Here is a timeline of notable developments in and around Cowfold from 470AD up to the present day.
Please let us know if you think that any of the dates are incorrect or we have missed out something important!
| Significant historical events | Year AD | Developments in and around Cowfold |
|---|---|---|
| Romans left Britain; Aelle and his Saxons conquered Downland area of Sussex | 470 | The Weald, including the Cowfold area, remains heavily forested and uninhabited |
| Chichester Cathedral founded | 681 | |
| 770 | Settlement of Henfield had a manor in its own right; herdsmen were starting to open up the Weald during this period | |
| Reign of Alfred the Great | 871 to 899 | |
| Norman Conquest | 1066 | |
| Domesday Book; includes entries for Henfield | 1086 | |
| 1200 to 1300 | Emergence of Cowfold and listing of manorial holdings of Beeding, Ewhurst, Shermanbury, Stretham and Wallhurst | |
| 1210 | Cowfold appears on a record as a Vill - a permanent village settlement | |
| Magna Carta | 1215 | |
| 1232 | The first named reference to Cowfold in an agreement between the Priory of Sele at Upper Beeding and the Nunnery of Rusper, which was witnessed, amongst others, by William, chaplain of Cowfauld | |
| 1233 | Grant by Henry III for Horsham Fair | |
| 1270 to 1307 | Building of Chancel of Church | |
| 1291 | Taxation of Pope Nicholas IV: ecclesiastical valuation includes reference to a church in Cowfold | |
| 1296, 1327 and 1332 | Wyndham (Wineham) Hundred: references to taxpayers with names which can be linked to present properties - Arnald (Arnold's, now Capons); de Waylse (Welches, now Longhouse?); de Gosedenn (probably now Gorsedene in Mill Lane); de Pettesgat (Peppersgate?); de Hoggynden or Okindenne; Godhyer; Gudzer (Goodgers?); de Walehurst (or Wallhurst); Pyteknolle (Picknowle , now Parkminster); le Kyng | |
| 1300 to 1400 | Rebuilding of Wealden homes; Capons Farm was established between 1300 and 1330 | |
| Famine | 1315 to 17 | |
| Start of 100 Years War | 1337 | |
| 1341 | Nona Inquisition, taken at Lewes: account of the tithe of one ninth of (Cowfold) parish produce | |
| 1344 | King Edward lll presented a vicar to Cowfold | |
| Black Death | 1348 to 49 | |
| 1373 to 74 | Customal of Manor of Stretham; reference to house and yardland in Cowfold and deer chace | |
| Peasants' Revolt | 1381 | |
| 1400 to 1500 | Building of Nave and Tower of Church; font installed in 1481 | |
| 1419 | St Peter's Church given a salaried Chaplain | |
| 1450 | By the mid century, there were three bells in the Church | |
| Start of War of The Roses | 1455 | |
| Reign of Henry VIII | 1509 to 1547 | Building of South Aisle of Church |
| 1519 | The vicarage comes under the See of Chichester entitling the Bishop of Chichester to a pension of £4.6s.8d | |
| 1530s | Thomas Nelond brass transferred from Lewes Priory to Cowfold | |
| 1535 | The Vicarage Tithes were worth £10.6s.3d | |
| 1536 | Building of Averys Barn (dismantled in 1980 and reconstructed at Weald and Downland Living Museum in 1988) | |
| Reign of Elizabeth I | 1558 to 1603 | |
| 1558 | St Peter's Church registers begin | |
| 1586 to 87 | Licences issued to curates or readers to teach | |
| 1592 | Petition is made for an extra teacher | |
| 1603 | The vicar of Cowfold,Roger Scott, was appointed embalmer for King James l; there were 200 communicants in the Parish | |
| 1635 | Terrier of all glebe land, houses and barns belonging to the Vicary of Cowfold - describes boundaries of church/glebe land and cites a number of features and properties/ property owners of the village, including St Peter's Cottage and the 'Olde Shoppe' block; there were four dwellings on Church Path and a Parish House was built to provide for the poor | |
| Civil War | 1642 to 1651 | |
| 1650s | Original Red Lion Public House established | |
| 1653 | The Vestry Committee refused to contribute to a relief fund for Marlborough, Wiltshire which had been largely destroyed by fire | |
| 1657 | A female Quaker was imprisoned in Horsham for objecting to the life and doctrine of the Vicar of Cowfold, George Vinter | |
| Act of Settlement | 1662 | Little house by the churchyard built |
