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 eventsYear ADDevelopments in and around Cowfold
Romans left Britain; Aelle and his Saxons conquered Downland area of Sussex470The Weald, including the Cowfold area, remains heavily forested and uninhabited
Chichester Cathedral founded681
770Settlement of Henfield had a manor in its own right; herdsmen were starting to open up the Weald during this period
Reign of Alfred the Great871 to 899
Norman Conquest1066
Domesday Book; includes entries for Henfield1086
1200 to 1300Emergence of Cowfold and listing of manorial holdings of Beeding, Ewhurst, Shermanbury, Stretham and Wallhurst
1210Cowfold appears on a record as a Vill - a permanent village settlement
Magna Carta1215
1232The 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
1233Grant by Henry III for Horsham Fair
1270 to 1307Building of Chancel of Church
1291Taxation of Pope Nicholas IV: ecclesiastical valuation includes reference to a church in Cowfold
1296, 1327 and 1332Wyndham (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 1400Rebuilding of Wealden homes; Capons Farm was established between 1300 and 1330
Famine1315 to 17
Start of 100 Years War1337
1341Nona Inquisition, taken at Lewes: account of the tithe of one ninth of (Cowfold) parish produce
1344King Edward lll presented a vicar to Cowfold
Black Death1348 to 49
1373 to 74Customal of Manor of Stretham; reference to house and yardland in Cowfold and deer chace
Peasants' Revolt1381
1400 to 1500Building of Nave and Tower of Church; font installed in 1481
1419St Peter's Church given a salaried Chaplain
1450By the mid century, there were three bells in the Church
Start of War of The Roses1455
Reign of Henry VIII1509 to 1547Building of South Aisle of Church
1519The vicarage comes under the See of Chichester entitling the Bishop of Chichester to a pension of £4.6s.8d
1530sThomas Nelond brass transferred from Lewes Priory to Cowfold
1535The Vicarage Tithes were worth £10.6s.3d
1536Building of Averys Barn (dismantled in 1980 and reconstructed at Weald and Downland Living Museum in 1988)
Reign of Elizabeth I1558 to 1603
1558St Peter's Church registers begin
1586 to 87Licences issued to curates or readers to teach
1592Petition is made for an extra teacher
1603The vicar of Cowfold,Roger Scott, was appointed embalmer for King James l; there were 200 communicants in the Parish
1635Terrier 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 War1642 to 1651
1650sOriginal Red Lion Public House established
1653The Vestry Committee refused to contribute to a relief fund for Marlborough, Wiltshire which had been largely destroyed by fire
1657A female Quaker was imprisoned in Horsham for objecting to the life and doctrine of the Vicar of Cowfold, George Vinter
Act of Settlement1662Little house by the churchyard built
Great Fire of London1666Cowfold contributed to the relief fund for the Great Fire of London
1682Church Pannells (also referred to as "Panels") - first record names of 35 farms and properties in Cowfold
1690The overseer of the poor paid to employ a family at spinning
1714The death of Richard Peirce, aged 94, who had been a Royalist and fought at the battle of Edgehill in 1642
1721 to 1815Cowfold cricket team played at Oakendene
1724Four bells in the Church Tower; there were 60 families in the Parish
1735A legacy of £35 from Cecile Heald created a charity for the poor to provide bread at Easter
1743Frithlands Cottage (now the site of Brooklands in Picts Lane) built
1750Dr Burton rides from Horsham to Shermanbury
1765'Shophouse' (later Bacon's Stores) in existence
1771Land enclosed to build Chates; land occupied by Wood Grange and Noah's Ark CafŽe (now Southern Motors) enclosed by Elizabeth Weekes
1771Trust assumes responsibility for Handcross to Henfield turnpike
1772House built on site of Knight's Bakery
1773Seven inmates of the Poor House died in an epidemic of Putrid Fever
United States Declaration of Independence1776
French Revolution1789 to 1799
1790Old Butcher's Shop in existence on West Grinstead Road
1792Turnpiking of Horsham to Crabtree road
Late 1700sAccount of smugglers living at Burnt House, Coneys Farm and Eelsfoot (or Hills Foot)
1772 to 1840New 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
1791A man was penalised for destroying the Parish's punative stocks
1799An itinerant negro was found dead on the road on 16 July
1801The population was 601, with 85 dwellings and 121 families
1803The workhouse poor were set to work at cording and spinning flax and hemp
1811The population was 614, with 124 dwellings
1813 to 14Establishment of National School by Reverend Richard Constable on glebe land opposite current Brook Farm
Battle of Waterloo; Jane Austen publishes "Emma"1815
1819There were four schools in the parish
1820s to 1930sMembers of Gravely family are doctors in the village
1822The population was 822
1824 to 25New road built connecting Ansty, Cowfold, West Grinstead and Billingshurst (A272)
Stockton and Darlington Railway is opened1825
Labourers' Revolt1830The 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 Empire1833
Tolpuddle Martyrs transported1834
1835The National School in Cowfold had 76 boy pupils. There were three Dame schools and one girls boarding school
1836Small school established in Church Farm House (but closed by 1851)
Reign of Queen Victoria1837 to 1901
1839Quarter of village still woodland
1840Tithe Map published
1841Sherlock'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
1843John Martin of Godshill engaged as paid police constable in village
1844The vestry committee discussed selling the Poor House
1848St 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
1851Brick field and kiln at Brick-Kiln Cottages (on the Horsham Road) cited in census
1851Beer dispensed from cottage at corner of Eastlands Lane that became the Hare and Hounds; in the 1851 census, the population was 975
