The history, genealogy and topography of the Weald of Kent, Surrey and Sussex

The Weald is "the place where London ends and England can begin"

Thirty miles south of London and half way to the South coast of England lies an area of outstanding natural beauty combined with a fascinating history called the Weald. This was, to the Saxons of 900AD, part of Andredesweald (the forest of Andred the Roman fort at Pevensey), that stretched from the marshes of Kent to the New Forest in Hampshire - 120 miles long and 30 miles wide. The Weald of Kent, Surrey and Sussex encompasses the Lancaster Great Park formed in 1372 and renamed as the Ashdown Forest in 1672.
This site catalogues the people, places, maps, drawings, engravings, books, writings and numerous lists and directories that are over 70 years old into an integrated database of information about one of the most attractive parts of England - The Weald of Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The navigation bar at the top of this page (and every page on this site) give access to all of this information. Records can also be searched for from this page or from the dedicated search page.

Genealogical Pedigrees
Count is the number of people

Adams, Adames, Adam, Adamson, Addams - 857
Akehurst .. Ackehurst .. Achurst - 619
Alan .. Allin .. Alyin - 746
Alcheshorne .. Alchorn .. Allcorn - 971
Arnold .. Arnal .. Arnoll - 381
Ashby .. Asheby .. Ashbornham - 880
Ashdown .. Asshesdowne .. Adowne - 706
Atheral .. Atheroll .. Attrell … Hattrell - 150
Attree, Atree - 104
Austin, Austine, Austen, Aust, Austen-Leigh, Austain, Auston - 1509
Averey, Averie, Averl, Avery - 374
Avis, Aves, Avice, Avies, Avaice - 798
Bailey .. Bayliss .. Baylye - 501
Baker, Bakere, Bakes - 3449
Barnes, Barns, Bernes - 279
Bassett, Baset, Basett, Basset, Bassott - 609
Bedwell, Bidwell, Bidewell - 560
Beeching, Beechinge, Beaching - 118
Bellingham, Belingham, Billingham - 254
Berry, Berrett, Berrey, Berrie, Bury - 361
Berwick .. Barwick .. Berrick - 248
Best - 379
Bisch, Bish, Bishe, Bysh, Byshe, Bysshe - 473
Bishop ….. - 463
Boarer .. Boorder .. Bowrah - 571
Box, Boxall, Boxe, Boxhall - 391
Briant, Bryane, Bryant, Bryand - 316
Bridger .. Brydger - 736
Bromley, Bromly, Brumley, Brumly - 280
Brooker - 1699
Brooman .. Bruman - 265
Brown .. Browner - 2048
Budgen, Budgens, Budgeon, Budge, Budgell, Budger, Budges, Budgin, Bugen, Bugden - 630
Burges .. Burgess .. Burgys - 1101
Callaway, Callour, Callow, Calow, Calloway - 86
Cambridge, Combridge, Coombridge - 215
Card, Carde, Cardy - 1462
Cat, Catt, Catte - 678
Chewtor .. Chuter - 198
Coalman, Coldman, Coleman, Collman, Colman, Coltman - 443
Cole .. Coal - 789
Cork, Corke, Corks - 889
Couchman, Cuchman, Cushman - 309
Cox, Coxe - 551
Crittal .. Critchell .. Crittle - 265
Crowhurst .. Crawhurst .. Crouhull - 549
Curd, Curde - 495
Dadswell, Dadswall, Dodswell, Dodwell, Dadsell - 925
Dan, Dann, Danne, Dannett, Danns - 648
Denman, Deneman - 95
Dibley, Dibly - 174
Diplock .. Duplock - 776
Dival .. Dives .. Devall .. Duvall - 933
Doust - 156
Dumsday, Doomsday, Domsday, Dunsday - 49
Eastwood - 460
Edward, Edwardes, Edwards - 1479
Everest, Everist, Everst, Evrest, Evarest, Everice - 1136
Farmer, Farmor, Fermer, Fermor, Fermour, Formor - 1278
Fenner - 562
Field .. Field-Buss - 966
Fowl, Fowle, Fowles, Fowll - 188
Fowler - 181
Frost - 487
Fry .. Fray .. Fre - 825
Gabriel - 170
Gilbert .. Gilbard .. Guilbird - 668
Gobey .. Golbey .. Godly .. Govey - 401
Goldsmith .. Gouldsmyth - 797
Gorham, Goreham - 104
Gravat, Gravatt, Gravett, Gravitt - 62
Groombridge ….. - 909
Grove, Groves - 462
Grover - 302
Gur, Gurr, Gurre - 363
Guy - 147
