1. Mayfield village

2. Governance
    Toponymy  16th and 17th centuries  18th and 19th centuries  Mayfield churches  Shops and businesses  Mayfield schools 

3. Five Ashes village
    Churches  Commercial businesses  Schools  Parks and recreation 

4. Argos Hill

5. See also

6. References

Mayfield village

Every September the village hosts its annual carnival. This is to commemorate the Protestants being condemned here on 23 September 1556, and being burnt at the stake in Lewes.^[4] The festival is part of the Sussex bonfire tradition of marking the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot. The procession marches through the village by torchlight on the third Saturday in September, climaxing with a firework display in the recreation ground. The money raised through the street collection is spent on charities.

Governance

Mayfield and Five Ashes Civil Parish falls within the electoral ward simply called Mayfield. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 2,614.^[5]

Toponymy

The early village was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1087 within the Rape of Pevensey as Mesewelle,^[6] which may indicate a well on tableland or more likely "belonging to Meese", a Norman man's name, or less likely, a new well or well dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The meshing of Norman French and Anglo-Saxon into Middle English meant that one person was often referred to by several spellings in a lifetime. Various spellings of Meese include Meece, Mese, Mece, Mees, Mey, and May.

The village name derives from both "Maghefeld"^[7] (a field where mayweed grows) and "maid's field"–the village sign depicts a maid.^[8] A number of 15th century emigrants to the new world had the surname May rather than Maid, which indicates the Middle English "mayde" in signage began as a rebus. Mayfield used to be a part of the manor of Malling, to the north west of Lewes, which belonged to the Kings of Wessex. Between 823 and 836 CE, King Egbert of Wessex and his son Æthelwulf gave it to Canterbury Cathedral: it became an Archbishop's 'peculiar' in the Diocese of Canterbury, and one of the Archbishop's palaces was built here. It was transferred to the Diocese of Chichester in 1846.

16th and 17th centuries

Mayfield was at its height during the boom in the Wealden iron industry, and many of the fine houses date from that time.

18th and 19th centuries

During the early 18th century, Mayfield became a centre for owling - smuggling wool for brandy and silk. Gabriel Tomkins was the leader of the local gang: in 1721 he was chased from Burwash to Nutley and then was arrested. The gang had a reputation for not using violence; and also applying their profits to the benefit of the local community, unlike many other such gangs: the Hawkhurst Gang in particular.

The Swing Riots affected the area with army arriving on 15 November 1830. Some local workers were imprisoned or transported.

With the opening of the railway line in 1880 between Hailsham and Tunbridge Wells a railway station was built to serve the village. On 1 September 1897, there was a railway accident on a curved section of track between Heathfield and Mayfield near Clayton Farm. A six-carriage train pulled by the engine Bonchurch was derailed and the driver was killed.^[8] the station closed in 1965 following the Beeching Report. The station building in Station Road is now converted to a private house and the route of the railway is now occupied by the re-routed A267 bypass of the village.

Mayfield churches

Both village and church are said to have been founded by the Archbishop of Canterbury, St Dunstan, in 960 CE, and there are legends surrounding his connection with the village. Dunstan is supposed to have become an ironworker and run a small forge next to the church. The legend goes that he was confronted by the devil, either making offensive remarks, or disguised as a young woman.^[9][10] He then pinched the devil's nose with the tongs. The devil then fled to Tunbridge Wells and doused his burnt nose with the spring water.^[11][12] Some sources note that the story happened in Glastonbury rather than Mayfield, and that Dunstan may have in fact clamped tongs around someone's nose, with the story of it being the devil added later.^[9]

The Anglican church is dedicated to Dunstan. In 1389 much of the village and most of the church were destroyed by fire; the latter was struck by lightning in the 17th century.^[13] The church was subsequently rebuilt in the fifteenth century. The church is in a mostly Perpendicular style and has a "squat, shingled broach spire".^[12] Inside the church there are a number of graves made of iron for the families of Mayfield's ironmasters.^[8]

There are three other religious buildings in Mayfield:^[14] the Roman Catholic church of St Thomas of Canterbury (in Station Road), Coggins Mill Church^[15] (a Free Church, also in Station Road), and Mayfield Baptist Chapel (on South Street).

Shops and businesses

There are a large number of shops and other commercial properties in Mayfield High Street.^[16]

There are two pubs in Mayfield: the Middle House (in the High Street) and the Rose and Crown (in Fletching Street).

Mayfield schools

The village's Church of England primary school is mainly Edwardian but has modern additions.^[26]

Five Ashes village

Between Mayfield and Heathfield lie two small hamlets: Cross-in-Hand and Five Ashes. The latter is part of the same parish as Mayfield.

Churches

The small village church is dedicated to The Good Shepherd.

Commercial businesses

There are no retail shops in the village apart from a Porsche car dealership. There is also a pub called The Five Ashes Inn.

Schools

There are two schools in Five Ashes. Five Ashes Primary School is a small voluntary controlled Church of England school with around 45 children on roll.^[27] Skippers Hill Manor Preparatory School is a small private school founded in 1945 by Ray and Maureen Ward, remaining in the family until it was sold to Bellevue Education in 2010.^[28]

Parks and recreation

In Five Ashes, there is a large playing field where football and other games can be played and a skateboarding park. Adjoining the playing field and village hall is a children's playground.

In Stonehurst Lane, there is a park with wooded areas and ponds called Foxes Copse where dogs can be walked.^[29]

Argos Hill

Rising about {{convert|7|mi|km}} south of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Argos Hill is between the villages of Rotherfield and Mayfield. It is known for the landmark of Argos Hill Windmill, a grade II* listed building that was built between 1831 and 1843 and operational until 1927.^[12] It was restored in the 1960s, and was under threat of demolition in 2008.^[12][30][31] In 1939 Counties Ship Management renamed the cargo ship {{SS|Canadian Constructor}} "Argos Hill".

See also

• Walter Gale, the first schoolmaster of the primary school in Mayfield (now Mayfield Church of England Primary School)

References

• {{cite book|author=Eva Margaretta Bell-Irving|title=Mayfield: the story of an old Wealden village|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KBIhAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=18 January 2011|year=1903|publisher=W. Clowes and sons, limited}}

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