A HISTORY OF SURREY 



Ferdinand, the fifth earl, without issue male it was 

 purchased in 1600 by John Gawber, an agent or 

 trustee for Thomas, created Earl of Dorset in March 

 1603-4."" Gawber died before the conveyance was 

 completed, but his daughter and heir Margaret, wife 

 of John Harris, conveyed it to Richard Earl of Dorset, 

 grandson of the above Thomas, in l6l3. 108 In 1611 

 he had already obtained a royal grant of it. 109 A 

 survey of the manor was made for him in 1622. 

 Earl Richard died in March 1623-4," an ^ ' n l( > 2 % 

 his estate in Reigate was sold, probably for the pay- 

 ment of his debts, to Sir John Monson and Robert 

 Goodwyn." 1 They conveyed it in 1646 to William 

 Viscount Monson, 1 " whose wife, as widow of Charles 

 Earl of Nottingham, had held the other moiety until 

 her death in 1639. Visconnt Monson was one of the 

 regicide judges and was accordingly degraded and im- 

 prisoned for life after the Restoration," 3 and his moiety 

 of Reigate was immediately acquired by James Duke 

 of York, who was endowed with the estates of the 

 regicides." 4 He appointed a steward of the manor in 

 March 1661,"* and in 1686, after his accession as 

 James II, acquired the other moiety. 1 " 



The whole manor thus united was granted 

 24 April 1697 by William III to Joseph Jekyll "' 

 (knighted in the same year), possibly in trust for 

 his brother-in-law John Lord Somers, in whose 

 name courts were held." 8 At his death in 1716 

 it was inherited by his two sisters, Mary wife of 

 Charles Cocks and Elizabeth wife of the above- 

 mentioned Sir Joseph Jekyll, 

 kt. 1 " Courts were held in their 

 names until the death of Mrs. 

 Cocks, 1717, after which Sir 

 Joseph Jekyll, until his death, 

 and subsequently his widow, 

 held courts. She died in 

 1745," and was succeeded by 

 her nephew James Cocks, 1 " 

 M.P. for Reigate. He died 

 1750. His son James died 

 unmarried 1758, when Charles, 

 son of John the brother of 

 James above-mentioned, suc- 

 ceeded. He was M.P. for Reigate from 1747 to 

 1784. He was created a baronet in 1772, and Baron 

 Somers in 1784. His son and successor, John, was 

 created Earl Somers July 1821 and died 1841. The 

 manor descended to his son and grandson ; on the 

 death of Charles, third Earl Somers, in 1883, without 

 male issue, it devolved upon one of his daughters, 

 Lady Henry Somerset, the present owner. 



COCKS. SaUt a the- 

 veron between three pain 

 of karti* harm argent. 



