Tim Cornish will give a talk, using recent research, about this dispersed woodland settlement, a remote place in the Archbishop of Canterbury's huge South Malling estate which stretched from Lewes Bridge to Lamberhurst Bridge. If the Archbishop used a postal address, it might have been Yardhurst, “Within the Wood”, Mayfield parish, South Malling.

The name “Five Ashes” first appeared in 1498. Before this, the central area was tenanted by the Yardhurst family, headed in 1285 by Bellafilia, a widow with two sons. Did she live up to her parents' expectations of her name? They held 200 acres of serf land; since the Norman conquest the land all belonged to the Archbishop who leased land to his serfs and a growing number of freemen.

The area has always been dominated by its main road, which at this time was a major route from Tonbridge to Cross-in-Hand and beyond, particularly to Lewes. The route probably used Pages Farm bridleway from Argos Hill, down Fir Toll Road to Butcher's Cross, then Criers Lane,and Brick Kiln Lane and on to Uckfield where it picked up the Roman road to Lewes.

“Yardhurst” described a clearing for animals in the forest that covered the area (“hurst” means “wood”). The other distinctive local reference to the clearings is the suffix “... reed” as in Broadreed, Woodreed and Stilereed. Dudsland used to have Pikereed and Istedreed. (Middle English: “ridde”, to grub up trees.) The forest had to be cleared before arable crops were possible on their smallholdings. The firewood produced was transported to Lewes by ox cart to keep the Archbishop warm. Peasants returned with barley for bread and small beer (or ale), to supplement the diet of oat gruel, eggs, fruit and vegetables and foraged nuts, berries and fungi. Meat was a luxury. Honey had to be handed over to their Lord, as did sparrow-hawk chicks. One of the first local amenities was the baker's oven, not a usual domestic feature. “Bakehouse ward “ was the name of the area around Newick Lane.

Hard labour in a subsistence economy was the order of the day. If the wind was in the right direction, residents could hear the bells of Mayfield St Dunstan's calling them to the relief of worship or the entertainment of festivals and feast days. They trudged through the deep clay in all weathers, hoping to arrive on time. A walk down the modern footpath east of Allen's Farm gives some idea of the difficulty of travel. Indeed there was a road there going to Piccadilly Lane. Some romantic names survive: Sunset Farm, Hanging Birch Cottages near New Pin Farm in the centre, whilst Harlots Farm, Frog's Hole Lane and Jackass Wood sound less appealing. The Five Ashes landscape of small fields, deep ghylls and clogging clay made for a hard life. Salvation was an attractive prospect.

The event is on Saturday 9^th November at 7.00pm in Five Ashes Village Hall. Free entry. Donations invited in aid of the Hall itself. Doors open: 6.30 pm. Tim's book “Medieval Mayfield: Archbishops and Peasants” will be on sale. See www.mayfieldtimshistory.org