A HISTORY OF SURREY 



manor to Sir Bryan Stapilton, kt., with remainder 

 after his death to James Fiennes, afterwards Lord Say," 

 who was in possession of it in 1450, when he was 

 executed by Cade's mob. 51 His lands fell to the king, 

 who bestowed Witley on his brother Jasper Tudor, 

 Earl of Pembroke, in 1453." On the accession of 

 Edward IV, the Earl of Pembroke was attainted and 

 forfeited his lands to the king, 63 who granted Witley 

 to the Earl of Kent in tail male, 54 and at the earl's 

 death without heirs male in January 14623 to 

 George, Duke of Clarence," his ill-fated brother. 16 

 On the duke's execution Witley was again seized by 

 the Crown, the stewardship of the manor being granted 

 in 1478 to Sir George Brown, kt., for life." Jasper 

 Tudor's attainder was reversed in 1485 ; probably he 

 regained Witley. At ,his death in 1495 Henry VII 

 was his heir. Again in 1 5 1 1 the stewardship of the 

 manor was given to William Fitz William and William 

 Cope, and in 1527 to Sir William Fitz William and Sir 

 Anthony Browne.* 8 The demesne lands were held in 

 1 547-9 by Thomas Jones," son of Thomas, Server of 

 the Chamber to Henry VIII (buried in the church), 

 the manorial rights being reserved to the Crown. 60 



In 1551 the manorial rights and the park were 

 given in exchange for other lands to Edward Fiennes, 

 Lord Clinton and Say, 61 who almost immediately con- 

 veyed them to Sir Richard Sackville, Chancellor of 

 the Court of Augmentations.* 1 The latter conferred 

 the stewardship on William More of Loseley. 63 Queen 

 Mary evidently resumed the manor. 64 In 1599 

 Queen Elizabeth sold the whole manor and park 

 together with courts leet and baron to trustees for 

 Elizabeth Egerton, widow of Sir John Wolley and 

 sister of Sir George More, 65 her favourite maid of 

 honour. Her son Sir Francis Wolley sold it in 1605 

 to Sir George More his uncle, 66 who in 1613 sold the 

 park to his brother-in-law Sir Edward More, 67 and 

 the manor to Henry Bell of Rake. 68 It was settled 

 on his great-nephew Anthony Smith the younger. 69 

 It descended in the Smith family till it passed by the 

 marriage of Philip Carteret Webb in 1763 with Mary 

 Smith '" to his family. Mr. Robert William Webb 

 of Milford House sold the manor to Mr. Whitaker 



Wright of Lea Park. Since his death part of the 

 waste has been acquired by trustees, to preserve the 

 open ground for public enjoyment, 71 and other parts 

 separately sold. Mr. G. H. Pinckard of Combe 

 Court bought the quit-rents of the manor. 



The lords of Witley seem to have had a 

 PARK park there early in the I3th century," but 

 it is not specially mentioned in the grants 

 of the manor till after April 1247, when Peter of 

 Savoy obtained free warren in his demesne lands 

 of Witley. 73 In 1303 the profits of the park 

 amounted to 33*. 5</., 74 and ten years later Queen 

 Margaret sent five oaks from her park at Witley for 

 making shingles to cover the king's great hall at 

 Westminster. 75 Early in the following year Queen 

 Margaret made complaints against certain persons who 

 had broken several of her parks, including Witley,' 6 

 and a similar petition was made by Queen Isabella in 

 1329." In the grant to Mundina Danos in 1378 

 vert and venison in the park were reserved to the 

 king, while the grantee undertook to pay the parker 

 his wages of ^d. a day. 78 Amongst the charges brought 

 against the tenants of the manor by Mundina Danos 

 and her husband was that of breaking into their 

 warren, 79 while they claimed free warren in the lands 

 of bond-tenants as well as in their demesne lands. 80 

 Frequent appointments to the office of keeper occur 

 in the Patent Rolls, sometimes in conjunction with 

 that of Ashurst Park. In 1514 Thomas Jones (Johns) 

 and his son Robert had a grant of the office of keeper 

 in survivorship. 61 Sir William Fitz William and Sir 

 Anthony Browne were made masters of the hunt at 

 Witley when they obtained the stewardship of the 

 manor, 8 * but in the survey of Witley Manor dated 

 I 547 Thomas Jones was said to be custodian of the 

 park, which was 6 miles in circuit. 83 It was not 

 always included in the leases of the demesne lands, 

 but in May 1596 was granted in farm to Elizabeth 

 Wolley, Francis her son, and George More her 

 brother, 84 and finally sold to Elizabeth Wolley with 

 the manor, with which it descended till 1613. Sir 

 George More then sold to his brother-in-law, Sir 

 Edward, grounds called Witley Park, which he had 



w> Pat. 21 Hen. VI, pt. i, m. 18. 



