A HISTORY OF SURREY 



late possessions of Lewes granted with the site of the 

 priory to Cromwell. 88 Nevertheless Michael Denys, 

 who released the manor to Roger Copley in 1518, 

 presented a rector in I5I2. 89 It is clear that he had 

 had a grant of the advowson for one turn only, for 

 the priory presented in I53O. 90 Cromwell was 

 attainted and executed in July 1540. Lord William 

 Howard possibly had a grant or lease of the advowson, 

 for he presented a rector in February I55O. 91 In 

 1551 a new royal grant of the advowson was 

 made to Thomas Bill and his wife Agnes, 9 * who 

 immediately conveyed it to Elizabeth widow ol 

 Sir Roger Copley, 93 and she presented in 1552," 

 but it was not returned among her possessions at 

 her death. 95 Thomas Copley presented in 1562,** 

 but in 1571 the queen presented by reason of 

 his recusancy." In 1581 Michael Harris and his 

 wife Margaret conveyed the advowson to Richard 



More, 98 and again in 1596 Michael and Margaret 

 Harris conveyed to Richard More, 99 but in 1615 the 

 Crown presented by lapse. 100 The Rev. Nehemiah 

 Rogers, who was himself turned out by the Parliament 

 from St. Botolph's Without Bishopsgate, petitioned 

 for confirmation of his title in the advowson in 1635, 

 stating that he had acquired it by conveyances and 

 assurances in law, possibly from Michael and Margaret 

 Harris. 101 He presented it to St. John's College, 

 Oxford, at the instance of Archbishop Laud, who re- 

 served to himself the nomination of the incumbent dur- 

 ing his lifetime. 10 * Presentation was made under the 

 Great Seal in i648, 103 but the college presented a 

 rector in 1666. Thomas Turgis had acquired the 

 advowson before l668, 104 and since his time it has 

 remained vested in the successive lords of the manor. 

 Smith's Charity is distributed as in 



CH4R1T1 



other Surrey parishes. 



HORLEY 



Horley, Horlie, and Horle (xiii cent.) ; Horlee 

 (xiv cent.) ; Horle (xv cent.). 



Horley is a village 5 miles south of Redhill. The 

 parish, which is one of the largest in Surrey, is 

 bounded on the north by Reigate, on the east 

 by Nutfield, Burstow, and a detached portion of 

 Home, on the south by Worth in Sussex, and on 

 the west by Charlwood and Leigh. It is of ir- 

 regular form, with western extensions running into 

 Charlwood and Leigh, but the greatest length from 

 north to south is 6 miles, and die greatest breadth 

 from east to west 4 miles. It contains 7,957 

 acres of land and 2 5 of water. It is a Wealden parish, 

 on the clay, with strips of sand and alluvium which 

 stretch along the course of the Mole and its tribu- 

 taries. The various branches of the Mole, those 

 which flow from the Surrey chalk range at first south- 

 ward and then westward, that coming eastward 

 from Charlwood, and those flowing northward from 

 Crawley and Worth in Sussex, all come into Horley 

 and unite in the parish, which is consequently much 

 intersected by streams. There are numerous bridges. 



The character of the parish has been changed by 

 the opening, in 1841, of the Brighton Line, which 

 runs through it, having a station at Horley, and 

 another, also in Horley, for the use of the Gatwick race- 

 meetings, though Gatwick is in Charlwood. Horley 

 Village, or Horley Street, was a small place clustered 

 round the church, east of the Brighton road and 

 west of the Cuckfield road. East of it was an ex- 

 tensive common. This is now inclosed, and the 

 station is on its site. Here a new village has grown 

 up. Farther north, and stretching nearly all the 

 way to Earlswood Common and Reigate parish, are 

 frequent groups or rows of small houses and cottages. 

 There is a Horley District Gas Company, established 

 in 1886. 



The road through part of Horley parish from Craw- 

 ley to Reigate was the first turnpike road in Surrey, 

 made by the Act 8 & 9 Will. Ill, cap. 1 5, but available 

 then only for horses, posts being fixed in it to prevent 

 its being subjected to the wear and tear of wheels. 

 The road from Horley Common to Cuckfield was 

 made a turnpike road by stat. 49 Geo. Ill, cap. 94, 

 but there was an old road on this line. Probably a 

 very old track had led from the Sussex coast in this 

 direction, and some habitations had been made near 

 the line of it. Thundersfield, for instance, though deep 

 in the forest and the clay, had been accessible in 

 Athelstan's time, if it is the Thundersfield where 

 he held a Witan ; ! and there is stronger reason for 

 supposing that it is the Dunresfelda of Alfred's will. 

 It is half a mile from the road, just outside Horley 

 parish. The Ordnance map records Roman pottery 

 found west of the road in Horley parish. South of 

 Horley Station, north of Holyland Farm, a British 

 sepulchral urn, flint arrowheads, and bronze Roman 

 coins were found when the line was being made in 

 1839-40 ; and a British gold coin has been found in 

 Horley * and another in Home not far away. 1 The 

 implements and pottery indicate dwellers in the 

 Weald, the coins possibly show that traffic passed 

 through it. Of the old village, not many houses re- 

 main. On the outskirts of the parish, a mile to the 

 north of the church, are one or two old cottages close to 

 the blacksmith's forge, and close by is a picturesque 

 old inn, with the sign of 'The Chequers,' parts 

 of which are of the i6th century. Adjoining the 

 churchyard is the picturesque Six Bells Inn, dating 

 back to the 1 5th century or earlier, with its steep 

 roof of Horsham slabs, half-timbered walls and fine 

 brick chimney. Inside is to be seen a large beam, 

 perhaps part of a screen, bearing a battlemented 

 moulding. The quaintness of the building is en- 



88 L. and P. Hn. rill, xiii (l),g.384 



(74). 



89 Winton Epis. Reg. Fox, iii, fol. 7*. 



90 Ibid. Wolsey, fol. 550, 



81 Egerton MS. 2034, fol. 164*. 

 M Pat. 5 Edw. VI, pt. vi, m. 34. 

 M Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccx, 85. 

 94 Winton Epis. Reg. Poynet, fol. 5*. 

 " Chan. Inq. p.m. 2 Eliz. pt. i, no. 145. 



M Winton Epis. Reg. Horn, jt. 



*7 Ibid, quoted by Manning and Bray, 

 Hist, of Surr. ii, 239. 



18 Feet ofF. Div. Co. Mich. 23 & 24 

 Eliz. "Ibid. Eat. 38 Eliz. 



100 Inst. Bki. P.R.O. 



101 Pat. ii Chas. I, pt. xxiv, no. 28. 

 i a Laud, J?V*,(ed. Oxford, i86o),vii, 



42. 



200 



108 Lord? lourn. x, i\b. 



><" Inst. Bk. (P.R.O.). The Parliamen- 

 tary Survey of 1658 says that Thomas 

 Turgis was then patron (Surr. Arch. 

 Coll. xviii). 



1 Thorpe, Difl. Angl. Sax. i, 217. 



* Evans, Coins of the Ancient Britons, 69. 



"Ibid. 61. 



