ALFOLD
Alfaude (xiii cent.); Aldfold, Awfold (xvii cent.).
Alfold is a rural parish on the borders of Surrey
and Sussex, bounded on the north by Hascombe and
Cranleigh, on the east by Cranleigh, on the south by
Rudgwick, Wisborough Green, and Kirdford (all in
Sussex), on the west by Dunsfold. It measures
roughly 2¼ miles north to south, a little over a mile
east to west. It now contains 2,974 acres. The
parish formerly extended into Sussex, and inclosed an
outlying piece of Albury. In 1880 the Albury part
was added to Alfold, (fn. 1) and in 1884 the Sussex portion was transferred to parishes in the county. (fn. 2)
About 150 acres, with ten to fifteen inhabitants
only, were added to Sussex, and about 50 acres taken
from Albury. The soil is Wealden clay, and grows
nothing much except forest trees and oats. There
are no wastes in the parish, and the roadside grass is
not above 20 acres in all. A great part of the parish
is wooded, and it was all formerly in the Wealden
Forest; 917 acres are tithe-free, as 'woodland in
the Weald of Surrey and Sussex.' (fn. 3)
In Sydney Wood were glass-houses, of which the
only relic is the name Glass House Fields. A glasshouse is marked in Speed's map. Aubrey (17th century) saw the graves of French glass-makers in the
churchyard, but the industry was extinct in his time,
so the French were not refugees after the Revocation
of the Edict of Nantes, as stated by Brayley. Charcoal was extensively burnt in the parish for gunpowder works in Dunsfold, Cranleigh, and Sussex.
A road from Guildford to Arundel, made in 1809, (fn. 4)
traverses the village. Before this time there was
no made road in the parish, and fifty years ago there
was no other. The disused Wey and Arun Canai
passes through the parish.
Alfold Park, which belonged to the manor of
Shalford, contained 300 acres. It had ceased to be
a park when Speed's map was made, and was not
mentioned among twenty-one Surrey parks of the
compass of a mile in the proceedings under the Act
for the Increase of Horses. (fn. 5) It is unknown when it
was disparked. The house is, though partly modernized, a good specimen of an old timbered house,
formerly with a hall with a louvre over, the chimney
being a Tudor addition. There are the remains of
a moat round it. The house is now known as
Alfold Park Farm. There are also the remains of
a moat at Wildwood Farm. The parish was rich
in timbered farms and cottages, some of them being
now altered, some pulled down.
A Baptist chapel was erected in 1883, and an elementary school in 1876. Sydney Manor is the residence of Mr. George Wyatt, Sachel Court of
Mr. Thomas Wharrie.
In the lane leading up to the church, and close to
the churchyard gate, the village stocks are still preserved; a shed-roof has lately been erected over them.
Besides the ancient tile-hung cottages grouped
round this lane, a notable example of the half-timber
house, originally built by a substantial yeoman in
the early years of the 16th century, remains in
Alfold House at the entrance to the village. This
was originally constructed entirely from the foundation of timber framework, filled with wattle and
daub. In plan it was of [capital letter L]-shape with hall (about
23 ft. by 19 ft.) between offices and living rooms.
In late years it has been a good deal injured by
the insertion of modern windows in place of the
ancient mullioned openings filled with lead lights,
but it still retains its arched doorway and a projecting
gable, carried on a moulded bressummer and brackets
and having a foliated barge-board. (fn. 6)
MANORS
WILDWOOD
WILDWOOD, (fn. 7) now represented by
Great and Little Wildwood Farms and
Wildwood Copse and Moat, was formerly
possessed by the lords of Albury and Stoke D'Abernon, the D'Abernons and their successors. (fn. 8) In the
13th century the D'Abernon family had land in
Alfold, (fn. 9) and in a deed of 1313 John D'Abernon's
wood called 'le Wylwode' is mentioned. This was
probably the wood of 40 acres of oaks, possibly the
'Wealden' Wood named in the inquisition on the
Albury Manor. (fn. 10) In 1391 Elizabeth Grey, lady of
Stoke D'Abernon, widow of Sir William Croyser,
granted the soil and wood of Wildwood except
the moat, grange, and manorial rights (fn. 11) to John,
Duke of Lancaster, and others. (fn. 12) The descent of
Wildwood followed that of Albury till 1626, when
Sir Edward Randyll alienated it to Elizabeth Onslow, widow, and Sir Richard Onslow, (fn. 13) from whom
it seems to have passed to the Duncombes of Weston. (fn. 14) With Weston it descended to Nathaniel
Sturt, who is said to have sold it in 1736 to either
Richard or Francis Dorrington, from whom it was
purchased by Henry Page. He bequeathed it to his
cousin Richard Skeet of Effingham, whose son Richard
succeeded him as owner. (fn. 15)
Alfold: Old House
MARKWICK and MONKENHOOK
MARKWICK and MONKENHOOK were among
the possessions of Waverley Abbey, (fn. 16) but Markwick
only was assessed as the property of
the abbey in 1534–5. (fn. 17) The 'manors
of Markwick and Monken hook' were
included within the grant of the site of
the abbey to Sir William Fitz William,
at whose death they appear under the
name of the manor of Alfold, (fn. 18) and descended to Anthony, second Viscount
Montagu, (fn. 19) who alienated the estate circa
1623, (fn. 20) evidently to agents in a sale to
Simon Carrill of Tangley, for it appears
afterwards in the possession of the three
daughters of John Carrill, (fn. 21) and descended with that part of his estate
which was assigned to Henry Ludlow
and his wife Margaret. (fn. 22) Giles son
of Thomas Strangways sold them in
1784 to Thomas Boehm, the owner
in 1808. (fn. 23) The Earl of Onslow is now
lord of the manor.