| Great Fire of London | 1666 | Cowfold contributed to the relief fund for the Great Fire of London |
| 1682 | Church Pannells (also referred to as "Panels") - first record names of 35 farms and properties in Cowfold | |
| 1690 | The overseer of the poor paid to employ a family at spinning | |
| 1714 | The death of Richard Peirce, aged 94, who had been a Royalist and fought at the battle of Edgehill in 1642 | |
| 1721 to 1815 | Cowfold cricket team played at Oakendene | |
| 1724 | Four bells in the Church Tower; there were 60 families in the Parish | |
| 1735 | A legacy of £35 from Cecile Heald created a charity for the poor to provide bread at Easter | |
| 1743 | Frithlands Cottage (now the site of Brooklands in Picts Lane) built | |
| 1750 | Dr Burton rides from Horsham to Shermanbury | |
| 1765 | 'Shophouse' (later Bacon's Stores) in existence | |
| 1771 | Land enclosed to build Chates; land occupied by Wood Grange and Noah's Ark Cafe (now Southern Motors) enclosed by Elizabeth Weekes | |
| 1771 | Trust assumes responsibility for Handcross to Henfield turnpike | |
| 1772 | House built on site of Knight's Bakery | |
| 1773 | Seven inmates of the Poor House died in an epidemic of Putrid Fever | |
| United States Declaration of Independence | 1776 | |
| French Revolution | 1789 to 1799 | |
| 1790 | Old Butcher's Shop in existence on West Grinstead Road | |
| 1792 | Turnpiking of Horsham to Crabtree road | |
| Late 1700s | Account of smugglers living at Burnt House, Coneys Farm and Eelsfoot (or Hills Foot) | |
| 1772 to 1840 | New buildings include Old Steyne House, New Steyne, continuous row of buildings along Church Terrace, houses extend up the east side of the Horsham Road to Brook Hill, Burnt House and Hillsfoot in Burnthouse Lane, two houses on east side of Henfield Road opposite Parkminster, group of houses below the Crabtree | |
| 1791 | A man was penalised for destroying the Parish's punative stocks | |
| 1799 | An itinerant negro was found dead on the road on 16 July | |
| 1801 | The population was 601, with 85 dwellings and 121 families | |
| 1803 | The workhouse poor were set to work at cording and spinning flax and hemp | |
| 1811 | The population was 614, with 124 dwellings | |
| 1813 to 14 | Establishment of National School by Reverend Richard Constable on glebe land opposite current Brook Farm | |
| Battle of Waterloo; Jane Austen publishes "Emma" | 1815 | |
| 1819 | There were four schools in the parish | |
| 1820s to 1930s | Members of Gravely family are doctors in the village | |
| 1822 | The population was 822 | |
| 1824 to 25 | New road built connecting Ansty, Cowfold, West Grinstead and Billingshurst (A272) | |
| Stockton and Darlington Railway is opened | 1825 | |
| Labourers' Revolt | 1830 | The vicarage tithes were £450 a year. The Labourers Revolt had some impact in Cowfold - poor harvests in 1828 & 1829 led to increased unemployment and discontent amongst labourers; a meeting of labourers and farmers was held in the church before moving over to the Red Lion and wages were increased to 2/- a day |
| Slavery banned throughout the British Empire | 1833 | |
| Tolpuddle Martyrs transported | 1834 | |
| 1835 | The National School in Cowfold had 76 boy pupils. There were three Dame schools and one girls boarding school | |
| 1836 | Small school established in Church Farm House (but closed by 1851) | |
| Reign of Queen Victoria | 1837 to 1901 | |
| 1839 | Quarter of village still woodland | |
| 1840 | Tithe Map published | |
| 1841 | Sherlock's shoemaker's shop in premises of Old Butcher's Shop; in the 1841 Census, there was a total of eight shoemakers in the Parish and the population was 943 | |
| 1843 | John Martin of Godshill engaged as paid police constable in village | |
| 1844 | The vestry committee discussed selling the Poor House | |
| 1848 | St Peter's Vicar - W B Otter - received a letter from the coroner; on 17 March the vestry committee was asked to assist H Stoner and his family to emigrate | |
| 1851 | Brick field and kiln at Brick-Kiln Cottages (on the Horsham Road) cited in census | |
| 1851 | Beer dispensed from cottage at corner of Eastlands Lane that became the Hare and Hounds; in the 1851 census, the population was 975 | |
