History of Norton Heath Common

The next significant date is the  7^th January 1909. On this day Norton Heath was designated a Common under the 1899 Commons Act by the Rural District Council of Ongar.  Under this agreement the Council agreed to protect and improve the Common and safeguard it against any encroachment.  The local community was given free access across the land and rights were also given for the “privilege of playing games”.

Between 1910 and 1920 the heath was used for gravel extraction to create the new turnpike road now the A414. This resulted in the numerous ephemeral and permanent ponds which exist across the common today. This extraction must have had a serious impact on use of the common making access much more difficult? But it was probably very good for the wildlife. This is reflected in a 1913 account of a field trip by the Essex Field Club. (Willmott et al. 1913). In it the authors described the surface of the heath as being disturbed by shallow excavations for gravel and that the resulting swampy heath and shallow pools “should prove happy hunting grounds for botanists”.  The authors go on to list the array of heathland plants that were found and these included Common Milkwort Polygala vulgaris, Heath Bedstraw Galium saxatile, Heather Calluna vulgaris and Lousewort Pedicularis sylvatica to name but a few. 

There is evidence that there was active enforcement of the byelaws. On 15 May 1920, four persons were summoned for drawing caravans onto the heath. It involved travelling showman on their way from Hertfordshire to Maldon and they had with them seven vans and twelve horses. The byelaws appear to have been enforced by Arthur Smith, the Norton Heath blacksmith!

By 1936 we find that trees were being planted on Norton Heath 'Green' to commemorate King George V’s Silver Jubilee and at this point woodland succession must have begun at a pace.

In 1973 with local government reorganisation Epping Forest District Council became trustees and guardians of the Common and by 1988 Countrycare arrived on the scene.

For the last 20 years Countrycare staff and volunteers have been carrying out small scale works on the Common involving pond, woodland and access work. For example, in 2002 access improvement works were undertaken that included the construction of a board walk and pond revetment on a path running from east to west across the Common. 

In 2007 and 2008 larger scale management works have been undertaken to open up the canopy of the wood. This has involved the felling of 60 oak trees of varying age and size. See Norton Heath Common Restoration for more details.