Visiting Local Churches A Brief History of 25 Churches Within 9 Mile Radius of Leith Hill

Introduction & Acknowledgements This booklet is one of a pair; both feature a series of articles on the brief history of local churches that appeared in Abinger & Coldharbour Parish News from October 2001 to September 2006. The other booklet like this one features 25; this one covers those churches from 6 to 9 miles radius of Leith Hill, Surrey's highest point, whereas its companion booklet covers those situated up to 6 miles of the same point. National Grid References are given. I am indebted to numerous kind people who helped me when I visited their churches, and to those unknown authors of numerous church guides; without such help the work of searching for information would have been an enormous task and quite beyond my capability. Local literature, published books and other material on Surrey have proved invaluable cross-references in compiling these brief histories; I also acknowledge with gratitude the additional help from the following books: The Buildings of England - Surrey. Nairn & Pevsner (Penguin Books 1962 ; "A Picture of Surrey" (Robert Hale Ltd 1980); "Surrey Villages" Derek Pitt & Michael Shaw (Robert Hale Ltd 1971). The line drawings of the churches are my own, based on the photographs I took on my visits. These booklets could not have been printed and published without a sponsor; Abinger PCC and I wish to record our sincere thanks to Mr. Brian King, a resident of the parish, for his most generous support which has made it possible to put this booklet in your hands. Visiting churches is worthwhile, you will find peace and beauty amidst the whirl of life today. Most churches are open on days other than Sundays, but should you find one closed the notice board usually gives the address of a nearby key holder. I am sure your visits will be as rewarding and interesting as mine were and that you will be encouraged to buy the other booklet (same price); in that one are: Abinger Common, Albury, Betchworth, Brockham, Capel, Charlwood, Coldharbour, Cranleigh, Dorking, Ewhurst, Forest Green, Holmbury St. Mary, N. Holmwood, S. Holmwood, Newdigate, Okewood, Peaslake, Pixham, Ranmore, Rusper, Shere, Shamley Green, Westcott and Wotton. ERIC BURLETON Editor, Abinger & Coldharbour Parish News1. 01306 730533 e mail [email protected]

1 Transcribed from print by P Rawlings (2020). Some few typographical changes made. Notes in maroon by Philip Rawlings, 2020 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton

St. Nicholas, Alfold2 The footpath approach to the church is past two picturesque tile-hung cottages - a perfect setting for a church, much of which structure dates from the 13th century. St. Nicholas has a solid appearance with its huge roof. Once inside the building its antiquity is more obvious; it is almost square with three aisles whose breadth together is nearly equal to the church's length; the Norman font (circa 1080) is one of the finest and best preserved in Surrey; the remarkable 14thC oak timbering and the spire and bell tower supported on massive pillars of wood hewn out of the great oaks of the Wealdon Forest - a vast forest between the North and South Downs. The three bells in the tower have for 90 years been chimed only, they have worn thin and are in danger of cracking. They date from 1625, 1631 and 1714 - an appeal was launched in 2003 for funds to refurbish the old bells and add three more. The first official record of the church is found in the reign of Henry Ill (1216 -1272). A charter of William Longespee, Earl of Salisbury, was granted to one John Fitz-Geffrey giving the right of presentation to the Living, he died in 1256 but it is known that the church was in existence long before then. The first Norman church, circa 1100, consisted of a nave and chancel; the South Aisle was added in 1200 and the North in 1280. Sadly this latter aisle was destroyed by fire in the 16th century and was not rebuilt until 1842. The Rector at that time, the Rev. John Sparkes, was the driving force behind the 1842 restoration which uncovered three ancient arches in a state of perfect preservation in the walled up area on the north side. John Sparkes had an eye for discoveries: he also located the old communion table top, a beautiful single slab of polished Sussex marble containing fossils of freshwater winkles and a small silver chalice hallmarked 1570 hidden in the earth under the chancel floor.

2 Surrey GU6 8EU, https://www.alflox.org/welcome.htm

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Even the pews are old; the most distinctive ones date from the 14th and 15th century and the Jacobean pulpit and sounding box are most beautifully carved. The arch over the chancel like most of the timbering dates from 1320, but the screen is C19th but with wood from a 15th century screen incorporated. The Royal Coat of Arms, (George IV) now hanging on the south wall of the nave, is believed to be at least 170 years old. It was carefully restored in 1995 and re-hung in its present position. The outline of the East window dates back to 1320, as do the window openings in the south aisle; the glasswork however was imported from Normandy and constructed about 1850. In the chancel wall is a perpendicular style window which dates back to 1450. Another example of superb craftsmanship in wood can be seen near the North door. It is a large box known as a Churchwardens' Chest designed to hold church records. It bears an inscription to the two wardens of 1687. Its original contents threw light on local and church history of the earlier years. Among the papers was an 1823 Act of Parliament, requiring marriages to be conducted only in churches or approved chapels between 8 and 12 noon, except by Special Licence from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Anyone "knowingly and wilfully so offending, and being lawfully convicted and adjudged guilty" was "transported for a space of Fourteen Years according to the laws for the Transportation of Felons". Pretty harsh treatment for civil marriages! More old woodwork can be seen in the doors of St. Nicholas' two porches, they date from around 1230, however restoration work has been needed over the years so some of the wood is newer. In the churchyard, is the grave of Jean Carre, the man who in 1567 introduced Lorraine glass for glazing to this country. Carre obtained a licence to manufacture the type of glazing glass being produced in France. Within 50 years this type of glass making died out as coal firing replaced wood as fuel for firing. The old village stocks, one of the very few complete sets in Surrey - another set can be seen outside St. James' Church, Abinger - are sited just below the churchyard. The name Alfold derives from the Saxon word Ald (or old) and Fold, meaning an enclosure for animals, in this case in the great Wealdon Forest.

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The village does not feature in the Domesday Survey, which took place about twenty years before the building of the Alfold church in 1100 In the 18th and early 19th centuries, many Alfold houses were used as hiding places for huge kegs of brandy and other contraband brought from France by smugglers. Those who helped these fearsome law breakers always received a present of spirits for their trouble. Few resisted the smugglers as nearly all the villagers were compliant. Holy Trinity, Bramley3 You enter Holy Trinity under a restored Norman arch, one of three arches which were part of the original church on this site within the Manor of Bramley. The presence of a church here is recorded in the Domesday Book. By the middle of the 19th century as the population of Bramley increased, due in no small part to the coming of the railway, the congregation for this small church grew and the medieval building was no longer large enough. The enlargement of the church unfortunately resulted in much of the original structure being replaced by modem work - a common occurrence when the Victorian architects and builders "restored" an ancient church. However the simple chancel is genuine 13th century and together with the tower, the oldest part of the church which remains apart from the remains of the Norman arch at the entrance. In 1850 a north aisle was added, this provided "free" seating for the poor of the parish, in 1875 the south aisle was built, incorporating the Ludlow family chapel. In the north aisle is a medieval font which came from a redundant church at St. Mary Coslaney, Norwich; close by the font is a fine reproduction of Fra Fillipo Lippi's The Annunciation, the original of which hangs in The National Gallery. In this aisle the two figures in the middle window depict St. David or Dewi, a 5th century Welsh Bishop, and St. Edmund, most probably the Saint Edmund who was the last Archbishop of Canterbury (1234) to be canonised.

3 Surrey GU5 0DH, https://www.holytrinitybramley.org.uk/whoswho.htm

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St. Edmund Hall, the Oxford College is named in honour of him. The less likely figure in the window, the other Saint Edmund, was the King of Anglia (841-70) who remains were buried at Bury St. Edmunds. In the right-hand window, the left of the two bishops has been identified as St Boniface (c680 -c754), Anglo- Saxon missionary, born in Wessex, who preached the Gospel to the tribes of Germany and became Archbishop of all Germany in 732 for 20 years. At the end of the north aisle there is a window under the tower which has stained glass depicting the [Virgin] Mary and her cousin, Elizabeth. Just over 40 years ago Holy Trinity church was re-ordered to reflect the contemporary, but also early, corporate activity. A nave altar on a platform in front of the chancel screen was introduced. The altar and reredos were dedicated by the Bishop of Guildford in 1962. The icon which can be seen on the wall to the left of the chancel arch shows Christ with Cleopas. It came from a Roman Catholic Parish closed in 1999. The high altar and reredos are modern (1911). On the reredos are the e of Mary and St. Paul (right) St. John and St. Peter (left). Posner & Nairn's Buildings of England says of the chancel "all the window lancets with blunt- ended splays, hence probably early, circa 1220: a triplet in the east end". The name Austen which appears in the right hand window on the north side refers to a local family of landowners who were patrons of the church until 1660. The crests in of the chancel windows show St. Mary's Hspital 1697, Canterbury and Winchester Dioceses, the latter being Holy Trinity’s before Guildford. On the south wall of the south aisle, the window on the left represents St. Richard, (Richard of Wych) Chichester’s most famous bishop who died in 12534 . He was canonised in 1263. After his death and canonisation, Chichester Cathedral became a place of pilgrimage and thousands of christians made

4 In 2004 to commemorate the 750th anniversary of St. Richards death, Chichester Cathedral exhibited a major display in its North Transept about Richard and his turbulent life and times. He was a talented administrator and manager, and a revered holy man and famous in England and other parts of Europe.

P a g e | 6 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton their way to it. A shrine was erected to him in the Cathedral in 1276 .1t was destroyed in the reign of King Henry VIII. On the south side is the large memorial to Henry Ludlow who died in 1730. This same wall is a hatchment to a member of the Sparkes family, another local family closely associated with this church in the eighteenth century. The window frames on the south aisle wall side at the west end of the church certainly old. They were all taken out, restored and replaced as a Millennium project in 2000. They depict the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, The Holy Family going to Jerusalem, the Baptism of Jesus and the Wedding at Cana. St. Nicholas, Great Bookham5 Bookham was spelt "Bocheham" in Domesday Book 1086; the record shows that there was a church in the village at that time. The side walls of that church stood where the two arcades of the present church now stand. The ancient church had no aisles or chancel and the altar was probably in an apse beneath the present chancel arch. The church that stands today has a nave and a font dating from the 12th century, and remnants of the 11th century church are still visible over the north arcade. Over the many centuries additions and restorations have taken place. The decorated chancel was added in 1342; the north aisle was rebuilt in 1844 and the south aisle with its Slyfield chapel date from the mid-15th century. There is an interesting contrast between the arches on each side of the nave; the south arcade was built in 1140, with massive round pillars and rounded arches typical of Norman style with ornate capitals; the north arches were built only 40 years later but the style has changed to the Transitional with pointed arches and angular pillars, oddly the centre pillar is not

5 Surrey KT23 3PH, https://www.stnicolasbookham.org.uk/

P a g e | 7 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton octagonal, like the others, but six-sided. It is possible that the font (1140) may have stood here in former times. The two small windows above the arches of the north arcade were blocked up centuries ago and were re-discovered in 1983. The most easterly of these two windows shows a good example of Norman wall painting. Two restorations of the Victorian period added the north aisle and the present pews, replacing the former box-pews. The pulpit and choir stalls date from the 1855 restoration by William Butterfield. Brasses always hold a fascination and St. Nicolas has a very old one at the foot of the pulpit steps dated 1433. It is to Elizabeth Slyfield. On the south pier of the chancel arch there is a further Slyfield brass this one dated 1598, but just above it is another very old brass commemorating John Barmsdale and his wife from 1481. The 1841 east window is deceptively old, being a copy of a 1341 design but it does contain the only ancient glass in the church - six panels of C. 15th Flemish glass. Other panels in this group can be seen in York Minster, Wells and Exeter Cathedrals and nearer home in Stoke d'Abernon church. Originally all these panels came from a church in France and were smuggled into England during the French revolution. They were first installed smuggled in a private chapel in Contessy Hall, Norfolk, the home of the Jerninham family and when the hall and the chapel were closed during the 1914-8 war the glass came on the market. Also in the east window, the modern shields bear the emblem of St. Nicolas and the Arms of the Duke of Beaufort. The narrow Norman south aisle is still intact west of the porch and the window at the west end is Norman, but with Victorian Porch aisle had a south porch added in 1380 and was lengthened in 1140, eventually this extension became the Slyfield chapel. Within the Slyfield chapel the perpendicular east window is notable. The glass was given in memory of Field Marshall Raglan (Commander in the Crimean war). The 15th century piscina is also rather special The large memorial on the south wall of the chapel marks the death in the American War of the son of one-time patron of the living of St. Nicolas, Admiral Geary of Polesdon. The scene depicts the ambush in which he was killed at Flemington, New Jersey.

