COPTHORNE HUNDRED 



CHESSINGlt 



included among the monastic lands under the name 

 of the ' Manor of Friern,' and valued at 6." 



In 1538 the manor was surrendered to the king 

 by John Dobbys the abbot, 64 and in 1547 was granted 

 to John Rychbell, 46 to hold in chief for a fortieth 

 part of a knight's fee." John Rychbell died seised of 

 it in 15 54, leaving a son and heir William Rychbell, 

 aged six years. 58 In 1575 William Rychbell alienated 

 to Henry Harvey, 49 who died seised of the manor in 

 1589, leaving a son and heir William. 60 The latter 

 was succeeded in 1590 by his son William Harvey, 61 

 who in 1594 conveyed it to William Haynes. 6 * From 

 this date the descent of the manor follows that of 

 Chessington down to the time of Thomas Hatton, 

 who sold Chessington (vide supra} in 1742, but not 

 Fream. He died in 1746. Fream was bought 

 shortly afterwards by Mr. Christopher Hamilton, with 

 whom lived Samuel Crisp, Miss Burney's friend. Mr. 

 Hamilton was succeeded by his sister, who died in 

 1797. The house was called Chessington Hall by 

 Mr. Hamilton, and the property has since been 

 known by that name. It was used as a farm, and the 

 old house, said to date from 1520, became ruinous 

 and was pulled down in 1833-4. The present house 

 was then built on the old foundations ; the 

 old brickwork is visible in the cellars. 

 Mr. Horatio Chancellor bought Fream or 

 Chessington Hall in 1851 and still owns it." 



In 1 279 Edmund Earl of Cornwall claimed 

 in Chessington his free monthly court of 

 the honour of Wallingford, return of the 

 king's writs, view of frankpledge, and the 

 right to imprison in his Castle of Walling- 

 ford all taken and convicted of felony in 

 Chessington, and was confirmed in all these 

 liberties, save only the free monthly court. 64 

 In 1300 the same earl is stated to have 

 4_f. from a certain view taken at Easter in 

 Beddington and Chessington, and pertaining 

 to the honour of Wallingford. 64 



In 1359 the Abbot of Boxley had a 

 charter for free warren in Chessington, 66 

 and the grant to John Rychbell in 1547 included 

 court leet, view of frankpledge, and warren in Fream 

 and Chessington." 



The deed of alienation from William Rychbell to 

 Henry Harvey in 1575 included among the appur- 

 tenances to the manor one water-mill, two dove- 

 houses, and twenty fisheries. 68 



The church of ST. MARY THE 

 CHURCH VIRGIN consists of a chancel 24ft. 1 1 in. 

 by 1 1 ft. II in. with a small north vestry, 

 and a nave ^.2 ft. 3 in. by 15 ft. 2 in. with a south 

 aisle 1 2 ft. wide, and a south porch. Over the west 

 end of the nave is a wooden bell-turret. 



The south aisle was added in 1870, and the north 

 vestry is also modern, but the rest of the building 

 dates from the beginning of the 1 3th century, with 

 later 1 3th-century alterations, and a few inserted 

 windows, &c., of more recent date. The nave has 

 been lengthened, but the completeness of the renewal 

 of the external stonework throughout the church has 



^< 



destroyed all evidence. The walls are of flint rubble 

 and the roofs are tiled. 



A sketch in the church, c. 1 740, shows it with no 

 aisle, but with a west doorway to the nave and a 

 large south porch of wood. Cracklow says that 

 there was a pointed arch like the chancel arch be- 

 tween the nave and the wooden belfry, and the 

 date 1636 on the ceiling, and Manning and Bray 

 note that this date was on the north side of the 

 ceiling. 



The east window of the chancel is a 1 6th or 1 7th- 

 century insertion, of two plain lights with three- 

 centred heads, and to the north of it is a large semi- 

 octagonal moulded image bracket of 1 5th-century 

 date. There is a narrow lancet with a semicircular 

 rear arch about midway in the north and south walls, 

 of early 13th-century date, these being probably the 

 only side-windows in the chancel as first built. To the 

 east a wider lancet has been inserted in both cases, 

 having a wooden lintel on the inside, and this altera- 

 tion seems to have taken place about the middle of 

 the 1 3th century. At the same time two recesses 

 were made in the south wall near the west end, each 

 about 3 ft. 6 in. wide by I ft. deep, and each lighted 



r imiiiiu.if iu.miMiMHjMimiii.ii 



N & v e 



Modern Wood Are&di 



DM 



South Aisle 



lie* 

 EH Modem . 



5csJe of Feet. 

 PLAN OF CHESSINGTON CHURCH 



by a small lancet at the back. Their object is clearly 

 to give more room for seats, the chancel being less 

 than 1 2 ft. wide. 



In the north wall part of a similar recess remains, 

 but it has been cut through to make a doorway into 

 the vestry ; to the west of it is an original door- 

 way, with plain chamfered jambs and semicircular 

 head, adjoining which is a small square opening, 

 rebated externally, and of the same date as the door- 

 way. Its internal jambs are splayed, and it doubtless 

 belongs to the category of low side-windows, though 

 of unusual character. At the north-east of the chan- 

 cel is a locker with rebated jambs in which is one of 

 the hanging hooks for the wooden door, and a groove 

 for a wooden shelf. The vestry has small modern 

 single lights in its east and west walls and a two- 

 light window with a wood frame to the north. The 

 chancel arch has old masonry in its jambs, probably 

 re-used from the earlier and narrower opening, and 

 the arch, which is two-centred and of one chamfered 



H falor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), i, 79. 



" Feet of F. Div. Co. HiL 29 Hen. 

 VIII. 



Orig. R. (L.T.R.), 38 Hen. VIII, pt. 

 iii, no. 5. 



Pat. 38 Hen. VIII, pt iii, m. 8. 



68 Inq. p.m. 2 & 3 Philip and Mary, 

 pt. ii, no. 61. 



Feet of F. SUIT. HiL 17 Eliz. 5 Pat. 

 1 8 Eliz. pt. xi, m. 20. 



60 Inq. p.m. 34 Eliz. pt. i, no. 50. 



61 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccxxvii, 

 2OI. 



265 



' Feet of F. Surr. Mich. 36 & 37 Eliz. 

 68 Information from Mr. Chancellor. 

 M Plac. de Qua ffarr. (Rec. Com.), 741. 

 t5 Inq. p.m. 28 Edw. I, no. 44. 

 68 Cal. Rot. Chart. (Rec. Com.), 183. 

 W Pat. 38 Hen. VIII, pt iii, m. 8. 

 68 Feet of F. Sure. HiL 17 Eliz. 



34 



