GODLEY HUNDRED 



PYRFORD 



manor to Denzil Onslow in 1677, Sir Robert Gayer, 

 Parkhurst's uncle, acting as trustee.* 5 From Denzil 

 Onslow the estate passed by will to his great-nephew, 

 Thomas Lord Onslow,* 6 and has descended to the 

 present Earl of Onslow with the title and the rest of 

 the Onslow estate. 



John Evelyn, in his Diary, 23 August 1681, gives 

 an account of a visit which he paid to Denzil Onslow 

 ' at his seat at Purford, where 

 there was much company and 

 an extraordinary feast for any 

 country gentleman's table.' 

 He adds that ' what made it 

 more remarkable was that there 

 was not anything but what 

 was afforded by his estate 



about it, as venison, rabbits, 

 hares, pheasants, partridges, 



pigeons quails, poultrie, all QNSIOW f 



sorts of fowle in season from his j- elte guhs t etvie , n , ix 

 own decoy near his house and Cornisk chtughs. 

 all sorts of fresh fish. After 



dinner we went to see sport at the decoy. I never 

 saw so many herons. The seat stands on a flat, 

 the ground pasture rarely watered and exceedingly 

 improved since Mr. Onslow bought it of Sir 

 Robert Parkhurst, who spent a fair estate. The 

 house is timber but commodious and with one 

 ample dining room, the hall adorned with paintings 

 of fowle & huntinges the work of Mr. Barlow 

 who is excellent at this kind of thing from the 

 life.' " The house was pulled down by Robert Lord 

 Onslow, after the manor came into his possession in 

 1776. According to Camden and Aubrey it had 

 been originally built by the Earl of Lincoln. Sir 

 John Wolley on obtaining the estate at Pyrford 

 had added to and improved the house,* 8 where he 

 received a visit from Queen Elizabeth.* 9 Owing to 

 the subsequent rebuilding, it cannot be determined 

 how far he rebuilt or replaced the older one. The 

 present farm-house occupies the site of the house 

 pulled down by Lord Onslow. The gateway of 

 the old house, still existing, used to bear the initials 

 j. w. What is known as 'Queen Elizabeth's 

 summer-house,' although probably a century later in 

 date, is of some interest. It is square in plan and of 

 two stories, the roof of the upper chamber showing 

 slight traces of colour decoration. Parts of the terrace 

 walks, and of the avenue of elms nearly half a mile 

 long, remain. Here Dr. Donne was living when he 

 made his clandestine marriage with the daughter of 

 Sir George More of Loseley, niece to Lady Egerton 

 wife of the Lord Keeper, in whose service Donne 

 was secretary.*" 



There was a large deer-park which was disparked 

 when the house was pulled down. 



The earliest mention of TOUNDESLET is found 

 in a reputed cartulary of Westminster Monastery, 

 which was in private hands in 1836, and of which a 

 transcript was made." In this document is found a 



charter of 1297-8 by which Adam de Toundesley 

 granted the manor of Toundesley to his brother Simon 

 and Agnes daughter of William Morrant of Kent 

 and their heirs. The manor descended to Robert de 

 Toundesley and afterwards to his son John, who in 

 1362 conveyed his manor of Toundesley to Richard 

 Rook and John Pecche of Westminster." The 

 reversion of lands which Katharine widow of Robert 

 de Toundesley held for life was also granted them in 

 1363, when William, another son of Robert, also 

 relinquished all his right in the manor. This last 

 conveyance is enrolled on a Close Roll of I363. M 

 Richard Rook and John Pecche conveyed the manor to 

 Nicholas, Abbot of Westminster, in 1366, receiving 

 certain tenements in Westminster instead. 34 The 

 cartulary also states that both Katharine and William 

 de Toundesley received a pension from the Abbot of 

 Westminster. After the manor passed out of the 

 Toundesley family into the possession of Westminster 

 there is no further record of it as a manor. It is 

 henceforth referred to as ' Townesley lands ' only. 

 It was held, under this name, by the abbey of West- 

 minster until the Dissolution, when the rent received 

 from the farm of Townesley lands was stated to be 

 6 is. 8J. U The land was afterwards leased to Sir 

 Anthony Browne.' 6 In 1 548 it was granted to John 

 Carleton and his wife Joyce, and in 1561 to George 

 Revel for a term of twenty-one years." In 1574 

 Queen Elizabeth granted the ' parcel of lands called 

 Townesley lands, Blacke lands, Townsley Grove, 

 Great and Little Barbrookes, Borrow Hill ' and other 

 lands to Edward Clinton, Earl of Lincoln, and his 

 heirs. 38 All these lands afterwards passed to Sir John 

 Wolley, lord of the manor of Pyrford, and henceforth 

 descended with the manor.' 9 



PTRFORD P4RK.The origin of the park is 

 probably to be found in the 3 hides reserved by 

 King William in his first charter as in the forest, but 

 presumably granted to the abbey by his second 

 charter at the end of his reign. In 1278 the abbey 

 claimed immunity from any interference by the officers 

 of the forest, and free warren in their demesne lands 

 at Pyrford. 40 The park does not seem to be 

 specifically mentioned till after the Dissolution. 

 The grant to John Carleton and Joyce in 1548 in- 

 cluded the park of Pyrford, together with the capital 

 messuage belonging to it. This, too, passed to George 

 Revel and the Earl of Lincoln, and finally became the 

 property of the lord of the manor (see above). 

 Manning" states that Lord Onslow converted the 

 land into farms about 1776. 



The Domesday Survey records the existence of two 

 mills at Pyrford, worth IO/., the property of the 

 monastery. 42 They seem, however, to have fallen 

 into disuse. The courts and view of frankpledge in 

 Pyrford belonged, prior to the Dissolution, to the 

 Abbot and convent of Westminster, who enjoyed 

 extensive privileges in their lands of Pyrford and 

 Horsell. 4 ' At the beginning of the igth century 

 the manor still had courts leet and baron, at the 



35 Manning and Bray, op. cit. i, 157 ; 

 Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 29 Chai. II ; Close, 

 29 Chas. II, pt. vi, 3. 



26 Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr, i, 



'53- 



* E-velyns Diary (cd. W. Bray). 



28 Aubrey, op. cit. iii, 197. 



> Diet. Nat. Bkg. Ibid. 



81 Abridge meat ofCartul. offPcstm.dbbey 



in posteiiion of 5. Sentley, 1836 (printed for 

 private circulation by S. Bentley). 



N Ibid. 



88 Close, 37 Edw. Ill, m. 34 d. 



84 See note on cartulary, Inq. a.q.d., 

 file 358, no. 17. 



85 Dugdale, Man. i, 328. 



86 Mins. Accts. Relig. Houses, 31 & 32 

 Hen. VIII, rot. 113, m. I. 



433 



87 Pat. 4 Eliz. pt. v, m. 5. 



88 Ibid. 16 Eliz. pt. xi, m. 5. 



89 Chan. Inq. p.m. 39 Eliz. pt. i, no. 74. 



40 Quo Warr. 7 Edw. I, rot. 28. 



41 Manning and Bray, op. cit. i, 153. 

 V.C.H. Surr. i, 306. 



Plot, dt Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 

 745- 



55 



