Witley
Encyclopedia
Witley, in Surrey
, England
is a village 2 miles (3 km) south west of Godalming
. The village lies just east of the A3
that runs from Guildford
to Petersfield
. Witley together with the neighbouring area of Hambledon
have a population of about 4,000. Neighbouring villages include Milford
, Chiddingfold
and Grayswood
.
Witley appears in the Domesday Book
of 1086 as Witlei. Its domesday assets were held by Gislebert (Gilbert), son of Richere de L'Aigle. It rendered: 12 hide
s; 1 church, 15 plough
s, 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) of meadow
, woodland
worth 30 hog
s. It rendered £16.
Witley has a parish council consisting of 16 unpaid councillors from Witley and neighbouring Milford. Amongst their tasks is the management of Witley Recreation Ground and 43 allotments.
Witley Common, which belongs to the National Trust
, lies to the west of the village.
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
is a village 2 miles (3 km) south west of Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
. The village lies just east of the A3
A3 road
The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road for much of its length, is a dual carriageway, or expressway, which follows the historic route between London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified as a trunk road...
that runs from Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
to Petersfield
Petersfield
Petersfield can refer to any of the following places:*Petersfield, Hampshire, a market town in England*Petersfield, Jamaica, a small town in the parish of Westmoreland*Petersfield, Manitoba, in Canada*Petersfield, an area of Cambridge, England...
. Witley together with the neighbouring area of Hambledon
Hambledon, Surrey
Hambledon is a small and scattered village in Surrey, south of Guildford. It is tucked away amongst fields and woodland between Witley and Chiddingfold....
have a population of about 4,000. Neighbouring villages include Milford
Milford, Surrey
Milford is a large village, situated south west of Godalming in Surrey, England. Nearby villages include Witley, Elstead and Eashing, and the hamlets of Enton and Hydestile. It is situated in the Borough of Waverley.-Transportation:...
, Chiddingfold
Chiddingfold
Chiddingfold is a village and civil parish in the heart of The Weald in the Waverley district of Surrey, England. It lies on the A283 between Milford and Petworth...
and Grayswood
Grayswood
Grayswood is a small village to the North of Haslemere and to the west of Witley, Surrey.In 1894, Alfred Hugh Harman moved to Grayswood and in 1900 he offered to finance a church in Grayswood on land given by Lord Derby, on condition that a parish was created. The new parish of Grayswood was formed...
.
Witley appears in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as Witlei. Its domesday assets were held by Gislebert (Gilbert), son of Richere de L'Aigle. It rendered: 12 hide
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
s; 1 church, 15 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s, 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) of meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
, woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
worth 30 hog
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s. It rendered £16.
Witley has a parish council consisting of 16 unpaid councillors from Witley and neighbouring Milford. Amongst their tasks is the management of Witley Recreation Ground and 43 allotments.
Witley Common, which belongs to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, lies to the west of the village.
Historical sites
- All Saints Church http://www.allsaintswitley.org.uk, with its surviving Saxon stonework, demonstrates that the village has existed since at least SaxonAnglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times. The church building was transformed by the Normans and enlarged into a cruciform shape towards the end of the 12th century, when its tower was also erected. The church contains an inscribed stone, set in the chancel wall, bearing the name of the Duke of ClarenceDuke of ClarenceDuke of Clarence is a title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the English and British Royal families. The first three creations were in the Peerage of England, the fourth in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the fifth in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.The title was first...
(see below), this is believed to be part of an unfinished memorial to one of his bailiffs. - Witley ParkWitley ParkWitley Park was a 19th-century house and estate in Surrey, near Haslemere.The estate was developed in 1890 by the fabulously wealthy J. Whitaker Wright, as part of extensive land – approximately – he purchased in the Haslemere and Hindhead area....
, the home of Whitaker WrightWhitaker WrightJames Whitaker Wright was an exceptionally wealthy English mining company owner. He became infamous when he committed suicide at the Royal Courts of Justice in London immediately following his conviction for fraud....
, was built in the 1890s at a cost of £1.85 million. It was one of the most lavish private residences in the world. The grounds included a series of three interconnecting lakes and an underwater 'billiards' room. The main building burnt to the ground in 1953. Today the grounds and remaining buildings are a private family home. - Old Cottage and Step Cottage, dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, are close to the church.
