ECONOMIC HISTORY.
No evidence of open
fields has been found; arable fields on Muntham
manor in 1297 seem to have been wholly in Findon. (fn. 63)
Services of the customary tenants of Muntham at
that time included carriage of wood, possibly from
Itchingfield to Findon. (fn. 64) Tenants of Sullington-inItchingfield manor had common pasture on the waste
in Itchingfield in 1548. (fn. 65) The glebe was wholly
inclosed by 1616. (fn. 66)
John Covert had 100 a. of demesne not sown,
probably part of Broadbridge manor, in 1340, and
the Muntham demesne had 250 a. not sown. Since
the Muntham estate was seldom more than 500 a.
later, a two-course rotation may be indicated. The
ninth of sheep and of lambs was well below that of
sheaves in value, suggesting that sheep farming was
only of moderate importance, but other recorded
tithes reveal fruit growing, dairying, and poultry
keeping. (fn. 67)
On Muntham manor in 1297 there were both freeholders and customary tenants, but it is not clear
that any of them resided in Itchingfield. (fn. 68) A rental of
an unidentified manor in 1375 recorded only freeholds in Itchingfield, of which Simon of Apsley's
50 a. at 'Slaughterland' (perhaps Slaughterford farm)
was the largest. (fn. 69) Sullington-in-Itchingfield manor
had seven copyholders in 1548; three owed rents of
4s. 4d. or 4s. 8d., two between 6s. and 8s., and two
owed 12s. (fn. 70)
In the late 16th century the customs of Sullingtonin-Itchingfield manor were disputed between lord
and tenants. The latter claimed that copyholds were
inheritable and that the lord sought to dismember
the manor. The lord claimed that copyholds were for
lives. (fn. 71) A similar suit in 1603 involved the allegation
that the lord had conspired to remove the custom
book of the manor. (fn. 72) At least one of the holdings
concerned had reverted to the lord by 1706. (fn. 73) By
1895 all land was freehold. (fn. 74)
From the mid 16th to the mid 18th century farming was mixed. (fn. 75) The principal crops were wheat and
oats, grown in small quantities; one farmer in 1633
grew rye, (fn. 76) but barley was not recorded. A few
farmers grew peas or beans, and in the 18th century
clover or rotation grass. More common and valuable
were cattle keeping and dairying, and a butterman of
Itchingfield was mentioned in 1557. (fn. 77) A minority of
farmers kept small flocks of sheep; the largest
recorded comprised 41 animals. Farms were small.
In the early 18th century 34 farms in the parish,
occupied by 23 farmers and owned by 17 people, had
seats allotted in the parish church. (fn. 78)
When the Shelleys succeeded to the Michells'
Stammerham estate in the 18th century (fn. 79) landownership became more concentrated. In 1844 Sir Timothy
Shelley owned 1,257 a., more than half the parish,
Charles Chitty of Muntham 357 a., Matthew Stanford of Broadbridge in Sullington 243 a., Thomas
Barnett 165 a., and William Golds 117 a. Eight
owners had between 11 a. and 76 a. each. (fn. 80) The
break-up of the Shelley estates from c. 1870 (fn. 81)
resulted in a more dispersed pattern of ownership,
although much of the Shelleys' lands passed to
Christ's Hospital, which owned over 660 a. in 1900.
The Muntham estate then covered over 530 a.; there
were five owners with between 100 a. and 200 a.
each and ten with between 10 a. and 99 a. (fn. 82)
Most farms remained small. In 1844 there were
3 large composite holdings of 407 a., 357 a., and
224 a., 5 of between 100 a. and 200 a., and 15 of
between 10 a. and 99 a. The median holding (of those
over 10 a.) was 77 a. (fn. 83) In 1870 two large farms had
between 200 a. and 300 a. each, 8 had between 100 a.
and 200 a., and 15 between 10 a. and 99 a.; the
median had risen to 91 a. In the 1880s the Aylesbury
Dairy Co. experimented with running the Stammerham estate in Itchingfield and Horsham as a single
farm, which had 874 a. in Itchingfield (excluding
woodland) in 1889, reduced to 747 a. in 1890. By
1900, however, the parish had reverted to small and
medium-sized farms, one of 326 a. and one of 263 a.,
5 between 100 a. and 200 a., and 21 between 10 a. and
100 a., the median being 44 a. (fn. 84) In 1950 4 holdings
between 200 a. and 300 a. were returned, and 3
between 150 a. and 200 a., but still 11 between 10 a.
and 100 a. In the later 20th century much of the land
was apparently farmed from outside the parish: thus
farms within the parish returned 2,043 a. in 1950 but
only 1,265 a. in 1968 and 630 ha. (1,557 a.) in 1975.