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Other large memorials at the east end of the north aisle are to members of the Moore family of Polesdon, that to Colonel Thomas Moore is by a well- known sculptor Thomas Carter. The other large memorial is to Robert Shiers and family, it bears a Latin inscription by a Dr. Shortrudge, Rector of Fetcham, whose own memory is recorded on an 1823 tablet given by the Rector and Fellows of Exeter College. The 1180 stone tower dates from 1180 and the stonework is still intact. The timber tower is built on a framework of massive oak beams thought to be 500 or more years old. There are two bells, one by William Eldrige dated 1575, which have, over their time, announced the forthcoming services to many famous parishioners and their families Several members of the Howard family, including two Earls of Effingham, are buried in a family vault buried beneath the churchyard. Sir Francis Howard, nephew of the great Admiral of the Armada and Cadiz battles, is buried in the church. Later generations of parishioners have welcomed Jane Austen, the novelist who often stayed at the Old Rectory and worshipped in the church, and another well-known author, Fanny Burney, who lived nearby. Her son was baptised in St. Nicolas church. All Saints, Little Bookham6 The church here had no known dedication, the original records having been lost. It was officially dedicated All Saints in 1986 by the Bishop of Guildford. In a charter of 675 AD, the Abbey of St. Peter of Chertsey was granted 20 dwellings at Bocha cum Effingham. Although the Domesday Book made the first known distinction between Great and Little Bookham parishes, it did not record a church at Little Bookham. It referred to a Manor at Little Bookham being held by Halsard of William de Braose, Lord of Bramber. The Manor continued with the

6 Surrey KT23 4EL, https://www.effinghamwithlittlebookhamparish.org.uk/

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Halsard, or Hansard family until 1921. The population of Little Bookham in 1086 was between 40 and 50 persons and the manor was entirely agricultural. About the end of the 11th century the church had been built on this site, probably by the Hansards, first as a manorial chapel. In 1160 records show a south aisle being added and a new chancel created. All was under a single roof 60ft by 18ft. Later that south aisle was pulled down and a new one built using arcades from the old nave. Strange though it may seem the records show that this second south aisle was also removed, probably in the early 15th century, perhaps due to serious fire. The material from the old south wall was used to fill in the spaces between the arcades. A lancet window believed to have come from the old wall was set in the centre bay of the arcade and at the top right hand corner of that window the remains of an ancient scratch (or mass) dial can be seen. At one time this window was on the outside of the south wall of the church and used by locals as their time piece. Scratch dials, usually about 7" in diameter, came into use after the demise of the Saxon sundials and remained for many centuries until clocks came into general use. The early dials had a metal style set in the centre with lines denoting Noon and 9am, the time of Mass. 35 dots were marked around the circumference of the dial and a second circle of dots around the hole in which the style was set, these marks assisted reading the dial in the hours of daylight. All Saints has been enlarged twice in its history, the windows are therefore a mixture of several centuries. The blocked window in the south west corner, visible only from the outside is 14th or 15th century as is the single light window in the nave and the other blocked window' in the chancel. Near the west end of the nave is a 12th century window recognisable by its deeply splayed round headed form. The west wall bears another 12th century window. Apart from old windows there is the C15 south doorway with modern (1901) porch, 17th century carved panels and other carved woodwork of similar date lining the modern pulpit, a font thought to be 12th century, its iron work however is much later (C 17) and in the Sanctuary a 13th century piscina above which is a four-centred cinquefoiled headed window of the 15th century with sunk tracery in the spandals. To the east of the chancel is a chest tomb, the remains of Major General Coote Manningham, Equerry to the King and Colonel of 95th or Rifle

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Regiment of Foot - a corps he raised himself and to which the inscription on the tomb refers. He died at 44 years of age in 1809. His widow was the daughter of Rev. George Pollen, rector of the parish and Lord of the Manor for 24 years. He died in 1847. On the north wall of the nave there is an interesting memorial to the Boileau family. The Boileau family were Barons of Castelneau in Languedoc, France and in 1690 fled their native country during the Protestant persecution in France and came to England. Of a later generation the eldest daughter and heiress, Henrietta, married the Rev. George Pullen in 1790. The wooden bell turret contains a single bell, the date of which is unknown but the weather vane has a date of 1744 on it. The five hatchments that hang on the west wall are of the Pollen family and details about them is thoughtfully presented on a chart below. The Pollen Family vault is under the chancel and contains 13 coffins. Before you leave Little Bookham and its ancient church spend a moment looking at one of the oldest living things in the area - a tree in the churchyard. Not just any old tree, this huge yew has been certified in 1988 by ancient tree specialists as being over 1,300 years of age. Planted therefore at a time when Anglo-Saxon England has been described by one historian as "seven kingdoms of varying strength all professing the Gospel of Christ and striving over each other for mastery by force and fraud". St. Mary the Virgin, Buckland7 One of three local churches a short distance east of Dorking that strangely belongs to the Diocese of Southwark. The patron of the church is All Souls College, Oxford, and they appoint the rectors. It has been like this since 1639.

7 Surrey RH3 7BB, https://stmarythevirginbuckland.net/

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It is known that there was a church on this site before 1086 but in 1380 a new church building was started. Writing in 1931 about restoration Phillip Johnston RIBA reported "...it is common mis-statement ... that the church was rebuilt ... In fact, the present church is thought to have been built in 1380. The present timbering of the chancel and nave roof, the lower parts of the nave walls, the ancient north window, the western ‘legs’ of the tower are chief examples from this period" The 1860 restoration by architect Henry Woodyear, the work is praised by no less an authority than Nairn & Pevsner in Buildings of England which says “a very pretty job indeed" and "...particularly effective at the W end with delicate windows in the belfry and a big window with a Curvilinear head below". The East window has been refurbished since the Victorian changes - the original was destroyed by bomb blast in 1941 as was the window nearest the font. The fragments of the 1850 stained glass from that window were carefully removed and then became lost for 52 years. They were discovered in the rectory cellar wrapped in a wartime newspaper and returned to the window in 1994 with some parts of the glass being used to form a light box at the west end of the church. The oldest windows in St. Mary's can be seen on the north wall opposite the entrance door. The windows date from the 14th century. The first illustrates St. Peter, in blue and yellow robes holding the keys of heaven and the second St. Paul in red and white robes holding the sword of the spirit. Nairn & Pevsner again, "Very good - about the best in the county - with beautifully fired dark blues and reds". Fortunately these windows were removed for safe keeping during the 1939-45 War and replaced in 1945, thus avoiding the damage suffered by the Victorian glass from 1941 bomb blast. A final quote from The Buildings of England about St. Mary's, “This is a Victorian village-church building at its best, completely appropriate to the size of building.”

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St. Martha on the Hill, Surrey8 If you could stand on top of the tallest spire in England (Salisbury Cathedral) this old church would still be perched over 160 feet above you. Set above Chilworth on a ridge of the Hogsback and the North Downs, St Martha's has a view over eight English counties. lt's a fair climb if you walk the steep side, from the car park in White Lane, Albury, but on the other side of the hill there is an access road for cars to bring you near. Despite its remote location St. Martha's is open all the year on Saturdays between 2pm and 4pm (and later in summer) and Sundays from 10.30am - 3.30pm. From April to September it is also open on Wednesdays from 2pm- 5pm. It is well worth a visit to sit "on top of the world" in one of the thoughtfully provided benches after a church visit. A Christian church been in this place for over a thousand years and before that Druids Circles from the Bronze Age on the southern side of the hill are evidence of pre- Christian worship here. Remains of the first Saxon church have long been lost but the foundations and some parts of walls and arches of the Norman church built in 1087 remain. The Norman church suffered badly over the thousand years; various walls crumbled, and in the 17th century the west tower fell due it is thought to an explosion at the nearby gunpowder factory at Chilworth. The final straw was the collapse of the chancel roof in 1846. The choice was between clearing up the remains or rebuilding. Fortunately the Lord of the Manor, Lord Lovaine decided on a rebuild. Work started in 1848, the architect was Henry Woodyear, who had just built his first Surrey church at Ash in 1847. Woodyear went on to become the most prolific church builder in the county. His design for the rebuilding job at St. Martha's was an impressive Norman style. He used as much as possible of the old church and used old materials to give the right effect. The walls are of dark

8 Surrey GU4 8PZ, http://www.parishofchilworth.org.uk/

P a g e | 13 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton carstone, a mixture of coarse sand and ironstone. The old Norman arch from the old tower is now situated over the west door. Surprisingly the church can seat 110 people and is of a cruciform shape. At the crossing in the north transept people chapel are a fine collection of giant colour photographers by local people of the church and the surrounding area. This was part of St. Martha's Millennium project. Another project for the year 2000 can be seen on the north wall of the nave. It is in an unusual medium - blackthread - produced by the ladies of Tillingbourne WI and features pictures of the seven local churches below the hill. If you look carefully on the southern side of the crossing on the pillar there, you will see a tablet in memory of a regular parishioner, just below the tablet is an original drawing by him. It is in memory of EH Shepard the and cartoonist who made his name illustrating children's books, most notably AA Milne's "Winnie the Poor” and Kenneth Grahame's "Wind in the Willows". Among some other interesting features of the church are the altar rail, designed by Edward Maufe (later Sir), the architect who won the design competition to build Guildford Cathedral in the mid 1930s, the 12th century font brought from Hambledon - the carving however, is mid-19th century, and the old Norman arch which was part of the old west tower - it now frames the west door. The oldest masonry visible dates from 1190 and that can be seen at the transepts and the crossing under the tower. From about 1087 St. Martha's had its own rector but shortly after 1200 AD the parish came under the administration of the Augustian Canons of Newark Abbey, near Send. Various members of that community were in turn appointed to care for St. Martha's. Later the advowson was granted to the Priory of St. Thomas the Martyr at Aldebury (Newark at Ripley). Although granted to Newark, the dedication to St. Martha remained until 1463 when it became St. Martha the Virgin and all the Holy Martyrs. This old, official title had a connection with a martyrdom which took place here in about 600 AD, but who or why is unknown. The ancient road by the church, the Ridgeway, which runs along the ridge of the Hogsback and the Downs may be the oldest road in Britain, as most roads in ancient pre-Roman days stuck to ridges and heights to avoid the woods and swamps, and dangers that lurked in the valleys.

