1700 To The Present Day

 
The early censuses from 1841 onwards all show how much farming dominated the village. In 1851, of a total of 432 inhabitants, there were ten farmers with between 10 and 200 acres each and a total of 1000 acres being farmed and 103 farm labourers. Many of these labourers must have experienced under-employment and poverty. Later censuses show a decline in the number of labourers and evidence of other job opportunities.
 
Poaching was a lively issue during the 19th century. As early as 1795 Thomas Child of Heyshott was fined £20, a very large sum in those days, for using 2 dogs and 'certain engines' to kill and destroy game and for killing a hare in Easebourne. In 1878, in a celebrated case, three Heyshott men were aquitted at Midhurst after being tried on charges of trespassing on Lord Leconfield's land, on Heyshott Common, in search of rabbits.

Their defence lawyer had claimed that the men in Heyshott had a right to take rabbits from the Common in addition to the right to cut turf, although the magistrate did not accept this. The prosecution case was dismissed because they had failed to prove the intent to poach rabbits. The defendants were afterwards seen about the town with coloured ribbons in honour of their victory, which suggests that the case had some political overtones. However in 1892, the rights of the landowners were vindicated when four Heyshott labourers were convicted of poaching Lord Leconfields rabbits on the Common, despite their lawyer referring to a longstanding right to take rabbits and to the 1878 case which was believed to have reinforced the villagers' rights. The magistrates fined the defendants 5s each but, in view of the arguments raised, agreed to state a case on the point of law in case of an appeal. There is no record of any appeal.