| 1852 | Public Reading Room built; a request to subscribe to a new fire engine for Horsham was refused; on 30 December, it is recorded in the vestry notes that the removal of an unwholesome nuisance standing on the premises of Henry Hall had taken place | |
| 1853 | Fowlers established | |
| 1854 | Little house sold for £150 by Thomas and James Leppard | |
| 1858 | Cowfold Grammar School established at Wood Grange (closed at the end of 19th century) | |
| 1860 | Mary Constable, widow of Reverend Richard Constable, is 102 years old | |
| 1861 | Arrival of railway branch line from Horsham through West Grinstead and Partridge Green to Shoreham; in the 1861 census, the population was 946 | |
| 1864 | Five bells at the Church | |
| 1865 | The Workhouse was leased as a school, reading room and almshouse; Improvements made to churchyard drains | |
| 1867 | There were five shopkeepers in the village and a boys boarding school at Steyne House | |
| 1870 | Site identified for New National school on site of Potter's House, which was to be for boys, girls and infants | |
| 1871 | Census includes reference to Jolly Farmer pub up towards The Crabtree (closed in 1900); the population was 993; one family lived by broom making and 85 residents were domestic servants | |
| 1876 | St Peter's School built on its current site; Cowfold has a public reading room | |
| 1876 to 1878 | The old vicarage was demolished and a new vicarage built | |
| 1877 to 1883 | Building and consecration of St Hugh's Charterhouse | |
| 1877 | It was proposed to erect a statue to the Home Secretary for forbidding the use of traction engines to draw stone for building purposes, including to the monastery site, on the streets of Cowfold | |
| 1878 | Complaints were received regarding the excessive traffic caused by the construction of the monastery | |
| 1879 | Cowfold was provided with street lighting | |
| School attendance made compulsary for five to ten year olds | 1880 | |
| 1881 | In the 1881 census, the population was 1,042 | |
| 1883 | There were 30 monks at St Hughs; a new grand mansion was built at Woldringfold for C B Godman; this was later demolished for the current house | |
| 1887 | Sprinks Stores opened | |
| 1888 | Farren family came to Cowfold; a gift of an organ was made to the Church; the old Red Lion was replaced with the building that is now the Co-op | |
| 1891 | In the 1891 census, the population was 935 | |
| 1891 to 1894 | New sewage scheme established | |
| First gramophone record | 1894 | |
| 1894 | Formation of Cowfold Football Club; a new burial ground was consecrated at the Church | |
| 1895 | Parish Council formed following Local Government Act of 1894 and became part of Horsham Rural District Council | |
| 1896 | Village Hall built by Fowlers and donated by F D Godman | |
| 1897 | The new Churchyard (that contains four Commonwealth War Graves) was consecrated | |
| 1898 | Fowlers began building houses down the eastern side of the Henfield Road | |
| 1900 | The Jolly Farmer ceased to exist | |
| 1901 | School became C of E School (later St Peter's C of E School); in the 1901 census, the population was 968 | |
| 1903 | The vicarage was sold for £5,500, becoming a private house called Hampsteel | |
| 1904 | A new vicarage was built at a cost of £2,285 | |
| 1905 | Cowfold Cricket Club recorded; still active in 1984. The sixth bell in St Peter's belfry was added - the gift of F D Godman. | |
| 1909 | Classroom added at school, with separate lobbies for boys, girls and infants; Cowfold and Shermanbury map published | |
| 1911 | In the 1911 census, the population was 1,152 | |
| 1913 | Cowfold has 17 shops and businesses | |
| 1913 | Repairs made to Church Pannells (also referred to as "Panels") | |
| 1914 | Clock House built | |
| First World War | 1914 to 18 | Over 130 men from the Parish served in the First World War; in 1914, a patriotic meeting was held on Cowfold Playing Field to recruit young men and in 1916 conscription was introduced |
| Radio broadcasting began | 1922 | |
| Milky Way introduced | 1923 | |
| 1926 | Alms houses bought by Margaret Norris to be let to the elderly of the parish | |
| 1927 | Electricity comes to the village | |
| 1928 | There were 70 monks at St Hughs | |