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A major fund-raising campaign was held in recent years to amass sufficient money to save St. Martha's from closure and subsequent ruin. Hopefully it was successful and services will continue. A special service for the church's patron saint, St Martha of Bethany, sister of Mary and Lazurus, is held in the church each July, let us hope that future generations can come to worship and to visit here and enjoy its unique position in the Surrey Hills, 573 ft. above sea level. St. Thomas of Canterbury, East Clandon9 Although the dedication year is unknown, this church is the only one in Surrey dedicated to this saint. However there is no doubt that the church was built before 1110 AD, because in that year it was recorded that a broad nave was built in the church. Much of the structure of the original survives to this day. About 1220 the church was enlarged to very much its present size. The East window unusually has two instead of the normal three lancets. St Thomas of Canterbury, East Clandon is a small and genuine example of an old family church. Fortunately, by 1900, when major repairs were needed to the church, the Victorian fashion for removing all things old in church architecture appears to have abated and much of the original remains. In the C15 a bell turret was added and a pre-reformation bell cast for the church by a foundry at Reading. Two further bells joined this one in the 17th and 18th centuries. After the years of neglect by the Lords of the Manor the church was in a sad state of repair in the late 17th and 18th centuries, but at the turn of the 18th/19th centuries £2,000 (a large sum those days) was collected from nearby residents and major repair was started. Two of the additions were a new clock and organ - both still working today.

9 Surrey GU4 7RG, http://clandon-churches.org/st-thomas-of-canterbury-east- clandon/

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On the west wall are remnants of a wall painting of The Last Supper (probably C13) which was mutilated when the west door was blocked-up a long time ago. The font is C18, the cover modern. The main timbering is the original C15 work and early 11th century stonework surrounds the nave; the chancel is entirely C 13. The bell tower, though dating from 1900 sits well with the old building, parts of the framing of tower are old. The adjacent north aisle and the vestry are also modern. The ceiling above the large memorial (Lord Rendel's) depicts St. Thomas á Becket with his crest of three ravens, above him is represented the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove and below a pelican on her nest. Pelicans in the Middle Ages used to represent the Church especially as custodian and giver of the Holy Sacrament, it being mistakenly believed that the pelican fed her family with her own blood. Either side of St. Thomas are the four patron saints of the British Isles. This ceiling is part of the magnificent mock-Jacobean memorial below it which shows the unusual orders bestowed on Lord Rendel; Officer of the Crown of Italy, Knight and Order of King Charles XII of Spain and President of University College of Wales. Lord Rendel was Liberal MP for Montgomeryshire and promoted Welsh education and he helped found the National Library of Wales. He lived at Hatchlands and died in 1913 aged 79. In the Lady Chapel is an interesting but badly mutilated piscina believed to date from 1220 when the church was enlarged. Also there in the Lady Chapel are two military memorials, a window on the north side to Roland Hepeler, a Captain 7th Battalion The Queen's, who died in action in 1915, and a plaque to Edward Fisher 2nd Battalion Hon. Artillery Company who was killed in action in the Asago district of Italy in June 1918. A third military memorial to the left of the altar is to David Keswick a Lieutenant in the 12th Royal Lancers who was killed during the Boer War in the Battle of Poplar Grove, Orange Free State on 7th March 1900. On the north side is an authentic C13 doorway, with a shouldered lintel and the single arch between the nave and the aisle - a good example of a standard mid-13th century Surrey type. On the south side near the pulpit is a memorial window to a husband and wife who moved to Philadelphia, USA, Emily and John Burling Longstreth. The inscription says "They lived and gloried in the Quaker strongholds". The window also features some strange symbols.

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Hatchments hang over the arch to the Chancel. These are a set of six, all of the Sumner family and cover the period mid to late 18th century. The practice in those days was for the hatchment, a diamond-shaped canvas which showed the armorial bearings of the deceased, to be hung over the main door of the deceased residence for some weeks following the death and for it to be carried in the funeral procession, its final resting place was the local church. On marriage a man was entitled to place the arms of his wife next to his own on the shield. At death a half-white background denoted that one spouse survived, all-white was unmarried and an all-black background, a widow or widower. In addition to the hatchments hanging over the arch there is the Royal Arms of King George Ill which was hung in the church during the last two decades (1801 to 1816) of that king's long reign. St. Peter and St. Paul, West Clandon10 Entry to the church is by the north door (i.e. that closest to Clandon Park) and not via the 13th century porch which in olden times was used as a place of penance and sanctuary and for parts of the Baptism and Burial services. Marriage banns also were read from the porch. Facing you as you enter the church is the old Sussex marble font, specially made for the church in the mid 12th to early 13th centuries. The bowl is now supported on a modern base, and the font cover is from the 17th century. If you move to the west end of the wide nave you will appreciate the long association of the church of St. Peter & St. Paul with the Onslow family of Clandon Park. The west window was erected in 1716 and glazed with panels of the three coats of arms which depict the family line from the earliest times. Nearby is a wall plaque dedicated to the memory of the 4th and 5th Earls of Onslow, the last earl died in 1946. Below this plaque are four old pews, probably late C17 Italian, the pew with the tall back was the original Onslow pew.

10 Surrey GU4 7RG, http://clandon-churches.org/st-peter-and-st-paul-west-clandon/

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(In 1713 Thomas Onslow employed the Venetian, Giacomo Leoni, to build a new house in Clandon Park in the Palladian style .Strangely the house has un-Palladian brick elevations which have much puzzled architectural historians) Moving eastwards along the nave, just beyond the entrance door is another interesting wall plaque, below which are two shelves holding 20 small loaves of Charity Bread. The plaque, dated June 24th 1817, records that "John Bone and Elizabeth gave 20 Sixpenny loaves on Christmas Day and 20 more on the 1st Sunday after Midsummer Day, and money to poor widows and widowers". John and Elizabeth also state that the charity bread and money is "to be paid by his heirs and assigns for ever". The walls of the nave are the earliest parts of the church to survive, they date from the 11th and 12th centuries. The Tower originally built in 13th century was rebuilt in 1879 with a wooden spire but this was destroyed by fire in the early 20th century. The present tower was built with a new belfry in 1913. The east window in Decorated Style(1330) replaced the original three Norman lancets. The stained glass has C17 medallions reset into the early C19 glazing. In unusual marguerite pattern the pure white Victorian reredos is a striking background to the altar. The cost of this work of building the choir stalls and the chancel arch was largely contributed by the Countess of Onslow. In the chancel on the south side is a stone seat - a C14 sedilla used by priests during the saying of Mass. Just above this ancient stone seat is a medieval triptych depicting the Saints Peter and Paul with St. Thomas of Canterbury. It was probably set behind the altar at one time. Returning to the nave, an unusual pillar-piscina with palm tree motifs can be seen on the south side just below the pulpit. At its apex the window bears the arms of William de Weston, a patron of the church and owner of Albury Park (1330). There appears to be a connection between the ancient church of identical dedication at Albury Park 11 because of a floor brass, with Latin

11 The ancient church at Albury Park has been disused since 1842, but has been partly restored by the Churches Preservation Trust and is open daily to the public. Albury’s "new" church, built in Weston Street in 1842 is rather confusingly also dedicated to St. Peter & St.

P a g e | 18 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton inscription, to the memory of Sir John Weston who died 23rd November 1440, which is set in the Saxon aisle of St. Peter & St Paul in Albury Park; doubtless Sir John was a descendant of William. Continuing along the south side of the nave in a westerly direction there is the damaged remains of an ancient (1330) stoup, a stone basin set against the wall near a church entrance which in earlier days contained Holy water. Unfortunately this ancient vestige of church architecture was broken in the 18th century when the present pews were installed. Passing the font, the last window on the south side was a lancet originally made in chalk and changed for a shutter in the 13th century. The earliest recorded Rector of the church is Richard de Boclynton (1290), the latest (2003), the Rev. Barry Preece. St. Peter & St. Paul at Clandon is open in the afternoons of Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, apart from Sundays. St. Mary & All Saints, Dunsfold12 Dunsfold Parish church is part of a joint parish with Hascombe; the buildings and the fittings of each could hardly be more different. St Mary & All Saints, although restored is largely the original and over seven centuries old and therefore a rarity. Experts like Pevsner say that all the visual evidence of construction point to the church being built by royal masons in 1270. There is no surplus ornamentation or display, it is functional and common sense church building. The restoration work of the late 19th century was needed to repair decay due mostly to poor maintenance but at the same time the chancel arch was enlarged, a new north east vestry added and the east window raised and its tracery removed.

Paul. And Albury confuses visitors even further with a third church, the Irvingite (Catholic Apostolic) just north of Albury Park.

12 Surrey GU8 4LT, http://www.dunsfoldchurch.co.uk/

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Also in the same century the west window (1300-1320) was rebuilt and re-glazed. The bell turret dates from the 15th century but apart from these modifications and additions the church you see today is the original 1270 structure. The Rectors of Shalford (originally a Crown living) were the first of Dunsfold. In 1305 the advowson (guardianship and patronage) of all the churches in the vicinity, including Dunsfold, were granted by royal charter to the Prior and Convent of the Hospital of St. Mary without Bishopsgate. The tie between the parish and the Hospital was to last 230 years until the Dissolution of the Monasteries when it reverted to the Crown and until recently was in the gift of the Lord Chancellor. By the entrance is a yew tree of great age, it almost certainly is older than the church. Above you on the leading edge of the roof are four courses of the original Horsham stone, the remainder were replaced in the 19th century. The porch is part of the original, its rafters and boarding still retain scroll patterns believed to have been painted in 1280. Entry is through the main door, a C14 construction with a key to the lock which is over 12 inches long. The antiquity of the interior is readily noticeable, especially so in some of the pews, the genuine C13 ones, as distinct from the 19C replicas, have adze marks and taper holes in the top of the bench ends. These elegant pews started life as free-standing ones their fixed positions is comparatively recent. On the south side of the chancel the arrangement of the door and windows of different heights shows the quality of the design work as does the way in which the piscina and sedilla were accommodated. The seats of the sedilla are set different levels to relate to the hierarchy of the clergy. On the capitals of the pillars can be seen the initials "NW", recording Nicholas Wilder, rector 1603-1633 - a man of strong Puritan opinions who held church ornaments in contempt. The walls of the nave shows sings of two different periods of wall paintings. The earliest in red outline and the later in full colour. What remained of these paintings was destroyed or whitewashed over in 1547 probably at the time that the belfry was constructed. Another unusual and even unique feature among Surrey churches is visible on the outside of St. Mary & All Saints. The base mould which runs around the exterior structure is stepped so as to follow the slope of the land.

