Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/595

 ELMBRIDGE HUNDRED

��ESHER

��nephew, Lewis Thomas, Lord Sondes," who in 1805 sold the estate in parcels. The house and park at Esher were purchased by John Spicer," whose son, J. W. Spicer, succeeded him in iSji. 3 * The present owner is Sir Edgar Vincent, K.C.M.G.

There was a manor-house at Esher in early times, which was enlarged by John, Bishop of Winchester, in 1331." Bishop Waynflete* 4 built a stately brick mansion on the banks of the River Mole in Esher Park, the gate-house of which still remains and bears his name." This house perhaps did not satisfy the gorgeous ideas of Cardinal Wolsey, to whom it was lent by Bishop Fox in 1519. The latter wrote on this occasion, ' Would God that the poor lodging of Esher did content your Grace as it rejoiceth me that it can please you to use it.' " When Wolsey in 1528 succeeded Fox as bishop he gave directions for the repair and partial rebuilding of this house ; and after his disgrace he took up his residence there for some time.* 8 In a survey of the manor taken in the reign of Edward VI it is stated that besides the ' sumptuously built ' mansion-house there were an orchard and garden, with a park adjoining, 3 miles in circuit.* 9 When restored to the see of Winchester by Queen Mary the manor comprised, besides the park, the rabbit-warren, about 185 acres of land, and the land called Northwood in Cobham. 40

Henry Pelham, the statesman, employed Kent to rebuild wings to the gate-house." The main part of the standing gate-house is of Waynflete's time. The porch is undoubtedly Kent's, and he probably altered the windows. How much of the original house wa standing when he built in 1729 is unknown, but the view in Salmon seems to show the great hall on the side of a quadrangle opposite to the gate- house.

Mr. John Spicer pulled down Pelham's additions, leaving the original gate-house, and rebuilt on a new and higher site. The present house, of Palladian style, with Ionic porticoes, commands fine views, and the grounds are well planted and very picturesque.

ESHER WATEniLE.l^. 675 Frithwald, subre- gulus of Surrey, and Bishop Erkenwald are said to have granted to Chertsey Abbey 5 manias at Esher. 41a This grant was confirmed by King Edward in I o62,"and dur- ing his reign an Englishman gave to the abbey 2 hides of land in Esher belonging to the manor of Esher. 43 At the time of the Domesday Survey the monks had 5$ hides of land in Esher, rated at only 5 virgates, which were held of them by William de Wateville. 44 The land apparently continued in the possession of the Wateville family till the reign of Henry III, when Robert de Wateville held under the Abbot of

��Chertsey a fourth part of a knight's fee in Esher ; 4 * and this constituted the manor of Esher Wate- ville. The manor descended to Matilda daugh- ter of Robert de Wateville, probably son of the Robert mentioned above. She had three husbands, Reginald de Imworth, 46 Richard Russell," and Nicholas de Wynton. 48 John de Imworth, son of Reginald and Matilda, conveyed the reversion of the manor to Margery and Joan, co-heiresses of Nicholas de Wynton and Matilda. 4 ' Margery married William de Mil- bourn, in whose family the manor remained. 60

In August 1 344 it was held by John de Milbourne, 41 and in 1360 it was settled on him and his wife Isabel, with remainder to William their son, and the heirs of his body, and in default to the right heirs of John." John, then known as John Milbourne senior, was still living in 1383." In 1533 the manor was in the hands of Cecilia Sympson, widow, daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Milbourne. 44 As late as 1539 Mar- garet York, widow, had a life interest in part of the manor ; " two years later Cecilia Sympson enfeoffed trustees of the manor to the use of herself for life, then to Margaret Hardwen for life, with remainder to the heirs of her cousin William Fawkner. 46 In 1567 William Fawkner was holding the manor," and in 1572 he conveyed it to Thomas Brockholes. 46 The latter in the following year conveyed the manor with view of frankpledge to Richard Hatton. 59 In 1614 Richard Hatton and Robert Hatton levied a fine and made a settlement in jointure of this manor on Alice, wife of Robert Hatton. 60 Robert and Alice were holding in 1628," but shortly after this the corporation of Kingston purchased the manor from Robert Hatton with the manor-house and about 45 acres of land, to be settled for charitable uses. 61 In 1716-17 the Duke of Newcastle, owner of Claremont, procured an Act of Parliament for vesting in himself this estate, subject to the payment of a perpetual fee-farm rent to Kingston of <)^. 6i It was afterwards 'transferred with Esher Episcopi to other proprietors, 64 and so ultimately came into the hands of Leopold King of the Belgians, 64 and subsequently reverted to the Crown. The Duchess of Albany is now lady of the manor.

The house now known as Milbourne was presented by Princess Charlotte to Major-General Sir Robert William Gardiner, K.C.B. 86 It is now the seat of Mr. William Hartmann, J.P.

The manor of S4NDON or S4NDOWN, also called S4NDON CH4PEL and occasionally BUR- tfOOD, is said to have been the original endowment of the hospital of Sandon, in this parish, given by Robert de Wateville in the time of Henry II. 67 The

��Recov. R. Hit 45 Geo. III.

m Sarr. Arch. Coll. rii, 214.

88 Brayley, Hist, if Surr. ii, 437.


 * !. Pat. 1330-4, p. 99.

86 Bihop from 1447 to 1486.

M Surr. Arch. Cull, vii, 203.


 * IL. and P. Hen. fill, iii (l), 414.

88 Ibid, iy (3), 6076, 6555 ; Stow, Chroti. 921, 922.

" Brayley, Hist, of Surr. ii, 429.


 * > Pat. I Mary, pt. i*, m. 1 8.

41 V/*lfole,Anecdotes of Painting, iii, 490. A plan by J. Rocque, 1739, was engraved, and there is a view in Salmon's Antiq. of Surr. 1736.

41a Birch, Cart. Sax. i, no. 39.

<a Kemble, Cod. Dipt, iv, no. 812.

48 V.C.H. Surr. i, 307*.

��44 Ibid. 307, 308.

46 Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 22oi ; Cat. Close, 1227-31, p. 242. See Add. Chart. 5534. " See Feet of F. Surr. 1 2 Edw. I, no. 1 3.

48 Ibid. 18 Edw. I, no. 25.

49 Deeds quoted by Manning and Bray, op. cit. ii, 744.

w Ibid. ; Tear Book 17 & 18 Ed-w. Ill (Rolls Ser.), 414,415.

61 Cal. of Pat. 1343-5, p. 407.

M Manning and Bray, Hist. Surr. ii,

744-

58 Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 7 Ric. II, no. 1 6.

" Ibid. Mich. 25 Hen. VIII.

" Recov. R. Mich. 30 Hen. VIII, rot. 435 ; East. 31 Hen. VIII, rot. 334.

449

��" Manning and Bray, Hist. Surr. ii,

744-

Feet of F. Div. Co. Hil. 9 Eliz.

68 Recov. R. Mich. 14 & 15 Eliz. rot. 159; Feet of F. Mich. 14 & 15 Eliz.

Ibid. Mich. 15 & 1 6 Eliz.

60 Ibid. Mich. 1 1 Jas. I.

Ibid. Eat. 4 Chas. I.

68 Brayley, Hist. Surr. ii, 431.

68 Manning and Bray, Hist. Surr. ii, 744, 745 ; Stat. 3 Geo. I, cap. 10.

64 Feet of F. Surr. Mich. 59 Geo. III.

" See above under manor of Esher.

68 Brayley, Hist. Surr. ii, 450.

" Manning and Bray, Hist. Surr. ii, 749; cf. V.C.ll. Surr. ii, 118, 119.

57

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