By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group
It could be said that Lindfield is defined by the Common and Pond. Many communities have a village green or at least the remnants of one, and some a village pond, others have a common remote from the village. How many communities can you name that has a large common with its impressive pond abutting their High Street?
Within the old parish there was also a large common in the area today known as West Common, owned by the Manor of Ditchling; not to mention sizeable commons at Walstead and Scaynes Hill. The fact that Lindfield Common and nearby West Common were owned by two different manors, suggests the Common could date back a thousand years to the time when the manorial system was being established in Sussex.
Unfortunately the early history is unknown, nevertheless it has certainly existed for very many centuries as unenclosed land. Lindfield Common, historically called Town Common, has remained largely intact due to the stewardship over the centuries by the Lords of the Manor of South Malling Lindfield and latterly Lindfield Parish Council and Mid Sussex District Council. However, it was originally larger than today. Even as late as 1830 it extended a little further up Black Hill and to the west over the High Street to join with the pond. Similarly it extended a short distance on the northern side of Lewes Road. Manorial documents generally describe common land as ‘waste’ as the land did not provide rental income. To increase their income the owners sold off plots either as agricultural land or for erection of buildings.
The first major encroachment of Lindfield Common was in the late 1600s when leasehold plots for dwellings were made available in the area bounded by High Street and Lewes Road for the expansion of the village. These houses were demolished mainly during the 19th century and the land used for the buildings we see today, including King Edward Hall. Lindfield School, the houses on the western side of High Street, Blackhill and northern side of Lewes Road were subsequently built on land once part of the Common.
Historically the freeholders and copyholders (leaseholders) of the Manor had rights to use the Common, mainly for grazing cattle and sheep but all use was strictly regulated. The Pond provided water for these animals and those passing through the village. Any unauthorised or stray animals would be placed in the village pound situated in the area of the Bowling Club.
In 1899 Lindfield Parish Council took control of the Common and Pond and duly issued a booklet entitled By-Laws, which prohibited practically everything from setting traps, nets or snares to taking birds’ eggs and shooting animals; from riding horses or driving any vehicle other than hand propelled vehicles to removing turf or dumping earth. One by-law of particular note was ‘The exclusion or removal of gamblers, cardsharpers, vagrants, sellers and exhibitors of infamous (later changed to obscene) books, prints, photographs or pictures, or persons guilty of brawling, fighting, or quarrelling, or improper language, or any idle or disorderly persons’. Surely not in Lindfield! Increasingly the use of the Common was moving solely towards recreation, although cricket had been played since 1747. In 1907 Mr H L Durrant, the village watchmaker, who organised the sheep pens for the annual fair complained to the Council ‘that the new cricket ground considerably encroached on the ground hitherto used for the pens’. The same year the recently formed Bowling Club and Tennis Club sought permission to erect a ‘small rustic pavilion within the enclosure surrounding the tennis courts and Bowling Green’ for their joint use. Permission was granted subject to the clubs agreeing to remove at any time if requested. The Lindfield Football Club and other teams, and to a lesser extent stoolball teams, have long played on the Common.
Despite the increased usage for recreational purposes, even as late as 1912 the Parish Council was continuing to rent out sheep grazing rights for one guinea to James Box, subject to him cutting ‘the grass on the Common all over during July each year’ and the right for the Council to cut the grass ‘for a distance of 30 yards outside the Cricket Ground Enclosure’. Each year the Lindfield Bonfire Society’s firework display to commemorate Guy Fawkes Night is an immensely popular event, as is Village Day.
The Common and Pond have been the focal point for major village celebrations. Sports Days have been one of the traditional ways to mark Coronations, royal anniversaries and weddings, with events ranging from children’s running races to adult tug of war. The Pond hosted swimming and aquatic fun events such as boat racing, climbing a greasy pole and ‘miller and sweeps’; the two combatants would straddle a pole, armed with a bag of flour and soot, the winner being the first to knock their opponent into the water. Similar events and bonfires have been held to celebrate the ending of the World Wars. Some royal events were also commemorated with permanent features on the Common, such as the horse drinking trough, by the High Street and Backwoods Lane junction, marking the 1911 Coronation of George V and the nearby Lindfield sign erected in 1935 for his Silver Jubilee.
The ancient August Sheep Fair traditionally held in the High Street outgrew this venue and moved solely onto the Common. Thousands of sheep were sold during the major eight day long fair. Entertainment and pleasure always a part of the fair, took over when animal sales ceased due to trade transferring to the Haywards Heath Cattle Market, on the site now occupied by Sainsbury’s. The entire Common would be taken over by rides, sideshows, amusements, stalls and refreshment tents. A fair continues to visit to this day as does a circus. At times of war, or when there was an invasion threat, the Common has been used by the military. The first known use was by the Lindfield Company of the Sussex Militia formed when Napoleon threatened the country with invasion during the 19th century. It was similarly used for drill and exercises during the Great War, by the Royal Army Medical Corps when stationed in the village and also the Volunteer Training Corps, forerunner of the Home Guard.
It was used again during World War Two by British and Canadian regiments and the Lindfield Home Guard. Most notably on 29th February 1944, several thousand troops assembled to be addressed ahead of D-Day by General Bernard Montgomery, the Allied Commander. The Pond was used to wash army vehicles until residents complained, and it was also designated an Emergency Water Supply in case of a major fire caused by incendiary bombs. An earlier much talked about military event was the landing on 20th April 1912 of H.M. Airship Gama on a training flight commanded by Captain Broke-Smith, whose father-in-law, Admiral Twiss, lived at Lindfield House. Lindfield and its Pond reflects the story of the village.
Contact Lindfield History Project Group on 01444 482136 or visit https://lindfieldhistoryproject.group/