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Still visible are three drainage holes covered by wooden plugs secured by chains through which water used in periodical sluicing down of the church floor was brushed. A short-lived addition to the church was a gallery at the west end, erected in 1828 during the tenure of Hon. John Evelyn Boscwen, it was used by instrumentalists and singers during services. Access to the gallery was by an external wooden staircase. It was dismantled in 1890 during the restoration work. The association of this ancient church with the recent past lies is its connection with the nearby Dunsfold airfield. The airfield was constructed in World War II and became the base of two of the Free Dutch Armed Forces - the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Force and 320 Netherlands Squadron Royal Air Force operating B25 Mitchell bombers. A wall plaque marking the association can be seen west of the main door. Also on the south wall of the nave is a tablet to the memory of those from Dunsfold who gave their lives in World War II. Those villagers who died in World War I are shown on a tablet on the north wall. Dunsfold Parish Church is a Grade 1 listed building and has had many admirers in its time. William Morris, English craftsman and poet who studied Holy Orders at Oxford and later architecture described it as "the most beautiful church in all England". St. Lawrence, Effingham13 Here is another C12/13 church which suffered from the Victorian plague of destruction of old buildings, it was "restored" in 1888/9 and little remains of the original church design. The nave is probably 12th century, but the two-light window on the north side is authentically 1250-1270. The transept or St. Nicholas chapel is Early English style (1250-1270) with king (or crown) post roof, possibly added

13 Surrey KT24 5LX

P a g e | 21 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton by Merton Abbey, the holders of the advowson from 1147. In 1358 the old chancel was in such a ruinous state of repair, especially the walls and roof that the Bishop of Winchester, William of Wykeham, commanded the canons of the Augustine Priory of Merton to make repairs. The Bishop's master mason, William Wynford, who was busy building Winchester College at the time seems to have had a hand in the lower chancel windows in Effingham's church as they are almost identical to his "perpendicular" design for the College chapel side windows, suggesting that the lower chancel windows of St. Lawrence are genuine C14th. William of Wykeham was keeper of the Privy Seal and Secretary to the King before he became Bishop of Winchester in 1367. He was Chancellor of England for two periods near the end of the 14th century and before creating Winchester College founded New College, Oxford. He is said not to have been an ardent theologian and has been dubbed "father of the public schools". William's command to Merton Priory could not be ignored. The Priory situated 7 miles from London, on Stane Street in the now London borough of Merton , had been richly endowed and highly regarded for over two centuries but by the mid 14th century all was not well at Merton. William of Wykeham in his capacity as Bishop, strongly criticised the canons for their neglect of their work and poor management. In 1357, just a year before his command to repair St. Lawrence of Effingham church, he found the canons and monks were enjoying a high life and rebuked them for "wearing precious furs, knotted sleeves, silk girdles and gold and silver ornaments to the scandal of their order". Despite the Victorian renovations some ancient items can still be seen today; the lower part of the south side of the original tower (the old tower toppled in 1759 and was not replaced until 1887) reveals evidence of an ancient heart-burial. On north wall of the tower near the base are a row of seven unusual tiles taken from the original chancel floor to commemorate the 7 children of Rev. William Walker, vicar 1626-96. Higher up on the same wall is a monument to Maria Paratt 1844, an effigy by William Pistell and admired by the eminent architectural historian Sir Nicolas Pevsner. Just below the chancel steps, set in the floor of the nave, is the stone lid from Walter de Geddinge’s 1312 coffin. He was a sheriff of Surrey from 1302 and 1307. The lid's inscription is in Norman French.

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The north west window in the chancel, best viewed from outside the church, has hood mouldings which end in heads, one is said to be the Prior of Merton ,William de Brokebourne (1307-1335). In the 13th century transept, or St. Michael's chapel, on the south side is an ancient piscina and ambry set in the wall (discovered in 1887). The Bible Box kneeler in the chapel bears the arms of Lord Howard of Effingham, the Lord High Admiral at the time of the battle with the Spanish Armada in 1588. Also in the chapel lies the old Parish Chest, dated 1745, which bears the name of the Lord of the Manor at that time. By the door in the south aisle is another discovery made during the restoration work in 1887, this is a Holy Water stoop, or stoup. Was it so named because those attending bent when taking the water? Most of the stained glass is Victorian, but one fragment of the early glass is in the highest window on the east wall of the chapel. The choir stalls with their tapestry covers date form 1977 and the hassocks from 1965. The churchyard as usual with all old churches holds interest but perhaps in the case of St. Lawrence's tombs a more modern one probably reminds the present generation of Sir Barnes Wallace, a famous aeronautical engineer and inventor in the 1939-45 World War whose many designs and ideas could be said to have helped to shorten the War. He is buried alongside his wife, to the left of the entrance door at the side of the church. After valuable wartime service, including designing the special bouncing-bomb for the Dam raids, and designing the Wellington, he designed the first ever swing-wing aircraft, the Tornado, and in complete contrast, in his early days as an aeronautical engineer, he designed Britain's first airship the R100.

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St. Mary's, Fetcham14 The first recorded rectors of this parish were of the D'Abernon family in the early 13th century. The D'Abernons, a Norman family, owned the Manor of Stoke D'Abernon and later that of Fetcham. Before the Normans there was a church here, as you can see if you stand in the middle of the nave facing the altar and look high up on the right hand wall - Roman bricks, used by the Saxons, form the top of the small window (built over a 1,000 years ago). Then look below at the three fine Norman arches with their scalloped capitals which were erected in 1150 by cutting and underpinning the Saxon wall. The Norman south aisle collapsed in the 18th century, the arcades being filled in with windows between the arches. An 1874 model of the church, still on display at the rear of the centre aisle, shows the absence of the south aisle. The aisle was rebuilt in 1877. Continue to the end of the south aisle and above the war memorial is a large, very dark, painting (dated 1660) of the Royal Coat of Arms of Charles this was hung over the chancel arch until 1872. The opposite North aisle is graced by two arches, built to replace the Saxon wall in the 14th century. Return to the entrance door on this aisle where the surround to it is original (1250). The windows and the porch are of much later date. In the porch is a tablet recording the will of Sir George Shiers (1690) in which a yearly rent of 24 shillings was payable out of a farm at Welwyn in Hertfordshire for the overseeing of the of Fetcham parish and for putting them (the younger ones, one presumes) to apprenticeships "preferring in marriage such maidens born in Fetcham as and behaved themselves well for seven years”. Back inside the North aisle to the right of the entrance door is a memorial to George Richards, who joined the Navy as a boy of 13ys and rose to become an Admiral and a knight of the realm. He was Hydrographer to the Admiralty

14 Surrey KT22 9HD, https://stmarysfetcham.org.uk/

P a g e | 24 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton and on his retirement from the seniorservice made a major contribution to the development of submarine telegraphy with his management of a company that laid 76,000 miles of submarine cable. At the east end of the aisle is the delightful Lady Chapel which was built in 1220. The dog-toothed altar recess and the lancet windows are original. The north window is a very early example of 14th century tracery. Like most churches of that period the altar recess was painted. Some medieval paintings were exposed in the redecoration scheme of 1857, copies can be seen at the Surrey History Centre. From the centre of the nave, to the left of the pulpit and just visible, is one of two 1535 altar recesses, now used as a floral niche. Ahead in the chancel is the old stone font which dates from 1632 it holds a modern (1996) pewter basin (the old one leaked!). Behind the font is a list of Rectors of Fetcham in which is recorded the removal of a cleric from his living. In 1634 Thomas Turner (Dean of Canterbury) was appointed to Fetcham; he was ejected in 1643 and replaced by the Rev. Fisher but in 1660 Thomas Turner was reinstated and stayed till 1672. Doubtless, like other priests in the Civil War who had similar sympathies he suffered removal from his living for his support of the King. In 1715, Dr. Hugh Shortrudge, the rector at that time made an endowment to the four vicars of Gt. Bookham, Effingham, Shalford and Leatherhead, conditional upon the annual preaching of a sermon on 30th January, the anniversary of the execution of King Charles I; known as the Shortrudge sermons they are still preached at most of the endowed churches. The Victorian organ dates from about 1863. It is a famous Father Willis organ and is original, except for electric pump and light which replaced the manual pump and candle light. The lancet widows in the north wall of the chancel date from 12205 the date when the chancel was built. It has been much restored since. The East window is C15 and the south one C17. The oldest glass in the church is that in the south window and dates from 1858. The tower of St. Mary's is a further example of the antiquity of this attractive church. The tower base is 1180 and the lancet windows are Norman. The three bells were cast in 1588, 1613 and 1665. In the 17th and 18th centuries the top part of the tower was rebuilt.

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The church is situated on the right hand side of The Ridgeway, Fetcham. The slightly hidden entrance is just before the roundabout. The Rectory is on the right next to the hall. It is a good idea to call the Rectory (The Rev. Paul Boughton 01372 372598) because on weekdays the church is not opened on a regular basis. Altogether, a lovely church, full of the history of over 10 centuries of Christian worship. Don't miss a visit to St. Mary's, Fetcham it is well worth while. St. Peter, Hascombe15 Pevsner in " The Buildings of England" says " ...worth a very special look to see how good and how free from period associations a Victorian country church could be when an architect took pains over it". Built in 1864 by Henry Woodyear, the well- known Surrey architect who was an apostle of the Gothic revival school for design and rebuilding, the new building replaced the ancient church (C 1220) which by the mid 180Cs was in such a bad state of dilapidation that it was beyond repair. Fortunately, the interior and exterior were faithfully recorded by artist's drawings in the three decades prior to its demolition. Two years before the to rebuild was taken a new young rector was appointed - Vernon Musgrove MA, second son of an Archdeacon and nephew of an Archbishop and with family wealth which was to finance his ambitious plans for a new church. He held the Hascombe living for 44 years until his death in 1906 and in that time demonstrated his vision, practical ideas, wealth and confidence, resources on which he was able to call in his unwavering pursuit of a richer spiritual life and social life for his parishioners. A memorial brass to his memory is set on the chancel floor and he is buried in the churchyard. Vernon Musgrove chose Woodyear for the design of the new church which was built in Bargate stone from a local quarry. It has a shingled bellcote

15 Surrey GU8 4JD

P a g e | 26 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton and an independently roofed south chapel. The interior is a tangible expression of the powerful personality of the rector - its decorated walls and roof, painted windows, highly gilded and coloured chancel and ornamentation on the pulpit, the bright coloured stained glass, all work undertaken by Hardman & Powell following Musgrove's vision and guidance. A further quotation from Buildings of England says: "Sombre gilding round the deep apse and an ornamental effect as rich as anything Art Noveau produced. All the roof rafters are cupsed and gilded so that there is a continuous interplay of highlights." The panels on the stone pulpit depict Christ with Noah and St. John with St. Peter centre. The screen from the old church was restored and returned to a place in the new one. Little else remains of the old church except the porch which was constructed from the ancient timbers and a giant door lock was made to allow the old (1600) key to be used again. The stained glass windows mostly date from 1869 when some major improvements were made. Those in the nave depict scenes from the life of St. Peter, the patron saint of the church. The small diamond-shaped panels at the base of each of the north windows are not representative of St. Peter but from east to west show Peter de Rupibus, Bishop of Winchester 1204-38; St Elizabeth of Hungary; John, first named rector of Hascombe; St. Etheldreda; St. Cecilia; St. Joseph of Arimathea; St. Helene, mother of Constantine. In 1883-1886 major redecoration was undertaken, the plain cross replaced with a richly carved and decorated Reredos representing the Adoration of the Lamb. The roof of the chancel was richly painted in red and gold so that there is hardly any surface without some kind of decoration. The cost of all the paintings on the walls were paid for and inspired by the Rector, and designed and painted by one of Hardman & Burrows team, thought to be JA Pippet. Little has since changed in the fabric or decoration apart from enlargements of the vestries, the most recent in 2006. The Lady chapel, originally a family private chapel, was furnished and decorated by the Godman family in 1935 when they surrendered their ownership. The chapel was consecrated in that year.

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Outside a clock was added to the bell turret in 1982 and a major scheme of restoration of the chancel and nave wall paintings started in 1986. A new organ and a new font cover followed in 1992. This excellent example of Gothic revival architecture and interior decoration inspired and introduced in the 44 years of Vernon Musgrave time as Rector of Hascombe is not everyone's idea of church interiors but as Musgrove himself said "There is no harm nor danger in elaborate ritual and costly decoration in itself; it is only when used as symbolical of doctrine contrary to the Church's teaching, these things become dangerous and are to be forbidden ... the more costly, the more handsome are the surroundings of a Church in themselves, the better, and more worthy are they as offerings to Him whose House it is." This C19 Gothic revival church is essentially an expression of Canon Musgrove's piety and inspiration. St. Martin's, East Horsley16 During the mid-to-late years of the 19th century, at about a quarter to ten every Sunday morning , the youngest boy in the choir of this church was told by the Rector to take up in a specially-built gazebo situated in the south west corner of the churchyard. This cold and lonely task was to keep a sharp lookout towards Horsley Towers, the nearby mansion owned by William, Earl of Lovelace, for the approach of the noble lord's party towards the church and when the boy saw it he had to race back to the church to alert the rector. Divine Service could now begin. Lord Lovelace, previously Lord King, was ennobled in 1838 and n 1846 Horsley Towers became his principal seat. His wife Augusta Ada, who died in 1852, was a well-known writer, a mathematician and in fashionable society; she was a daughter of Lord Byron.

