REIGATE HUNDRED
��GATTON
��not apparently applied to Gallon lill 1450, when it returned two burgesses.* The returning officer was the constable,* who was at first appointed in the sheriff's tourn at Tandridge and afterwards in the quarter sessions. 5
From 1450 unlil ihe Reform Act of 1832 Gallon returned iwo burgesses to Parliament. The first extant return, that of 1452-3,' was made by the constable ' with ihe assenl of ihe whole borough.' 7 From ihe firsi it must have been a ' pocket ' borough. In 1536 the Duke of Norfolk, then lord of the neighbouring borough of Reigate, noted Gatton, 'where Sir Roger Copley dwelleth,' among the towns for ' which in times past he could have made burgesses.' 8 In 1539 Sir Roger Copley found the privilege burdensome, for there was only one house to be any help in paying the members' wages. 9 In 1547 Sir Roger, as ' burgess and only inhabitant of the borough and town,' elected Richard Shelley and John Tyngelden, 10 and after his death his widow nominated the burgesses, one of them in 1558, her own son, then under age." After the death of Sir Thomas Copley in 1584 his widow was not allowed to elect burgesses, since she was a recusant, but members were nominated in 1584 by Lord Burghley as chief officer of the Court of Wards." In 1586 the lords of the Council recommended two members to the deputy-lieulenanls of ihe counly, but two others of similar loyal opinions were in fact returned." The Copleys, who were always notorious recusants, never regained their right of nomination, though their influence must have been considerable, for in a dispule concerning ihe election of 1620 it was stated that six out of the seven houses in the ' town ' were occupied by tenants of William Copley, although the right of election was decided in favour of the free- holders, 14 and in 1696 it was agreed that the franchise was in the freeholders of the borough not receiving alms and occupying their own freeholds." In 1832 the borough was disfranchised as having, with its twenty-lhree houses, ihe unenviable posilion of fourlh from ihe bollom of ihe list of ' rotlen boroughs.*
There is no evidence of a charier of incorporalion.
One hide al Gallon was bequealhed by
MANOR Alfred the Ealdorman to Ethelwald his
son belween ihe years 871 and 889."
In the time of Edward the Confessor Gallon was
assessed al 10 hides. It was held by Earl Leofwine,
brother of Earl Harold, who held ihe earldom of ihe
counly." He fell at Hastings, and Gallon became ihe
land of Bishop Odo of Bayeux, of whom il was held
by a cerlain Herfrey. 18
The bishop forfeited the overlordship of Gatton
��wilh his olher English possessions ihrough his compli- cily in ihe Norman rebellion of 1088. Probably it was then held of his manor of Ospringe, co. Kenl, lo which ihe lord of Gallon was said lo owe suit of courl from ihe I3lhcenlury onwards. 19 Bolh Ospringe and Gallon were members of ihe honour of Peverel in Dover. 10
The aciual tenant in 1086 was Herfrey. His son or grandson Hamon gave a moiety of the manor to Ralph de Dene in marriage wilh his elder daughler Joan, reserving to himself ihe. olher moiely for life, wilh remainder to Ralph. The agreement was confirmed by Henry II,* 1 but Hamon's heir male, Robert de Gallon," evidenlly look possession of his moiely, but was ousted c. 1 190, by Geoffrey de Beau- vale in right of his wife Idonea. She was mother of Robert de Dene," and probably connected with Ralph de Dene, for in 1220 the heirs of Ralph de Dene, Geoffrey Sackville, Richard de Cumberland, his wife Sibyl, and