ELMBRIDGE HUNDRED 



who in 1547 sold the manor to William Hamond, 

 senior. 85 From him it passed to his son William, 

 and he sold it in 1565 to Thomas Brend. 86 Thomas 

 Brend and his son Nicholas in their turn sold the 

 manor in 1584 to Robert Benne, citizen and iron- 

 monger of London, 87 but it would appear that 

 Benne had for ten years previously had some sort 

 of hold over the property. 88 From him in 1592 

 it was bought by Cuthbert Blackden ; 89 and in 1602 

 Robert Blackden and his wife and Elizabeth Black- 

 den conveyed the manor to Francis Leigh, 90 created 

 a baronet by James I. He died in 1625," and the 

 estate descended to his son Francis, who subsequently 

 became Baron Dunsmore and in 1644 Earl of 

 Chichester. At his death in 1653 the property came 

 into the hands of Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of 

 Southampton, who had married Elizabeth daughter 

 and co-heir of Francis. Thomas had by her four 

 daughters, one of whom, Elizabeth, married Joceline, 

 Earl of Northumberland, and after his death in 1670, 

 Ralph, Earl, and later Duke, of Montagu." He died 

 in 1 7089, and was succeeded by his son John, Duke 

 of Montagu, who died without surviving male issue in 

 I749. 93 I B '757 the manor was in the possession of 

 Jeremiah Brown, whose daughter carried it in 

 marriage to Jeremiah Hodges. 94 A descendant of his, 

 Colonel Hodges, sold the manor in 1802 to Edmund 

 Hill ; 95 he bequeathed it to John Hamborough, after 

 whose death it was sold by the trustees of his will to 

 Richard Sharpe. 96 Robert Gill bought it before 

 1867. Mrs. Gill occupied the house after his death. 

 It was sold in 1 8989 to the Southwark and Vauxhall 

 Water Company, who pulled down the house, and 

 excavated the whole estate for a reservoir. A barrel 

 of ale, and a quarter of corn made into bread, were 

 still in the igth century distributed annually to the 

 poor by the owners of the property on All Souls' Day 

 in respect of the customary tenure. 97 The Water 

 Company tried to evade the tenure, but on petition 

 of the inhabitants the Charity Commissioners sanc- 

 tioned a scheme in 1903, by which the interest of 

 ,200 paid by the Water Board was vested in trustees 

 for the use of the poor of Walton and Molesey. 



In 1639 Francis Dunsmore received licence to 

 inclose 150 acres of land, parcel of the manor of Apps 

 Court, for a park. 98 



The estate formerly called 4SSHLEES, now known 

 as ASHLEY PARK, was in 1433 in the hands of Joan 

 widow of Robert Constable, who held it of the Crown. 

 From her it descended to her son William Constable. 99 

 It consisted at that time of 1 2 acres of land, 4 acres 

 of meadow, and half an acre of wood. Henry VIII 

 bought out the tenant in order to annex it to the 

 honour of Hampton Court. 100 In 1625 James I 

 granted Ashley to Henry Gibb, together with the 



WALTON ON 

 THAMES 



manor of Walton Leigh and certain lands in Walton 

 Mead. 101 The Countess of Anglesey, who married 

 secondly Benjamin Weston, son of Lord Treasurer 

 Weston, the first Earl of Portland, lived here and was 

 buried in Walton Church in 1662.'' In 1668 the 

 estate was held by Henry, Lord Arundell of Wardour. 

 Sir Richard Pine, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, died 

 here in 1710.'* In 1718 it was bought by Richard 

 Boyle, Viscount Shannon, who made considerable 

 additions to the house and park. A fine monument 

 to him is in the church. The Countess of Middlesex, 

 his daughter by his second wife, Grace Senhouse, owned 

 it, and died in 1763, leaving it to Colonel Stephen- 

 son, son of Jane Senhouse, her mother's elder sister. 

 After his death and that of his three sisters without 

 issue, it came to Sir Henry Fletcher, bart., son of 

 Isabel Senhouse, younger sister of Grace Senhonse. 

