A HISTORY OF SURREY 



The living is now a rectory, endowed with the 

 whole of the tithes. 



There is a reference in the churchwardens' 

 accounts to a parsonage house in 1656, but there 

 was none in 1854. The field south of the church 

 was called the Vicarage garden then, and perhaps 

 the old cottage next it had been the curate's house. 

 The present incumbent procured the building of 

 the present rectory in 1 861-2, on land added to 



Cottages at Elsted. 



the glebe by purchase through Queen Anne's 

 Bounty. 



The Voluntary Church School was built in 1848 

 on the site of the old Tithe Barn. 



Smith's Charity exists, and there is a Congrega- 

 tional chapel with a burial ground. 



The Registers begin seriatim in 1543. The 

 earliest entry however is of 24 March, 1539- 

 The late incumbent compiled a useful MS. 

 book, for retention at the rectory, with notes on 



the events of his time and memory. There are 

 incomplete churchwardens' accounts, in the 

 possession of Mr. Howard, of Hampton Lodge, in 

 Seale, with the names of the churchwardens for 

 every year from 1591 to 1692, except 161 3. The 

 chief point of interest in them is the list of 

 extraordinary contributions from the parish for 

 military expenses during the Civil War, es- 

 pecially in 1644-46. 5 May, 1644, 4 months 

 for Farnham Castle at /[3 \js. id. a 

 week, ;£6i 12s. ^. ; S October, 1655, 

 3 months for Farnham Castle, £^0 is. ; 

 II September, 1 644, I month's pay for 

 the Association, ;^I5 8^. 4^. ; 25 April, 

 1645, 2 months for Sir Thomas Fairfax' 

 Army, ^^14; 10 June, 1645, 6 months 

 for the British Army," £■/ 10s. ; 16 July, 

 1645, for Sir Thomas Fairfax' Army, ^[20; 

 and so on. The garrison at Farnham was 

 withdrawn, and then succeeded by a 

 smaller force for which they were charged 

 in Elsted £$ a month. The British Army 

 appears again 13 January, 1646, £7 10;., 

 and then the ' Scottish ' army. On 28 

 September, 1 650 the ' Malishria ' cost them 

 £S 6s. 2d. In December, 1648, three 

 months for ' the Association,' amounting to 

 ;^46 sj. was remitted to Elsted on the ground 

 that the neighbourhood was exhausted by the 

 previous quartering of the whole of Sir William 

 Waller's Army. These are only some of the more 

 extraordinary payments. From May, 1644, to 

 January, 1646, the parish paid ;£228 ly. id. to 

 military purposes, about ^^II a month. No 

 wonder that the army became obnoxious and 

 military rule detestable to most people. 



FRENSHAM 



Fernisham (xii. cent.) ; Fernesham (xiii. cent.) ; 

 Frernesham (xv. cent.). 



The parish of Frensham occupies the south- 

 western part of the Hundred of Farnham, and the 

 south-western angle of the county of Surrey, and 

 extends into Hampshire. It contains 8,806 acres 

 in Surrey, and also the tithing of Dockenfield, 

 formerly a part of Woolmer forest, containing 

 578 acres, which is in Hampshire. 



With the exception of a small surface of gault in 

 the north, of some patches of gravel, and of 

 alluvial soil by the streams, Frensham is on the 

 lower greensand. It mainly consists of what were 

 barren commons covered with heather, the greater 

 part of which remain uncultivated. Parts have 

 been cultivated, parts planted, and other parts 

 occupied by the houses of the lovers of picturesque 

 scenery. The southern portion of the parish 

 includes much of the high ground about Hindhead, 



though not the summit of the hill. It skirts the 

 western side of the hollow usually called the Devil's 

 Punch Bowl, but properly called Haccomb Bottom. 

 Over 147 acres of Frensham are covered with 

 water,! chiefly of the two Frensham ponds. 

 There are two large ponds on Frensham Com- 

 mon, Frensham Great Pond and Frensham 

 Little Pond.' The former is the largest sheet 

 of water in Surrey, covering about loo acres, 

 well stocked with pike and other coarse fish, and 

 the haunt of an innumerable quantity of bird life.' 

 The latter is about half the size, but much more 

 irregular in shape.* Both ponds were formerly 

 the property of the bishop, who commonly leased 

 them with the custody of the southern chase 

 of Farnham in which they lay.' Sometimes 

 they were leased separately. In 1601 Thomas 

 Bilson, the bishop, let them to a John Smith,' who 

 before 1608 transferred his interest to Sir George 



" Mr. C. H. Firth is of opinion that 

 the British army meant the Anglo-Irish 

 troops levied among the Ulster settlers 

 against the Irish rebels. 



* Ordnance Survey estimate. 



2 These were both made by damm- 

 ing back inconsiderable streams in na- 

 tural hollows of Farnham Chase. There 



are some barrows, round, on Frensham 

 Common, between the two ponds. 



3 According to Manning and Bray it 

 covers 300 acres. This is impossible, 

 since the pond could never have been 

 much bigger than it it from the lie of the 

 ground, and it is not three miles round 

 as locally asserted, but hardly two. 



608 



* The pondi contain plenty of coarie 

 fish, and the 'Great Pond* ii much 

 frequented by fishing parties. 



6 Loseley MS. 24. December, 1565. 



^ Ibid. 10 June, 6 fas. I., when the 

 Mores surrendered their rights and offices 

 in Farnham for a money payment. 



