Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/200

A HISTORY OF SURREY apparently conveyed to the Howards some time during the I yth century, 60 since the Browne moiety was the only one which did not belong to them in the time of George II."

Sir Thomas Browne died in 1 597 seised of one por- tion of the manor, which passed to his son Matthew. 51 It appears at intervals in the possession of the Browne family, and finally, about 1690, on the death of Sir Adam Browne, without male issue, passed from his family by the marriage of his daughter Margaret with William Fenwick. 65 At her death, according to Man- ning and Bray, 64 this part of the manor passed by sale to Abraham Tucker, and from him, by the marriage of one of his daughters, to his grandson Sir Henry St. John Mildmay, who sold it in 1797 to the Duke of Norfolk."

The remaining portion of the manor passed at the death of Anne Mowbray into the family of Howard. Margaret daughter of the first Mowbray duke, and sister of that Isabel who married into the Berkeley family, became the wife of Sir Robert Howard, and to her son John her share in the Dorking manor now passed. 66 John was a keen partisan of Richard III, who in 1483 revived the title of Duke of Norfolk in his fav- our. 67 He met his death at the battle of Bosworth Field, and his lands, by an Act of at- tainder in the first Parliament of Henry VII, lapsed to the Crbwn." His son Thomas, also attainted then, was restored in blood in 1488, and to the earl- dom and his estates in 1489. In 1 5 1 4 he was created Duke of Norfolk. His son Thomas, third Duke of Norfolk in the Howard line, was attainted under Henry VIII, and only escaped execution by the timely death of the king ; his lands, however, were forfeited, and his portion in Dorking Manor was granted by Edward VI to Henry Duke of Suffolk. 69 Under Queen Mary the duke was restored to his possessions. From that time this portion seems to have remained in the family of Howard ; the other portions were gradually joined to it until, in 1797, the whole manor was in the possession of the Duke of Norfolk, with whose descendants it has since remained.

The earls had a manor-house in Dorking ; but though Aubrey mentions traces of a castle, there are neither records nor visible remains. The Town Fields were on the south side of the town, towards the direc- tion of the modern workhouse. The common meadow and pasture was on the north by the Pip Brook ; but it is worthy of notice that as early as the 1 4th and 1 5th centuries the manorial rolls tell us that the villeins of the manor held land in severally, this custom being specially noticeable in Waldeborough, where there seem to have been no common fields. The rights

���HOWARD, Duke of Norfolk. Gules a bend between six crossletsfitchy argent.

��of the lord over a villein tenantry, chivage, marriage, and so on, were then in full force. In 1442-3 the homage are bidden to produce a fugitive female villein. It is needless to say that there is no evidence of the outrageous droit de seigneur mentioned by Aubrey. In the court held 30 December, 5 Henry VI (1426), Johanna Brekspere paid 6s. 8J. for licence to marry whom she would. But as early as the accounts ren- dered for 132930, customary services, carrying, reap- ing, &c., and xxii plena opera appear commuted for money payments. The custom of the manor was Borough English, and daughters were eo-heiresses. A court baron was held every three weeks, and a court leet and a view of frankpledge twice a year.

In 1278 John de Warenne claimed and was allowed free warren in all his demesne lands in Dorking. 60 The lord had, however, an inclosed warren, which was often mentioned in the Court Rolls owing to the inhabi- tants stealing rabbits from it. Under Henry V and Henry VI the warren was let out at farm. Possibly the lord had an inclosed park, for in the courts of 8 February and 1 6 August 1283 persons are accused of breaking the earl's park ; but in the first instance the fine pro fractura parcl is only 6d., in the second 2Of., so / anus may only be the pound, or some small inclosure. No record of imparking or disimparking seems to exist. If there was a park it must have been near Charte Park of later times, where Park Copse, Park Farm, and Park Pale Farm, all to the east of Charte Park, may show that this is only part of a for- merly more extensive inclosure.

BRADLET was a small reputed manor held by service of half a knight's fee of the manor of Reigate. 61 A Thomas de Bradley appears in a dispute in the court of Dorking of 1283. Mr. Bray had deeds in his possession showing a settlement, by John de Bradley and Maud his wife, on William son of Richard Bradley in 1 340, and another settlement of land in Bradley 1389-90, by Nicholas Slyfield, on John Penros. 62 It passed to the Sondes of Sondes Place, Dorking, and appears as a manor in the time of Edward IV, 63 and is also mentioned in an inquisition taken after the death of Robert Sondes in I53O. 64 It seems to have re- mained in the Sondes family until the middle of the 1 7th century, when Sir George Sondes conveyed it to William Delawne, 66 but perhaps by way of mort- gage only, for Lewis, created Lord Sondes 1760, seems to have sold it rather later than that to Henry Talbot. He sold it to Mr. Walter, M.P., who was buying much land in the district. 66 It was certainly possessed by Mr. Walter of Bury Hill and his son-in-law Viscount Grimston, who sold it to Mr. Denison of Denbies, in which estate it remains. It has had no courts held within the memory of man. It is now the property of the Hon. Henry Cubitt of Denbies, the lord- lieutenant. 67

There seems to have been a small manor called H4MSTED in Dorking. In Domesday Richard of Tonbridge held one hide which had been detached from

��60 H. K. S. Causton (Howard Papers, 365) states that Charles Howard in 1652 found himself heir to three fourth parts of the manor of Dorking, two of which had been purchased by his grandfather Thomas, Earl of Arundel.

51 Recov. R. Mich. 14 Geo. II, rot. 211.

52 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. z), ccliii, 88.

��M Feet of F. Surr. HiL 4 & 5 Will, and Mary.

M Hist. Surr. i, 558.

" Ibid.

58 Diet Nat. Biog. xxviii, 42.

W Ibid.

58 Par/. R. (Rec. Com.), vi, 410.

Pat. 6 Edw. VI, pt. ii.

60 Assize R. apud Guildford, 7 Edw. I, rot. 28.

146

��81 Survey of manor of Reigate taken I Apr. 1623, 21 Jas. I.

M Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr. i, 563.

" Feet of F. Div. Co. file 74, no. 64.

64 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ii, 48.

65 Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 1654.

66 Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr. i, 564.

" Inform from Lord Ashcombe.

�� �