The Emergence of Forest Green

William Cobbett must have passed through Forest Green. In his well-known book, "Rural Rides," is an entry for August 8, 1926. "At Ewhurst, which is a very pretty village - I treated my horse to some oats and myself to a rasher of bacon. I had now to come round among the lanes at a couple of miles distanced from the foot of Leith Hill, in order to get to Ockley. From Ewhurst the first three miles was the deepest clay that I ever saw. I was warned of the difficulty of getting along, but was not to be frightened at the sound of clay - It took me, however, a good hour and a half to get along these three miles. Now, mind, this is a real weald, where the clay is bottomless. - At Ockley, I passed the house of a Mr. Steer [Jayes Park], who has a great quantity of hay-land, which is very pretty."

The emergence of Forest Green as an entity appears in 1580, when a record refers to "Folles Green," and later in the same document to "Forest," the modern spelling. Intervening years show Forrest in 1738, back in 1807 as Folles, while scattered about is "Farleyes," "Ferless," and "Farleys Green." Spelling, a controversial matter in modern times, was easy and adaptable and euphonious names could be bandied about. About the middle of the last century the spelling "Forest Green" seems to have been settled. It is interesting to note that there are countless "Greens" and "Forests" in England, and many around Surrey, but there is only one Forest Green.

Buildings and Inn from 15th Century onwards

There is no indication of the hamlet on an old Robert Morley map, circa 1598, although Ewhurst and Okeley, now Ockley, are shown. Between these two villages, approximately seven miles apart, the Oke Brook is shown clearly, rising as several springs on Holmbury Hill and near High Ashes Farm on Leith Hill. It meanders its way down through Forest Green gardens, under small bridges, and, at one time, worked the Mill. It flows into the River North near Okewood Hill, eventually joining the Arun near Slinfold.

The oldest surviving cottage is Tillies Cottage, built in the 15th Century, and still today having no pseudo decoration, a genuine brick and timber home, with a Horsham stone slab roof. Wicklands Farm bears the date 1610 over the fireplace, and at one time housed the bailiff for nearby Forest Green Farm, which was Georgian. This was enlarged in early Victorian times and became tile-hung Forest Green House. The original Horsham stone slab roof was built over, so now it is doubly protected. Cobbetts is reported as dating from the end of the 15th century, but the present house is 100 years later, with further additions in the 17th Century. 16th Century records show Castle Cottage and the farms of Bridgham, Lyfield, Shoes and Wastlands [Mayes Green]. Pratsham was a farm in the possession of the Charman family from 1664 until 1812. During the 17th Century a number of other farms arose, among them Bulcroft, Collins, Ives, Pondhead and Waterlands.

The southeast corner of the actual Green for generations was known as "Tillies and Figgs." Figg is still a local name, but who was Tillie? Here the first Oak Tree Cottage was built, dated from 18th day of March in the 22nd year of Queen Elizabeth, i.e., 1580. The present Oak Cottage was built in 1869. Extensive meadowland along the south side, where now stands Tillies Farm and Pond Cottage, was known picturesquely as Great Clover Field and Little Clover Field. Tillies Barn, adapted in 1947 to a low modern dwelling, was originally stables, cart shed and harness room, while late Victorian Ivy Cottage as the farmyard.