16 Surrey KT24 6RL, http://easthorsleychurch.org.uk/

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30 years before the Norman Conquest of England land was given by the Archbishop of Canterbury to Thored, a Dane, to form a separate parish from West Horsley. It is believed that the first church on this site had been built before the Conqueror landed; the tower seen today is the surviving part of that ancient church. During the many centuries that followed several restorations and additions were made, however, the most fundamental changes and restoration work occurred in 1869 when the roof was re-covered in tiles and the chancel and some of the walls were rebuilt. On entering the church on the left side wall there is an illustrated family tree of the Lovelace Family who built many houses in Horsley during the family's time at The Towers. A member of the family lived there until 1919. Set a pair of windows to the east of the entrance door an incomplete prominent brass dated 1504 which commemorates Thomas and Jone Sneelinge - their own figures are missing but the eight sons and five daughters are still visible. The Chancel arch is 13th century, its moulded capitals original, but the jambs with attached half-columns were retooled in 1869 and the brasses replaced. Beside the arch but on the side opposite the pulpit, is a 14th century brass to Robert, brother of Thomas de Brentyngham, Bishop of Exeter 1370- 1394 and also Lord Treasurer of England. The north transept was built in 1981-82 and the window in the new east wall was moved from the east wall of the former north aisle chapel; the glass in the quarterfoil of the window depicts St. George and St. Martin with St. Christopher, it was given by Kathleen and Bertram Tizley Barber in gratitude for the safe return of their two sons from World War 2. In the north aisle, the nave in the 11th and 12th centuries when the building was rectangular, the arcade with the central pillar and the aisle itself are 13th century but only two of the pillars at the west end are thought to date from this period. The windows in the aisle are 15th century and contain some pieces of ancient glass set in the clear glass.

The huge alabaster tomb with iron railings at the west end of the north aisle is the Cornwallis tomb. Thomas was Groom Porter to Queen Elizabeth I. He lived at Bishop's Manor from 1584-1626.

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Other memorials are to Henry Hildeyard, James Fox and William Currie, all who lived in the house which later became known as Horsley Towers and the Lovelace's principal seat. There is a hatchment, or memorial arms to William Currie situated near the door to the West Tower. The ancient West Tower still retains much of its original wooden framework - massive oak posts and beams. This framework supports the floor above used for staging the four bells. The oldest of the bells is dated 1452 and was made in London, the other three were by Eldridge, the famous Chertsey family of bell founders and are dated 1703. The whole exterior of the tower and the third stage of it were renovated in the 18th century when an embattled parapet and a low pointed roof were added. Three sides of the middle section of the Tower have 12th century lancet windows, the north and south side windows are 18th century. The main features of this ancient tower can best be seen from outside the church. The Saxon flintwork, which had been rendered with stucco in the 18th century was removed in 1933, once again revealing the ancient stones. The West Doorway is in a simple English style of the late 12th century and probably replaced the original Saxon doorway. The arch was remade in the 19th century and the wooden door replaced in 1935. Above the doorway is an almost complete round-headed Saxon window. St. Mary's, West Horsley17 The remains of the Saxon church built here in 1030 are still detectable in the walls, and the Tower is very old and dates from 1120, its spire was added in 1370. Entrance to the church used to be through the West doorway and tower until 1190, then the Saxon doorway, its arched head is still visible from the nave, was replaced by a North entrance.

17 Surrey KT24 6AP, https://stmaryswesthorsley.co.uk/

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This doorway was moved in 1849 but the original 1190 arch was retained. The oak door is a copy of the original. Also in 1190 the arcade of pillars near the north entrance was built. The font bowl (1200 AD) has supporting pillars and a font cover which were replaced in 1849. The chancel (1210) is set off-centre to the nave in the cruciform building style known as "a weeping chancel", a design meant to convey the head of Christ to one side of the Cross. The original Chancel arch at was narrower and lower than the present one built in 1600. In medieval times the whole of the interior of the church was covered with wall paintings. Part of a painting of St. Christopher survived the years; it was found in 1970 at the west end of the nave, near the tower door, beneath thick lime wash which had covered it since the Reformation when so many churches were sacrileged. Further signs of the 1547 devastation of this church can be seen at the sides of the chancel arch where the sawn-off ends of the beam that supported a huge crucifix and the screen are visible. Only a few pieces of the medieval stained glass were saved from the destruction; the 12" roundel now set in the left hand window on the north side of the chancel, (this small piece of glass dated 1210 is probably one of the oldest in the county) and the glass in the centre lancet window(1220) in the chancel are two such pieces. The right-hand window of the three lancets on the north side of the chancel has modern glass. About half a century after the Reformation, in 1618, the famous navigator and poet Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded, having suffered from the dark intrigues at the close of Elizabeth's reign. In her later years his widow came to live at her son's manor, West Horsley Place. Among her personal chattels was a red leather bag. Not too exceptional in itself, but the contents were. The embalmed head of her late husband is reputed to have been carried about by her in this bizarre bag. The head together with other younger members of the Raleigh family, who lived at the Manor for over 20 years, are said to be buried under the floor of St. Mary's church. In the C16 it was not uncommon for heads and bodies to be buried in different places, Sir Walter Raleigh's body, headless (?) is buried in St. Margaret's, Westminster. Another old window can also be on the north side of the chancel; it is dated 1362-88 and depicts its benefactor, Sir James de Berners. Beneath this

P a g e | 31 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton window is a recessed tomb thought to be of Ralph de Berners 1337. This life- sized effigy of a figure in the vestments used for the celebration of Mass suggests that Ralph was a priest but no records exist to give any information about his life or his relationship to Sir James. In about 1470 the south aisle of octagonal pillars and four centred arches was constructed. The chapel on the south side was built in 1470 as a chantry chapel. After the Reformation it became the family pew of the church patrons. Today it holds the organ, but the marble memorials to the Nicholas family cover the walls, one in particular has special interest, that to Sir John Nicholas (1669) which has an architectural frame with barley-sugar columns. It is said to be the work of the famous wood carver and sculptor, Grinling Gibbons. The other nearby memorial in the south aisle is to Sir John Nicholas (1704) and is described by Nikolaus Pevsner in The Buildings of England (1962) as one of the best English manifestations of the Rococo in the county. It is by Nicholas Read, a pupil of Roubiliac, the noted French sculptor who settled in London and became famous for his statues of great men like that of Newton, in Cambridge, Shakespeare, in the British Museum or Handel, in Westminster Abbey. In the 19th century St. Mary's church had several alterations. In 1810 the Tudor brick flooring was replaced by York flag-stones in the nave, aisles and tower, a new pulpit, originally with three decks and new high box pews built in the nave, the latter were removed in 1887. A big oblong church chest lies in the north-east corner of the Nave, near the lectern, it is bound with iron straps and is purported to be one of seven such chests distributed throughout the country and made by John de Leighton in 1220. On leaving go to the left and walk round the church to the yew tree where the oldest grave lies. It is a table tomb from 1699. Also noteworthy are a number of barrel graves made of brick - a defence against "body snatching" in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

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St. Nicolas, Itchingfield18 Tucked away just off a narrow lane, one mile from the well-known Christ's Hospital (the Bluecoat School), the church is set in the heart of leafy countryside. It was in 1125 that a clearance was made in the surrounding forest and the early church was built here; parts of this building still remain today. At that time Henry the First had been King of England for 25 years, he was to rule for another 10 years till 1135. It was but a few years after his death that the church at Itchingfield was enlarged and a chancel was added. By 1713 that chancel needed rebuilding. With these changes and further enlargement and renovations in 1865 it is good that so much of the original church has survived, the West and the North walls are Norman, the small lancet window in the West wall has remained undisturbed in its original position since it was built in 1125. The larger Norman window in this wall was re-fixed in its original position in 1713. Two further Norman windows are now in the chancel, stained glass has been added to all of them. The well-known Victorian architect, Sir Gilbert Scott (the Albert Memorial, St Pancras Station, were two of his designs) was appointed in 1865 to plan and oversee an enlargement. He added the south aisle with pillars in place of the old south wall and a new east wall. Earlier in the Victorian period the old C12 door in the west wall, the original entrance to the church, was replaced, the old ironwork from the original door was re-worked and transferred to the new door. The west wall is the other Norman wall. The original tower built in the 15th century abutted this wall but now the tower stands slightly separated from the main building, some of its structure can be seen through the opening in the west door- four giant solid oak beams, each nearly 2ft. square

18 Surrey RH13 0NX, http://www.stnicolasitchingfield.org.uk/

P a g e | 33 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton supporting the shingled tower with diagonal between them for added support. The east window is Victorian (1866) and was built in memory of a former rector, the Reverend Thomas Scott. The other well-preserved Norman feature of the church of St. Nicholas is its aumbrey, a cupboard or recess to hold communion vessels. This can be seen on the north side of the chancel, it has an unmoulded arch and plain slabs forming the tops of the capitals. The old wall tablets and the memorial or tomb stones in the floor were removed during the addition of the south aisle in 1865, these were re-buried or reset in the churchyard. The churchyard is full of interesting tomb stones and some old yew trees which it is said gave their wood to be made into bows used in the Battle of Agincourt thus helping Henry V to his decisive victory in October 1415. True or not, the idea is appealing! More factual and in excellent preservation is the tiny house set in the churchyard, so tiny that it is difficult to imagine that it could have a bedroom reached by a winding staircase within its half-timbered walls. It is a little gem of a building, known as "The Pri est’sHouse", no doubt because it was built to provide overnight accommodation for a travelling priest who came to say Mass once a week at several local churches. The oldest parts of the building are from the 15th century with in about 1600, when it is known the building became an almhouse, inhabited by one of the poor of the village. It remained in use for this purpose until 1854 when Horsham opened its Workhouse where presumably the poor folk of the village were sent if they were not too aged or infirm to work for their keep. This little "doll's house" of a building is a such an unusual feature in a country churchyard that for the many who may not visit Itchingfield the photograph below may give an idea of its uniqueness.