- White Hart, the village pub, is mostly ElizabethanElizabethan eraThe Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
and is said to stand on the site of a Saxon inn. - Witley Infants School, opposite the church, is a fine example of a 19th century school constructed in 1836, one year before Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United KingdomVictoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
was crowned. - King Edward's SchoolKing Edward's School, WitleyKing Edward's School, Witley is an independent co-educational boarding and day school, founded in 1553 by King Edward VI and Nicholas Ridley. The School is located in the village of Wormley , Surrey, England, having moved to its present location in 1867. The School became fully co-educational in 1952...
is a private school located near the village - At Bannicle or Bannack Hill there was an Admiralty telegraph station which was built in 1822 as part of a semaphore line between the Admiralty in London and Portsmouth. It was about 30 yards east of Hill House, but no trace of the station remains. William CobbettWilliam CobbettWilliam Cobbett was an English pamphleteer, farmer and journalist, who was born in Farnham, Surrey. He believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the rotten boroughs would help to end the poverty of farm labourers, and he attacked the borough-mongers, sinecurists and "tax-eaters" relentlessly...
in Rural RidesRural RidesRural Rides is the book for which the English journalist, agriculturist and political reformer William Cobbett is best known.At the time of writing in the early 1820s, Cobbett was a radical anti-Corn Law campaigner, newly returned to England from a spell of self-imposed political exile in the...
referred to the station when travelling through the hills of HambledonHambledon, SurreyHambledon is a small and scattered village in Surrey, south of Guildford. It is tucked away amongst fields and woodland between Witley and Chiddingfold....
. "On one of these hills is one of those precious jobs, called semaphores. For what reason this pretty name is given to a sort of Telegraph house, stuck up at public expense upon a high hill; for what reason this outlandish name is given to the thing, I must leave the reader to guess; but as to the thing itself; I know that it means this; a pretence for giving a good sum of public away every year..."
Transport
- The village is served by Witley railway stationWitley railway stationWitley railway station serves the villages of Wormley, Witley, Hambledon and Chiddingfold, in Surrey, England. It is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line 62 km south of London Waterloo...
, although those living in the northern part of the village are closer to Milford stationMilford railway stationMilford railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, serving the village of Milford, Surrey in England.- Services :There is an hourly service to Haslemere and Portsmouth Harbour southbound and London Waterloo northbound....
. Both stations are located on the Portsmouth Direct LinePortsmouth Direct LineThe Portsmouth Direct Line is the route of a railway service operated by South West Trains which runs between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour, England...
railway. - The HoppaWaverley HoppaWaverley Hoppa, or simply Hoppa as it is known locally, is a community transport operation covering the Surrey borough of Waverley. Hoppa is a company limited by guarantee and a charity. Early funding was from the Countryside Agency and ongoing funding is from Waverley Borough Council and Surrey...
community bus serves Witley with its "Shoppa Hoppa" and "Hospital Hoppa".
Notable people
- Lionel of AntwerpLionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of ClarenceLionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Ulster and 5th Baron of Connaught, KG was the third son, but the second son to survive infancy, of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
, Duke of Clarence (1338 - 1368), brother of Edward IVEdward IV of EnglandEdward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
, was lord of the manor of Witley. Other occupants of the manor included Godwin, Earl of WessexGodwin, Earl of WessexGodwin of Wessex , was one of the most powerful lords in England under the Danish king Cnut the Great and his successors. Cnut made him the first Earl of Wessex...
, father of King HaroldHarold GodwinsonHarold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
; Peter of Savoy; and Edward IEdward I of EnglandEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
's wife, Queen Margaret, who supplied oaks from the village to make shingles for the roof of the king's hall at Westminster. - David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
(1863 - 1945), British Prime Minister, had a house called Timbers, which he would visit whenever he needed to escape from the stress of high office. - Terry ScottTerry ScottOwen John "Terry" Scott was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven Carry On films. He also appeared in BBC1's popular domestic sitcom Terry and June with June Whitfield...
(1927 - 1994), comedian, known notably for the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
domestic sitcomSituation comedyA situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Terry and JuneTerry and JuneTerry and June is a British sitcom that was broadcast on BBC1 from 1979 to 1987. The programme is largely a continuation of Happy Ever After, and stars Terry Scott and June Whitfield as a middle-class suburban couple, Terry and June Medford...
with June WhitfieldJune WhitfieldJune Rosemary Whitfield, CBE is an English actress, well known in the United Kingdom since the 1950s for roles in radio and television comedy series....
, lived in the village. - Myles Birket FosterMyles Birket FosterMyles Birket Foster was a popular English illustrator, watercolour artist and engraver in the Victorian period. His name is also to be found as Myles Birkett Foster.-Life and work:...
(1825 - 1899), artist, is buried in the churchyard. - Whitaker WrightWhitaker WrightJames Whitaker Wright was an exceptionally wealthy English mining company owner. He became infamous when he committed suicide at the Royal Courts of Justice in London immediately following his conviction for fraud....
(1846 - 1904), mining entrepreneur, was found guilty of fraud at the Royal Courts of JusticeRoyal Courts of JusticeThe Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is the building in London which houses the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and the High Court of Justice of England and Wales...
and committed suicide shortly afterwards. He is buried in the churchyard beneath an imposing marble slab. - George EliotGeorge EliotMary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
(1819 - 1880), English novelist, spent her final years in the village. - Gertrude Mary Tuckwell (1861 - 1951), trade unionist, social reformer and author, lived the last years of her life in Little Woodlands, Combe Lane.