The ' honour ' of Reigate evidently comprised those 

 lands of the honour of Warenne which were directly 

 held of Reigate Manor. These included the manors 

 of Dorking, Fetcham, Cranleigh, Vachery, Bradley in 

 Dorking, Ashtead, and the Priory, Hooley, Redstone, 

 Frenches, and Colley in Reigate." 1 



Most of the lands of the PRIORY" in Reigate were 

 probably granted to it by William de Warenne, Earl of 

 Surrey, and his wife Isabel, at the foundation of the 

 house before 1240."* At the suppression of the Priory 

 in July 1 5 36 it had lands both in the parish and in the 

 borough, and courts were held for the tenants of 

 these. 1 * 4 Lord Edmund Howard was then steward, 

 but a lease of the Priory was made to John Marten in 

 January 1537-8.'" In 1541 it was granted to Lord 

 William Howard, afterwards Lord Howard of Effing- 

 ham, younger son of Thomas second Duke of 

 Norfolk, and his wife Margaret in tail, 126 with lands 

 in Reigate, Dorking, Capel, Betchworth, Horley, Burs- 

 tow, Headley, Nutfield, Mickleham, Ashtead and 

 Letherhead. In the following year he was attainted 

 for complicity with his niece Katherine Howard, 1 " but 

 in 1543 the Priory was regranted to his wife, and in 

 1544 the original grant to them both was renewed. 1 ' 8 

 Lady Howard died at Reigate in 1 58 1, 1 ' 9 and their 

 son Charles, first Earl of Nottingham, Lord Admiral, 

 held the Priory at his death in 1624, and habitually 

 resided there, though he died at Haling. It was 

 inherited by his granddaughter Elizabeth, Countess of 

 Peterborough, ' a lady of extraordinary beauty.' IM 

 She tried to cut off the entail on the Priory in favour of 

 her younger son, John Viscount Mordaunt, 1 * 1 a Royalist 

 who made unsuccessful attempts to raise the country 

 on behalf of Charles in 1658 and 1659."' His 

 mother's estates were seized for his recusancy in 1659, 

 but after the Restoration he was granted the remainder 

 of the Priory at her death. 13 * From his trustees it 

 was purchased by Sir John Parsons, Lord Mayor of 

 London in I7O3. 114 It was inherited by his son Sir 

 Humphrey, a brewer of note, who was twice Lord 

 Mayor, and represented Reigate in many Parliaments. 1 ** 

 He died in 1741, having bequeathed the Priory to his 

 wife Sarah, 136 after whose death in 1759 her two 

 daughters, the wives of Sir John Hinde Cotton and 

 James Dunn, inherited it. 137 They are said to have 

 sold in 1 766 to a Mr. Richard Ireland, who bequeathed 

 it to his niece, Mrs. Jonest 138 Her son Arthur con- 

 veyed it in 1 80 1 to Thomas Eden, Francis Webber, 

 and Henry Ley, 13 ' in trust for sale to Mr. Mowbray, 

 from whom it was purchased c. 1808 by Lord 

 Somers, 140 since when it has descended with the manor. 



(q.v.)- 



1(1 ' Recov. R. Eait. 42 Elir. m. 94 ; 

 Feet of F. SUIT. Trin. 42 Eliz. 5 Chan. 

 Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cclxxxix, 79. 



108 Feet of F. SUIT. Trin. 1 1 Ja. I. 

 There is no evidence that it was ever held 

 by Robert the second earl, son of Thomas 

 and father of Richard. He was earl lesi 

 than one year, April 1608 to Feb. 1609. 



109 Pat. 9 Jas. I, pt, xxxvi, no. 5. 



110 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccccv, 153. 



111 Feet of F. Surr. Mich. 4 Chas. I. 



113 Close, 22 Chas. I, pt. i, no. 2$. 

 118 G.E.C. Peerage, v, 334. 



114 Hist. MSS. Com. Ref. v, App. 205 ; 

 but the estates of Viscount Monson are 

 not specially mentioned in the Act of 

 1660 vesting certain forfeited estates in the 

 duke, nor in the patent for the same 

 purpose ; Pat. 13 Chas. II, pt. v, no. 15. 



"* Hiit. MSS. Com. Rip. viii, App. i, 280. 



115 See above. 



u " Pat. 9 WilL III, pt, ii, no. II. 



118 Manning and Bray, op. cit. i, 283. 



119 G.E.C. Peerage, vii, 167 ; Feet of F. 

 Surr. Mich. 4 Geo. I. 



lao Ct, R. The courts were held in the 

 name of a single person, but it does not 

 follow that the estate was not jointly held. 



1M Ct. R. ; Recov. R. Trin. 32-3 Gco. 

 II, m. 201 ; Trin. 15 Geo. Ill, m. 160. 



lw Cr, R. ; Surv. of 1622. 



1 y.C.H. Surr. ii, 105. 



1" Mins. Accts. Surr. 28-9 Hen. VIII, 

 bdle. 108, m. 5. 



' L. ana P. Hen. Vlll, xiii (i), 588. 



186 Ibid, xvi, g. 947 (12). 



la ? G.E.C. Peerage, iii, 235 ; cf. L. and 

 P. Hen. nil, xvi, 1444. 



236 



(5)- 



" Ibid. vii,g.443 (J) ; rix (i),g.278 



- 



1M G.E.C. Peerage iii, 235 ; Chan. Inq. 

 p.m. (Ser. 2), cxcvii, 75. 



130 Ibid, cccclxii, 69. 



181 Cal. S.P. Dam. 1645-7 PP- 57'-* i 

 i66o-i,p. 138; 1663-4, p. 487; 1666-7, 

 p. 422. 1M Diet. Nat. Biog. 



188 Cal. S.P. Dom. 1660-1, p. 138. 



18< Aubrey, Hist, and Antij. of Surr. iv, 

 192. 



" Diet. Nat. Biog. 



186 P.C.C. Wills, 74 Spurway. 



W Bill of Sale, 1766. 



" Add. MS. 34237 (Hist of Reigate), 

 fol. 5. 



188 Feet of F. SUIT. Trin. 41 Geo. III. 



o Add. MS. B.M. 34237, fol. 5 ; Com. 

 Pleas D. Enr. East. 51 Geo. Ill, m. 2. 



