tower were built between 1375 and 1415). Fairwarp and Nutley developed as offshoots from it. There was a Roman settlement, including a

bloomery A bloomery is a type of metallurgical furnace once used widely for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. Bloomeries produce a porous mass of iron and slag called a ''bloom'' ...

, and later a Norman village grew up around the church. In the 15th and 16th centuries

Manor

Until 1926, it was a largely agricultural village, up to 1914 effectively in the ownership and control of the family in Maresfield Park House, initially the Shelley family and then Count

Alexander Münster Count, later Prince, Alexander Otto Hugo Wladimir zu Münster (1 September 1858 – 12 October 1922) was a German aristocrat who was the owner of Maresfield Park estate, Maresfield, East Sussex. Early life and family Alexander Münster was born i ...

of Hanover, Germany. The estate was confiscated in 1914 by the government after the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and the Park and estate houses were sold off in 1924 as reparation for war damage, the Park being broken up into housing plots. In the First World War, a large army camp was developed, and later on parts of the village, at Queen's Drive and the southern part of Parklands, were developed as married quarters for soldiers. During the Second World War another large army camp was established to the west of the village, the land on which it was built now redeveloped for housing and the Ashdwon Business Park

Development

There has been considerable recent development. Since approx 1990, substantial developments at the Cabin Café (now Mulberry Park), Park Farm (now The Paddock, Field End and Maple Close) and at Forest Park have increased the population of the village by about 1/3rd. New development of 80 dwellings is planned for Park Farm, which will further enlarge the village by about 1/6th.

Governance

There are 14 members on the Maresfield Parish Council, which has its offices in Nutley.

Geography

Maresfield is on the southern edge of

which was a

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the ...

hunting reserve from the time of King

Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

. The Site of Special Scientific Interest 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.

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 small village directly north of Maresfield. The church is Christ Church.

Transport

The parish lies at the junction of two main roads: the A22 Eastbourne road; and the A272 cross-country road, the main road being on a

bypass Bypass may refer to: * Bypass (road), a road that avoids a built-up area (not to be confused with passing lane) * Flood bypass of a river Science and technology Medicine * Bypass surgery, a class of surgeries including for example: ** Heart bypas ...

to the west of the village. There are two local bus services 31, 256 that provide a local connection to surrounding areas.

Sport and leisure

Maresfield has a local tennis club, cricket club, bowls club, football club and a gymnastics club all located in less than one mile radius of the Chequers Inn, Maresfield also has its own fishing lake ' Underhill Fishing Lake' and is managed by Crowborough and District Anglers Association.

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 College or Chailey School.

Conservation

The Constitution o
Maresfield Conservation Group
which is a Registered Charity, has as its aims the promotion of the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment in Maresfield and the surrounding area. Presently the Group is involved in a very wide range of projects.

Amenities

At the centre of the village is the Grade II* listed 17th century ''Chequers Inn'' and Maresfield church founded in approx 1100. There is also the Maresfield recreation ground, which is home to the 'Maresfield Cricket Club', which was established in 1756. The recreation ground was donated to Maresfield Parish Council by Hervey Charles Pechell in 1897 in commemoration of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

's Golden Jubilee, and a commemorative oak was planted by the Empress Frederick , Victoria's eldest daughter. The recreation ground wasn't legally transferred until 1899 when

had inherited all of the Maresfield Estate from his friend Pechell, though the plaque on the lamp at the entrance to the ground records the gift from the Pechells.

Freedom of the Parish

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Parish of Maresfield.

Military Units

* 5 (Maresfield) Squadron 11 (

Royal School of Signals The Royal School of Signals is a military training establishment that is part of the United Kingdom's Defence School of Communications and Information Systems. It is at Blandford Camp in Dorset. The soldiers and officers who are attending course ...

) Signal Regiment: 27 June 2021.

Gallery

MaresfieldPark Sussex ByBenjaminDeanWyatt.jpg, Maresfield Park, watercolour by Benjamin Dean Wyatt Plan of Maresfield Recreation Ground from the Deed of Conveyance.jpg, Plan showing location of Maresfield Recreation Ground from deed of conveyance Deed of Conveyance which transferred Maresfield Recreation Ground to Maresfield Parish Council.jpg, Title of Deed of Conveyance which transferred the recreation ground to Maresfield Parish Council The entrance to Maresfield Recreation Ground photographed in 1897.jpg, Entrance to the recreation ground in 1897 Empress Frederick of Germany planting a ceremonial oak at Marefield Recreation Ground in 1897.jpg, Planting of the ceremonial oak in 1897 RAF 1947 aerial view of Maresfield army camp.jpg, RAF 1947 aerial view of Maresfield army camp

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in East Sussex Civil parishes in East Sussex Wealden District Ashdown Forest