Editing Cuckfield

{{Short description|Village and parish in West Sussex, England}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2009}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name            = Cuckfield
| country                  = England
| civil_parish             = Cuckfield
| region                   = South East England
| static_image_name        = HighStreetCuckfield.jpg
| static_image_caption     = Cuckfield High Street
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="WSCC2001">{{cite web|url=http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/communityandliving/census2001/pop_parish_summary.pdf |title=2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish |publisher=West Sussex County Council |access-date=7 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608075926/http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/communityandliving/census2001/pop_parish_summary.pdf |archive-date=8 June 2011 |df=dmy }}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 4.32
| population               = 3,266
| population_ref           = <ref name="WSCC2001" /> [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 Census]]<br>  3,500  (2011 Census)<ref name=ONS>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11122524&c=Cuckfield&d=16&e=62&g=6474788&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1475071075781&enc=1|title=Civil Parish population 2011|access-date=28 September 2016|publisher=Office for National Statistics |work=Neighbourhood Statistics}}</ref>
| population_density       = {{convert|757|/km2|/sqmi|abbr=on}}
| os_grid_reference        = TQ305245
| coordinates              = {{coord|51.0096|-0.1407|display=inline,title}}
| label_position           = top
| post_town                = Haywards Heath
| postcode_area            = RH
| postcode_district        = RH17
| dial_code                = 01444
| constituency_westminster = [[Mid Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Sussex]]
| london_distance          = {{convert|34|mi}} [[Boxing the compass|N]]
| shire_district           = [[Mid Sussex District|Mid Sussex]]
| shire_county             = [[West Sussex]]
| website                  = 
}}
'''Cuckfield''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ʊ|k|f|iː|l|d}} {{respell|KUUK|feeld}}) is a village and [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the [[Mid Sussex District|Mid Sussex]] District of [[West Sussex]], England, on the southern slopes of the [[Weald]]. It lies {{convert|34|mi|km|0}} south of London, {{convert|13|mi|km|0}} north of [[Brighton]], and {{convert|31|mi|km|0}} east northeast of the county town of [[Chichester]]. Nearby towns include [[Haywards Heath]] to the southeast and [[Burgess Hill]] to the south. It is surrounded on the other sides by the parish of [[Ansty and Staplefield]] formerly known as Cuckfield Rural.

[[Aumale]] in Normandy has been a [[Twin towns and sister cities|twin town]] since 1993<ref name=aumale>{{cite web|title=Aumale|url=http://www.cuckfield.org/page.php?pg=240|website=Cuckfield village life online|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref> and [[Karlstadt am Main|Karlstadt]] in Bavaria since 1998.<ref name=CEA>{{cite web|title=Cuckfield European Association|url=http://www.cuckfield.org/page.php?pg=56|website=Cuckfield Village life online|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref>

Cuckfield is known locally for its idiosyncratic system of mayoral voting; unlimited numbers of votes can be purchased for the price of one penny each, with the winner receiving the most votes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jdawiseman.com/papers/electsys/unusual-electoral-systems.html|title=Unusual electoral systems|website=www.jdawiseman.com}}</ref> The position is purely honorary and the money raised supports local charities.

== 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>

== Schools ==

Cuckfield is home to [[Warden Park Secondary Academy]], one of the main secondary schools serving the Haywards Heath area and to Holy Trinity CE (A) Primary School,<ref name="holytrinityschool">{{Cite web|url=http://www.holytrinity-cuckfield.w-sussex.sch.uk/web|title=Holy Trinity CE (A) Primary School|website=www.holytrinity-cuckfield.w-sussex.sch.uk}}</ref> Cuckfield.  The latter is one of the oldest schools in the country; it was founded in the early 1500s as the local grammar school.<ref name="archives-school">{{cite web|title=CUCKFIELD: Grammar School and National School|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/0d1bcce3-64f8-4b76-b32b-4dcd1a662120#95|website=The National Archives|access-date=24 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="county-history">{{cite book|title=A History of the County of Sussex, volume 7, The Rape of Lewes|date=1940|pages=147–163|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=56940|access-date=24 April 2017|language=en}}</ref>  The founder was Edward Flower, a London [[merchant tailor]] in about 1512 and endowed by his will in 1521 with lands in [[Westerham]] and £100 to be laid out in other lands.  Other endowments were added, but in 1589, the original endowment was leased at a perpetual rent of £20.  In consequence in 1819, the schoolmaster had an income of a mere £28.8s.0d.  In 1844, as a result of local discontent, the [[Court of Chancery]] made a scheme reorganising the school like a [[National school (England and Wales)|National School]] and the existing National School (established in 1812) was discontinued.  The teaching of [[Latin]] and Greek were discontinued and the fees fixed at a maximum of a [[shilling]].  The teacher no longer had to be a [[clergyman]].