More than half the land returned in 1975 was owneroccupied; of the 16 holdings, 2 were between 50 ha.
and 100 ha., 2 between 100 ha. and 200 ha., and the
rest under 50 ha. (fn. 85)
Stock returned in 1803 included 210 sheep, 220
cows, young cattle, and colts, but only 8 fatting oxen,
suggesting that dairying was the main livestock
enterprise. Since there were 54 draught horses and
only two draught oxen, horse ploughing was probably more developed than elsewhere in Sussex. (fn. 86)
Perhaps then, and certainly by 1840, the parish was
much more prominently arable than in the 17th century: 1,411 a. were in tillage and only 309 a. meadow
or pasture. (fn. 87) Covenants on the Muntham estate in
the early 19th century restricted corn growing, and
a farmer was sued in 1821 for breaching them. (fn. 88) The
rotation in 1840 was considered to be wheat, oats,
seeds, and fallow. (fn. 89) On Broadbridge farm c. 1870
fallow had been eliminated; rotations of roots, oats or
barley, seeds, and wheat were followed on better
land, and of wheat, seeds, oats, and trefoil on heavy
clay. Altogether more wheat was grown than all other
grains and pulses combined. Roots, cabbages, and
tares were grown for animal feed; 400 Southdowns
and 25-30 Sussex cattle were fattened, and a few
dairy cows were kept. Artificial manures were much
used. (fn. 90)
By 1875 a swing to pastoral farming had begun in
the parish: 411 a. of permanent and 325 a. of rotation
grass were returned, compared with 1,054 a. under
other crops, which in order of importance included
wheat, barley, oats, peas and beans, turnips and
mangel-wurzels, and vetches. Some carrots, cabbages, and rape were grown. Altogether 242 sheep,
52 dairy cows, 222 other cattle (mostly young animals), and 119 pigs were returned. (fn. 91) The acreage of
permanent grass returned increased to 1,078 in 1905
and 1,580 in 1925. Among arable crops oats increased
proportionately at the expense of wheat. Dairying
greatly increased, 332 cows and heifers being returned in 1925, but only 54 sheep. (fn. 92) Eggs were
produced by the Horsham Poultry Producers
Association Ltd. in the 1930s. (fn. 93) By 1950 the usual
swing back to arable had reduced permanent grass to
960 a. Crops grown included 245 a. of wheat, 291 a.
of oats, 34 a. of potatoes and 21 a. of linseed. (fn. 94) In
1965 most holdings were small dairy farms, keeping
mainly Guernseys or Friesians. Three large farms on
the higher ground grew corn, and one farmer irrigated his land with water from the Arun, using an
elaborate system of perforated tubing. (fn. 95) In 1975 the
pattern was probably similar, with barley the chief
corn crop. Egg production and pig keeping were then
noteworthy activities. (fn. 96) By 1985 farms were shifting
to arable, even where land was considered unsuitable. (fn. 97)
In 1851 there were c. 100 farm labourers in the
parish; many were paupers. (fn. 98) It was claimed in 1868
that, though 30 years before there was 'a great
redundancy of labour', no-one had recently been out
of work even in winter for several years. Hours were
shorter, and it took three educated men to perform
tasks formerly done by two ignorant workers. (fn. 99) In
1896 the population was 'purely agricultural', and
in 1903 nearly 99 per cent were said to be wage
earners. (fn. 1)
The woodland yielding 5 swine on Muntham
manor in 1086 (fn. 2) was presumably on the Itchingfield
part of the manor. Some of the woodland for 30
swine on Sullington manor (fn. 3) may also have been in
Itchingfield. The value of woodland later is suggested by a grant by Henry Michelborne of 1,000
cords of wood from Rye farm in 1596. (fn. 4) Much woodland remained in the 19th century. On Sharpenhurst
farm c. 1800, for example, there were 39 a. of woods
including 5 a. of coppice. (fn. 5) In 1840 up to 720 a. of the
parish were woodland, (fn. 6) and 594 a. were estimated as
woods and hedges for rating purposes in 1864. (fn. 7) In
1900 woodland covered 157 a. around Muntham
House, and several farms had woods attached. Some
landlords retained woods in hand, partly for sport. (fn. 8)
Forestry Commission plantations in Shipley, leased
from 1947, provided employment at Barns Green by
1965. (fn. 9) Much woodland survived in Itchingfield in
the later 20th century, especially round Muntham
and Marlands, near Bashurst in the north-west, and
at Shelley's wood north of Sharpenhurst Hill.
Tiles for roofs, flues, and floors were made during
the Roman period, perhaps in the 2nd century, at a
works on Baystone farm in the north-east part of the
parish. (fn. 10) There was a brickyard in the parish in
1850. (fn. 11) Stone for paving was extracted in the late
19th century from pits on the Stammerham and
Broadbridge estates. (fn. 12) Otherwise there is little
evidence of non-agrarian employment. A joiner was
mentioned in 1645 (fn. 13) and a butcher in 1736. (fn. 14) In
1851 there were at Barns Green a grocer, a wheelwright, two shoemakers, and two blacksmiths, and
elsewhere an underwood dealer, a cooper, and two
bricklayers. (fn. 15) A wood-rake maker was listed in 1862,
and two were listed in 1882. (fn. 16) In 1896 there were a
builder, a cobbler, a wheelwright, and a blacksmith,
and two or three shops at Barns Green. (fn. 17) Two shops
and a garage were there in 1965, besides a weaver and
until 1973 or later a sculptor. In 1985 there were a
newsagent, a post office and stores, a filling station,
and a rusted-chassis repairer. Many parishioners
were still in domestic service in the 1960s. (fn. 18)