A HISTORY OF SURREY 



apparently conveyed to the Howards some time during 

 the I yth century, 60 since the Browne moiety was the 

 only one which did not belong to them in the time 

 of George II." 



Sir Thomas Browne died in 1 597 seised of one por- 

 tion of the manor, which passed to his son Matthew. 51 

 It appears at intervals in the possession of the Browne 

 family, and finally, about 1690, on the death of Sir 

 Adam Browne, without male issue, passed from his 

 family by the marriage of his daughter Margaret with 

 William Fenwick. 65 At her death, according to Man- 

 ning and Bray, 64 this part of the manor passed by sale 

 to Abraham Tucker, and from him, by the marriage of 

 one of his daughters, to his grandson Sir Henry St. 

 John Mildmay, who sold it in 1797 to the Duke of 

 Norfolk." 



The remaining portion of the manor passed at the 

 death of Anne Mowbray into the family of Howard. 

 Margaret daughter of the first Mowbray duke, and 

 sister of that Isabel who married into the Berkeley 

 family, became the wife of Sir 

 Robert Howard, and to her son 

 John her share in the Dorking 

 manor now passed. 66 John was 

 a keen partisan of Richard III, 

 who in 1483 revived the title 

 of Duke of Norfolk in his fav- 

 our. 67 He met his death at 

 the battle of Bosworth Field, 

 and his lands, by an Act of at- 

 tainder in the first Parliament 

 of Henry VII, lapsed to the 

 Crbwn." His son Thomas, also 

 attainted then, was restored in 

 blood in 1488, and to the earl- 

 dom and his estates in 1489. In 1 5 1 4 he was created 

 Duke of Norfolk. His son Thomas, third Duke of 

 Norfolk in the Howard line, was attainted under 

 Henry VIII, and only escaped execution by the timely 

 death of the king ; his lands, however, were forfeited, 

 and his portion in Dorking Manor was granted by 

 Edward VI to Henry Duke of Suffolk. 69 Under 

 Queen Mary the duke was restored to his possessions. 

 From that time this portion seems to have remained 

 in the family of Howard ; the other portions were 

 gradually joined to it until, in 1797, the whole 

 manor was in the possession of the Duke of Norfolk, 

 with whose descendants it has since remained. 



The earls had a manor-house in Dorking ; but 

 though Aubrey mentions traces of a castle, there are 

 neither records nor visible remains. The Town Fields 

 were on the south side of the town, towards the direc- 

 tion of the modern workhouse. The common meadow 

 and pasture was on the north by the Pip Brook ; but 

 it is worthy of notice that as early as the 1 4th and 

 1 5th centuries the manorial rolls tell us that the 

 villeins of the manor held land in severally, this custom 

 being specially noticeable in Waldeborough, where 

 there seem to have been no common fields. The rights 



HOWARD, Duke of 

 Norfolk. Gules a bend 

 between six crossletsfitchy 

 argent. 



of the lord over a villein tenantry, chivage, marriage, 

 and so on, were then in full force. In 1442-3 the 

 homage are bidden to produce a fugitive female villein. 

 It is needless to say that there is no evidence of the 

 outrageous droit de seigneur mentioned by Aubrey. 

 In the court held 30 December, 5 Henry VI (1426), 

 Johanna Brekspere paid 6s. 8J. for licence to marry 

 whom she would. But as early as the accounts ren- 

 dered for 132930, customary services, carrying, reap- 

 ing, &c., and xxii plena opera appear commuted for 

 money payments. The custom of the manor was 

 Borough English, and daughters were eo-heiresses. A 

 court baron was held every three weeks, and a court 

 leet and a view of frankpledge twice a year. 



In 1278 John de Warenne claimed and was allowed 

 free warren in all his demesne lands in Dorking. 60 The 

 lord had, however, an inclosed warren, which was 

 often mentioned in the Court Rolls owing to the inhabi- 

 tants stealing rabbits from it. Under Henry V and 

 Henry VI the warren was let out at farm. Possibly 

 the lord had an inclosed park, for in the courts of 

 8 February and 1 6 August 1283 persons are accused 

 of breaking the earl's park ; but in the first instance 

 the fine pro fractura parcl is only 6d., in the second 

 2Of., so / anus may only be the pound, or some small 

 inclosure. No record of imparking or disimparking 

 seems to exist. If there was a park it must have been 

 near Charte Park of later times, where Park Copse, 

 Park Farm, and Park Pale Farm, all to the east of 

 Charte Park, may show that this is only part of a for- 

 merly more extensive inclosure. 



BRADLET was a small reputed manor held by 

 service of half a knight's fee of the manor of Reigate. 61 

 A Thomas de Bradley appears in a dispute in the court of 

 Dorking of 1283. Mr. Bray had deeds in his possession 

 showing a settlement, by John de Bradley and Maud 

 his wife, on William son of Richard Bradley in 1 340, 

 and another settlement of land in Bradley 1389-90, 

 by Nicholas Slyfield, on John Penros. 62 It passed to 

 the Sondes of Sondes Place, Dorking, and appears as 

 a manor in the time of Edward IV, 63 and is also 

 mentioned in an inquisition taken after the death 

 of Robert Sondes in I53O. 64 It seems to have re- 

 mained in the Sondes family until the middle of the 

 1 7th century, when Sir George Sondes conveyed it to 

 William Delawne, 66 but perhaps by way of mort- 

 gage only, for Lewis, created Lord Sondes 1760, seems 

 to have sold it rather later than that to Henry Talbot. 

 He sold it to Mr. Walter, M.P., who was buying much 

 land in the district. 66 It was certainly possessed by 

 Mr. Walter of Bury Hill and his son-in-law Viscount 

 Grimston, who sold it to Mr. Denison of Denbies, in 

 which estate it remains. It has had no courts held 

 within the memory of man. It is now the property 

 of the Hon. Henry Cubitt of Denbies, the lord- 

 lieutenant. 67 



There seems to have been a small manor called 

 H4MSTED in Dorking. In Domesday Richard of 

 Tonbridge held one hide which had been detached from 



60 H. K. S. Causton (Howard Papers, 

 365) states that Charles Howard in 1652 

 found himself heir to three fourth parts of 

 the manor of Dorking, two of which had 

 been purchased by his grandfather Thomas, 

 Earl of Arundel. 



51 Recov. R. Mich. 14 Geo. II, rot. 

 211. 



52 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. z), ccliii, 

 88. 



M Feet of F. Surr. HiL 4 & 5 Will, and 

 Mary. 



M Hist. Surr. i, 558. 



" Ibid. 



58 Diet Nat. Biog. xxviii, 42. 



W Ibid. 



58 Par/. R. (Rec. Com.), vi, 410. 



Pat. 6 Edw. VI, pt. ii. 



60 Assize R. apud Guildford, 7 Edw. I, 

 rot. 28. 



146 



81 Survey of manor of Reigate taken 

 I Apr. 1623, 21 Jas. I. 



M Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr. i, 

 563. 



" Feet of F. Div. Co. file 74, no. 64. 



64 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ii, 48. 



65 Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 1654. 



66 Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr. i, 

 564. 



" Inform from Lord Ashcombe. 



