Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/174

A HISTORY OF SURREY

length, including the musicians' gallery, which was built out as an upper floor over the entry or vestibule, 29 ft. This hall, as was commonly the case, must have had a central hearth, the smoke from the wood fires finding its way out at the upper windows, or through a louvred turret in the roof. The original front door still remains. Doubtless there were various outbuildings and offices, beside double-storied wings with parlours and sleeping apartments, which have been either removed to make way for the later additions, or so masked as to be indistinguishable from them. The new front of 1582 was built on in advance of the old hall. It is of two stories, and its elevation consists of two gables of unequal size with a smaller gable between, below which is the porch entered by a wide doorway, having a four-centred arch. The most interesting features of this front are the barge-boards with moulded hip-knobs, or pendants, at the apex; the overhanging upper stories; the mullioned and transomed oriels and other windows, some on carved brackets; and the 'square and circle' patterns of the timber framework. The latter is in some cases enriched with shallow carving of fleurs-de-lys — a very rare feature in half-timber treatment. Many other details worth notice might be cited, such as a doorway in the garden wall, chimneys (one with a crow-stepped base), panelling, doors, and internal fittings. It is now the property of Colonel Kennard.

LITTLE TANGLEY was assigned to Elizabeth Ludlow at the partition of John Carrill's estates.^[1] After her daughter Elizabeth's death it was sold to William Hammond of Bramley.^[2] It is now the residence of Mr. Cowley Lambert, F.R.G.S.

The reputed manor of CHINTHURST (Chilthurst xvi cent.) formed, together with a moiety of Loseley, the dower assigned to Thomasine widow of William Sidney by his son William in 1452.^[3] It had then lately been held by John Hover. It passed with Loseley to Sir Christopher More in 1532, and descended to his son^[4] William More of Loseley, who exchanged it in 1557 for Polsted Manor in Compton with John Wight and his wife Agnes.^[5] John Wight, a descendant of this John (see Artington), sold the manor to John Sparkes of Gosden in 1791.^[6] The manor was then held successively by his son and grandson, both being his namesakes.^[7] It is now the seat of Mr. W. V. Cooper.

HALLDISH is a small farm in Shamley Green. In the 14th century indulgence was granted to Bartholomew of 'Haveldersh ' and his wife Joan, who were buried in Wonersh churchyard.^[8] In the 17th century it was in the possession of the Duncombe family, and descended with Weston in Albury to Nathaniel Sturt and his wife Anne.^[9] Their grandson, the Rev. George Chatfield, was owner in 1808^[10] It was purchased before 1841 by Henry Drummond of Albury,^[11] and belongs to the Duke of Northumberland his grandson.

Green Place, the present residence of Mrs. Leighton, was reported in the 17th century to have been 'sometime a fair and large house now ruinated,' and formerly the property of Baron Roos.^[12] It was the property of the Elyots, afterwards of Busbridge, in the 15th century.^[13] Thomas and Henry Elyot have brasses in Wonersh Church.

LOSTERFORD in Wonersh is called a manor in the 16th century. In 1547 John Scarlet died seised (inter alia) of the manor of Losterford, held of the Countess of Southampton (Fitz William) as of the manor of Shalford Bradestan.^[14] He left a son John aged seven years and upwards. In 1576 Thomas Paston bought a moiety of the manor of Losterford and Wykes of John Scarlet. ^[15]

In 1579 William Tycknor bought the manor of Losterforde alias Lastarforde of Nicholas and Thomas Parson, no doubt the same as Paston above.^[16] Losterford House is now the residence of Colonel Cust.

ROWLEY'S, another reputed manor, was bought by Robert Harding, goldsmith, in 1508, of Humphrey Sydney. Robert's son William had a daughter Catherine (see Bramley), who married Richard Onslow, in whose family Rowleys descended,^[17] till in 1806 the Earl of Onslow sold it to Richard Sparkes,^[18] who was succeeded by his son John Sparkes.^[19]

CHURCHES

The church of ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST is approached by a short lane from the village street, through iron gates in the lofty inclosing wall of Wonersh Park, its churchyard adjoining the park. The churchyard is surrounded by noble old trees and is beautifully kept.

The old parts of the church are built of ironstone rubble, conglomerate, chalk rag, Bargate rubble and other materials, with hard chalk or clunch for the dressings and a good deal of what seems to be Caen stone in the inside of the chancel and north chapel. The roofs are tiled. The nave and south aisle (thrown into one area and under one roof) and the transeptal chapel on the south were largely rebuilt in 1793 by the then Lord Grantley — it is said from plans by his butler — in red brick and in the plainest sort of meeting-house style.

In the alterations of 1793, the end of the chancel was cut off so as to make it coterminous with the transeptal chapels, a small alcove being built out to contain the altar. In the recent restoration (1901-2) some of the worst of these mutilations were undone, the chancel being extended to what was probably its original length, and the north chapel or chancel aisle, which had also been reduced in length, prolonged eastward on the old foundations.

The present dimensions therefore are: nave 39 ft. 6 in. by 20 ft., or, with the space that originally formed an aisle on the south, 30 ft. 6 in. in width; chancel, 32 ft. 5 in. by 20 ft. 3 in.; north chapel, 21 ft. 5 in. by 14 ft. 5 in.; tower, on the north of the nave, opening into it and into the chapel, 13 ft. 9 in. by 13 ft. 5 in.; and south chapel (now used as organ-chamber and vestry), 21 ft. 3 in. by 18 ft.

The tower, somewhat unusually placed on the north

1. Exch. Spec. Com. 6485.
2. Close, 25 Geo. II, pt. i, no. 5.
3. Harl. Chart. 56 B 25.
4. See under Loseley; also Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), lxxxix, 134. Feet of F. Surr. Mich. 5 Edw. VI.
5. Com. Pleas D. Ear. East. 4 & 5 Phil, and Mary, m. 367.
6. Feet of F. Surr. Mich. 31 Geo. III.
7. Manning and Bray, op. cit. ii, 111; Brayley, Topog. Hist. of Surr. v, 148.
8. Index to Epis. Reg. of Winchester; Egerton MS. 2032, fol. 128.
9. Feet of F. Surr. East. 10 Geo. I.
10. Manning and Bray, op. cit. ii, 108.
11. Brayley, Topog. Hist, of Surr. v, 148.
12. Add. MS. (B.M.), 6167, fol. 467.
13. Harl. MS. 1561, fol. 21b.
14. Inq. p.m. Wards and Liveries, I Edw. VI, iii, 11.
15. Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 18 Eliz.
16. Ibid. Hil. 21 Eliz.
17. Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccclv, 96; and Manning and Bray, op. cit. ii, 110.
18. Manning and Bray, op. cit. ii, 111; Recov. R. East. 44 Geo. III m. 231.
19. Brayley, Topog, Hist. of Surr. v, 148.

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