HASCOMBE
Hascumbe (xiv cent.).
Hascombe parish, about 12 miles south of Guildford, contains 1,587 acres. It is in two portions,
one nearly three-quarters of a mile from north to
south and half a mile from east to west; the other
half a mile each way, with tongues of the parishes of
Bramley and Dunsfold separating them. Of these
two portions the north-western is rather larger than
the south-eastern. The whole is bounded by Godalming and Bramley on the north, by Godalming on
the west, by Dunsfold and Alfold on the south,
and by Bramley and Cranleigh on the east. The
north-western portion is almost entirely on the Greensand and Atherfield Clay, and contains Hascombe Hill,
formerly, from a large beech tree, known as Hascombe
High Beech, which is 624 ft. above the sea. A telegraphic semaphore formerly stood here. The southeastern portion is on the Wealden Clay. Hascombe
village and church lie in a valley north of Hascombe
Hill. The school was opened in 1867.
Park Hatch, the seat of Mr. Joseph Godman, is on
the southern slope of Hascombe Hill, in a deer park
of about 200 acres. Hall Place, the seat of Mr. E. L.
Rowcliffe, is in the south-eastern detached portion of
the parish. The old disused Wey and Arun Canal
skirts this part of the parish. In 1884 Lambert's
Farm, which abuts on the village street, was transferred
from Hambledon to Hascombe.
There are no old houses or cottages of special
architectural interest in the village, but many are to
be found in the surrounding hamlets and lanes of a
highly picturesque character.
Mr. Ralph Nevill notes that 'Hoe Farm is a timber
house, rudely framed with great curved struts, and has
… a look as if it might be of unusual age. Such
framing is often shown in manuscripts.'
On Hascombe Hill, at the western end, is an ancient
camp. It is roughly rectangular, following the slope
of the hill, and from the curiously regular form of
the ground it makes a sort of square of 200 yds.
Water was procurable a little way down the hill.
Lieut.-Colonel Godwin Austen has found sling stones
on the hill, rounded flint pebbles, where no such
should be geologically, and Mr. Godman found a
good flint arrow-head lower down the southern slope.
MANORS
HASCOMBE was held of the joint
lords of Bramley. (fn. 1) Richard and John of
Hascombe were tenants of Bramley in
1241–2, (fn. 2) but Hascombe probably did not separate
from Bramley till early in the next century. (fn. 3) In
1306–7 Henry Hussey bought the reversion of the
manor of Hascombe from Henry Sturmy, to whom
it should have descended at the death of Joan wife
of John of Wintershull, who had already obtained a
release of other lands in Bramley and Hascombe. (fn. 4)
This Joan was probably the wife of Walter of
Huntingfield, of whose grant the manor is said
to have come to Henry Hussey in the inquisition
of 1349.
In 1307 Henry Hussey obtained a grant of free warren
in Danhurst and Hascombe. (fn. 5) In 1331 he was
succeeded by his son Henry, afterwards Sir Henry
Hussey, kt., (fn. 6) who died seised of Hascombe in 1349,
his heir being his grandson Henry, son of his son Mark,
aged six years. (fn. 7) This Henry Hussey, or his cousin of
the same name, (fn. 7a) died seised in 1409, and was succeeded
by his son Henry, (fn. 8) who held for life with remainder
to his son Nicholas for life and reversion to Henry
elder brother of Nicholas. (fn. 9) Henry was outlawed and
forfeited his rights in 1454. (fn. 10) Nicholas was sheriff of
Surrey and Sussex, victualler of Calais, and Lieutenant
of Guisnes Castle under Henry VI. Edward IV
seized Hascombe, alleging that Nicholas had refused
to render account since the change of dynasty, (fn. 11) but
pardoned him in 1467. (fn. 12) Nicholas Hussey left two
daughters, Catherine wife of Reginald Bray, and Alice
or Constance, wife of Henry Lovel. (fn. 13) Probably the
co-heiresses sold Hascombe to the Coverts, for William
Covert died seised of it in 1494. (fn. 14) His son John, who
died in 1503, bequeathed his lands, failing his heirs male,
to his cousin Richard Covert. (fn. 15) Giles Covert (fn. 15a) was in
possession of the manor in 1547, (fn. 16) died in 1556, and
was succeeded by his brother Richard. (fn. 17) The manor
was then successively owned by Anthony, who died
in 1631, John, and Anthony Covert. (fn. 18) The last
lived at Hascombe about 1654, (fn. 19) and was succeeded
by John Covert, (fn. 20) whose son Anthony sold the reversion to John Fawkes of Guildford. (fn. 21) His son John
sold the manor in 1723 to Leonora Frederick and
her son John Frederick who was created baronet in
the same year. (fn. 22) Early in the 19th century Hascombe
became the property of Robert Thistlewaite through
marriage with Selina Frederick, (fn. 23) daughter of Sir John's
younger son Thomas, who
succeeded his brother in the
baronetcy. Sir Henry Edmund Austen of Shalford
bought it of their son and sold
it in 1841 to Joseph Godman
of Park Hatch, grandfather
of the present lord of the
manor.
