A HISTORY OF SURREY 



Surrey under Elizabeth, saying that the queen understands that the 

 late orders for the ' training of shot ' have caused people to neglect 

 the bow as unserviceable, but that she reminds them that the old statutes 

 for encouraging archery are in force and that they are not to be laid 

 aside.' In 1625 one William Neade invented a combmed bow and 

 pike, which took the fancy of Charles I., who on 12 August 1633 issued 

 a proclamation from Oatlands in Surrey commanding the observance of 

 the ancient statutes about archery and giving a patent to Neade and his 

 son to instruct the trained bands in the use of his combined weapon." But 

 neither in Surrey nor elsewhere did the highly skilled practice of archery 

 continue to exist. It appears from the old parish books at Shere that 

 two bows had been kept in the parish and apparently let out for practice, 

 as the profits of the loans went to keep up the light before the rood in the 

 church. In the seventeenth century, when archery was quite dead, 

 Aubrey seems to preserve a tradition of the site of the butts at Guildford, 

 though he mixes up apocryphal tradition with his statement.' 



When at the end of the reign of James I. England became involved 

 in the Thirty Years' War, the Council wrote on 23 June 1624 to the 

 Lords Lieutenant, the old Earl of Nottingham and his son, asking them 

 to allow the Earls of Oxford, Southampton and Essex, and Lord Wil- 

 loughby (afterwards Earl of Lindsey), to raise troops in Surrey for the 

 support of the States General of the United Provinces against the 

 Roman Catholic League and the Emperor.* The king had just under- 

 taken to send over 6,000 men, and Oxford, Essex and Willoughby had 

 commissions as colonels of foot." Apparently volunteers were not plen- 

 tiful, for on 10 November of the same year the deputy lieutenants were 

 ordered to press 200 men." This was part of the force commanded by 

 Count Mansfeld, which suffered much and achieved little in the subse- 

 quent years. The misdirected but energetic war policy of Buckingham 

 under Charles I. led to further levies, and a review of the county horse 

 was ordered for 28 November 1625 on Fetcham Downs.' 



There was a muster of the forces of the county, excluding Brixton, 

 Wallington and Reigate hundreds,^ about this time which showed 3,71 1 

 able men, 1,000 trained men with arms, 500 untrained men and partly 

 armed, 63 curassiers and 55 dragoons. 



On 23 May 1625 there was an order for 150 men to be levied in 



1 Loseley MS, vi. 52. The order has the date completely obliterated, and aU the signatures of 



the Council are gone except those of the Earl of Lincoln and James Crofte. The former died January 



-A^'- k'ki u''' '^ tli^^^"'"^ orders about 'training of shot,' Loseley MS. vi. z8, so this 



order IS probably between 1580 and 1585. , ^ >■"= 



" Pat. 9 Chas. L m. 9 ; Rymer, six. 469. 



histon- w'thVLl'°f 7v ^^''^'^p '^'" '^' ^""S °f °'^"^^™ i" '^'6 will not fit in with 

 histor,, but the name of Robm Hood's Butts given by Aubrey may likely enough mean a real butt for 

 meaner archers. It «^ on the Hog's Back (see Russell, Hist. 0/ GuiUforJ^ p. J 

 Loseley MS. vi. 127. 5 c./. S. P. Dm. (1623-5), M8 



• Loseley MS. vi. 128. 7 ibid. 9 Nov. 1625 



wereUnt'L"ds'LLtena'!?wJ '""^''^'P"^?'''' ^V^,^ ^arl of Nottingham and Viscount Wimbledon 

 E^rl of An,nH.1 when It was taken, which makes it after 1626 and before 1635 when the 



^s9l)T^':lr:i:i^^^^^ - ^-'^'^y ^'^ -- °f ^^^^ (c. .. .. oil .625-6. 



140 