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St. Mary & St. Nicolas, Leatherhead19 The re-roofing in 1988/9 gives this ancient church a much younger look but the tower gives away its age; completed in 1480 it was the last part of the old church to be built. Its pronounced off-centre, off-axis is very obvious from the inside. There is a small Tudor tower and on the nearby walls are names and dates carved in the stone. In the C17 and CIS the area below the tower was used as a schoolroom and the graffiti is by pupils of those days. The font (C15) is now positioned on the line of the original west wall which was demolished when the tower was built. The first church on this site was before 1066 and may have been founded by Edward the Confessor who owned the manor of Thornycroft and another manor in Leatherhead. This early church proved too small by about 1200 AD and in order to enlarge it arches were cut through the main walls of the nave creating north and south aisles and side altars. Originally the north aisle only

19 Surrey KT22 8ND, https://leatherheadparish.com/

P a g e | 35 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton extended as far as the west side of the porch, then when the tower was built it was completed to full length. The creation of these aisles in the 13th century produced the splendid columns that we see today. They are thought to be carved in imitation of those in Canterbury Cathedral, built only 30 years earlier. The carving of the column in the north aisle is a good example of "stiffleaf", a style often carved as a mason's thanksgiving. On either side of the chancel arch is a carved shell, symbol of the pilgrimage to St. James' shrine at Santiago de Compestella. The transepts date from 1320-30, they replaced the old chapels which had built at different times, hence they are not aligned. In the 11th century the church was given to Colchester Abbey and in 1286 the King, Edward I, reclaimed the advowson, the right to appoint the rector. But in 1342 the church its unusual double-saint dedication when Edward III gave the advowson to the Priory of St. Mary & St Nicolas at Leeds, Kent. The gift was made to make up for the immense losses suffered by the priory when his father, Edward II, besieged Leeds castle and caused severe damage to the Priory. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries the church again changed hands this time to Rochester Cathedral. Much later it returned to the Monarch. The church windows hold hardly any old stained glass, most of it was removed in the early part of the 18th century but a collection of medieval stained glass by Dallaway, vicar 1804-34, has been grouped to form the glass in the south transept windows. Among the devastation which occurred in the mid 1500’s was an order that all altars be destroyed, somehow St. Mary & St Nicolas' 14th century Sussex marble altar covering slab, or mensa, survived. It can be seen at the east end behind the altar. The five consecration crosses carved into the marble signify the wounds of Christ. This ancient church has seen many major changes; in 1701-2 it is recorded as being "modernised", probably meaning the removal of any traces of "papist imagery and superstition". Most of the additions made in this modernisation were removed in the Victorian restorations, the first in 1839, then in 1873 when the church was re-roofed, the box pews from 1701 were replaced with the pews you see today, the York stones of the 1701 work were pulled up and a wooden floor with heating pipes below was installed. The third Victorian renovation was in 1891 when more re-roofing was needed. Also

P a g e | 36 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton at that time a choir vestry was added and the galleries were removed from the aisles and the tower thus opening up the tower to the rest of the church. One final restoration remains to be recorded that of 1988/89. It was a major renovation, with another re-roofing necessary and much internal work, including electrical work. Sadly a few months after it was all completed and the church looking splendidly smart, a fire caused by an electrical short circuit under the floorboards took hold. Fortunately the building survived but many of the church furnishings and fittings were destroyed including the organ and all the altar hangings. One item of antiquity which survived thos 20th century fire was a medieval metal helmet antiquity now placed on the pillar at the south side of the chancel at the corner of the south transept. The helmet was carried in the funeral cortege of Robert Gardiner of Thornycroft Manor who was Chief Sergeant of the Royal Cellar for Queen Elizabeth I and died aged 73 on 10th November 1571. A poem to his memory written by the Queen's poet is also on display below the helmet. Other courtiers from later reigns are also buried in the Chancel. St. John the Evangelist, Merrow20 No one seems sure about the origin of the place name Merrow one of the most promising is that it was "mear-reaw" an old word for a boundary row or ridge, perhaps across the North Downs. The first church here is thought to date from the 12th century. Like most early country churches it probably comprised a chancel and a nave. In C13 a south aisle and chapel were added. This was probably a chantry chapel where the priest sang mass every day for the soul of the departed benefactor or holy person. Parts of the wall of this chapel, now called the Onslow Chapel, (see later) and the old arcade in the south aisle still exist.

20 Surrey GU4 7DA, https://saintjohns.org.uk/

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Almost everything else of the old church, which had fallen into a ruinous state by late 1830s, was destroyed in the building of the new church which was completed in 1843. The architect was RC Hussey; he designed no other churches in Surrey. The rebuild was paid for by a lady resident of the parish who requested anonymity and to this day her name is not known. A brass plaque at the west end of the nave records this generosity. However, you need a good knowledge of Latin to read it. As you enter by the church porch don't miss a 14th century carved bargeboard in its decorated English style. The doorway is a Norman arch (c.1150) from the old church; it has a well preserved chevron and tooth pattern carving. Moving along the north aisle to the end you come into the other chapel - the Memorial Chapel, built by Lord Daryngton in memory of his son Ronald Pease who was killed in France in 1916. The son's batttlefield wooden cross is on the north wall. The father was a Liberal MP who was President of the Church Army and lived in Merrow until 1925. This attractive chapel designed and erected by the Wareham Guild has a reredos of carved figures representing the patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. In the Nave is a modern font with Victorian carved wooden canopy with a somewhat unusual feature of lockable doors to protect the holy water from theft. At the east end of the Nave the carving on the lectern is 16th/17th century, it was a gift to the church in 1886. The pulpit too was a gift, in 1910 in memory of a Miss Thrupp who lived in Merrow House from the mid 1800s. Until her death in 1908 she was closely interested in Merrow Church and the church school and all of its pupils. The East window is modern (1881) typically Victorian in style. The windows on the north wall of the chancel depict two events in the life of the church's patron saint, St. John the Evangelist. The south aisle has an arcade with round champfered arches and plain capitals believed to date from c1200, probably from the old church but re-set on new piers. The Onslow chapel at the east end of the south aisle was originally a chantry chapel which was converted into a burial vault for the Onslow family

P a g e | 38 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton during the 17th century. In 1871 the 4th Earl of Onslow and his mother agreed to return the chapel to the church. The remains of their ancestors were re- interred in a new vault built in the churchyard. This fact is recorded on a brass plaque the wall of the chapel. The Onslow family has a long association with church; a member of the family has been the patron since 1673 in a continuous line up to the present day. The lancet windows in the chapel portray six holy women, The Virgin Mary, St. Mary of Bethany, St. Martha, St. Anne, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Elizabeth. Other plaques in the church are of interest for their unusualness. One is to the memory of a Major General of the Bengal Staff Lancers who died in 1893. The soldier was a Henry Waterfield and was a local resident for a short time. The second plaque records a happening in Ireland in 1889 when a 24 year old Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Fusiliers unexpectedly died, not on the battlefield but as a result of a shooting incident at Lough. The plaque was erected by his brother officers as a tribute to their lost comrade. The spire, renewed in 2004, rises 40 feet above the tower and has been clad in Canadian shingles. The bells were recast from the original C17 bells for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee St. John's at Merrow is brightly white everywhere, this lightness adds to the attractiveness of this Victorian parish church.

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St. Michael's, Mickleham Between 21 959-975 a small Saxon church was built on the site of the present building and parts of it were incorporated in the Norman church built in 1180 which largely exists to this day. The chancel is slightly out of alignment with the nave - a common feature in ancient churches known as a weeping chancel - an attempt in cruciform building to suggest the head of Christ as he hung on the Cross. Like many ancient churches St. Michaels' suffered at the hands of the Victorians in their quest for "improvement" and ornamentation. In 1823 architect, PF Robinson, produced a monograph entitled "An Attempt to Ascertain the age of Mickleham Church". This was fully illustrated with drawings, plans and comparisons with exactly similar architecture to be found in other churches in England and Normandy. Robinson specifically noted the capitals and arches as being virtually identical as those of an old convent church dated from 959 AD and also very like those at Oxford Cathedral (formerly an Augustine priory built in the 12th century). A fine, but simple, double chevron and dog-toothed arch can still be seen at the entrance to the chancel (extended in 1872). This design is identical to that in the manorial church of William the Conqueror in Caen, Normandy. Significantly, in the 11th century, one of The Conqueror's nephews was granted some manorial estates in Surrey which included Mickleham. Further "improvements" took place in 1871-2 when the Norman arches lining the nave were replaced with modern ones in an act described as "a tragic restoration". During one of the restorations an old plaster coating was uncovered at the west end of the church. The plaster revealed a red-coloured date of 1080. The font is also a fine Norman relic, its basin made from a single stone.

21 Surrey RH5 6EB, https://www.micklehamchurch.org.uk/welcome.htm

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The side chapel (now known as the Norbury chapel) has fine chequered flint and stone walls dating from 1300 and an ornamented stone tomb of Wyllyam Wyddowsoun, citizen and mercer of London who died 17th September "in the 5th year of King Harry the 8th” (1514). A brass to William Widdowson is above the tomb. The chapel passed to the Stydolf family in the 17th century and later the Locks of Norbury occupied it as their family pew. The oak panelling is thought to have been saved from St. Paul's School, London at the time of the Great Fire of 1666. The memorial glass in the east window of the chapel has 20thC connections with two Canadian citizens. William Aitkin, the 1st Lord Beaverbrook, newspaper magnate and WW2 cabinet minister who died on 9th June 1964, age 85 and of Richard Bedford, the Viscount Bennett, a statesman who was Prime Minister of Canada from 1930 to 1935. He retired to England in 1939 and died on 20th June 1947 age 76. Of a very different age is the memorial to Mrs Phillipa Watson whose wall table erected by her children records her as “…wife of William Watson, a London merchant, whose early death left her a young and mournful widow charged with the care of 10 helpless infants of whom six sons and three daughters survived to comfort the life and lament the death of their excellent and amiable parent, who after having secured and improved their property by her application and address, and formed their minds by her instructions and example, retired from the hurry of active life to end her days in piety and peace. She died in calm Christian serenity on 7th December 1749 at 74 years.” A wonderful tribute to an outstanding 17th/18th century woman who might easily have been an ideal subject for another outstanding woman who started writing stories about the domestic scene nearly two decades later - Fanny Burney - a forerunner of Jane Austen, whom she influenced. Fanny was married to a French émigré General Alexandre D'Arblay in Mickelham Church on 21st July 1793. The pulpit (c. 1600) with its panels and carved figures is a good example of Flemish carving. It was brought from Belgium in 1840. The carved figures either side of the altar are from Bohemia and the present reredos dates from 1938.

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Old Testament prophets are featured in the stained glass of the four round windows in the chancel. The glass was installed in 1871. Three of the four hatchments (diamond-shaped boards bearing the armorial bearings of a deceased person) on the north wall are Victorian, the fourth is 1785 of Mary Jenkinson of Juniper Hall. As you leave don't miss a special feature of the churchyard, a few carefully preserved graveboards (wooden tomb markers consisting of a plank between two posts) dated variously 1813, 1875. These graveboards are some of the very few in Surrey to have been preserved. St. Mary Magdalene, Reigate22 Reigate's parish church is situated SE of the town. John Aubrey described it in his C17 book Natural History & Antiquities of the County of Surrey as "set on an eminence, built of freestone”. The tower was re-faced in Bath stone in the 19th century. The original Horsham roof slates were in good enough condition for some of them to be used again in the 1983 re-roofing. The Domesday Book does not record a church here, first mention of it was in a C12 document under the name of Crechesfeld, and it was then run by St Overy Augustinian Priory of Southwark. As was common in the early days, St. Mary's had an aisleless nave, but by the end of the 12th century north and south aisles had been added with the present arches replacing the original walls. Less than two centuries later the chancel was extended. About a hundred years after this work the tower (then central) collapsed and a new one was built at the west end. At much the same time the chancel and the nave were extended into the space left by the repositioning of the tower. In 1513 a vestry was added to the north east comer.

