Editing Cuckfield (section)

== History ==

Before the modern local government system came into operation in the late 19th century it was described as being "in the [[hundred (country subdivision)|hundred]] of Buttinghill, in the [[Rape (county subdivision)|rape]] of [[Lewes]]". The civil parish covers an area of 431.58&nbsp;ha (1066&nbsp;acres), and had a population of 3,266 persons in the 2001 census, increasing to 3,500<ref name=ONS/> at the 2011 Census.

The origin of the name, Cuckfield (earlier spelled Kukefeld, Cucufeld, and Cucufelda), is debated but it is generally associated with the [[cuckoo]] which is the village emblem.

The village grew as a [[market town]]; and an important [[coaching inn|coaching]] stop between London and [[Brighton]], since it lay on the [[toll road|turnpike]]. In 1820, 50 coaches a day were passing through; but when the [[Brighton Main Line|railway]] to Brighton was to be constructed in the 1840s, local landowners objected to its projected route: it was therefore built through neighbouring [[Haywards Heath]] instead. The village lost its importance as a result. Today the [[A272 road]] also bypasses the village centre.

It became an [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]] in 1894 under the [[Local Government Act 1894]], and was greatly enlarged in 1934 under a [[Local Government Act 1929|County Review Order]] by adding part of [[Chailey]] [[Rural District]], Cuckfield Rural District (including the parish of [[Lindfield, West Sussex|Lindfield]]) and [[Haywards Heath]] Urban District.

The Parish Council, Cuckfield Museum and village library reside within the Queen's Hall, built in 1897 to celebrate [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria's]] [[Diamond Jubilee]]. The [[Holy Trinity Church, Cuckfield|parish church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity]], has [[Normans|Norman]] foundations, although the building itself is 13th century. The [[lych gate]]s are [[listed building]]s and several of the [[stained glass]] windows as well as the pulpit and the ceiling's painting were designed by [[Charles Eamer Kempe]] (1837–1907).

In 1822, [[Mary Ann Mantell]], wife of [[Gideon Mantell]], found the first known [[iguanodon]] fossils among many others close to Cuckfield at [[Whitemans Green]], where a monument to him now stands though the quarry from where he acquired them is long gone.<ref name=BurtonThesis>{{cite book|last1=Burton|first1=Alex|title=A Taphonomic Study of the Wealden Beds of Southern Britain|date=May 1998|location=Cambridge University|url=http://wealdentaphonomy.webs.com/cuckfield.htm|access-date=10 October 2015|chapter=Cuckfield|archive-date=13 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213010222/http://wealdentaphonomy.webs.com/cuckfield.htm|url-status=dead}} The author writes: It is also of note here that there is a great deal of material collected by Mantell recorded in museum catalogues simply as having come from Tilgate Forest. It is highly likely that all of this came from Cuckfield (S.D. Chapman, pers. comm.). The fact that this has not been specifically recorded may reflect the fact that in his publications Mantell was habitually no more specific, perhaps because he did not consider it necessary. By saying that his fossils had come from Tilgate Forest, Mantell was actually being quite specific about the stratigraphic unit and area they had come from. The strata exposed in the quarry at Whiteman’s Green were collectively referred to by Mantell as ‘Strata of Tilgate Forest’.</ref><ref name="Dean">{{cite book|last1=Dean|first1=Dennis R.|title=Gideon Mantell and the Discovery of Dinosaurs|date=1999|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=48|quote=In actuality, however, his famous Tilgate Forest consisted of two adjacent quarries at Whiteman's Green just north of Cuckfield.}}</ref> He also features in the town's museum. Other attractions include the [[Elizabethan]] stately home, Cuckfield Park, to the west of the village. Cuckfield Park is reputedly haunted by its former resident Anne Pritchard Sergison, who was known to the locals as 'Wicked Dame Sergison', and who died in 1748.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lawrence, Ruth|title=Ghostly Stories from The Cuckfield : Sussex Living Magazine|url=http://sussexliving.com/ghostly-stories-from-cuckfield/|publisher=Sussex Living Magazine|access-date=22 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140726062557/http://sussexliving.com/ghostly-stories-from-cuckfield/|archive-date=26 July 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Guy Fawkes Night|Bonfire Night]] celebrations are held here. Another Elizabethan house, [[Ockenden Manor]], is a hotel and restaurant which has had one star from the [[Michelin Guide]] in 2001 and again 2004–2016.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Harmer |first1=Janet |title=Michelin removes stars from 16 restaurants |url=https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/368698/michelin-removes-stars-from-16-restaurants |access-date=28 March 2019 |work=The Caterer |date=3 October 2016}}</ref>