Legend has it that Jack Hayward was a highwayman, who terrorised the local area as he rode the original Heath, connected to Clair Park off Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath.
The legend of his audacious raids have been carried down the centuries by locals, though nothing (and most importantly, no proof or historical document*) can be found online. The tale may have been further embroidered by his rumored association with the notorious 18th century highwayman Dick Turpin (1708-1739), who was a convicted deer poacher, horse thief, burglar and murderer from Essex, who was eventually hanged in York for stealing horses. This association led the Vicar of St Wilfrid’s to put in an unsuccessful bid to rename the town ‘St Wilfrid’s’. The so-called 'Dick Turpin’s Cottage' on Bolnore Road was demolished mid-1880s to make way for the civic buildings.
The name Hayward comes from Old English, meaning "an official who protected hedged enclosures from wandering livestock". Maybe Jack charged an extortionate amount for this service, then was particularly vicious with those who declined.... who knows!
This sign was errected in 2018 to commemorate this local legend.
Under the sign is a small brass plaque; use this to gather your numbers:
A = First line, fourth word
B = Second line, second word
C = Third line, fourth word
D = Fourth line, fifth word
E = number of screws around the outside, minus D
And then, the coordinates are as follows: N51 0.(B-C-E)(B-D)(C-A) W00 0(D+E).(D+E-C)(C-E)(B-E)
Limited parking is available on the roadside for a short period of time, slightly further along the road.
* I am an Ancestry account holder, and the only John Hayward I can find was born in Etchingham, East Sussex in 1659 (and died c.1719). Not a million miles away, but impossible to prove! Slightly tenuous....