A HISTORY OF SURREY 



with stone slabs, and in the south aisle is a four-light 

 dormer window with a transom. 



The altar-table is modern, and behind it is a 

 modern reredos of stone. An old altar-slab is pre- 

 served in the church. The pulpit is a modern one 

 of stone and marble, and the font appears to be of 

 15th-century date; it is octagonal with a panelled 

 bowl moulded on its upper and lower edges ; the 

 stem is plain and the base moulded. Under the 

 tower is an old chest covered with leather, and 

 bearing in nail-heads the date 1663. Preserved in 

 cases are a Book of Homilies of 1683 and a Book of 

 Common Prayer of 1669 ; both had been removed 

 from the church, and were restored in 1885. 



At the west end of the north aisle, against the wall, 

 is a stone slab, on which is the brass figure of a man 

 in civil dress, c. 1470, and the indent of the figure of 

 his wife ; below are the small figures of their three sons 

 and three daughters, and near the top of the slab is a 

 small circular indent. A modern inscription in brass 

 is attached to the stone : ' Hie jacet Matild Hamildun 

 . . . ux Thomae at Hull que obiit . . . die mens 

 Octob Anno Dni MCCCCX cujus anime propicictur (sic) 

 Deus Amen.' Incised at the foot of the slab is a 

 record of its removal from the middle aisle in 1873. 



Two pieces of the inscription of a brass, c. 1340, 

 were found lately in excavations on the site of the 

 vestry ; they read : ' [Marjgarete . . . nre seig[neur].' 



On the east respond of the south arcade is a curious 

 inscription on brass to Robert Gardner, chief Serjeant 

 of the cellar to Queen Elizabeth, 1571 : 



' Here fryndly Robartt Gardnar lyes, well borne of 



ryghtt good race 

 Who sarvd in cowrtt wyth credytt styll, in worth! 



rowlm and place 

 Cheeff Sargantt of the Seller longe, whear he dyd 



duetty shoe 

 Wyth good regard to all degrees, as ffar as powre 



myghtt goe 

 He past hys youth in sutch good fFraem, he cam to 



aeged years 

 And thearby porchaest honest naem, as by reportt 



a peers 

 A ffrynd whear any cawse he ffownd, and corttes 



unto all 

 Of myrry moode and pleasantt spetch, howe ever happ 



dyd ffall 

 Ffowr chyldern for to ffornysh fforth, the table rownd 



he had 

 Wyth sober wyeff most matrenlyk, to mak a man 



ffull glad 

 Prepaerd to dye longe ear his day, whych argues 



greatt good mynd 

 And told us in the other world, whatt hoep he had 



to ffynd 

 We leave hyme whear he loektt to be, our lord 



receyve hys spreett 

 Wyth peace and rest in habram's brest, whear we att 



leynth may meett. 



' Q d Churchyard 



He departed owte of thys transetory worlde the 

 xth daye of November anno d5I 1571 being then 

 of the age of LXXIII yeres.' 



Over the inscription is a shield with the arms Sable 

 a cheveron between three hunting-horns argent on a 

 pile argent a covered cup gules all within a border 

 or charged with eight roundels sable. His helm, 

 with the crest of a goat's head, is on a bracket above. 



In the tower are ten bells, five of which are by 

 T. Mears, 1 8 1 6, and the other five by Warner & Sons, 

 1877. 



The communion plate comprises a large cup of 

 1 66 1, large flagon of 1704, three chalices of 1871, 

 1872, and 1891 respectively, three patens of 1832, 

 1890, and 1891, and a small paten without a mark 

 or date ; besides these are four pewter plates, two of 

 which are dated 1711. 



In the first book of the registers the baptisms 

 begin regularly in 1656, but there are individual 

 entries in the years 1626, 1647, and 1649 ; they 

 continue to 1793 ; the marriages date from 1626 

 to 1753, and the burials 1626 to 1794 ; the book is 

 of paper. The second book contains marriages from 

 1754 to 1792, the third continues them to 1812, 

 and the fourth has baptisms and burials from 1794 to 

 1812. 



ALL SAINTS' church is a medium-sized, modern 

 building of flint and stone in the style of the I3th 

 century, consisting of a chancel, nave, south chapel 

 and aisle, vestry, and north porch. Over the chancel 

 arch is a wooden bell-turret with one bell ; the inside 

 of the building is lined with red brick. 



The church of Letherhead, at the 

 ADPOWSON time of the Domesday Survey, was 

 appurtenant to the manor of Ewell, 

 and, together with 40 acres of land, was held by 

 Osbern de Ow. 98 It later became the property of the 

 abbey of Colchester, to whom it was granted by 

 Eustace de Broc." 



Brother Robert, Abbot of Colchester, granted 

 the advowson in 1287 to the king (Edward I), 100 

 who presented before I3O4. 101 The advowson re- 

 mained with the Crown 10 * until Edward III in 

 1341, at the request of his mother, Queen Isabel, 

 and to recompense the priory of Leeds, Kent, for 

 losses sustained when Edward II besieged the 

 castle of Leeds in order to avenge an insult offered 

 to the queen, granted the advowson to the Prior and 

 convent of Leeds 103 with licence to appropriate the 

 church, and the monastery continuously presented to 

 the church until its dissolution. 104 Henry VIII then 

 gave the rectory and church and advowson of the 

 vicarage of Letherhead to the Dean and Chapter of 

 Rochester, 105 who are the present patrons. 106 



Besides their advowson, the Prior and convent of 

 Leeds owned land in Letherhead. Edward III 

 granted them free warren, 107 which shows they had 

 a considerable estate. The prior held, as glebe land, 

 fields and crofts named Morescroft, Bunteynesland, 

 and Necrofts in Letherhead. 108 



Smith's Charity is distributed as 

 CHARITIES in other Surrey parishes. 



In 1608 John Skeet left 140 to 

 buy land to provide bread for the poor. 



In 1642 Charles, Earl of Nottingham, left 50 to 

 the poor. It was not paid till 1679, when the parish 

 added 20 and bought a house for an almshouse. In 



< r.C.H. Surr. i, 297. 

 99 Manning and Bray, Surr. ii, 673. 

 '"Feet of F. Surr. 15 Edw. I, no. 10. 

 101 Egerton MS. 2031. 



M Ibid. 2032. 



Cal. Pat. 1340-3, pp. 333, 346, 35*5- 

 104 Egerton MSS. ; Winton Epis. Reg. 

 Wykeham, ii, fol. 571. 



300 



103 Pat. 33 Hen. VIII, pt. ix. 



"6 See Inst. Bks. P.R.O. 



10 " Chart. R. 41 Edw. Ill, no. 158. 



103 Chan. Inq. p.m. 4 Edw. IV, no. 57. 



