A HISTORY OF SURREY 



In the south aisle is a brass inscription to Robert 

 Shiers, a Bencher of the Inner Temple, who died 

 in 1 668 ; over the inscription he is represented 

 in a large brass wearing a lawyer's gown and hold- 

 ing a book ; on a shield are the arms of Shiers 

 impaling a fesse wavy ermine between three crescents 

 ermine. 



There is also a floor slab to Edward Shiers, second 

 son of Robert Shiers, died 1670, and a large white 

 marble monument in the north aisle. Robert Shiers, 

 of Slyfield, died 1668, Elizabeth his wife 1700, and 

 Sir George Shiers, bart., his son, died 1685. There 

 is another to Sir Francis Howard, kt., son of Lord 

 Howard of Effingham, died 1651. Among the later 

 monuments may be mentioned Colonel Thomas Moore, 

 of Polesden, 1735 ; William Moore, 1746 ; and 

 Cornet Francis Geary, eldest son of Admiral Geary, 

 who fell in the American War in 1776, and the monu- 

 ment has a bas-relief showing the incident which 

 caused his death. 



Outside in the churchyard is an ancient coffin-lid 

 on which is a floriated cross in relief, but without an 

 inscription ; it is probably of the I4th century. 



In the tower are two bells, and space where there 

 was formerly a third ; one of them bears no mark or 

 inscription, the other was cast by William Eldridge in 

 1675. 



The communion plate includes a cup, evidently of 

 the 1 7th century, but without a hallmark ; the 

 maker's mark is R A over a star ; it has a cable band 

 on the lower edge of the cup, and a trumpet-shaped 

 stem ; there is also a paten with mark of 1675 dated 

 1677, a flagon of 1762, and cup of 1859, all of silver ; 

 besides these there exist two pewter plates, one dated 

 1730. 



The first book of the registers is a parchment copy 

 containing baptisms and marriages from 1632 to 

 1711 and burials to 1680 ; the second has baptisms 

 from 1695 to 1812, marriages 1695 to 1753, and 

 burials 1680 to 1812 ; in it is a note that the yew 

 tree and five walnut trees (south of the churchyard) 

 were planted in February 1733-4 > t ^ le th' r d book 

 has marriages from 1754 to 1812. There is also a 

 vestry book, in which are recorded the names of all 

 the churchwardens from 1631. 



In 1632 Samuel Cherrie was vicar. In 1633 six of 

 his parishioners were excommunicated, but the cause 

 is not given. One of them was absolved in 1635. 



The church stands in the midst of a roughly tri- 

 angular churchyard, the south and west boundaries are 

 on the road sides, and at their angle is a lych gate of 

 1897. 



The church of ST. BARNABAS, RANMORE, 

 was built in 1 859 by Lord Ashcombe, then Mr. George 

 Cubitt, from the designs of Sir Gilbert Scott. It is 

 a handsome stone church, with chancel, nave, and 

 aisles in 1 3th-century style, with a tower and spire 

 which form a conspicuous landmark. The tower is 

 vaulted and treated as a lantern over the crossing. 



The church of Great Bookham was 

 ADPOWSON appurtenant to the manor in 1086," 

 and in 1 292 was confirmed with 

 its issues to the Abbot and convent of Chertsey, under 

 letters patent from John de Pontoise, Bishop of Win- 

 chester, reciting a bull of Clement II given the 

 fourth year of his pontificate.* 7 



An endowment of the vicarage in the same year by 

 Philip de Barthon and John de Pontoise secured to 

 the vicar all offerings made upon the altar of the 

 church, with all the small tithes, except hay and wool, 

 which belonged to the abbot and convent, and a 

 house near the court once belonging to the rector of 

 the church. 69 The rectory and advowson having 

 been surrendered to the king in 1 5 37 by John, Abbot of 

 Chertsey, 69 were regranted in the same year to Bisham, 

 the new foundation, 70 and on the dissolution of the 

 latter a draught was made for a grant to ;r ChristppAer 

 More for life, to be held in chief for the twentieth 

 part of a knight's fee. 71 This was apparently not 

 completed, for in 1544 a grant of the rectory and 

 advowson to Richard and John Sackvile is recorded. 7 * 

 They seem to have conveyed to Sir Christopher 

 More, who died in 1 549 seised of the rectory.' 3 His 

 son, William More, in 1560, in conjunction with 

 Margaret his wife, obtained licence to alienate to 

 Thomas Lyfield and Frances his wife and their heirs. 74 

 Thomas died in 1596, having settled the rectory and 

 advowson on his grandson Sir Francis Vincent, 74 whose 

 grandson Sir Francis Vincent 76 in 1657 conveyed it 

 to Francis and Samuel Rous. 77 Francis Rous, who 

 was provost of Eton College, died in 1659, having 

 bequeathed ^40 per annum out of the parsonage or 

 tithe to maintain two scholars at Pembroke College, 

 Oxford. The remainder of the tithe he bequeathed 

 to the minister of the parish, the patronage of the 

 living to his kinsman Samuel Rous, and his lands and 

 interest in the parsonage to Colonel Anthony Rous. 78 

 Samuel Rous presented to the living in 1663," and in 

 1713 Edward Symes and Elizabeth his wife, of 

 Polesden, suffered a recovery of a moiety of the rectory, 

 with all the tithes pertaining thereto and the advow- 

 son of the vicarage, together with the manor of 

 Polesden, 80 with which it descended until sold by Sir 

 William Geary in 1803 to James Laurell, who in 

 1812 conveyed it in trust to John Harrison Loveridge, 

 together with the manor of Great Bookham. 81 



Before 1821 the advowson was bought by William 

 Heberden, M.D., F.R.S., who in that year gave the 

 living to his son, the Rev. W. Heberden, who suc- 

 ceeded to the advowson also in 1845, and died in 

 1879. It was bought by the late Viscount Downe, 

 who died in 1900, and in 1903 by Mr. Arthur Bird, 

 of the Grange, Great Bookham. 8 ' 



The living of St. Barnabas is a rectory in the gift 

 of Lord Ashcombe. 



Smith's charity is distributed as in 

 CHARITIES other Surrey parishes. 



In 1625 Mr. John Brown, of 



M V.C.H. Surr. i, 3090. 



7 Misc. Bks. (Exch. Q.R.),vol. Z5,p.48; 

 Cal.Pat. 1281-92, p. 493. 



Misc. Bks. (Exch. Q.R.),vol. 25,?. 48. 



M Feet of F. Div. Co. Trin. 29 Hen. 

 VIII. 



7 L. and P. Hen. VIII, xii (2), 8-1311 

 (22). 



? l Ibid, itviii (i), 54 ; Hist. MSS. Com. 



Kef. vii, App. 6040. The draught is in 

 Loseley MSS. 



7" Pat. 36 Hen. VIII, pt. iii ; L. and P. 

 Hen. VIII, xix (i), g. 1035 (31); Aug. 

 Off. Parties, for Grants, 970. 



7 8 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), Ixxxix, 134. 

 Copy among Loseley MSS. ix, 50. 



7 Pat. 2 Eliz. pt. ii, m. 28/9 ; Feet of 

 F. SUIT. Hil. 3 Eliz. 



334 



7 5 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccxlvii, no. 

 99. '* Ibid. dxcv. no. 106. 



'' Feet of F. Surr. Commonw. Miih. 

 1657. 



" 8 P.C.C.WU15I Pell. 



Inst. Bks. 



80 Recov. R. Trin. 12 Anne, rot. 121. 



81 Feet of F. Surr. Hil. 52 Geo.III. 

 8 " Clergy Lisa. 