| 1930 | St Peter's Church now has six bells and the Lychgate was built; Catherine Brewer's 100th birthday was on 24 April; the old smithy was demolished and the Godman book was given to the Church | |
| 1932 | St Peters School had 145 pupils aged 5 to 14 years | |
| Gatwick Airport opens; BBC Television starts broadcasting | 1936 | |
| 1936 | The circus was in the village and two elephants escaped | |
| 1938 | Piped water installed in the village; there were 10 shopkeepers | |
| 1938 | Telephone exchange installed | |
| c1938 | Sewage works built on site in Eastlands Lane used as sewage farm since 1890s | |
| Pre-war | Large number of houses built by Fowlers on Henfield Road between the village and Bulls Bridge | |
| Second World War | 1939 to 45 | |
| 1939 | The population was around 1,100; Croydon School evacuated to Cowfold | |
| 1945 | Playing Field donated to the village; a bonfire for the villagers was held on the cricket field in the summer as part of the VE celebrations. | |
| Post-war? | Building of council houses in Oakfield Road | |
| 1949 | Peacocks' Stores closed; completion of (fourteen) council houses in Fairfield Cottages. (The bungalows overlooking the Playing Field were built around 1954.) | |
| 1950s | Thornden, Barleycroft, Oakfield Road and Fairfield Cottages houses built | |
| School dinners made compulsory | 1952 | School became Primary School |
| Coronation of Elizabeth II | 1953 | Coronation was watched on four televisions in the Church |
| 1958 to 59 | St Peter's Close houses were built | |
| 1960 | The doctor's surgery in St Peter's Close was opened by Dr Allen. (Prior to this, he and Dr Dickens held surgery in a bungalow in the garden of the Red House.) | |
| 1961 to 62 | School rebuilt | |
| 1966 | Closure of Horsham to Shoreham railway line (including West Grinstead station); the 14th Century house, Godshill, burnt down | |
| Man walks on the Moon | 1969 | |
| 1970 | School swimming pool built | |
| The first email was sent | 1971 | In the 1971 census, the population was 1,399 |
| 1976 | Sports Pavilion (ex-Army building) erected on the Playing Field | |
| 1977 | Silver Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II was celebrated with a party in the Village Hall on 4 June and a special service was held on 7 June in St Peter's Church, preceded by a procession from the Post Office. | |
| 1981 | Village had 10 shops and three garages; in the 1981 census, the population was 1,259 | |
| 1981 to 82 | Repairs made to Church Pannells (also referred to as "Panels") | |
| 1982 | Edward Southwell Russell, 26th Baron de Clifford was buried in Cowfold graveyard. In 1935, he was the last peer to be tried in the House of Lords for a felony. (He was found not guilty of manslaughter following a car accident.) | |
| 1984 | St Peter's School has 76 pupils aged 5 to 11 years | |
| First mobile phone call made | 1985 | Acorn Avenue estate built |
| 1988 | Farren's Garage closed | |
| c 1990 | Petrol filling station at Noah's Ark garage closed. | |
| 1993 | Cowfold Bakery closed | |
| 1994/5 | Oakendene Industrial Estate was awarded the Best Kept Industrial Estate Award, which it won for the next two years. | |
| 1995 to 2000 | The Parish Council raised the precept by £5 per household for five years to fund five millennium projects, including new children's playground equipment and the re-roofing of the Village Hall. | |
| 1997 | Alley Groves and Holm Oaks housing developments | |
| 2001 | In the 2001 census, the population was 1,864, with 729 dwellings; the Millenium map was hand-stitched by members of the WI | |
| 2002 | New Surgery | |
| 2005 | New Scout Hut was built, following the burning down of the old hut in 2002 | |
| 2009 | Cowfold Village History Society formed | |
| 2010 | Air pollution monitoring station installed outside Village Hall in October. | |
| 2011 | In the 2011 census, the population was 1,904 | |
| 2014 | Co-op relocated to the old Red Lion (Coach House) premises. | |
| 2015 | Closure of post office. | |
| 2018 | New houses built in centre of village on site of Viscount House/Huntscroft and former offices/stores of Fowler Brothers; opening of new Allmond Centre to replace the old Sports Pavilion. |