Hailer, Haler, Halor, Haylarr, Hayler, Haylor, Hayner, Heylar - 231
Hall, Halle, Halls - 1089
Hardwick, Hardwicke, Hardwyck - 69
Harman … Harmer - 1803
Hartfield, Hartfeild, Hadfield, Hatfield, Hathfeld - 437
Hawkins, Hawken - 346
Hazelden … Hassleden … Heselden - 539
Heaseman .. Hesman .. Hesmore .. Hasman .. Hosman - 1723
Heat, Heath, Hethe - 440
Heathfield, Hethfield - 67
Hebden, Hebdon, Hepden, Hepten, Hobbden, Hobday, Hobden, Hodben, Hobdin, Habden - 476
Hemesley .. Helmsley .. Hemssley - 634
Hide, Hider, Hilden, Hilder, Hyder, Hyden - 748
Hill …. Hillman … Hylls - 1162
Histed, Histead, Histid, Hysted, Highstead - 255
Hoath, Hoathe, Hoth, Hothe - 570
Hobb, Hobbes, Hobbie, Hobbs, Hobs - 1027
Hollamby, Hollarnby, Hollimby, Hollingby, Hollomby, Holamby, Hollomley - 848
Holmwood .. Homewood - 1239
Hook, Hoocke, Hoock, Hooke - 501
Hooker - 415
Hudson, Hutson, Hodson - 521
Humphrey … Umphrey … - 991
Izzard, Issard, Iszard, Izard, Izared, Isard - 534
Jarvis, Jarris, Jarvice, Jarvies, Jervis, Garvis - 617
Jenner, Jennier, Jennor, Jannor, Jinner, Jonner - 1704
Jenner-Akehurst - 51
Kid, Kidd, Kidde, Kidder, Kiddle, Kide, Kider, Kidger, Kidner, Kydder, Kyder, Kyd - 348
Killick … Kellick - 1055
Langridge …… - 1596
Leveson, Leveson-Gower - 95
Luck, Lucks, Lucke, Lucket, Luckett - 484
Mackellow .. Manktelow .. Meckellou - 594
Marten, Martin, Martyn, Martins, Martten - 2012
Mascall, Maschol, Maskal, Maskall, Maskeall, Maskel, Maskell - 172
Michelborne, Michiburne - 100
Miles, Mile, Milles, Myles - 1101
Moon, Mone, Moone, Mooney, Moonlight, Moun - 1138
Morphew, Morphewe - 145
Mudd, Muddel, Muddell, Muddet, Muddle, Muddler, Muddles, Mudel, Mudell, Mudle - 492
Napp .. Knapp - 96
Nevell, Nevile, Nevill, Nevil, Neville - 233
Noakes, Noaks, Nockes, Neakes - 422
Obard, Obband, Obbard - 57
Packham .. Peckham - 957
Page, Page Mitchell, Pages, Paige, Peige - 1315
Paris, Parish, Parrish, Pariss, Parres, Parris, Parriss, Parrisse - 282
Parker …. - 1336
Peacock, Peacocke, Pecock - 354
Peerless …. - 357
Piper, Pipper, Pyper - 993
Pocknall, Pocknell, Pocknal, Pocknel, Packnell, Picknall, Picknell, Puknell, Pucknall, Pucknell - 278
Pollington, Pollincton, Pollinton, Pollingstone - 227
Pratt, Pratts - 326
Price, Pryce - 327
Quickenden, Quitenden, Quittenden - 373
Ralff .. Relph .. Rolf - 1148
Rebbeck, Rebeck, Reback, Rayback - 54
Ridley, Ridly, Rydley - 341
Rivers - 85
Roger .. Rodgers .. Roggers - 1172
Sackville, Sackville-West - 177
Sale .. Sales .. Sayles - 832
Sandells .. Sendall - 135
Sawyer, Sawyers - 531
Shelley - 92
Sherley, Shirley, Shurley - 93
Spence, Spencer, Spenser - 280
Spittal, Spittall, Spittals, Spittel, Spittle, Spittles - 185
Stapley .. - 925
Stevens .. Stephens - 1368
Stevenson .. Stephenson - 701
Taner, Tanner - 178
Taylor .. Taillour .. Tailor - 2394
Tribe - 54
Turk, Turke, Turck, Turks, Tunks - 400
Turner .. - 2665
Twiner, Twine, Twinar - 101
Underwood - 157
Walter, Walters - 907
Watson, Watson-Smyth - 587
Weeding, Weedding, Weeden, Weedon, Weedin, Weden, Wesding - 127
Welfare …. - 345
Wenham … Whenham .. Wennam - 194
Weston, Western - 621
Whapham …. - 65
Wheatley, Whetley, Weatly, Wheatly, Wheetley, Whetly - 741
Wicken .. Wickens .. Wickin ..Wykyn - 1627
Wicker, Wickers, Wickerson, Wickersham - 220
Woodhams …. - 859
Wren …. - 517

Records from the 1881 census have been cross referred to the 1841 census; the 1851 census; to Parish records from 1550 for dozens of selected surnames; to guides, directories and lists published from the 1803 militia list to the 1888 directory. From this information, genealogical pedigrees have been established for the surnames listed above and a further 6,500 surnames are recorded as individuals.