Parnel de Beauvale, granddaughter of Geoffrey de Beauvale, impleaded Hamon son of Robert de Gallon for his failure to keep an agreement concerning a moiety of ihe manor wilh Roberl de Dene." The plea was postponed on account of the minority of Parnel, whose mother Margery had recovered seisin of one carucate at Gallon against Hamon before 1223." In lhat year he recovered ihis carucale from Parnel, since her father Ralph son of Geoffrey de Beauvale, a spendlhrifl who haled his heirs, had restored it lo Roberl de Gatton for 28 in the lime of Kingjohn. 16 In 1227 she joined with the other heirs of Ralph de Dene in a release of the whole manor lo Hamon de Gallon." He was appointed escheator of ihe Crown for Surrey in 1232," bul died in or before 1235, when his lands, saving ihe dower of his widow Bealrice, were given inlo ihe custody of William of York during the minority of his heir. 19 This heir was probably Robert de Gallon,* who died seised of ihe manor in or before 1264." His son and heir Hamon, Sheriff of Kent in 1285," was holding the manor at his death shortly before I February 1291-2." He was succeeded by a son of the same name, whose infant son Edmund inheriled Gallon upon his dealh, c. 1299." The cuslody of all Hamon's lands wilh ihe excepiion of Gallon Park was granled in 1301 lo ihe execulors of Edmund Earl of Cornwall in pan paymenl of ihe king's debl lo him." They conveyed il lo Sir Wil- liam Milksop, kl., who sold il lo John Norlhwood.** Edmund de Gallon did nol live lo enjoy his inheri- tance, which was divided between his two sisters and co-heirs, Elizabeth wife of William de Dene, and Margarel wife of Simon Norlhwood, brother or son of
��Original Parl. Returns, 29 Hen. IV.
4 Ibid. 31 Hen. VI 5 31 Chas. II j Carew, Hist. Acct. of Rights of Election, 244.
5 Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr. ii, 227.
6 No separate return exists for 1450, although the names of the two members, Thomas Bentham and Hugh Huls, are recorded with those of the other Surrey burgesses on a membrane attached to the writ to the sheriff.
7 Parl. Returns, 31 Hen. VI.
- L. and P. Hen. VIII, r, 816.
9 Ibid, xiv (i), 645.
10 Ret. ofMemb. of Parl. i, 376.
11 Ibid. 394 ; in 1552 she had presided over a jury to inquire respecting the state
��of Gatton Church (Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. vii, App. 60811).
Add. MS. (B.M.), 5702, fol. 86-7.
Hist. MSS. Com. Ref. vii, 642*.
14 Carew, Hist. Acct. of Rights of Elections, 244.
15 Wm. Bohun, Debates touching Rights of Electing, 7.
" Kemble, Cod. Dipl. 317.
- ' Freeman, Norm. Conj. ii, 568.
18 V.C.H. Surr. i, 3030.
19 Chan. Inq. p.m. 29 Edw. I, no. 58 ; ibid. (Ser. 2), ccccv, 159.
"0 Red Bk. of Excb. ii, 617, 709 ; Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 220, 226.
11 Curia Regis R. 78 (Mich. 4 & 5 Hen. Ill), m. 10.
"Ibid. 83 (Mich. 7&8Hen.IiI),m.7d.
I 97
��28 Pipe R. 2 Ric. I, m. 1 3 d. Her name occurs in Curia Regis R. 83, m. 7 d.
34 Curia Regis R. 78, m. 10.
- Feet of F. Surr. 8 Hen. Ill, 28.
86 Curia Regis R. 83, m. 7d. and Feet of F. Surr. 8 Hen. Ill, 28. Hamon, how- ever, paid her 30 marks for the quitclaim.
- " Feet of F. Surr. n Hen. Ill, 38.
88 Col. Close, 1231-4, p. 130.
- Cat. Pat. 1232-47, p. 130 ; Excerfta e
Rot. Fin. \, 292.
"8 Cf. Feet of F. Surr. 32 Hen. Ill, 4.
81 Chan. Inq. p.m. 48 Hen. Ill, no. 20,
List of Sheriff (P.R.O.), 67.
88 Chan. Inq. p.m. 20 Edw. I, no. 25.
84 Ibid. 29 Edw. I, no. 58.
85 Cal. Pat. 1292-1301, p. 603.
86 Ibid. 1301-7, p. 338.
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