From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A weald once meant a dense forest, especially the famous great wood once stretching far beyond the ancient counties of Sussex and Kent, England, where this country of smaller woods is still called "the Weald." Now that most of the forest has been sadly cut down, it may refer to open countryside or to the special clays found in the Weald. The word is another form of the more common wold which means "forest" or "wildlands." Weald descends from an ancient Indo-European root meaning "forest" or "wild." It is closely related to the German Wald and Old Norse völlr, both of which descend from the same Indo-European root; both German and Old Norse are sister languages of English.
As a geographical term, "the Weald" is a particular area in the South of England, that is situated between the chalk hills of the North Downs and South Downs, and that extends across the counties of Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and Surrey.
The High Weald of higher hills, ridges and valleys is part of the Wealden anticline, once layered rock that later rose up and folded upward into an arched incline, as well as steep slopes falling away in certain parts of the area. It covers an area of 500 sq. miles and has been declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Lower parts of the Weald form a gentler rolling countryside which is especially popular with ramblers. Thankfully, the Weald has kept its wooded character to this very day, the forest covering a record 23 per cent still of the countryside, and despite the population pressure in the South of England, it has not resulted in any major urban environment! Small towns such as Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Crawley, Sevenoaks, etc., are local centres which have attracted a certain number of commuters into London without having lost their character of old.
Much of the Weald is the region whence many English yeomen came to settle the lands across the sea which have since become the United States.
Wooded areas other than those which are situated between the Downs and which have the name Weald are North Weald Bassett in Essex, and Harrow Weald in northwest London.
Compare wold, which is a kindred form of weald that now most often means open countryside or moorlands and especially the rolling uplands known in the North of England as the Yorkshire Wolds. These are among the beautiful Yorkshire Dales which veterinarian James Herriot made famous in his nostalgic All Creatures Great and Small and sequels.
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