Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/440

 A HISTORY OF SURREY

��In the south aisle is a brass inscription to Robert Shiers, a Bencher of the Inner Temple, who died in 1 668 ; over the inscription he is represented in a large brass wearing a lawyer's gown and hold- ing a book ; on a shield are the arms of Shiers impaling a fesse wavy ermine between three crescents ermine.

There is also a floor slab to Edward Shiers, second son of Robert Shiers, died 1670, and a large white marble monument in the north aisle. Robert Shiers, of Slyfield, died 1668, Elizabeth his wife 1700, and Sir George Shiers, bart., his son, died 1685. There is another to Sir Francis Howard, kt., son of Lord Howard of Effingham, died 1651. Among the later monuments may be mentioned Colonel Thomas Moore, of Polesden, 1735 ; William Moore, 1746 ; and Cornet Francis Geary, eldest son of Admiral Geary, who fell in the American War in 1776, and the monu- ment has a bas-relief showing the incident which caused his death.

Outside in the churchyard is an ancient coffin-lid on which is a floriated cross in relief, but without an inscription ; it is probably of the I4th century.

In the tower are two bells, and space where there was formerly a third ; one of them bears no mark or inscription, the other was cast by William Eldridge in 1675.

The communion plate includes a cup, evidently of the 1 7th century, but without a hallmark ; the maker's mark is R A over a star ; it has a cable band on the lower edge of the cup, and a trumpet-shaped stem ; there is also a paten with mark of 1675 dated 1677, a flagon of 1762, and cup of 1859, all of silver ; besides these there exist two pewter plates, one dated 1730.

The first book of the registers is a parchment copy containing baptisms and marriages from 1632 to 1711 and burials to 1680 ; the second has baptisms from 1695 to 1812, marriages 1695 to 1753, and burials 1680 to 1812 ; in it is a note that the yew tree and five walnut trees (south of the churchyard) were planted in February 1733-4 > t ^ le th' r d book has marriages from 1754 to 1812. There is also a vestry book, in which are recorded the names of all the churchwardens from 1631.

In 1632 Samuel Cherrie was vicar. In 1633 six of his parishioners were excommunicated, but the cause is not given. One of them was absolved in 1635.

The church stands in the midst of a roughly tri- angular churchyard, the south and west boundaries are on the road sides, and at their angle is a lych gate of 1897.

The church of ST. BARNABAS, RANMORE, was built in 1 859 by Lord Ashcombe, then Mr. George Cubitt, from the designs of Sir Gilbert Scott. It is a handsome stone church, with chancel, nave, and aisles in 1 3th-century style, with a tower and spire which form a conspicuous landmark. The tower is vaulted and treated as a lantern over the crossing.

��The church of Great Bookham was ADPOWSON appurtenant to the manor in 1086," and in 1 292 was confirmed with its issues to the Abbot and convent of Chertsey, under letters patent from John de Pontoise, Bishop of Win- chester, reciting a bull of Clement II given the fourth year of his pontificate.* 7

An endowment of the vicarage in the same year by Philip de Barthon and John de Pontoise secured to the vicar all offerings made upon the altar of the church, with all the small tithes, except hay and wool, which belonged to the abbot and convent, and a house near the court once belonging to the rector of the church. 69 The rectory and advowson having been surrendered to the king in 1 5 37 by John, Abbot of Chertsey, 69 were regranted in the same year to Bisham, the new foundation, 70 and on the dissolution of the latter a draught was made for a grant to ;r ChristppAer More for life, to be held in chief for the twentieth part of a knight's fee. 71 This was apparently not completed, for in 1544 a grant of the rectory and advowson to Richard and John Sackvile is recorded. 7 * They seem to have conveyed to Sir Christopher More, who died in 1 549 seised of the rectory.' 3 His son, William More, in 1560, in conjunction with Margaret his wife, obtained licence to alienate to Thomas Lyfield and Frances his wife and their heirs. 74 Thomas died in 1596, having settled the rectory and advowson on his grandson Sir Francis Vincent, 74 whose grandson Sir Francis Vincent 76 in 1657 conveyed it to Francis and Samuel Rous. 77 Francis Rous, who was provost of Eton College, died in 1659, having bequeathed ^40 per annum out of the parsonage or tithe to maintain two scholars at Pembroke College, Oxford. The remainder of the tithe he bequeathed to the minister of the parish, the patronage of the living to his kinsman Samuel Rous, and his lands and interest in the parsonage to Colonel Anthony Rous. 78 Samuel Rous presented to the living in 1663," and in 1713 Edward Symes and Elizabeth his wife, of Polesden, suffered a recovery of a moiety of the rectory, with all the tithes pertaining thereto and the advow- son of the vicarage, together with the manor of Polesden, 80 with which it descended until sold by Sir William Geary in 1803 to James Laurell, who in 1812 conveyed it in trust to John Harrison Loveridge, together with the manor of Great Bookham. 81

Before 1821 the advowson was bought by William Heberden, M.D., F.R.S., who in that year gave the living to his son, the Rev. W. Heberden, who suc- ceeded to the advowson also in 1845, and died in 1879. It was bought by the late Viscount Downe, who died in 1900, and in 1903 by Mr. Arthur Bird, of the Grange, Great Bookham. 8 '

The living of St. Barnabas is a rectory in the gift of Lord Ashcombe.

Smith's charity is distributed as in CHARITIES other Surrey parishes.

In 1625 Mr. John Brown, of

��M V.C.H. Surr. i, 3090.

7 Misc. Bks. (Exch. Q.R.),vol. Z5,p.48; Cal.Pat. 1281-92, p. 493.

Misc. Bks. (Exch. Q.R.),vol. 25,?. 48.

M Feet of F. Div. Co. Trin. 29 Hen. VIII.

7 L. and P. Hen. VIII, xii (2), 8-1311 (22).

? l Ibid, itviii (i), 54 ; Hist. MSS. Com.

��Kef. vii, App. 6040. The draught is in Loseley MSS.

7" Pat. 36 Hen. VIII, pt. iii ; L. and P. Hen. VIII, xix (i), g. 1035 (31); Aug. Off. Parties, for Grants, 970.

7 8 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), Ixxxix, 134. Copy among Loseley MSS. ix, 50.

7 Pat. 2 Eliz. pt. ii, m. 28/9 ; Feet of F. SUIT. Hil. 3 Eliz.

334

��7 5 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccxlvii, no. 99. '* Ibid. dxcv. no. 106.

'' Feet of F. Surr. Commonw. Miih. 1657.

" 8 P.C.C.WU15I Pell.

Inst. Bks.

80 Recov. R. Trin. 12 Anne, rot. 121.

81 Feet of F. Surr. Hil. 52 Geo.III. 8 " Clergy Lisa.

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