It was said in the 17th century that
the lord of Markwick had both court
baron and court leet, while the lord of
Monkenhook had court baron. (fn. 24) The
courts were held at Rickhurst and Hook
Street.
The reputed manor of SYDNEY alias
HEDGECOURT or RICKHURST lies
partly in Dunsfold. The family of Sydney can be traced in the surrounding
parishes from the 14th century, while
John at Sydney witnessed a deed concerning lands in Alfold in 1313. (fn. 25) In
1413 the lord of the manor of Shalford
Bradestan is said to have granted Rickhurst and other land in Alfold to
William Sydney and his wife Agnes. (fn. 26)
In 1595–6 Richard Ireland died possessed of a
house called 'Sydneys,' which was held of the lord of
Pollingfold. (fn. 27) He left a sister and heir Elizabeth,
a minor at the time of his death, and it was
probably from her that it passed ultimately to the
Dorrington family, who held it during the 17th and
following centuries. (fn. 28) Sydney Wood was purchased
by Sir John Frederick, lord of Hascombe, with which
manor it descended till the 19th century. (fn. 29) It was
in 1903 the property of Mr. George Wyatt, but
has since been bought by Messrs. J. E. Sparkes
and H. Mellersh.
CHURCH
The church of ST. NICHOLAS
stands upon a knoll of rising ground
in the centre of the village, flanked by
a cluster of charming old tile-hung cottages. The
churchyard is prettily surrounded by trees, and contains several larches and one or two yews of some
antiquity. (fn. 30) Dotted about among the graves are a
number of cypresses and other evergreens, and in
early spring the grass is thick with crocuses and
daffodils. The churchyard has been extended considerably beyond its ancient boundaries.
The building in itself and with its surroundings is delightfully picturesque, especially as
viewed from the south-east.
Bargate stone rubble, plastered outside and in,
has been employed for the walls, with dressings
of the same stone; but internally the hard chalk,
or clunch, also quarried locally, has been used
in the south arcade, the chancel arch, and the
15th-century features of the chancel. The
chancel roof and the roofs over the aisles and
porches are still 'healed' with Horsham slabs;
the bell-turret and its spire are covered with oak
shingles, and the porches are of oak.
In plan the church consists of a nave, 36 ft.
4 in. by 21 ft. 2 in., north and south aisles,
about 7 ft. 5 in. wide (the south aisle is slightly
longer than the nave); chancel, 17 ft. 5 in. wide
by 16 ft. 5 in. long; north and south porches,
and a vestry lately erected on the north of the
chancel. The simple outlines of nave and chancel
give the plan of the primitive church, erected
perhaps about 1100, of which the only visible
relic besides plain walling is the remarkable
font.
The south aisle was added about 1190, the old
walls being pierced with three plain, square-edged,
obtusely pointed arches, unrelieved by moulding,
chamfer, or label, and springing from columns and
responds circular in plan, on square plinths, and having
capitals of an early circular form, simply moulded. (fn. 31)
The western respond only has a circular moulded
base with angle-spurs. The church must have remained with one aisle till about 1290, when that on
the north was thrown out. Its three arches were
discovered blocked up in the north wall of the nave
at the restoration of 1845; they were then opened
and the aisle rebuilt on its old foundations. The
arches, in rough Bargate stone, are moulded in three
orders (a hollow between two wave-mouldings), and
these spring direct from octagonal piers, without
capitals, which have chamfered plinths instead of
bases. (fn. 32) The chancel arch is of somewhat similar
design, but in a firestone, or clunch, and springing
from plain square piers. The mouldings indicate a
slightly later date—c. 1320—to which period may be
referred the south aisle windows, with ogee and
reticulated tracery, and the outline at least of the east
window of the chancel. The windows of the north
aisle appear to be entirely modern, and are copies of
those on the other side, but its doorway (c. 1290) has
been replaced from the old north wall and retains the
original oak door with very elaborate diagonallybraced framework on the back, a massive oak lockcase, and some good wrought-iron hinges and straps,
partly ancient. The south door, less elaborate, is
perhaps of the same date.
