Editing Hawkhurst (section)

=== Iron industry ===

The village is located towards the Eastern end of the Weald, where iron has been produced from Roman times.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/historicalgeogra00delarich/historicalgeogra00delarich_djvu.txt|title=Internet Archive|last=Delany|first=M.C.|author2=Mary Cecilia Delany|year=1921|work=The historical geography of the Wealden iron industry|publisher=Benn Brothers Ltd, London|pages=25|access-date=21 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.openplaques.org/places/gb/areas/hawkhurst|title=Open Plaques|work=Hawkhurst|pages=Note #1470|access-date=21 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725195211/http://www.openplaques.org/places/gb/areas/hawkhurst|archive-date=25 July 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Weald produced over a third of all iron in Britain, and over 180 sites have been found across the Weald. [[Ironstone]] was taken from clay beds, then heated with charcoal from the abundant woods in the area. The iron was used to make everything from Roman ships to medieval cannon, and many of the Roman roads in the area were built to transport the iron. [[William Penn]], founder of the state of [[Pennsylvania]], is erroneously claimed to have owned ironworks at Hawkhurst.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livingplaces.com/PA/Pennsylvania_Forges_and_Furnaces.html|title=Living Places|last=The Gombach Group|date=1997–2007|work=Pennsylvania Forges and Furnaces|publisher=Julia Gombach|access-date=21 August 2009}}</ref> The industry eventually declined during the industrial revolution of the 18th Century, when coal became the preferred method of heating, and could not be found nearby.