History of Chesworth Farm

There is a long history of human habitation on Chesworth Farm, dating back to 200 BC, with evidence of an Iron Age farmstead. Traces of Roman occupation have also been found, pre-dating a Saxon farm, dated at around 700 AD.

Over the centuries the various fields around the farm have produced a range of crops and there appears to have been a predominance of root vegetables grown. It is likely that much of this would have been used as fodder for livestock, including potatoes and turnips for cattle and horses.

Part of William I’s royal estate since 1086, ‘Cheseworthe’ as a hunting lodge became favoured by royalty for the next few centuries. In the Tudor period, under the ownership of the Dukes of Norfolk, the reputation of the estate, including Chesworth Farm, Chesworth House and part of Denne Hill, reached new heights. Henry VIII visited in 1519  and his fifth wife, Katherine Howard, lived at Chesworth House from the age of about 13.

Most of the fields and hedgerows seen today are evident on a map dated 1724, when the farm was part of a large private estate owned by the wealthy Eversfield family.

In the 20th century, between the wars, Chesworth Farm itself was separated from Chesworth House and sold to the Francis family. They farmed it until Horsham District Council purchased 37 hectares of the site in 1992. Since then, it has been managed as a countryside site for wildlife conservation and public access.