Plan of Alfold Church
The two-light window and piscina in the south
wall of the chancel, and the splayed opening with
four-centred arch in the wall opposite, are of 15th-century date, the piscina being a restoration. (fn. 33) The
splayed opening now communicates with a modern
vestry, but it is probable that it was originally an
arch over a tomb or Easter sepulchre in the thickness
of the wall, and the splays repeated on the outer face
suggest that there was at one time a small chapel or
vestry abutting upon the north wall of the chancel
into which this arch opened. There is a small
buttress at the south-east angle of the south aisle and a
low one beneath the east window of the chancel, both
perhaps dating from about 1320. Parts of the picturesque oak porches may belong to the same early
date, but they have been much restored and are
largely of new material. That on the south side
appears in Cracklow's view very much as at present.
The timber bell-tower, standing on huge oak posts
worked into a series of hollow mouldings, rises from
the floor of the nave at its western end and occupies
the western bay of the arcades, its width across the
nave (20 ft. 6 in.) being considerably greater than
from west to east (11 ft. 6 in.). It is spanned both
ways by arched braces, those on the sides being much
lower and forming complete four-centred arches.
The framework of the bell-chamber above and of the
spire is ancient, and the whole forms a most interesting piece of mediaeval carpentry, the date of which
may be placed at about 1500. (fn. 34) The bell-cage is
coeval.
The present west window of the nave, a disproportionately large one of five lights, replaces a simple
two-light opening, having been inserted, together
with its glass, quite lately as a memorial.
All the roofs of nave, south aisle, and chancel are of
massive oak timbers, the spaces between the rafters
being plastered. Such roofs are difficult to date precisely, but these may well be as old as the beginning
of the 14th century.
The chancel screen is a restoration, incorporating
parts of one of 15th-century date, and great part of
the oak seating is of the same period, the bench-ends
being of a plain square shape, with a moulded capping. The pulpit is an interesting example of
Jacobean date, retaining its sound-board, suspended
by a scrolled iron rod.
No ancient paintings are now visible, but in the
works of 1845, on removing the whitewash, traces of
a Crucifixion were found over the east window of the
chancel, and a diaper of flower pots with lilies and
roses on the north side of the nave. These were unfortunately covered up again, and in recent years the
chancel walls have been elaborately painted with
diaper patterns and figures. All the glass now in the
church is modern.
The altar is raised on three steps above the chancel,
the latter, however, being on the same level as the
nave.
Few churches in Surrey have such an interesting
font. It is in Bargate stone, tub-shaped, with a broad
shallow base of recessed section round which winds a
cable-moulding, the upper part of the bowl having an
arcade of eight circular-headed arches on square piers
with small square imposts—incised in a very shallow
fashion. Within each arch is a Maltese cross on a
long stem. A similar ornament was added to the
ancient font in St. Martha's Chapel (q.v.) in 1849 by
Mr. Woodyer. The date of the font is about 1100,
and its design in the matter of the arcade and crosses
is remarkably like that of the early font in Yapton
Church, Sussex.
The most ancient monument within or without
the church is to a yeoman family, the Didelsfolds,
dating from 1670. The monument of Francis Dorrington is of 1693. In the churchyard is a slab said
to cover the grave of the last of the glass manufacturers. A few incised marks may be found on the
pillars of the south arcade and on one of the splays of
the opening in the north wall of the chancel. The
parish chest is of 1687.
The registers of burials date from 1658, of baptisms from 1661, and among other items of interest
contain several certificates for touching for the king's
evil.
Besides three pieces of 1819, 1820, and 1821,
there are a silver chalice and paten-cover of 1570,
and a pewter tankard-shaped flagon dated 1664. A
curious pewter almsdish and a pewter plate have been
lost between 1839 and 1876.
Of the three bells the treble and tenor are by
Bryan Eldridge, of 1631 and 1625, and the second
is by William Eldridge, 1714.
ADVOWSON
The advowson belonged to the
lords of Shalford Manor, and is mentioned in the grant of that manor to
John son of Geoffrey. (fn. 35) Richard son of John inherited the advowson, which formed a part of his
widow's dower, and at her death descended to the
successive Earls of Ormond, lords of Shiere Vachery, (fn. 36)
till early in the 16th century, when Edmund Bray
presented to Alfold. (fn. 37) Either he or his descendants
seem to have sold it, and it afterwards continually
changed hands. In 1681 Elizabeth Holt, and in 1694
Christopher Coles, presented, and in 1711 it was in
the gift of Jacob Whitehead. William Elliott presented in 1801, and the Rev. William Elliott in
1817. The present patron is Sir Henry Harben of
Warnham.