Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/211

 WOTTON HUNDRED

��OCKLEY

��artificial bank, perhaps to make another inundation. Aubrey in the lyth century recognized the ' mole and mote ' of a castle, and a small castle of the De Clares, built in Stephen's time and dismantled by Henry II, is not impossible. It is a likely spot, near a main road, which was then no doubt in use for its whole length.

Aubrey has preserved a tradition, repeated and ridiculed by later writers, that there was a castle here destroyed by the Danes, who placed battering engines on Bury Hill. All who notice the story take Bury Hill to be Anstiebury Camp, 2 miles or more away. But where the road ascends from Ockley towards Dorking, just before the branch to Coldharbour goes off on the left, the hill was called Bury Hill. 4a It is very much nearer, under half a mile away instead of over two, and although too far for a catapult to act, it is not an impossible camp for some force attacking a strong place near Ockley Church. Danes may be, of course, any enemy, described by that name from con- fusion of traditions.

In the southern part of the parish, near Oakdale Farm, is a considerable moated inclosure with a double moat on two sides. The lane near it is called Smugglers' Lane. It is a way out of Sussex which avoids the high road.

Dotted about on the village green are several houses and cottages embowered in trees ; and some of the trees along the main road are also of great size and beauty. Opposite to the turning that leads to the church is a picturesque old cottage with rough-cast walls and stone-slab roof, and several others in the village street are evidently of some antiquity. But it is the group of exceptionally fine old farm-houses within the borders of the parish which specially demand attention.

The finest of these is King's Farm, in the south- west of the parish, a large rambling structure, chiefly of half-timber, but largely covered with weather tiling, with overhanging stories, projecting oriel bay windows, having moulded bressummers and shaped brackets and tall chimney stacks the shafts of the chimneys set diamond-wise upon square bases. Almost equally interesting are Boswell's or Bosell Farm, close to King's Farm, and Buckinghill Farm, in the north of the parish, both having overhanging timber-framed gables and stone-slab roofs. Hoi- brooks is another ancient farm-house. All have great open fireplaces and other characteristics of a past age, and their remoteness from railways and main roads has aided to preserve their primitive character. One called Trouts, though close to the rail- way line, is not easily accessible. It used to be known as Farley lands. 4 On a beam in the kitchen was lately a carved inscription :

' LOOK WELL TO THY HOUSE IN EVERY DEGREE AND AS THY MEANS ARE SO LET THY SPENDINGS BE

I 5. .'

Eversheds is an old farm-house and reputed manor, in the eastern part of the parish. It was the property of an old yeoman family named Evershed. Mr. John Evershed bought the manor of Ockley, as noted below, in 1694, and Eversheds was sold with the manor in

��1717. Its claim to be a manor rests only upon a mistaken identification with the Arseste of Domesday. Evershed is a place-name which gives its name to a family. Eversheds is the house of an Evershed. Arseste is possibly Hartshurst, a farm in Wotton under Leith Hill.

Vann is the seat of Mrs. Campbell. It was held of Ockley Manor by a family named Margesson in the 1 7th century. Vann Pond is an extensive sheet of water, made by damming a stream in a narrow valley, with a view to providing water-power for a linen mill in the 1 8th century; but the mill was never built.

Elderslie, on Ockley Green, is the seat of Mr. J. W. Arbuthnot. Mr. George Arbuthnot, grand- father of the present owner, resided there and died in 1843. The fountain on the green was built by Miss Jane Scott, governess in the Elderslie family, in 1841.

The present Rectory House, by the side of the Stone Street Causeway, was built at his own expense by the Rev. Thomas WoodroofFe shortly after he was instituted as rector in 1784. The older rectory was I mile further south, 2 miles from the church. This was not the original rectory, but was a farm- house on the glebe.

The Domesday Survey Sa records that MANOR OCKLET (Ockley, Okeleigh, Ocklie, Hokeleye, Okkle, Ockele, &c.) was held by Ralph of Richard of Tonbridge, and that Almar held it of King Edward ; also that Richard himself held half a hide in this manor. The manor is here put under the heading of Woking Hundred. This may probably be merely a mistake ; but it is worth notice that Manning and Bray record that there was land in Ockley held of East Horsley Manor, in Woking Hundred, 6 and there was an isolated bit of Ockham parish inclosed in Ockley, Ockham being also in Woking and a manor of Richard of Tonbridge. This may be Richard's half-hide, valueless because it was on the barren slope of Holmbury Hill.

In the early 1 3th century Alice daughter of Odo de Dammartin held inter alia one knight's fee in Ockley of the honour of Clare. 7 She held Tandridge also, and her lands passed to the Warblington family. 8 It seems probable that one of Alice's predecessors enfeoffed the Malemayns family with Ockley, to be held by one knight's fee of their manor of Tand- ridge, 9 for they seem to have been already established in Ockley, as well as else- where in Surrey. In 1213 Walter, Prior of Merton, made an exchange with Ni- cholas Malemayns of land in Ockley. 10 In 1241 John de Plessets paid 100 marks for the custody of the land and heirs of Nicholas Male- mayns. 11 Nicholas Malemayns in 1278 claimed to have a MALIMAYNS. Gules

park in Ockley in his ma- thret right hands or. nor. 1 * In 1293 the king

presented to the living of Ockley on the grounds of his custody of the lands and heirs of Nicholas

���43 Local information.

6 Westcote Ct. R. 5 Nov. 1736.

' y.C.H. Surr. i, 320*.

Hat. of Surr. ii, 162.

��7 Ttita de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 219.

8 John de Warbleton had a wife Alice ; Vriothesley, Pedigree* from Plea R. 285.

9 Chan. Inq. p.m. 33 Edw. Ill, no. 41.

��10 Feet of F. Surr. 14 John, no. 42.

11 Fine R. 25 Hen. Ill, m. 16 ; but this was not only in Ockley.

" Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 744.

�� �