From an article by Hubert Bates, whose family had been watchmakers in Cuckfield since 1790:

Also at Anstye is a fine old period Sussex farmhouse known as Anstye's Farm. The interior is rich in oak and in one bedroom a stone Tudor arch spanning a wide hearth exists. Anstye is a fine setting for a ghost and is said to be haunted at night by an exhausted and unusual looking male figure which walks up the lane probing in the hedge with a rake in search of lost deeds hidden centuries ago in a hole in the bank by the roadside.

He carries a leathern satchell slung across his shoulders.

Close by the route taken by this ghostly visitor was the cottage home of Sir Harry Preston, who lies buried in the parish churchyard.

From an article by Hubert Bates, whose family had been watchmakers in Cuckfleld since 1790.

From Picturesque West Sussex and its borders No 7 - Cuckfield by AR Hodges, West Sussex County Times 22 July 1938

Contributed by Malcolm Davison.

Illustration created by AI, Bing Image Creator

Alison Markwick posted on the Cuckfield Gossip Facebook on 25 June 2023:'Wow, this has triggered a memory as I actually saw this man in about 1972. I thought he was a vagrant looking for something in the hedgerow, but as I got closer to him, he turned his head to face me and vanished!'

Visit Cuckfield Museum, follow the link for details https://cuckfieldmuseum.org.