51 Chan. Inq. p.m. 29 Hen. VI, no. n. 



sa Pat. 3 I Hen. VI, pt. ii, m. 26. The 

 manor was first granted to Edmund, Earl of 

 Richmond, and the Earl of Pembroke for 

 twelve years, and a few months afterwards 

 the former grant was cancelled and the 

 manor settled on Pembroke in tail male. 



58 R. of Part. (Rcc. Com.), vi, 278. 

 54 Cal. Pat. 1461-7, p. 225. 



" Ibid. 226, 227. It seems probable, 

 however, that William son and heir of 

 Lord Say was still occupying the manor 

 in conjunction with his mother Emeline; 

 ibid. 1467-8, p. 116. 



56 To whom there is a tablet dated 1468 

 on the north wall of the church, erected in 

 his lifetime. 



57 Cal. Pat. 1476-85, p. 92. It is said 

 that Sir Reginald Bray held the manor for 

 life under Henry VII. B.M. Add. MS. 

 6167. Perhaps the stewardship is meant. 



48 L. and P. Hen. VIII, iv, 1385. In 

 May 1513 William Fitz William granted 

 the sub-stewardship to Christopher More ; 

 Loseley MSS. Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. vii, 

 App. 6004. 



59 Misc. Bks. (Land Rev.), vol. 190, 

 fol. 129 et seq. 



60 Jones's first lease was for 21 years 



(Pat. I Mary, pt. xiii). In 1553 Sir John 

 Gage obtained a lease to date from the 

 expiration of Jones's lease, nevertheless the 

 latter and his nephew William Stoughton 

 obtained renewals of his lease in 1568 

 and 1588 (Pat. 10 Eliz. pt. iii, no. 3 ; 

 29 Eliz. pt. iv, no. 5 ; 37 Eliz. pt. ii, 

 no. i). 



61 Pat. 5 Edw. VI, pt. vii, no. 14. 



* Close, 5 Edw. VI, pt. v, no. i. 



68 Loseley MS. iz, 10. 



64 Possibly the object of the transaction 

 with Lord Clinton and Say was to ensure 

 the Crown against any claim he might 

 bring to the manor. The manorial rights 

 seem to have been included in the grant 

 to Sir John Gage. 



Pat. 41 Eliz. pt. xii, no. 20 ; Close, 

 41 Eliz. pt. xxi. 



66 Feet of F. Surr. Hil. 2 Jas. I. 



67 Close, ii Jas. I, pt. xxxvi, no. 3. 



68 Ibid. 12 Jas. I, pt. xxv, no. 23. 



M Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), mxxvi, 54 ; 

 Surr. Arch. Coll. xviii, 29. 



70 She was great-granddaughter of 

 Thomas brother and heir of the younger 

 Anthony Smith. See an interesting 

 account of the manor by Mr. E. Foster, 

 Surr. Areh. Coll. xviii, 79. 



71 See account of parish. Certain parts 



6 4 



of the waste were, however, reserved by 

 Mr. Webb, and certain quit-rents were 

 separately sold. 



7> In the charter of Gilbert de Aquila, 

 confirming Oxenford to the abbey of 

 Waverley, the following clause occurs : ' et 

 claudent tantum de parco quantum pertinet 

 ad predictum tenementum de Oxenford 

 cum toto exitu suo et non plura sicut 

 ceteri homines mei de H. Witley ' ; Pat. 

 II Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 36. 



78 Cal. Chart. R. i, 315. 



? 4 Mins. Accts. (Gen. Ser.), bdle. 1015, 

 no* 8. 



76 Cal. Close (Rec. Com.), 1307-13, p. 

 507. 



76 Cal. Pat. 1313-17, pp. 135, 137 

 228. 



" Ibid. 1327-30, p. 476. 



T 8 Ibid. 1377-81, p. 159. 



78 Coram Rege R. no. 511 (Hil. 12 

 Ric. II), m. 17. 



80 Free warren had been granted to 

 Peter of Savoy in his demesne lands in 

 Witley ; Cal. Chart. R. i, 315. 



i L. and P. Hen. fill, i, 886. 



8a lbid. iv, 1385. 



88 Misc. Bks. (Land Rev.), vol. 190, 

 fol. 134. 



84 Pat. 38 Eliz. pt. xii. 