1852Public 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
1853Fowlers established
1854Little house sold for £150 by Thomas and James Leppard
1858Cowfold Grammar School established at Wood Grange (closed at the end of 19th century)
1860Mary Constable, widow of Reverend Richard Constable, is 102 years old
1861Arrival of railway branch line from Horsham through West Grinstead and Partridge Green to Shoreham; in the 1861 census, the population was 946
1864Five bells at the Church
1865The Workhouse was leased as a school, reading room and almshouse; Improvements made to churchyard drains
1867There were five shopkeepers in the village and a boys boarding school at Steyne House
1870Site identified for New National school on site of Potter's House, which was to be for boys, girls and infants
1871Census 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
1876St Peter's School built on its current site; Cowfold has a public reading room
1876 to 1878The old vicarage was demolished and a new vicarage built
1877 to 1883Building and consecration of St Hugh's Charterhouse
1877It 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
1878Complaints were received regarding the excessive traffic caused by the construction of the monastery
1879Cowfold was provided with street lighting
School attendance made compulsary for five to ten year olds1880
1881In the 1881 census, the population was 1,042
1883There 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
1887Sprinks Stores opened
1888Farren 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
1891In the 1891 census, the population was 935
1891 to 1894New sewage scheme established
First gramophone record1894
1894Formation of Cowfold Football Club; a new burial ground was consecrated at the Church
1895Parish Council formed following Local Government Act of 1894 and became part of Horsham Rural District Council
1896Village Hall built by Fowlers and donated by F D Godman
1897The new Churchyard (that contains four Commonwealth War Graves) was consecrated
1898Fowlers began building houses down the eastern side of the Henfield Road
1900The Jolly Farmer ceased to exist
1901School became C of E School (later St Peter's C of E School); in the 1901 census, the population was 968
1903The vicarage was sold for £5,500, becoming a private house called Hampsteel
1904A new vicarage was built at a cost of £2,285
1905Cowfold Cricket Club recorded; still active in 1984. The sixth bell in St Peter's belfry was added - the gift of F D Godman.
1909Classroom added at school, with separate lobbies for boys, girls and infants; Cowfold and Shermanbury map published
1911In the 1911 census, the population was 1,152
1913Cowfold has 17 shops and businesses
1913Repairs made to Church Pannells (also referred to as "Panels")
1914Clock House built
First World War1914 to 18Over 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 began1922
Milky Way introduced1923
1926Alms houses bought by Margaret Norris to be let to the elderly of the parish
1927Electricity comes to the village
1928There were 70 monks at St Hughs
1930St 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
1932St Peters School had 145 pupils aged 5 to 14 years
Gatwick Airport opens; BBC Television starts broadcasting1936
1936The circus was in the village and two elephants escaped
1938Piped water installed in the village; there were 10 shopkeepers
1938Telephone exchange installed
c1938Sewage works built on site in Eastlands Lane used as sewage farm since 1890s
Pre-warLarge number of houses built by Fowlers on Henfield Road between the village and Bulls Bridge
Second World War1939 to 45
1939The population was around 1,100; Croydon School evacuated to Cowfold
1945Playing 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
1949Peacocks' Stores closed; completion of (fourteen) council houses in Fairfield Cottages. (The bungalows overlooking the Playing Field were built around 1954.)
1950sThornden, Barleycroft, Oakfield Road and Fairfield Cottages houses built
School dinners made compulsory1952School became Primary School
Coronation of Elizabeth II1953Coronation was watched on four televisions in the Church
1958 to 59St Peter's Close houses were built
1960The 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 62School rebuilt
1966Closure of Horsham to Shoreham railway line (including West Grinstead station); the 14th Century house, Godshill, burnt down
Man walks on the Moon1969
1970School swimming pool built
The first email was sent 1971In the 1971 census, the population was 1,399
1976Sports Pavilion (ex-Army building) erected on the Playing Field
1977Silver 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.
1981Village had 10 shops and three garages; in the 1981 census, the population was 1,259
1981 to 82Repairs made to Church Pannells (also referred to as "Panels")
1982Edward 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.)
1984St Peter's School has 76 pupils aged 5 to 11 years
First mobile phone call made1985Acorn Avenue estate built
1988Farren's Garage closed
c 1990Petrol filling station at Noah's Ark garage closed.
1993Cowfold Bakery closed
1994/5Oakendene Industrial Estate was awarded the Best Kept Industrial Estate Award, which it won for the next two years.
1995 to 2000The 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.
1997Alley Groves and Holm Oaks housing developments
2001In the 2001 census, the population was 1,864, with 729 dwellings; the Millenium map was hand-stitched by members of the WI
2002New Surgery
2005New Scout Hut was built, following the burning down of the old hut in 2002
2009Cowfold Village History Society formed
2010Air pollution monitoring station installed outside Village Hall in October.
2011In the 2011 census, the population was 1,904
2014Co-op relocated to the old Red Lion (Coach House) premises.
2015Closure of post office.
2018New 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.