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« on: Saturday 17 October 09 17:12 BST (UK) »
Hi Steve,
I hope this information helps.
Ticehurst was a main base for my family since at least 1820, and was at the eastern end of my great grandad's sweeping circuit that terminated at Rotherfield in the west.
A few of things:
(a) Geography: being on the southern end of The Weald the areas in between the villages of Ticegurst, Stonegate, Burwash, Heathfield and Rotherfield etc were separated by countryside in which much of the land was a little hilly, boggy, overgrown and hidden, providing good stopping/hiding places. The roads were, and still seem to be, a little smallish. This was unlike areas close to the A21 in the east which was a main highway, and so exposed to police harassment.
These places are also to some extent 'sealed off' by upland ridges to the north and south, so they are intruded on less. Hedgehogs and Rabbits are extremely common. My great uncle would visit grandad (bringing his 'stoat in a bag') just to go hunting there, as it was better ground than in Brenchley and Tonbridge to the north where he lived. There was less need for my family to poach: so again they were less exposed to the law. You could ALMOST live off the land in these places: It sustained a family of 25 for my grandad for over 30 years.
(b). Wealthy villages: Places like Ticehurst, Mayfield and Burwash had a large 'rich' segment of the population who were happy to use grandad to rid themselves of their cast-offs for his rag and bone work. A suitably sited den could service a few larger villages for chimney sweeping work, and the residents could afford to pay. This is what great-grandad did. Grandad was able to pick out 6-7 nearby hamlets to sell holly wreaths in at Christmas (using his cute children to soften up the locals!)
(grandad walked 10-20 miles a day to maximise the no. of hamlets visited).
(c). Commons: Each village would have had a common that was originally not fenced off. A high density of village commons would have attracted Romanies in the first place as in the old days they camped on them. Grandad lived on the fringe of Broad Oak Common (hidden in the woods).
(d). Local Options: as already mentioned, the hop parishes and fruit fields were nearby. My ancestors could fall back on their chavvies as unpaid workers for fruit picking if times got hard (grandad kept all the money, and fed them oatmeal!) Living there, grandad eventually saved up £800 to buy a smallholding, which represented 25 years savings. Not bad.
(e). Strength in numbers?
NB1: between Ticehurst and Heathfield, both my grandad's and great grandad's circuits covered almost exactly 8 x 14 miles.
NB2: Regarding the workhouse, my grandad had a phobia about these places
Good luck with your research,
Neil Harvey
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