In 1886, the National Society gave £15 and the school formally became a National School.  A proposal to rebuild the school between 1935 and 1950, and money collected for this was returned to the donors.  The school was reorganised again in 1964 under the [[Diocese of Chichester|Chichester]]  [[Diocesan Board of Finance]].  In 1991, the school was rebuilt on a new site.<ref name="archives-school"/>  The old school was acquired by the church in 1992 for use as a church hall.<ref name="church-school">{{cite web|title=The Old School - Holy Trinity Church Cuckfield|url=http://www.holytrinitycuckfield.org/heritage/the-old-school/|website=Holy Trinity Church Cuckfield|access-date=24 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="canon-cooper">{{cite book|last1=Cooper|first1=Wilbraham V.|last2=Cooper|first2=James Hughes|title=A history of the parish of Cuckfield ...|date=1912|publisher=C. Clarke|location=Haywards Heath|pages=128–148|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/0090417777|access-date=24 April 2017|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

[[File:Kingsleys, Cuckfield.jpg|thumb|Kingsleys (formerly Attrees), where the Victorian novelist [[Henry Kingsley]] lived]]

==Notable people==
{{main category|People from Cuckfield}}
* [[Natasha Bedingfield]] (born 1981 in Cuckfield) – singer, songwriter and record producer
* [[Daniel Betts]] (born 1971 in Cuckfield) – actor
* [[Ross Chisholm (rugby union)|Ross Chisholm]] (born 1990 in Cuckfield) – [[Harlequin F.C.|Harlequins]] rugby player
* [[Hermione Cockburn]] (born 1973) – geologist and broadcaster, was brought up in the village<ref>{{cite news|title=TV's Hermione Cockburn supports plastic bag free Cuckfield campaign|url=http://www.westsussextoday.co.uk/news/county-news/latest-news/tv-s-hermione-cockburn-supports-plastic-bag-free-cuckfield-campaign-1-687447|work=West Sussex Gazette|date=13 July 2010|access-date=28 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826113126/http://www.westsussextoday.co.uk/news/county-news/latest-news/tv-s-hermione-cockburn-supports-plastic-bag-free-cuckfield-campaign-1-687447|archive-date=26 August 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Tommy Cook (sportsman)|Tommy Cook]] (1901–50) – [[Sussex County Cricket Club|Sussex]] cricketer and [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]] and England footballer, born in Cuckfield<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/11286.html |title=England &#124; Players &#124; Thomas Cook|publisher=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=20 January 2012}}</ref>
* [[Kirsten Cooke]] (born 1952 in Cuckfield) – actress
* [[Alfred Denning, Baron Denning]] (1899–1999) resided in Cuckfield from 1935 until 1963
* [[Dom Dwyer]] (born 1990 in Cuckfield) – footballer who plays for [[Orlando City SC|Orlando City]] and the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States men's national team]]
* [[Tara Fitzgerald]] (born 1967 in Cuckfield) – actress
* The brothers [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward]],<ref>{{cite web|author=Interview by Jonathan Sale |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-edward-fox-actor-800906.html |title=Passed/Failed: An education in the life of Edward Fox, actor – Profiles – People |work=The Independent |date=27 March 2008 |access-date=20 January 2012}}</ref> [[James Fox|James]] (both actors) and [[Robert Fox (producer)|Robert Fox]] (a producer) all grew up in the village; their mother died there in 1999
* [[Sally Geeson]] (born 1950) – actress, best remembered for her role in the British sitcom ''[[Bless This House (British TV series)|Bless This House]]'' with [[Sid James]] was born in the village<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.movieweb.com/person/sally-geeson |title=Sally Geeson |publisher=Movieweb.com |access-date=20 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826161903/http://www.movieweb.com/person/sally-geeson |archive-date=26 August 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Dominic Glynn]] (born 1960 in Cuckfield) – composer of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' between 1986 and 1989
* [[Mike Hazlewood]] (1941–2001) – singer, songwriter and composer, born in Cuckfield
* [[Henry Kingsley]] (1830–1876) – novelist, lived in Cuckfield for his last two years<ref>AA Phillips, '[http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050039b.htm Kingsley, Henry (1830–1876)]', ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 5, Melbourne University Press, 1974, pp 32–33; Retrieved 19 October 2017</ref>
* [[Nancy Osbaldeston]] (born 1989) – ballet dancer and principal dancer of [[Royal Ballet of Flanders]]
* [[Charles Sergison]] (1655–1732) – owner of Cuckfield Park
* [[Katie Stewart]] (1934–2013) – British cookery writer, lived for many decades and died in Cuckfield
* [[Jamie Theakston]] (born 1970 in Cuckfield) – television presenter, producer, and actor.
*[[Nick Van Eede]] (born 1958 in Cuckfield) – lead vocalist and co-founder of the British-based band [[Cutting Crew]]
* [[Thomas Vicars]] (1589–1638) – 17th-century theologian, Vicar of Holy Trinity, Cuckfield (1622–1638)<ref name=compendium>{{cite web|title=Vicars of Holy Trinity Church|url=http://cuckfieldcompendium.co.uk/vicars-of-holy-trinity-church/|website=Cuckfield Compendium|access-date=20 May 2015}}</ref>
* [[James Vince]] (born 1991 in Cuckfield) – [[Hampshire County Cricket Club|Hampshire]] and England cricketer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/296597.html |title=England &#124; Players &#124; James Vince |publisher=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=20 January 2012}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Cuckfield}}
*[http://cuckfieldcompendium.co.uk Cuckfield Compendium]
*[https://www.cuckfieldconnections.org.uk Cuckfield Connections]
*[http://www.visionwebsites.co.uk/Contents/Text/Index.asp?SiteId=193&SiteExtra=16180896&TopNavId=385&NavSideId=1838 Cuckfield Parish Council]

{{Mid Sussex}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in West Sussex]]
[[Category:Market towns in West Sussex]]
[[Category:Mid Sussex District]]