 Sir Henry Fletcher was M.P. for Cumberland from 

 1768 until his death in 1807. He was succeeded by 

 his son Sir Henry, who died in 1821, when the manor 

 descended to Sir Henry, third baronet, who died in 

 1851. In the time of his son Sir Henry, fourth 

 baronet, the property was sold. 104 It now belongs to 

 Mr. J. S. Sassoon, J.P. Ashley Park is noted for the 

 size and beauty of its trees. The house is believed 

 to have been built in the reign of Henry VIII. 



The estate known as BURWOOD, at one time in 

 the possession of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, was 

 demised by the president and fellows of that college 

 to John Carleton. 106 From him it was purchased by 

 Henry VIII in 154.0. The family of Drake, who 

 held the bishop's manor in Esher (q.v.), lived at 

 Burwood, 107 and Mr. Latton, who sold the manor to 

 the Duke of Newcastle, retained Burwood, where he 

 died in 1777."* The arms of Latton used to be in 

 the window of the house. 109 Later it came into the 

 hands of the Frederick family, one of whom, late in 

 the i8th century, built a large house there, and 

 greatly increased the area of the park. 110 It is now 

 the property of the Misses Askew. 



Hersham contained a manor known as MORE- 

 HALL alias STLKESMORE alias SOUTHfTOOD. 

 There is a mention of a court held at Hersham in 

 1272 by Reginald de Imworth and Matilda his 

 wife, 111 which may indicate that he was then lord of 

 the manor. When Henry VIII built Nonsuch 

 Palace as many as eighty loads of timber were obtained 

 from Southwood, or the South Woods, for that 

 purpose. 11 * In 1 540 Henry VIII purchased from 

 John Carleton the manor of Morehall alias Sylkesmore 

 in Hersham, together with lands and woods in Bur- 

 wood and Hatch in Hersham. 11 * The manor 

 remained in the possession of the Crown, and was 

 granted by Philip and Mary to David Vincent." 4 

 In 1 579 Queen Elizabeth granted to Thomas Vincent 



" Feet of F. Surr. Hil. I Edw. VI. 



M Chan. Proc. (Set. ii), bdle. 176, no. 2. 



7 Com. Pleai Recov. R. Surr. East. 28 

 Eliz. no. 26. 



88 Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 17 Eliz.; Trin. 

 19 Eliz. ; Trin. 23 Eliz. ; Trin. 24 Eliz. ; 

 Recov. R. Surr. Mich. 19 Eliz. rot. 

 142. 



89 Ibid. Trin. 34 Eliz. 



90 Ibid. Trin. 44 Eliz. 



"Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. ii), cccclxxii, 

 170. 



"Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr. ii, 



7*5-7- 



'''Recov. R. East. IO Anne, rot 172. 



94 See Com. Pleas Recov. R. Hil. 30 

 Geo. II, m. 28. ; Mich. 31 Geo. II, m. i; 

 Hil. 32 Geo. II, m. 41 ; Recov. R. 

 Mich. 30 Geo. Ill, rot. 51. 



94 Com. Pleas Recov. R. Hil. 42 Geo. 

 Ill, m. 139. 



98 Brayley, Hiit. of Surr. ii, 320. 



97 Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr. ii, 

 765. 



8 Pat 14 Chas. I, pt x. 



99 Chan. Inq. p.m. 1 3 Hen. VI, no. 7. 



100 Brayley, Hist, of Surr. ii, 350 ; see Act 

 31 Hen. VIII, cap. 5. 



101 Pat 22 jas. I, pt. ii, no. 3. 

 104 M.I. in Walton Church. 



473 



108 Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr. ii, 

 767. 



104 Burke, Peerage and Baronetage j 

 Landed Gentry ; and private information. 



105 So at least it is stated in Chan. Proc, 

 (Ser. ii), bdle. 90, no. 14. 



'"L. and P. Hen. fill, xv, 733 (48^ 

 "'Wills dated there. 

 > Par. Reg. 



109 Manning and Bray, op. cit ii, 767. 

 " Brayley, Hilt, of Surr. ii, 360-2. 



111 Feet of F. Surr. Mich. 56 Hen. III. 

 L. and P. Hen. fill, xiii (2), 342. 

 ""Ibid, xv, 773. 

 114 Pat 3 & 4 Phil, and Mary, pt iii. 



60 