22 Surrey RH2 7RN, https://www.stmaryreigate.org/

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Although many statues and decorations were removed at the time of the Reformation, the stained glass was left untouched until a century later in 1661 when a madman, Thomas Glynn, a glazier by trade, "forcibly and unlawfully smashed and tore out the windows...". He was fined 12 pence. Lawlessness lives on because as recently as September 2005 an unknown group of mindless vandals threw bricks at two windows in the south west comer destroying several sections of old stained glass. In the chapel (C14) a thirteenth window can be seen in the west of the north aisle. There is also a collection of Jacobean monuments around the church which are of interest. The oldest of these is in the north aisle dedicated to Anthony Glymyn and his wife who died in the mid 16th century. In the north transept the most impressive monument is to Richard Ladbroke, a zealous member of the church and a wealthy distiller. Pevsner & Naim's The Buildings of England describe the statues as "Very high quality, especially the humane, unaffected face of Ladbroke...". The sculptor was the little known Joseph Rose. Under the chancel lies the vault of the famous Howard family, included among those buried there is Lord Howard, the commander-in-chief of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada. He died in 1624 and was buried at midnight. In the chancel at the end of the north end of the east wall is a C17 monument to Thomas Bludder of Flanchford (and his wife) who died in 1618, he was responsible for the supply of food for the navy. To his right is a double monument to Richard Elyott, knight, died 1608 and his son Richard. One of his daughters has a memorial in the south of the chancel. While in the north transept have a look at the medieval tiles on display alongside the organ. They are from the original floor and discovered in 1982. The first public library to be established in Britain was here at St. Mary's. It was founded by the Rev. Andrew Cranston (Vicar 1697-1708). Originally for use of the clergy and parishioners, the library was expanded as others donated volumes including some by John Evelyn, the diarist, and by John Flamsteed, first Astronomer-Royal in 1675 and who later took Holy Orders and became Rector at Burstow, Surrey. The library stills exists in a small chamber above the vicar's vestry in the north east corner of the church and is preserved in as near as possible in its original C18 form, being run by a trust aided by the British Library and by Surrey County Library. An up-to-date

P a g e | 43 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton catalogue has been prepared and this is available on micro-fiche in national libraries. In 1845 Henry Woodyear, the well-known Surrey architect was employed to replace the east windows and in 1874 another well-known architect Sir George Gilbert Scott (he designed the Albert Memorial and numerous important buildings in Gothic Revival style) was ask to oversee the rebuilding of the nave and the tower and the removal of the north gallery. A notable feature is the variety of carvings on the capitals on the columns that form the noble arcade in the nave, every one is different. The unaligned position of the columns (circa 1200) is probably because the aisles were rebuilt around the Norman nave which was not demolished until they were built. Their good condition is due to a stone by stone rebuild of the originals in the 19th century. Holy Trinity, Rudgwick23 The church tower is not easily spotted on the road from Ewhurst, it lies on high ground tucked behind the flower-decked "Kings Arms". Fortunately this location does not disturb its peaceful charm. Part of the boundary between Surrey and Sussex runs along the edge of the churchyard. Alard, the Fleming, who died in 1263 held the advowson of the church and building; the West Tower was probably erected during his lifetime. Further evidence of the antiquity of the church is shown in records of payment of taxes to Pope Nicholas VI in 1291. The tower is the oldest part of the church and has a 14th century window above the door and two lancets on the north and south sides. A new belfry floor, known as the June Kirkpatrick room, was added in celebration of the 2nd millennium on 3rd September 2001. An interesting arcade of three C14th arches separate the nave from the north aisle. The nave and chancel all date from 1500's, all necessary restorations have faithfully used old materials.

23 Surrey RH12 3EB, https://www.rudgwickchurch.org.uk/welcome.htm

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On each side of the chancel arch there are restored panels of the Ten Commandments, The Creed and The Lord's Prayer. Fronted with four columns of beautifully carved angels, the altar table dates from the 17th century, it is of Belgian origin. In the Belfry are six bells, including three inscribed 1770, two recast bells dated 1867 and the latest one was added in 1930. There are 170 kneelers, all different. They depict local occasions, places and memories of loved ones. Among them is one commemorating a sailor who lost his life aboard HMS Sheffield during the Falklands War and another with a picture of Concorde. Various wall tablets record, and stained glass windows commemorate, some of Holy Trinity's many distinguished parishioners. The choir stalls are dedicated to members of the Secretan family including an only son, a 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Sussex Regiment, who died of wounds in Belgium, May 1940. On the wall by the pulpit another soldier, this time 1st World War, is remembered - Capt. William Renton of the King's Dragoon Guards, killed in action June 1915 at Chateau Hooge. As you leave don't miss the very unusual late C12th square font; it is of Sussex marble and has a double-stepped platform. St. Mary the Virgin, Shalford24 There has been a church on this site for over 800 years, the present one is the fourth. The first one built by a Saxon landowner in the 10th century; the second in the late C12 and early C13, it lasted until 1788 when it was demolished to make way for a contemporary design chosen by the lay rector and largest landowner Robert Austen. Most of the stone for its construction came from Austen's own land near Hascombe. The church had a cupola instead of a spire and an apsidal (semi-circular) chancel. As the population grew it proved too small and by 1846 , a mere 58 years after being built, it was replaced by the present church in the early

24 Surrey GU4 8AE, https://stmarysshalford.com/

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English style designed by Benjamin Ferrey, architect of Coldharbour, Brockham and others in Surrey. There is a tranquil atmosphere about St. Mary's despite its setting alongside a busy road a short distance from Guildford. It is a church that makes up for its lack of old architecture with a large number of interesting memorials of varying types. The stained glass is all Victorian except six small roundels of CIS English glass, two good examples of old Flemish glass which are set in the east window of the Lady Chapel. Memorials, especially to various members of the Austen family, abound in the chancel; a coloured brass in the floor of the chancel records the life of Lt. Col. Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen 1834-1923, an explorer, surveyor and scientist who received the Royal Geographical Society’s Gold Medal for his exploration in the NW Himalayas particularly his discovery of mountain K2 (also called Godwin-Austen) at 780 feet lower than Everest. A marble memorial in the chancel is to Robert Austen (the lay rector who build church No 3. and died in 1759) and to his son Robert who died in 1797. An earlier member of the Austen family is remembered with a brass wall plaque, he was Capt. John Austen who fought for the parliamentary cause in the Civil War and died in 1660. Two contrasting memorials to two young naval lieutenants who were killed in action in a sea battle off the Chilean Coast in November 1914 are present in the church. To Lt. Maurice Bagot of HMS Good Hope, an armed cruiser, sunk by German fire power, his family donated the oak pulpit and to the other Shalford naval man Lieutenant Douglas Tudor, the stone plaque on the north wall tells of his loss of life aboard HMS Monmouth , another armed cruiser badly damaged and lost in the same Battle of Coronel, the first defeat of British sea power for over a century. At the west end of the north wall is a large stone tablet which lists the dues and Church Returns. The details of an award by the Bishop of Winchester to the Rector of Shalford in 1434 are very strange to us in the 21st century; the award reads: "To the Vicar of Shalford, by award of Cardinal Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, in 1434, the Rectory of Shalford is ever charged with the supply yearly at Michaelmas to the Vicar of 1 Quarter of Wheat, 2 Quarters of Rye, 4 quarters of Oats, 1 Load of Hay and 2 Loads of Straw, to which charges George

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Austen Esq. added in 1620, 1 Load of Hay and the right to depasture a nag in the rectory meadows from St. Peters Day to 1st November in each year". Since the old measure of 1 Quarter is equal to approx. 12 kgs and a Load to 914 kgs it would seem that both the nag and the Vicar had a healthy yearly supply of grain! Another much smaller tablet also at the west end but at the opposite side commemorates the life of Bertram Heweth (1874-1933). Heweth was an important civil engineer who was in charge and carried out the construction of the City & South London Tube Extension, the Hudson River Tunnels in New York and the Kingsway Mersey Tunnel in Liverpool. A regular mole one might say! In the transept Col. Frederick Shewell of the 8th Hussars is remembered by a memorial. Col. Shewell led his men in the Charge of the Light Brigade with his open Bible propped against his saddle. He survived the battle. Also at the west end is displayed a 1715 Deed by Dr. Hugh Shortrudge, Rector of Fetcham, a staunch supporter of King and Church, which required that two sermons were preached on Good Friday and 30th January each year in the parish churches of Great Bookhan Leatherhead, Effingham and Shalford to remember the Anglican matyr, King Charles I, in return “for so doing a payment for charities and any residue for the vicars of Great Bookham, Leatherhead, Effingham and Shalford". This old of custom known as “The Shortrudge Sermons” survived for many years and a Shortrudge sermon is still preached on the last Sunday of January at Bookham. St. Peter's, Slinfold25 Slinfold still looks a real English village its cottages and the parish church of set serenely in its centre. This charming village is under a mile from Stane Street, the famous Roman road. It was the second station, or resting place, for Roman travellers on their way between Chichester and London; the third being Dorking and the last Merton on the outskirts of the capital.

25 Surrey RH13 0RR, http://www.stpeterslinfold.co.uk/

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The first church in Slinfold was built in 1230, it comprised a nave and north aisle and a small chapel and a massive shingled tower. That church was rebuilt in the 15th century with new walls. In 1859, the Parochial Church Council, faced with repair costs to the old church exceeding those for building a new church chose destruction of the old. Victorians did not appear to treasure ancient buildings as this generation does and as a result very few items of the C15th church were incorporated into the new one. However, the rector at that time, the Rev. Vincent, did record in sketches and water colours many views inside and outside of the old church. These pictures now hang in the vestry of the present church. A 1537 memorial to Richard Bradbrydge which came from the old church does survive. He founded the nearby village of Broadbridge Heath, which took his name. The new church cost £3,700 and was completed in 1861. Various gifts of bells, stained glass, a carved oak pulpit, an organ and a reredos (removed in 1961) helped to equip the new building. The new church had a stone spire but by 1969 this had become unstable after years of repairs and it was replaced by the present tower. In the porch the list of rectors confirms St. Peter's early history, the first recorded name is 1400; much later – 1711 - the name of Thomas Manningham appears. He was a well-known botanist as well as a priest and was responsible for stocking the rectory garden with many very rare plants. Years after his departure visitors, interested in botant would call just to see one or two of the garden's rarities. The huge and varied collection of kneelers in the church started in 1977 when the rector's wife formed a group of needleworkers with the purpose of replacing the old worn ones. There are now 170 of them, all different designs; they feature seasons of the year, Sussex landmarks, commemoration of a special occasion, a beauty spot or just a pleasant design. The lamb or sheep on the end of the kneelers are symbols of Slinfold. Stephen Langton, the first Archbishop of Canterbury in 1207 and the first signatory on the Magna Carta, was born "in his own manor of Slynford" in 1150 and was buried in 1228 at St. Martha's on the Hill, Guildford. Langton spent the first seven years of his archbishopric in Pontigny, France, his appointment being resisted by King John. It was altogether a stormy period

P a g e | 48 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton in Langton's life being suspended by The Pope from his functions in 1215 but reinstated 1218. Sometime after Stephen Langton "The Legend of the Slinfold Bell" was born. The most plausible version of this story tells of a bell, destined for St. Peter's Church, Slinfold, which fell off a wagon into a bog by the roadside, about a mile from the church. The legend goes that while attempting to salvage the bell from the bog a witch appeared on the scene offering to use her powers to retrieve the bell with her team of white oxen. A rope or chain was fixed to the oxen and to the visible part of the bell and the witch warned the crowd, which by now had gathered to watch the recovery, that if anyone spoke during the operation the bell would be lost forever. The oxen heaved and as the bell rose to the surface someone in the crowd shouted t'Hurrah" and the bell slipped back into the bog for ever! But that was not quite the last of the legend for in 1971 a dowser with his metal rods who had heard the story, and a member of the Treasure Hunters Association tried to locate the bell. The dowser claimed success and went as far as giving the dimensions of the sunken bell which he said he could detect below the surface of the bog. However, the metal detector of the treasure hunter did not record any sign of metal in the same spot. After much talk of future recovery by the dowser and the making a film of it nothing more was heard except some very well orchestrated publicity which appeared in newspapers and on the radio! Slinfold is a name with a Saxon derivation Slynd meaning the side of a hill or slope and Folde, land cultivated in an enclosure, usually after removal of timber and underwood. Among its many visitors it is said that King Edward came here on his return from Battle Abbey on 3rd September 1324. Among its well known families are the Cowpers, Blounts, Bradbridges, Husseys and Churchers. There is a memorial tablet to Kathenne Blount 1617 in the church.

