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WEALD, THE

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 437 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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See also:

WEALD, THE , a See also:district in the See also:south-See also:east of See also:England. It includes the portions of See also:Sussex, See also:Kent and See also:Surrey which are enclosed between the See also:North and South See also:Downs—a district of See also:Lower Cretaceous rocks encircled by Upper Cretaceous hills. It extends from Frensham and See also:Petersfield on the See also:Hampshire See also:borders to the See also:English Channel between See also:Folkestone and East-See also:bourne. With the exception of the easternmost See also:part, it drains by See also:rivers See also:running northward and southward through gaps in the Downs, the origin of which is considered under that heading. The Weald was formerly covered by the See also:forest of Andredesleah or Andredsweald (" the See also:wood or forest without habitations "), which was 120 M. in length and about 30 in greatest .breadth. About 166o the See also:total See also:area under forest was estimated at over 200,000 acres. The See also:chief remains of the See also:ancient forests are Ashdown, St Leonards and Tilgate, and the nomenclature often indicates the former extent of woodland, as in the See also:case of Hurstpierpoint (See also:hurst meaning wood), See also:Midhurst, Fernhurst, Billingshurst, Ashurst and many others. The forests were interspersed with lagoons; and the rainfall being very See also:great caused marshes, but it See also:abated in consequence of the cutting down of the See also:Wealden forests for See also:fuel in the extensive ironworks that formerly existed in the district. The locality best preserving the ancient See also:character of the Weald is the hilly district in the centre, forming a picturesque broken range running east and See also:west under the name of the Forest Ridges. This forms the See also:main See also:water-parting of the Weald, dividing the Vale of Sussex from the Vale of Kent; and was also the seat of the See also:iron See also:industry which was prosecuted by the See also:Romans and probably earlier, reached its highest importance in the 16th and 17th centuries, and was maintained even till the See also:early years of the loth See also:century. The Andredesleah had an early See also:historical See also:interest as forming a See also:physical barrier which kept the South See also:Saxons isolated from other Saxon kingdoms. Descending from over See also:sea upon the coastal district of Sussex, to which they gave name, towards the See also:close of the 5th century, they populated it thickly, and maintained See also:independence, in See also:face of the accretions of the West Saxon See also:kingdom, for upwards of a See also:hundred years.

End of Article: WEALD, THE

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