WOKING HUNDRED 



OCKHAM 



chapel; the arcade of this aisle still stands, and apparently 

 part of the walls of the chapel. Owing to the rebuilding 

 nothing of the later history of the church can be traced. 

 In Cracklow's time it consisted of chancel with south 

 chapel, nave with south aisle, and west tower and spire. 

 He notes a repair in 1665. In 1 88 1 the north aisle 

 was added and further restoration was done. 



The modern parts of the building are chiefly in 

 14th-century style with traceried windows, but those in 

 the south and east walls of the south aisle are of 13th- 

 century design. 



Beneath the east window of the north chapel are 

 built in two short 1 2th-century shafts with ornamental 

 scalloped capitals, one having a scalloped base and the 

 other a moulded one. At present they form the sides 

 of a recess, which contains a wooden cupboard. 



The only other 12th-century work is the semi- 

 circular arch of the north doorway, which has an edge 

 roll and zigzag ornament on both sides of the order. 

 The chamfered label is also old. The modern jambs 

 have shafts with moulded bases and scalloped capitals. 



The south arcade of the nave is of three bays with 

 circular columns having moulded bases and capitals, and 

 the arches are semicircular with two chamfered orders 

 and grooved and chamfered labels on each side. 



The arch at the east end of the south aisle is appar- 

 ently contemporary with the south arcade, and is two- 

 centred and of two splayed orders with a chamfered 

 label on the west face. The jambs are of the same 

 section as the arch, but are either recut or modern ; 

 on the east side of the arch are traces of painting. 



The inner jambs of the lancet windows in the south 

 chapel are apparently old, and below the sill of the 

 south-east lancet is a piscina or aumbry, but only the 

 upper part shows above the pews. 



The walls throughout are of flint with stone dress- 

 ings, and the roofs, which are of modern open timber 

 construction, are covered with tiles. 



The tower has an octagonal shingled spire. 



The north porch is roofed with Horsham slabs and 

 has a fine 15th-century barge-board enriched with a 

 series of trefoils. ' There are six bells ; the first 



was cast by Bryan Eldridge in 1650, the second by 

 Richard Eldridge, and the third, which is badly 

 cracked, is inscribed ' Johannes est nomen eius." 

 The three others were added in 1897 as a Jubilee 

 memorial. 



The oldest piece of plate is a paten dated 1683 and 

 having the initials of the maker, R.P., but there is no 

 hall-mark. Besides this there are a cup, paten, and 

 flagon of 1842 and an elaborate altar cross set with 

 amethysts, given in 1886 in memory of Viscount 

 Cranley and Katherine his wife, by their children. 



There are three books of registers, the first being 

 dated 1536, but there are no entries earlier than 1 544, 

 at which date the baptisms and burials begin, the 

 former continuing fairly regularly until 1643 and the 

 latter to 1645, and following this are marriages from 

 1541 to 1636. The latter half of the book contains 

 very irregular entries of baptisms, marriages, and burials 

 from 1643 to 1731. The second book contains mar- 

 riages from 1754 to '812, and the third has baptisms 

 from 1754 and burials from 1753, both to 1812. 



The first mention of Merrow 

 ADVQWSQN Church seems to be in 1 208, when it 

 was said to be in the gift of the king." 

 In 1233 Henry III granted it to the Prioress and nuns 

 of St. Margaret Ivinghoe," who retained it' 6 until the 

 Dissolution. It was granted with the other Ivinghoe 

 lands to Sir John Daunce (see above), Sir Henry 

 Knevitt presented in 1574 and 1577, but by 1582 it 

 was in the possession of Sir Henry Weston." In 

 1642 Sir Richard Weston conveyed it to Richard 

 Onslow," in whose family it has since remained. 



Smith's Charity is distributed as in 

 CHARITIES other Surrey parishes. A donor, un- 

 known, gave 30, the interest to go 

 to the poor. 



In 1776 Lord Onslow made an agreement with the 

 parish by which he inclosed 19 acres of Merrow 

 Common in Clandon Park, and gave the parish a 

 house for a poor-house. In 1 786 two families lived 

 here rent free, and a third paid a small rent which 

 was given to the poor-rate." 



OCKHAM 



Bocheam (ri cent.) ; Occam (xiii cent.). 



Ockham is a parish on the east side of the Wey Valley, 

 7 miles north-east from Guildfbrd, 20 miles from Lon- 

 don. It is bounded on the north by Pyrford, Wisley, 

 and Cobham, on the south-east by the two Horsleys, 

 on the south-west by Send and Ripley. It is of very 

 irregular shape, but the greatest breadth from east to 

 west is a little over, and the greatest distance from north 

 to south just about, 3 miles. It contains 2,871 acres. 

 A detached portion of Wisley was added to Ockham 

 in 1883 ;' and Blackmoor Heath, a projecting tongue 

 of West Horsley, was transferred to Ockham. 1 A 

 piece of Ockham, far away on Holmbury Hill, was 

 also added to Abinger 3 (q.v.). The soil of Ockham 

 Common in the north of the parish is Bagshot Sand. 

 The southern part of the parish is on the London 

 Clay. Part of the Wey Valley in the west of the 



parish and the banks of a stream which joins it from 

 the east are alluvial. The road from London to 

 Guildford runs through Ockham. The village, lying 

 some little distance east of the church, which is in 

 Ockham Park, is very small, and the population scanty. 

 It is purely agricultural. 



Ockham Common was inclosed by an Act of 1815- 

 16. The Award is dated 3 March 1817.' The 

 common was in the southern part of the parish next 

 to Horsley Common, and is to be distinguished from 

 Ockham Heath adjoining Wisley Common to the 

 north, which is still uninclosed. There are wells on 

 the clay which yield Epsom Salts. Historically Ock- 

 ham may claim some celebrity as the probable birth- 

 place of William of Ockham, perhaps of John Occam 

 and Nicholas Occam. All three were Franciscans and 

 nearly contemporary. Nicholas Occam (flourished. 



M Rot. Lit. Pat. (Rec. Com.), i, 78*. 

 88 Cal. Chart. R. 1226-57, P- '^ 6 - 

 *> Wyktkam's Reg. (Hanu Rcc. Soc.), 

 i, 23, 208, 210. 



*7 Winton Epit. Reg. Home, fol. iou, 

 106* ; Watson, fol. 84. 



Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 17 Cha. I. 

 * Return to Purl. 1786. 



359 



1 By Loc. Govt. Bd. Order 14.282. 



By Order 14283. 



By Order 14281. 



* Sir John Brunner't Return, 1905. 



