A HISTORY OF SURREY 



of the manor with the reversion of a third part of 

 two knights' fees which Cecily widow of Eudo Fitz 

 Brian held in dower was made in 1247 by Simon 

 son of Richard," apparently an attorney of Peter 

 de Maiden." A grant of free warren in the 

 demesne lands of Maiden, Chessington, and Farley 

 was made to Walter de Merton in 1 249." 



At Maiden Walter de Merton, Chancellor of 

 England, founded the house of the Scholars of 

 Merton, which he endowed in 1264 with his 

 manors of Maiden, Chessington, and Farley." It 

 seems clear that the scholars did not reside at 

 Maiden, for in his charter Walter de Merton states 

 that he founded the house at Maiden for the 

 support of twenty scholars residing in the schools at 

 Oxford or elsewhere and of two or three priests 

 residing in the house itself, which seems as though 

 the intention of the founder was that the warden 

 and priests of a religious house at Maiden should 

 be 'a college' to manage the revenues of certain 

 estates to be applied for the maintenance of them- 

 selves and certain scholars at 

 one of the universities. In 

 1274, on the founding of 

 Merton College in Oxford, 

 the warden and priests were 

 removed there. 15 



The manor has ever since 

 belonged to Merton College, 

 the Wateviles retaining their 

 overlordship as late as 1287 ; 16 

 subsequently Maiden was held 

 directly of the successors of 

 the Clares. 17 In the reign 

 of Elizabeth an attempt was 

 made by the Crown to ob- 

 tain the manors of Maiden and Chessington from 

 the college, in order to bestow them on the Earl 

 of Arundel in exchange for Nonsuch. The college 

 was prevailed upon to make a lease, inclusive of 

 the advowson and appropriation, for 5,000 years 

 under a yearly rent of 40. The queen at once 

 passed on the lease to the earl, who made a grant to 

 Joan mother of John Goode. The college, being dis- 

 satisfied with these alienations, applied for ejectment 

 against the possessor. 18 A compromise was effected 

 by which the lease was assigned to trustees for the 

 benefit of the then holder for eighty years, after 

 which it was to revert to the college, who were to 

 have the advowson immediately. In 1633 the 

 college obtained a confirmation from Charles I, who 

 reserved the 120 acres which Henry VIII had 

 seized. 1 ' The eighty years' lease expired in 1707, 

 and the manor was surrendered to the college by 

 Dame Penelope, widow of Sir Thomas Morley, heir 

 of Goode. The demesne lands were afterwards 

 granted to Richard Willis, Dean of Lincoln, later 

 Bishop of Winchester, whose descendants continued 

 to hold the same on lease.* The Manor House is 

 now the residence of Mr. E. B. Hansen. 



M ERTON COLLEGE, OX- 

 FORD. Or three cheve- 

 rons party and counter* 

 coloured azure and gules. 



The church of ST. JOHN THE 

 CHURCH BAPTIST consists of a chancel, nave, 

 south chapel, south aisle, and south-west 

 tower. The nave and chancel were erected in 1875, 

 before which year the present south chapel was the 

 chancel and the aisle the nave. It is recorded that 

 the nave and tower were built in 1610, but it is 

 probable that the chancel, which leans to the north, 

 was erected at least a century earlier. 



The modern chancel and nave are built of red 

 brick with stone dressings ; a modern archway opens 

 from the chancel to the chapel, and an arcade of two 

 bays separates the nave and south aisle. 



The south chapel or old chancel measures 1 7 ft. 3 in. 

 by 1 8 ft. i in. ; it has an east window of three lights 

 with plain pointed heads. In the south wall is a 

 small square piscina with old jambs and mutilated 

 basin and a modern lintel. The south window of 

 the chapel is an old one of two four-centred lights, 

 repaired outside with cement. Across the entrance 

 to the chapel is a modern wood arch. The aisle 

 and former nave is 29 ft. 6 in. by 20 ft. 9 in., and 

 has two south windows each of two lights with four- 

 centred heads. The tower is built of red brick and 

 consists of three stages ; the ground stage, which is 

 1 2 ft. square inside, has a modern west doorway ; 

 the second has old windows with four-centred arches 

 in square heads ; the third has a two-light window 

 in each wall with four-centred arches in a square 

 head ; the mullions have been removed. The 

 parapet is plain brick. 



All the fittings are modern ; the font has a marble 

 bowl on a stone stem. In the south chapel window is 

 a panel of glass dated 1 6 1 1 containing a shield of 

 the arms of Mynors : Quarterly ( I ) Azure an eagle 

 or and a chief argent ; (2) Sable a fesse argent ; (3) 

 Argent a bend between six martlets gules with a 

 crescent or on the bend ; (4) Argent a sun gules. 

 On a mantled helm over is the crest of a man's arm 

 grasping a black lion's paw in the hand. Two wall 

 monuments in the chapel are to Sir Thomas Morley, 

 who died in 1693, and John Goode, 1627. In the tower 

 are gravestones to John Hammett, who died in 1643, 

 and others of later date. There are six modern bells 

 in the tower. The plate consists of a silver cup and 

 cover of 1622, and a set of 1768. 



The registers begin in 1676, the first volume con- 

 taining baptisms from 1677 to 1806, marriages 1676 

 to 1754, and burials 1678 to 1807. The second has 

 baptisms from 1806 to 1812, and burials 1807 to 

 1812 ; the third contains marriages from 175910 1812. 

 A chapel or church existed in 

 4DVO1VSON Maiden at the time of the Domesday 

 Survey," and was then included in 

 the property of Robert de Watevile. It was granted 

 by Eudo de Maiden before 1189 to the priory of 

 Merlon." In 1245 the Prior of Merton unsuccess- 

 fully sued for a writ ordering Brian Fitz Ralph and 

 Gunnora his wife to restore to him the advowson of 

 the church of Maiden." Brian then contested the 



" Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 31 Hen. Ill, 

 no. 306. 



u See Feet of F. Div. Co. 39 Hen. Ill, 

 no. 123. 



18 Col. Chart. R. 1126-57, P- 3+5- 



" Harl^Chart. 53 H. 12 ; Feet of F. 

 Div. Co. 5*5 Hen. Ill, no. 482. Licence 

 from Richard de Clare for the assignment 

 of Maiden wa> granted in 1262. Hey- 



wood, Foundation Charters of Merton Col- 

 lege, Oxford, 3. 



16 Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr. iii, 



4- 



18 De Banco R. East, 15 Kdw. I, m. 53. 



17 Chan. Inq. p.m. 8 Edw. II, no. 68 ; 

 Inq. a.q.d. tile 286, no. 9. 



ll * Manning and Bray, Hitf. of Surr. iii, 

 3 ; Cat. S.P. Dom. 1603-25, p. 593. 



524 



19 Pat. 9 Chas. I, pt. v. 



30 Manning and Bray, Hist, of Surr. 

 iii, 3. 



* l f.C.H. Surr. i, 317. 



M Cur. Reg. R. 42 (7 & 8 John), m. 

 jd.; Cott. MS. Cleop. C vii, 61-2. 



n Rot.de Oilatii et Fin. (Rec. Com.), 

 329. See note above and Abhrev. Plac. 

 (Rec. Com.), 50. 



