Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/473

 WOKING HUNDRED

��OCKHAM

��chapel; the arcade of this aisle still stands, and apparently part of the walls of the chapel. Owing to the rebuilding nothing of the later history of the church can be traced. In Cracklow's time it consisted of chancel with south chapel, nave with south aisle, and west tower and spire. He notes a repair in 1665. In 1 88 1 the north aisle was added and further restoration was done.

The modern parts of the building are chiefly in 14th-century style with traceried windows, but those in the south and east walls of the south aisle are of 13th- century design.

Beneath the east window of the north chapel are built in two short 1 2th-century shafts with ornamental scalloped capitals, one having a scalloped base and the other a moulded one. At present they form the sides of a recess, which contains a wooden cupboard.

The only other 12th-century work is the semi- circular arch of the north doorway, which has an edge roll and zigzag ornament on both sides of the order. The chamfered label is also old. The modern jambs have shafts with moulded bases and scalloped capitals.

The south arcade of the nave is of three bays with circular columns having moulded bases and capitals, and the arches are semicircular with two chamfered orders and grooved and chamfered labels on each side.

The arch at the east end of the south aisle is appar- ently contemporary with the south arcade, and is two- centred and of two splayed orders with a chamfered label on the west face. The jambs are of the same section as the arch, but are either recut or modern ; on the east side of the arch are traces of painting.

The inner jambs of the lancet windows in the south chapel are apparently old, and below the sill of the south-east lancet is a piscina or aumbry, but only the upper part shows above the pews.

The walls throughout are of flint with stone dress- ings, and the roofs, which are of modern open timber construction, are covered with tiles.

The tower has an octagonal shingled spire.

The north porch is roofed with Horsham slabs and has a fine 15th-century barge-board enriched with a series of trefoils. ' There are six bells ; the first

��was cast by Bryan Eldridge in 1650, the second by Richard Eldridge, and the third, which is badly cracked, is inscribed ' Johannes est nomen eius." The three others were added in 1897 as a Jubilee memorial.

The oldest piece of plate is a paten dated 1683 and having the initials of the maker, R.P., but there is no hall-mark. Besides this there are a cup, paten, and flagon of 1842 and an elaborate altar cross set with amethysts, given in 1886 in memory of Viscount Cranley and Katherine his wife, by their children.

There are three books of registers, the first being dated 1536, but there are no entries earlier than 1 544, at which date the baptisms and burials begin, the former continuing fairly regularly until 1643 and the latter to 1645, and following this are marriages from 1541 to 1636. The latter half of the book contains very irregular entries of baptisms, marriages, and burials from 1643 to 1731. The second book contains mar- riages from 1754 to '812, and the third has baptisms from 1754 and burials from 1753, both to 1812.

The first mention of Merrow ADVQWSQN Church seems to be in 1 208, when it was said to be in the gift of the king." In 1233 Henry III granted it to the Prioress and nuns of St. Margaret Ivinghoe," who retained it' 6 until the Dissolution. It was granted with the other Ivinghoe lands to Sir John Daunce (see above), Sir Henry Knevitt presented in 1574 and 1577, but by 1582 it was in the possession of Sir Henry Weston." In 1642 Sir Richard Weston conveyed it to Richard Onslow," in whose family it has since remained.

Smith's Charity is distributed as in CHARITIES other Surrey parishes. A donor, un- known, gave 30, the interest to go to the poor.

In 1776 Lord Onslow made an agreement with the parish by which he inclosed 19 acres of Merrow Common in Clandon Park, and gave the parish a house for a poor-house. In 1 786 two families lived here rent free, and a third paid a small rent which was given to the poor-rate."

��OCKHAM

��Bocheam (ri cent.) ; Occam (xiii cent.).

Ockham is a parish on the east side of the Wey Valley, 7 miles north-east from Guildfbrd, 20 miles from Lon- don. It is bounded on the north by Pyrford, Wisley, and Cobham, on the south-east by the two Horsleys, on the south-west by Send and Ripley. It is of very irregular shape, but the greatest breadth from east to west is a little over, and the greatest distance from north to south just about, 3 miles. It contains 2,871 acres. A detached portion of Wisley was added to Ockham in 1883 ;' and Blackmoor Heath, a projecting tongue of West Horsley, was transferred to Ockham. 1 A piece of Ockham, far away on Holmbury Hill, was also added to Abinger 3 (q.v.). The soil of Ockham Common in the north of the parish is Bagshot Sand. The southern part of the parish is on the London Clay. Part of the Wey Valley in the west of the

��parish and the banks of a stream which joins it from the east are alluvial. The road from London to Guildford runs through Ockham. The village, lying some little distance east of the church, which is in Ockham Park, is very small, and the population scanty. It is purely agricultural.

Ockham Common was inclosed by an Act of 1815- 16. The Award is dated 3 March 1817.' The common was in the southern part of the parish next to Horsley Common, and is to be distinguished from Ockham Heath adjoining Wisley Common to the north, which is still uninclosed. There are wells on the clay which yield Epsom Salts. Historically Ock- ham may claim some celebrity as the probable birth- place of William of Ockham, perhaps of John Occam and Nicholas Occam. All three were Franciscans and nearly contemporary. Nicholas Occam (flourished.

��M Rot. Lit. Pat. (Rec. Com.), i, 78*. 88 Cal. Chart. R. 1226-57, P- '^ 6 - i, 23, 208, 210.
 * > Wyktkam's Reg. (Hanu Rcc. Soc.),

��*7 Winton Epit. Reg. Home, fol. iou, 106* ; Watson, fol. 84.

Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 17 Cha. I.
 * Return to Purl. 1786.

359

��1 By Loc. Govt. Bd. Order 14.282.

By Order 14283.

By Order 14281.


 * Sir John Brunner't Return, 1905.

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