The Lane TQ290167 to 170 on the O.S. map is clearly shown in the 1795 map. A developer bought land from the farmer who emigrated to Australia. He closed Latchett’s Lane saying that it belonged to the farmer who had stated that the footpath was shown on another old map to be in the field west of the lane. Local residents objected strongly as the Lane had been used as the footpath in all living memory. West Sussex took down the barriers and the developer sued them, October 1984.
In Court the Judge stated that the council had presented the case very badly. The developer had paid the farmer to be brought from Australia to confirm his rights to sell the Lane and the Judge awarded the case to the developer. Money talks!
Hedgerows match the licence dates though I never recorded results there. It is certain to be 13th century. The lane has a constant gradient with fields above on both sides very like Novington Lane, which was clearly a drainage lane 25 pedes wide (in the village, though elsewhere the road has been widened).
In the 1736 map of Washbrooks a broken line is placed alongside the “road” which never existed at Washbrooks, perhaps to show that though he was faithfully copying the older map he wanted to show that it was just a footpath. Could it be that one copier of the Latchetts Lane footpath did a little extra work to please the owner? It doesn’t occur on any other maps. To the best of my knowledge it has never in living memory been used or marked in any way in the field! The fact that it occurs on one map only suggests that it was the whim of the copier of that map! To create the new path the developer had to cut through the old hedge and put up a wire fence and the path was so narrow we found ourselves being brushed by hawthorn! It’s basically unwalkable now.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the hedgerows would enable true justice to take place and the right of way be restored? It was a lovely walk, traffic free!
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