A HISTORY OF SURREY 



Edward de la Hale endowed the chapel with lands 

 which in I $478 were valued at I zoi. 6J. a year. 

 The chapel was suppressed in 1547," and the lands, 

 chapel and chapel-house granted to Henry Polstede 

 and William More. 80 The materials of the chapel were 

 valued for sale. A pension of loot, was granted to the 

 'chantry priest,' Hamlet Slynn. 91 The inhabitants 

 petitioned against the destruction of the chapel, and 

 obtained its restoration to them for use as a church. 8 * 

 In 1 560-1 a petition to the same effect was presented, 

 reciting the former facts, and adding that the former 

 priest was not then there. Elizabeth granted a perpetual 

 payment of 3 (>s. 8^. from the Exchequer to the 

 priest officiating at Okewood, which is still received. 81 



In 1723 Sir John Evelyn, the patron, and Richard 

 Miller, esq., gave 200 in aid of the endowment. In 

 1725 Dr. Godolphin, Dean of St. Paul's, and Sir Wil- 

 liam Perkins of Chertsey, gave 100 each, and in 1741 

 Mr. Offley, rector of Abinger, left two farms to 

 trustees for the repair of the building, the surplus to 

 go to the curate in charge, provided that he held two 

 services every Sunday." The conditions were not 

 fulfilled in the latter part of the 1 8th century, when 

 the services were very irregularly performed. A 

 cottage near the chapel, called Chapel House, is the 



traditional home of the priest. But there was no 

 later parsonage house till 1884, when the present 

 vicarage was built by Lord Ashcombe. The ecclesi- 

 astical parish of Okewood was formed in 1853 ol 

 parts of the old parishes of Wotton, Abinger, and 

 Ockley, upon the Sussex border. The chapel was in 

 the outlying part of Wotton, which was united to 

 Abinger civil parish in 1879. 



In 1717 William Glanville, nephew 

 CHARITIES to John Evelyn, left by will a rent- 

 charge on a farm near Pul borough to 

 provide 40;. each for five poor boys who, on the 

 anniversary of his death, should attend at his tomb- 

 stone in Wotton churchyard and repeat from memory 

 the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Command- 

 ments, read I Cor. xv., and write two verses of the 

 same chapter. The two best performers receive in 

 addition 10 each to apprentice them to some trade. 

 Wotton boys under 1 6 years old have the first chance, 

 but failing suitable claimants from Wotton, Shiere, 

 Abinger, Cheam, Epsom, and Ashtead parishes, and 

 the tithing of Westcote, Dorking have the next right 

 of competing. 



Smith's Charity is distributed as in other Surrey 

 parishes. 



" By Act of I Edw. VI, cap. 14. 

 80 By Act of Pat. z Edw.VI, pt. i, m. 31. 

 SI Exch. Anct. Misc. no. 82, m. 3, 

 I Edw. VI. 



M Aug. Decrees, Misc. Bk. vol. 105, 

 fol. 231. 



39 Ezch. Memo. R. East. 3 Eliz. rat. 

 116. 



9< Paperj preserved at Okewood Vicar- 

 age, formerly at Wotten House. 



164 



