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Rotherfield
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(Source of the rivers Rother and Uck)
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General Details
Rotherfield lies on the Mayfield to Crowborough road, about
halfway between the two on the top of a hill. It is the
source of two rivers, the Rother which comes from a spring in
the cellar of one of the houses in the village, and the Uck
from the other side of the village.
The first reference that there seems to be about Rotherfield ,
is in AD792, when Duke Berthoald bequested a church on his
estate of Hryoeranfeld or Ridrefeld. The church was dedicated
to saint Dionysuis , a French saint to whose monastry Berthoald
had made a pilgrimage to in order to have his illness cured.
Before the Battle of Hastings Earl Godwin was the landowner, but
the land was given to Odo of Bayeux , the half brother of
William the Conqueror before the Domesday Book was written.
In 1087 the village was give to the De Clare family, whose last
male was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. About 50
years later the female side of the De Clare family married into
the Neville family, who were the Lords of Burgavenny which
changed later in 1724 to Abergavenny .
The original wooden church was replaced in the 11th century
by a stone structure, with additions in the 12th 13th and
14th centuries, by this time the dedication to St Dionysuis
had been corrupted to St Denys.
From the 1450's the Neville family owned the village, and their
emblems can be seen in the villages from Rotherfield to Eridge .
In 1557 Alexander Hosmar and Ann Ashdown were arrested for heresy
and were burned at the stake in Lewes with other Sussex Martyrs.
Again this is one of the villages influenced by the wealden iron industry ,
with furnaces and forges found in the area.
The Argos Hill Windmill was first recorded in 1656 and was producing
flour until 1927. The early windmill was replaced by a new one
in 1835 built by the Weston family, and this is the one currently
found on the site. During the second world war the roof was painted
red to help the British pilots to navigate back to their bases.
Today the windmill is in the process of restoration by the
Friends of Argos Hill Windmill please visit their
website and offer to help.
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Services
 Rotherfield has a few local services, but the main shopping
centre is at Crowborough about 3 miles west. Tunbridge Wells
lies about 6 miles to the north and provides the services
you expect from a large town.
The nearest trains also run from from Crowborough.
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