REIGATE HUNDRED
��BETCHWORTH
��west of Betchworth village, is picturesque and flourish- ing. The church, built on land given by Mr. Hope of Deepdene, is of I 3th-century style, of stone, with a central tower and spire.
Brockham Warren is the residence of Sir Benjamin Brodie, bart. ; Brockham Park of Mr. Robert Gordon, J.P. ; Brockham Court of Mrs. Davidson ; Brockham House of Mr. Henry Foley. Brockham Court was built by a former Duke of Norfolk on the site of the old manor-house, 4 having been separated from the manor. Brockham Bridge over the Mole is repaired by the county to the value of two-thirds, and the remaining third by the district council, Brockham being a contributory area. Brockham Home and Industrial School was established in 1 859 by Mrs. Way of Wonham Manor, Betchworth, for orphan girls from eleven to sixteen, who are trained for domestic service and afforded a home later when out of place. An Infants' Home was added by Miss Way in 187*. The two are under the management of the same com- mittee of ladies.
There is a Particular Baptist Chapel in Brockham.
A school was built in 1830, and rebuilt in 1840.' After the passingof the Education Act of 1 870 a School Board was formed for Betchworth, and the present provided school at Brockham was built in 1879 and enlarged in 1901.
At the time of the Domesday Survey, MANORS Becesworde, which is probably E4ST BETCHWORTH, was stated to be in the hundred of Wotton ;" ' Richard de Ton bridge, lord of Clare, himself held ' Becesworde ' in demesne.' It was assessed for 2 hides and valued at 8. In King Edward's time it had been held by Cola, when it was assessed at 6 hides and worth 9." It subsequently passed to the de Warennes, probably before 1 1 99, as Earl Hamelin de Warenne and his wife held the church in East Betchworth (q.v.) before that date. It is possible that the manor had passed from Richard de Tonbridge to William de Warenne when the latter was created first Earl of Surrey by William II in 1088. It is afterwards described as being, with the castle and town of Reigate and manor of Dorking, 'parcel of the county of Surrey,' ' and Dorking at least (q.v.) probably formed part of the original endowment made at the creation of the earldom of Surrey. 10 Betchworth was held with Reigate by succeeding Earls of Warenne and Surrey." The surrender of those manors to the king in 1316 by John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, their re-grant to the earl with remainder to his illegitimate sons, and their final inheritance by Richard Earl of Arundel, nephew and legitimate heir of John de Warenne, is fully dealt with under Reigate (q.v.). John de Warenne died in 1347," but it was not until the death in 1361 of his widow, the Dowager Countess of Surrey, that the Earl of Arundel succeeded to his uncle's earldom."
A settlement on the sons of Richard was made in 1366," and on his death his eldest son Richard
��succeeded to the manor and was seised of it at the time of his disgrace and death in 1397, when his estates became forfeit to the Crown. 16 His eldest son Thomas, to whom his father's title and estates were restored in 1400," died without issue in 1415, and his lands were divided among his three sisters and co-heirs, Elizabeth Duchess of Norfolk, then wife of Sir Gerrard Osflete or Ufflete, kt., Joan de Beauchamp, Lady Abergavenny, and Margaret wife of Sir Roland Leynthale, kt. 17 The manor of East Betchworth appears to have been assigned to his second sister, Joan wife of William Lord Abergavenny. She died in 1434, and was succeeded by her son Richard, whose daughter and heir Elizabeth married Edward Nevill, son of Ralph, Earl of Westmorland. 18 Nevill received the lands of his wife's inheritance, and afterwards took the title of Lord Abergavenny. 19 He died seised of the manor of East Betchworth in 1466, leaving his son George as heir.* The manor remained in possession of this family throughout the next century. In the reign of Henry VIII, when a muster was made of able men who, with wea- pons and harness, were meet to serve the king, it was stated that Betchworth with Brock- ham could contribute thirty- seven men." In 1629 Henry, ninth Lord Abergavenny," conveyed the manor fori,o 80 to Sir Ralph Freeman," Mas- ter of Requests. Freeman also held other offices under the Crown, being in 1629 Audi- tor of the Imprests and afterwards Master-Worker of the Mint." He married
Catherine Bret. 85 Of his two sons, George died in 1678, and Ralph held the manor in 1684." The latter's sons Francis and George held courts in 1707 and 1715 respectively, but died without issue. Elizabeth daughter and eventually sole heir to Ralph Freeman carried the manor to the family of Bouverie
���NEVH.L, Lord Aber- gavenny. Gules a sal- tire argent vaith a rose gules thereon.
����FREEMAN. Azurt BOUVERIE. Party
three lozenges argent. fessewise or and argent
an eagle sable ivith PWQ heads and on his breast a scutcheon gules with a bend vair.
by her marriage with Christopher, younger son of Sir Edward Des Bouverie." Christopher Bouverie, after-
��4 Local information from Mr. J. R. Corbett.
' Return at Farnham.
- y, ide supra.
1 y.C.Ji. Surr. i, 321. 8 Ibid, i, 311 and note.
Cal. Close, 1348-9, p. 316. 10 V.C.H. Surr. i, 298, note 2.
Red Bk. of Excb. (Rolls Ser.), 561 ; Ca/..PaM3oi-7,p.95; 1307-13^.531.
��11 Chan. Inq. p.m. 21 Edw. HI (ist nos.), no. 58.
18 G.E.C. Pwajr, &c. ; see under Surrey.
14 Feet of F.Div.Co. 4.0 Edw. Ill, no. 17.
- Chan. Inq. p.m. 21 Ric. II, no. 137,
m. I le ; Diet. Nat. Biog.
18 Diet. Nat. Biog.
17 Chan. Inq. p.m. 4 Hen. V, no. 54.
18 G.E.C. Peerage. " Ibid.
I6 7
��" Chan. Inq. p.m. 16 Edw. IV, no. 65.
n L. and P. Hen. fill, xiv (i), 294.
M Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cccxcii, 132; cccxcix, 157.
88 Close, 5 Chas. I, pt, xxvi, m. 12.
84 Dict.Nat.Biog.; HarlAoc.Publ. xv,29J.
Ibid, i Feet of F. Surr. Mich. 1652.
" Hart. Soc. Put!, xv, 295 i Feet of F. Surr. East. 36 Chas. II.
" Wotton, English Bar, iv, 150.
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