Conan Doyle 1859-1930	A.A.Milne 1882-1956	Richard Jefferies 1848-1887	People of note documents the lives of dozens of individuals who have made significant contributions to the Weald including the writings of Coventry Patmore, Rudyard Kipling and E. V. Lucas the paintings of Wilfrid Ball the diaries of Reverend Giles Moore 1655-1680; Walter Gale, Schoolmaster at Mayfield, 1750 and Thomas Turner, 1754-1768
Charles Leeson Prince 1821-1899	Florence Emily Carlyle 1864-1923	Rev Edward Turner 1794-1872

1724	1795	1825	1875	1899

Maps of the Weald commence in the 16th century courtesy of the Buckhurst Terrier and other historical sources. The 18th century sees the beginning of detailed 1 inch to 1 mile maps and this site records the Richard Budgen maps of 1724, the William Gardner and Thomas Gream maps of 1795, the Christopher and John Greenwood maps of 1825 and cross refers these to the 6 inch to 1 mile Ordnance Survey maps produced in the 1870s and 1890s. Over 300 maps are available on this site

Rotherfield - 1785	Withyham - 1783	Eridge Castle - 1830	Mayfield - 1892	Wadhurst - 1906
Tonbridge - 1900	Tunbridge Wells - 1718	Speldhurst - 1900	Westerham - 1905	Sevenoaks - 1905

Over 300 Pictures, engravings and photographs of the Weald have been encoded into the database and identifiable locations have been cross-referred with the Weald database.

The History of Kent - Vol III	The History of Kent - Vol V	Edenbridge	Tunbridge Wells	Cobbetts Rural Rides
Tunbridge Wells and its Neighbourhood	The Ashdown Forest Dispute	Country Houses of Kent	English Homes and Villages (Kent & Sussex)	The Story of Wadhurst
The History of Sussex	The Worthies of Sussex	Highways & Byways in Sussex	Rotherfield	Buxted the Beautiful
The Story of Crowborough	The Buckhurst Terrier	Frant - A Parish history	The History of East Grinstead	Kellys Directory

Over 100 Books and documents about the Weald have been encoded into the database and identifiable locations and people have been cross-referred with the Weald database. For example: Windmills in Sussex Wealden Iron The Sussex Weald and other poems Brooker's Guide and Directory for Uckfield and District

To quote Richard Jefferies from his essay on Buckhurst Park - "This wild tract of Ashdown Forest bears much resemblance to Exmoor; you may walk, or you may ride, for hours and meet no one; and if black game were to start up it would not surprise you in the least. There seems room enough to chase the red stag from Buckhurst Park with horn and hound till, mayhap, he ended in the sea at Pevensey. Buckhurst Park is the centre of this immense manor. ........... Here and there a house stands, as it seems, alone in the world on the Forest ridge, thousands of acres of heather around, the deep weald underneath - as at Duddleswell, a look-out, as it were, over the earth. Forest Row, where they say the courtiers had their booths in ancient hunting days; Forest-Fold, Boar's-head Street, Greenwood Gate - all have a forest sound; and what prettier name could there be than Sweet-Haws? Greybirchet Wood, again; Mossbarn, Highbroom, and so on. Outlying woods in every direction are fragments of the forest, you cannot get away from it; and look over whatever gate you will, there is always a view. ........ Clouds drift over; it is a wonderful observatory for cloud studies; they seem so close, the light is so strong, and there is nothing to check the sight as far as its powers will reach. Clouds come up no wider than a pasture-field, but in length stretching out to the very horizon, dividing the blue sky into two halves; but then every day has its different clouds - the fleets of heaven that are always sailing on and know no haven"

This site is dedicated to presenting the records of the Weald of Kent, Surrey and Sussex that are more than 70 years old and in the public domain. It was launched in May 2003 and is continually being updated with more information about the Weald as it becomes available from transcriptions of Census data, Parish records, Pictures, Photographs, Maps, Books and many other documents.

Thanks also to over two hundred people who have kindly contributed much additional information to the site.
Such contributions are welcome from all by E-mail or by using a form