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St. Peter's, Walton-on-the-Hill26 On entering the church of St. Peter the Apostle, to give it its full dedication, look for the font on your immediate right; it is no ordinary font! Considered by those who know about such artefacts as the oldest of the 29 lead fonts still in existence in this country, it is authentically dated as AD 1150-1160. It is remarkable piece of leadwork with small, delicately moulded figures in high relief which make a frieze around the bowl. The eight figures are set in a frame of semi-circular arches and good condition considering its age. The style of the design experts think was derived from manuscripts like the Bury Bible, circa 1148. There is some debate about the frieze. Experts agree that at one time the frieze had 12 figures and it has been shortened to 8, but the debate seems to be whether the original leadwork depicted the Twelve Apostles, of which only eight are now seen, or if the figures portrayed are the four Doctors of the Church, (at that time) Ambrose, Jerome, Gregory the Great and Augustine of Hippo, originally repeated three times around the frieze but now only twice. This font is thought to have started its life at Walton Manor, a house with a great hall and its own chapel, and came to its present home after the Reformation. The old manor house no longer exists but the present building is on the site of the original manor. In the grounds is a Mound or Tumulus which could have been a Saxon motte, later perhaps used as a manorial court meeting place. The original C15 chancel of St. Peters was rebuilt in the C15, its large arch with attached half shafts is quite distinctive. The continuous moulding around the arch is echoed on the arch over the triple sedilia which is set in the south wall to the right of the altar. Also there is an attractive ogee-arched piscina, possible English Late Gothic work . The nave and the base of the tower were built in 1818 and the north aisle added in 1870. The all-flint tower was completed by 1895.

26 Surrey KT20 7SD, https://www.stpeterswoth.org/

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A chart on the west wall at the rear of the Nave shows the Vicars and Lords of the Manor of back to 1270 with Richard de Tonbridge at the time of ne Conquest. He lived at Walton Manor. A window in the south-east of the nave contains fragments of some beautiful etched and painted glass. A late C15 piece shows the figure of St. Augustine in white and gold , other fragments are C17 Flemish and Dutch glass which make a colourful and interesting window. Nearby is a modern piece of stained glass by Christopher Wall with vibrant colours. Further along the south wall is a window with a poem which reads: A man that looks on glass On it may stay his eye Or if he pleaseth thro' it pass And then the heav’n espy.

The Lady Chapel altar on the north side was given by HE Crawley in memory of members of his family, the picture over the altar is a fine copy of the Madonna by Murillo, the original of which hangs in the Prado, Madrid. The latest treasure to adorn this parish church is The Millennium window on the north wall at the far west end. The window was designed by Jonathan Leckie and shows four well-known local views. It was given to the church by the residents and friends of the village of Walton-on-the-Hill as a lasting reminder of the 21st century. Early in 2005 a survey of the bell tower revealed major problems and serious damage to the structure. Urgent repairs were nccessary and a Bell Tower Appeal was launched. The church tower was shrouded in scaffolding throughout last year but the work is now virtually completed. The old bells were secured during the repairs, the oldest dates from 1591 and another from 1681. A small almost incidental feature is the ironwork surrounding the lights in the nave; one design shows keys and another swords. This appears to be an interpretation of the Guildford Diocese Arms and the fittings may have been made when the Guildford Diocese was formed out of Winchester in 1927.

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St. Margaret, Warnham27 Although not mentioned in Domesday Book, it is known that the benefice of Warnham church was given by William de Braose to Rusper Nunnery before 1204. There were further references to it at Pope Nicholas' valuation in 1291. Wills, as early as 1505, describe the church as being dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but when the dedication changed to St. Margaret is not known. The patronage of the Rusper Nunnery lasted until 1537 when it was vested in the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury who retained it until 1866 when C.T. Lucas of Warnham Court acquired the advowson which is still with the family. Parish records can be traced back to 1558 and are like so many old church records are now deposited with the Diocesan Record Office at Chichester. This large church today is a mixture of architectural styles, the earliest from the 14th century, comprising part of the north wall, the Caryll chapel, part of the chancel walls and part of the north and south arcades. The tower, unusually situated at one side of the building, and south chapel were added in the early part of the 16th century. In 1847 a great deal of work took place including an increase in the length of the nave, which meant a rebuild of the west front. A singing gallery over

27 Surrey RH12 3QW, https://www.warnhamchurch.co.uk/

P a g e | 52 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton the chancel arch and a gallery pew over the north aisle were removed and a new western gallery erected at the same time. Further work in 1885/6 involved building the west porch and extending the chancel eastwards. Also at that time much window tracery was renewed. Warnham church has a large number of memorials. It has had associations with the Caryll family and later with the Shelley family. Percy Shelley, the poet, was born at Field Place, Warnham in August 1792 and was baptised in St. Margaret's on 7th September 1792. Copies of the baptismal sheet recording the event are on display in a glass case on the south side of the nave. There are memorials to earlier members of the Shelley family in the Caryll chapel. More unusually on display in the glass case in the south aisle are a tuning fork and glasses of the choirmaster of Victorian times and some coins found during the excavation work in 1885/6. The Lucas family of Warnham Court have been great benefactors to the church and even today a member of that family is a churchwarden of St. Margaret's church. The North aisle has a C14th arcade of four bays, however, the westernmost column is a 19th century structure, but the moulded octagonal capital appears to be of a much earlier period. Most of the masonry on this side is 14th century; the windows are replacements, but in the original style. The Caryll chapel, at the end of the North aisle, was restored in 1925 and refurnished in memory of the Rev. Richard Bowcott, Vicar from 1882-1921. The north wall bears a memorial to Sir John Caryll (died July 1613) and his wife. Among the kneeling figures are four sons and five daughters of the Caryll's all in dress of the late Elizabethan period. The chancel is almost entirely a Victorian rebuild and contains no ancient features. There are however, several wall memorial tablets to members of the Lucas family. The plaque recording the restoration of the church and the building of the chancel can be seen below the memorial of coloured marble to Charles Thomas Lucas (1820-95) on the south wall. Moving towards the tower from the nave you enter it by an early 16th century arch over which hangs a painted Royal Arms erected by parishioners in 1811 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the accession of King George III. The north west pier, facing the nave, holds war and military memorials.

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The chapel of Our Lady of Pity and The Trinity, also known as the Field Place Chapel was partially built from money left in 1524 by Richard Mitchell of Field Place. It is now used as a vestry and organ chamber. On its north wall is a list of vicars from 1247 to 1961. Earlier records relating to Warnham are on a painted board over the C16th arch leading to the south aisle. The board is awkwardly sited to be easily read but it is known to deal with the history of Warnham and Rusper. Below the board hangs a cutlass in a scabbard. Little is known of its origin and why it was hung in the church. The Purbeck marble square-bowl font is 12th century. The base is modern and one side has been extensively repaired. The eight bells have special significance for the bellringers who have held many county records for various changes – strange names like Kent Treble Bob Major and Canterbury Pleasure Major! St. John the Baptist, Wonersh28 Just outside Wonersh village, on the road to Bramley is this old church - a good-sized car park makes for easy visiting. St. John the Baptist church is C11th. and is mentioned in Domesday Book. It was probably built by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror. Although little remains of the original building, the core is still Norman, specifically the north wall of the nave. The first building, a chapel, according to records of 1224, was dependent on the parish of Shalford; John of Hereford, one of the King Henry III's chaplains had been granted the advowson. Later records (1295) show the chapel listed as a parish church . In the early C13th. the tower was added and the chancel rebuilt on a larger scale. The lower stages of that tower still remain as do the western part of the chancel walls, although pierced by later arches.

28 Surrey GU5 0PG, https://www.wonershchurch.org.uk/

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As you enter the church you can hardly miss a Royal Achievement of Arms from the Hanoverian period 1714-1801 and four diamond-shaped hatchments of the Norton Family, high on both walls of the nave. Fletcher Norton was the first Baron Grantley, but curiously his hatchment is not among the four. The possibility is that a fire in the church may have destroyed it. There is no hatchment for the third Baron who was buried in the churchyard in 1875. The supposed reason for this is that his son Thomas Brinley emigrated to Capri 23 years before his father’s death, married there and took no part in the funeral arrangements. The son only returned to England in a coffin, for his own burial at Wonersh two years later in 1877. A magnificent old Flemish chandelier hangs in the centre of the chancel, and the altar candlesticks in the north chapel are Georgian work: the rest of the ornaments are modern, like the stained glass with one small, but beautiful, exception - the window by the pulpit - a panel of 16th century Austrian glass of rich colour. The chancel arch despite its mutilated state is C13th. work but a chapel of similar age, originally in the south east corner has been lost. Many of the oak timbers used in the C15th. roof were worked into the present roof over the nave by the builders in the 1700's, but Unfortunately the architect for the church and those same builders were responsible for the destruction of the greater part of the ancient church. Opening from the north side of the chancel is the sacristy or crypt, the most interesting feature of the church; its floor paved in C14th tiles which have been laid with different clays burnt into them. The chapel on the north side of the chancel is the latest part of the medieval church. Two arches of fifteenth century style open to the chancel; the windows and doors are modern but copied from an old painting of the early church and the C18th. altar has been placed on the C14th. tiles. This chapel was further improved by raising the floor to that of the chancel in 1988-9. At the west end of the chapel is the font, the bowl and stem are Norman; nearby is a large sixteenth century tomb in Sussex marble but no inscription or effigy exists. You can see the oldest of the four floor brasses, dated 1467 for Thomas Elyot and his wife Alicia, on the south side of the chancel. Elyot was a filacer

P a g e | 55 A Brief History of 25 Churches – Eric Burleton for Surrey and Sussex in the Court of the Kings Bench. He was a JP and a filacer's duty was to file writs. Henry Elyot, his son, and his wife Johanna and their twentythree children, twelve sons and eleven daughters are commemorated in a floor brass, dated 1503, which can be seen on the north side of the chancel. With a family of that size, no wonder they moved to a large house in Busbridge leaving his father’s old house, opposite the church, soon after he had inherited it in 1467. After the major destructions and changes in the church that took place during the period 1793-9, the question of more major changes and a threat of total demolition of the church was raised a hundred years later, at the opening of the 20th. century. This time however, further destruction was averted and a plan of careful restoration was submitted by Sir Charles Nicholson. He and the vicar, the Rev. A L Brown, ensured that this plan was pursued and all ideas of demolition dropped. Sir Charles remained architect to the church until his death in 1948. The large east window and some of later date in the south west corner of the nave are by Archibald Nicholson, brother of architect - the robed bishop in one of these other windows is Bishop Suffragan of Guildford, John Randolph. The east window was commissioned 1915 by Lady Ria Ponsonby and her sister, in memory of their parents Colonel and Mrs E. Hegan Kennard of Great Tangley Manor. There are eight bells. Six old ones, three from 1552, three from 1727, all recast in 1958, and one from 1804 and two from 1958.

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