Hussey. Barry ermine and gules.
Covert. Gules a fesse ermine between three martlets or.
Frederick, Baronet. Or a chief azure with three doves argent therein.
Thistlewaite. Or a bend azure with three pheons or therein.
Godman of Park Hatch. Party ermine and erminees a chief indented or and therein a lion passant vert.
The old manor-house was
at Place Farm, south-east of
the church and north of Hascombe Hill.
CHURCH
The church (not mentioned in Domesday) of ST. PETER
(fn. 24) is situated in
the midst of lovely wooded scenery in
the fork between two roads near a cluster of houses.
The churchyard is planted with fine trees and
shrubs, and is approached through a modern lychgate.
The church was entirely rebuilt in 13th-century
style in 1864 from designs by Mr. H. Woodyer, in
Bargate stone, with Bath stone dressings. It is small,
but very thoroughly finished in every detail, and consists of a nave, a small western tower, with shingled
spire, a chancel with a polygonal apse, a south chapel and
a south porch. Almost the only relic of the old church
is the 15th-century chancel screen, which has, however,
been elaborately decorated in colour. The narrow
lancet windows are filled with glass by Hardman, and
on the walls of the apse are carved the angels of the
seven churches, each holding a stone candlestick.
There are an alabaster reredos and sedilia, a credencetable, and a squint from the south chapel, which contains the squire's pew and is screened off from the
nave. The stone pulpit has a carved figure of
St. Peter. The font of Sussex marble has a small
square bowl on a square-banded pedestal and plinth,
and bears the inscription on its western face, 'The gift
of Richard Holland, rector, j690.' It somewhat
resembles in form two Sussex fonts not far away, at
Lurgashall and North Chapel, also of Sussex marble,
and bearing date 1661. In 1890 the nave was
decorated in colour, the subject being the Miraculous
Draught of Fishes.
The old church must have been a curious and
singularly attractive little building, judging by the
drawing preserved in Cracklow's Churches of Surrey
(1824). The late Mr. J. L. André has also left a
careful sketch of the church taken from the southeast, Cracklow's view being from the north-west,
accompanied by a small block plan to scale, from
which its dimensions can be approximately recovered.
It was built of Bargate rubble, and the walls were
plastered externally. It consisted of nave, about 40 ft.
by 20 ft. internally, and short chancel with a semicircular apse about 15 ft. in length and 17 ft. in
width. On the north of the nave, somewhat unusually, was the principal entrance, protected by a
timber-framed porch with arched opening and foliated
barge-board of 14th-century character. A little to
the west of the middle of the nave roof (which was
covered with Horsham slabs) rose a timber bell-turret
with shingled spirelet, containing two bells (re-cast
at the re-building), this turret being described by
Cracklow as 'a loft of timber,' viewed from within
the nave. At the west end there was a gallery erected
in 1784. The south door was a plain round-headed
opening of mid 12th-century date, and two very
perfect little windows of the same date remained, one
in either wall, in the eastern part of the nave. (In
Mr. André's sketch the stove pipe is seen projecting
through that on the south.) In the apse were two
lancets of early 13th-century character, while to the
west of that on the south side was a two-light tracery
window of the first half of the 14th century, and
another of similar date and style in the eastern part
of the nave hard by. A plain opening filled with a
wooden frame had been pierced in the west wall
about 1800, and another in the western part of the
south wall, high up, to light the gallery.
The earliest monuments are to Richard Holland,
rector, and to his wife, who died respectively in 1694
and 1664. The ancient family of Didelsfold is represented by later memorials.
All the church plate is of 19th-century date, one
chalice being engraved with seven kneeling angels and
the Agnus Dei, the River of Life, the Holy City, the
twelve angels and the names of the tribes of Israel
and of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb, &c. No
less than 300 precious stones (including those mentioned in the Apocalypse) have been employed in the
jewelling of this remarkable cup, which was the work
of Mr. J. A. Pippet, of the firm of Messrs. J. Hardman & Co., Birmingham, who also executed the
wall-paintings in the church. Underneath the foot
is 'Vernon Musgrave Rector of Hascombe A.D.
1889.'
The bells are all modern.
The registers of baptisms date from 1646, of marriages from 1658, of burials from 1659.
ADVOWSON
No church is mentioned in the
Taxatio of 1291, but Henry Hussey
died seised of the advowson in
1305. (fn. 25) It belonged to the successive lords of Hascombe till early in the 19th century, when Algernon
Wallington appears to have purchased it. (fn. 26) In 1835
Alan Mackenzie presented to the church. (fn. 27) In 1841
the advowson was the property of Mrs. T. C.
Stone, (fn. 28) and in 1906 of the trustees of Mr. E.
Thompson.
Dr. Conyers Middleton, author of The History of
the Life of Cicero, was presented to the living in
March 1746–7, (fn. 29) but did not apparently reside.
CHARITY.
—Smith's Charity is distributed in
money and clothing.