Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/33

 GODALMING HUNDRED

��ARTINGTON

��ARTINGTON

(!N THE PARISH OF ST. NICHOLAS, GUILDFORD)

��Ertindun (xiii cent.)

The parish of St. Nicholas, Guildford, contains 2,693 acres. It is for the greater part of its eastern tide bounded by the Wey, on the left bank of which it lies. A great part of the parish is in the borough of Guildford, and part has always been in the borough, so far as is known. But the rural part of the parish has always been in Godalming Hundred, and the parish, 3 miles north to south, z or ij miles east to west, was originally a rural parish. The idea suggested in old histories that Guildford was once in this parish on the left bank of the Wey is baseless. The name ' Bury Fields,' in St. Nicholas parish, refers of course to the town fields, not to the town. Neither have draining or building revealed any old foundations on the left bank. The Guildford Ceme- tery is in the parish of St. Nicholas, in the part included in the borough since 1904. It is under a joint committee on which the rural parish is repre- sented.

The main part of the parish is on the Green Sand, with an outcrop of the Atherfield and of the Wealden Clay in the middle of it. But the northern part crosses the chalk ridge of the Hog's Back and reaches on to the Woolwich Beds and London Clay beyond.

Guildford station is in the parish, and of late years, in the neighbourhood of the station and on the Hog's Back, building has much increased. The Portsmouth road also traverses the parish, and houses extend along it for a mile, connecting Guildford with the hamlet of St. Catherine's. The old Ports- mouth road came past St. Nicholas's Church, along Bury Fields, and up what was called the Little Mount into the line of the present road. The old Farnham road came along the ridge of the Hog's Back and down the Great Mount by a very steep descent. 1 The Act of Parliament for making the new Farnham road was passed in 1 796, but the road was not begun till some years later. A parcel of land south of the Great Mount is in Farnham Manor, and was the site probably of a lodging of the Bishop of Winchester when he was travelling on the road. The end of the Hog's Back is known as Guildown, and this old Farnham road is the Strata de GeUedone referred to in the Pipe Rolls of 1189 as the southern boundary of the purlieu of Windsor Forest.

In the south of the parish part of the common called Peasemarsh is included. Great part of this was inclosed in 1803. It is very poor soil. In the old river gravel on it some palaeolithic flints have been found.

The northern part of the parish beyond the Hog's Back is called Guildford Park. This was the site of the old royal park of Guildford. Much of the history of the park is involved in that of the forest of Windsor, the Surrey bailiwick of which extended over the whole county north of the Hog's Back and

��west of the Wey. It would appear that Henry II inclosed the park at the beginning of his reign. 1 The custody of the park often went with the office of constable of the castle and steward of the king's manor, for Guildford was a royal manor and castle from before the Conquest. There was a manor- house in the park, but it was quite a small place. The residence of the kings, who were frequently in Guildford, was in the castle. It was here that the extensive buildings and decorations of Henry III were executed, not at the park manor-house, for they involved buying of land for the extension of the building, an impossibility at the latter place, which lay in the middle of the park surrounded by the king's land on every side. In 1299 the park was assigned to Margaret, second wife of Edward I,' but reverted to the Crown under Edward II. When Edward III granted the royal manor in fee-farm to the good men (probl homines) of Guildford the park and castle were reserved. Helming Leggette was given the custody of the park for life in I 3 70.' On the decease of Sir Hugh Waterton it was granted to Sir John Stanley for life in 1409-10.* In 1444 it was granted to John Genyn and Richard Ludlow, Serjeants of the king's cellar, and to Richard's heirs. 6 But in 1463 Edward IV granted it to Thomas St. Leger, who married his sister Anne, widow of the Duke of Exeter, and gave him the further charge of certain enlargements of the park made before 1475-6.' St. Leger received the herbage and pannage of the park, without rendering account, and 10 a year for the maintenance of the deer in winter. 8 The manor of Cleygate in Ash was granted to St. Leger in 1475, for the further maintenance of the game. 9 He was attainted for rebellion against Richard III, when the custody of the park was perhaps given to William Mistelbroke, who received Cleygate. 10 In 1488 Sir Reginald Bray received the custody of the park, and Cleygate. 11 Sir Michael Stanhope was the next holder." When Guildford Grammar School was re- founded by Edward VI, the Marquis of Northampton held it." Under Elizabeth Lord Montague was keeper, and had much anxiety with poachers of deer and snarers of rabbits and pheasants. 14 He died 1592, and Sir Thomas Gorges, who had married Northamp- ton's widow, was perhaps the next keeper. In his time Norden's survey was executed. He describes the park as of 6J miles' circuit with 7$ miles of pales. Part of the southern side was inclosed and cultivated. It contained 1,620 acres by estimation, and was ' meanely timbered,' not enough to repair the pales. There were about 600 fallow deer, but ' not above 30 bucks,' i.e. males of two years old and upwards. The manor-house was 'puled down and defaced.' This stood, by his plan, where the farm called Manor Farm is now. There were three other lodges. The chief lodge was by the bank of the river, and is partly

��1 Long poles used to be put through the hind wheels of the coaches coming down this hilL

3 Close, 9 Hen. Ill, m. 6. 8 Pat. 27 Edw. I, m. 4.

4 Pat. 43 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 33.

��' Pat. 10 Hen. IV, pt. ii, m. 13.

6 Pat. 22 Hen. VI, pt. ii, m. 2.

7 Exch. Accts. bdle. 516, no. II.

8 Pat. 2 Edw. IV, pt. ii, m. 14. Pat. 1 5 Edw. IV, pt. ii, m. 4.

10 Pat. I Ric. Ill, pt. iv, m. 12.

��11 MS. of Mr. Anstis, quoted by Man- ning and Bray, Hist, of Surr, i, 514.

18 Mr. Anstis' MS., Manning and Bray Surr. i, 25.

18 Chart, of the school.

14 Loseley MSS. fasiim.

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