BURSTOW
Burstowe and Burghstowe (xiv cent.); Byrstowe
(xv cent.); Bristowe (xvii cent.).
Burstow is a country parish on the Sussex border.
The church is 7 miles south-east of Reigate, and
about 2 miles south-south-east of Horley Junction.
It is bounded on the north and east by Blechingley,
on the east by Horne, on the south by the county
of Sussex, on the west by Horley, a detached part
of Horne, and Nutfield. It measures about 6
miles from north to south, and is about 1 mile
broad at the north and 2 miles at the southern
part. It contains 4,750 acres. The soil is the
Wealden Clay over most of the parish, but in the
south-east where the ground rises to Copthorne Common it is Hastings Sand. Across the northern part
of the parish a ridge of higher land runs from east to
west, formed by a bed of Paludina Limestone. It
yields stone, usually called Sussex marble, which is
susceptible of polish; but, as is generally the case in
the Surrey examples of this stone, it is too friable for
architectural work. The parish as a whole is a
typical Wealden parish, formerly thickly wooded with
oak, which furnished the massive framework and
rafters of the farms; in the absence of building stone
the houses were probably all oak-framed. The upper
waters of the Mole drain Burstow, but on the eastern
side the streams and ditches communicate with the
upper Medway. No main road or railway is actually
in the parish, for the main Brighton line and road pass
to the west of it, the South Eastern line to the north
of it. It is purely agricultural, with a few brickfields. Copthorne Common is now inclosed in
Burstow, though part of the common across the
Sussex border in Worth parish is still open. Part of
it is called Effingham Park, from an Effingham on the
county border, but this has no connexion with the
village of Effingham in Surrey. There is some open
ground at Outwood Common. The village is not at
all compact; there are a few houses near the church,
others are about Copthorne or Smallfield, or are scattered farms. The parish was formerly one of the seats
of the iron industry in the Weald, which flourished about
Copthorne, (fn. 1) though no forge or furnace of importance
in the 16th-century lists can be located exactly in Burstow
parish. The name Blacksmith's Farm probably refers
to a forge, and ornamental iron fire-dogs, fire-backs, &c.,
were till recently common in the farms and cottages.
There seem to be no records of prehistoric antiquities, though it is unlikely that such should not be
found about the higher and drier soil of Copthorne;
but this part of Surrey has been much less thoroughly
explored, archaeologically, than the west and north.
The antiquarian feature of the parish is the comparatively large number of moated houses. Many of
the older houses possessed this characteristic feature, as
the abundance of water, and the retentive nature of
the clay soil, made moats the natural defence; the
moats remain in whole or in part around several of
them. Burstow Lodge is moated. On the west of
Smallfield Place there appear to be the remains of a
moat. Rede Hall is situated in the middle of a very
large moated inclosure; the old house has been lately
rebuilt. Court Lodge Farm, just north of Burstow
Church, shows traces of an extensive moat, and south
of the church is a moated inclosure in which there is
now no house, but which is probably the site of the
old manor-house of Burstow Court, taken down in
1786. (fn. 2) Burstow Hall is the seat of Mr. D. M. Jackson; Smallfield Place of Mr. W. Leslie Moore; Burstow Lodge of Mr. Lord John Sanger, the well-known
owner of wild beasts; The Gables, where there is
a preparatory school, of Mr. E. C. Marsh. About
Copthorne and Effingham a considerable number of
modern houses have been built.
There was an Inclosure Award, 15 August 1855, (fn. 3)
inclosing waste at Copthorne and Burstow Common
Fields. It is interesting as one of the rare appearances of any common fields in the Weald, and it may
be noted that they were on a manor which was from
its earliest mention attached to a manor (Wimbledon)
in the old settled part of the county.
There are Baptist chapels at Burstow and at Fernhill, and a mission room near Smallfield.
The school at Smallfield was built as a Church
school in 1859, and added to in 1861. A School
Board was formed, which took it over in 1874.
Outwood is an ecclesiastical district formed from the
parishes of Blechingley, Burstow, Horley, Horne, and
Nutfield (19 August 1870). The church is in Burstow parish, and the northern part of Burstow parish
is included in the district.
The church (St. John the Baptist) was built in
1869. It is of stone in 13th-century style, with a
tower. There is also a Baptist chapel built in 1879.
The school, built in 1876, was under the Burstow
School Board. Brightleigh is the seat of Miss Collingwood; Ashcroft of Mr. W. H. Maw; Axeland Park
of Mr. D. Wardlaw Wardlaw. Abbot's Hospital,
Guildford, has land in Outwood.
MANORS
No mention of Burstow occurs in the
Domesday Survey, (fn. 4) but the manor appears
to have been held as early as the reign of
Richard I by a family who took their name from the
land. Sir Edward Bysshe, a descendant of this
family, (fn. 5) writing from the evidence of documents
and seals in his possession, states that Stephen de
Burstow, whose name appears in the seals as Stephen
Fitz Hamo, held the manor in the latter part of
the 12th century, and that he was succeeded by
his son Roger and his grandson John, the latter
holding during and prior to the reign of Henry III. (fn. 6)
Of John de Burstow there are other records. He
made a grant of lands in Burstow about the year
1205. (fn. 7) In 1210–12 John de Burstow held half a
knight's fee 'in Wimbledune' of the Archbishop of
Canterbury. (fn. 8) This entry seems to refer to the service
rendered for the manor of Burstow, which was held
of the archbishop as of his manor of Wimbledon. (fn. 9)
In 1247 a John de Burstow was lord of the manor, (fn. 10)
though whether this is the John mentioned above
or the son of the same name who, according to
Bysshe, succeeded his father, is not evident. In
1255 a settlement was made between John de
Burstow and Peter de Burstow, possibly a younger
brother, by which John was to hold the manor, paying an annual rent of 4 marks to Peter, John and his
heirs to be quit of payment
on Peter's death. (fn. 11) From the
account of this family given
by Bysshe it appears that the
second John married Joan
Burnevalle and had a son
Roger, (fn. 12) who married Matilda
Chastillon and was succeeded
by his son John, who served in
the French wars under the
Black Prince and won great
distinction. (fn. 13) The next records of the manor, in 1350
and 1358, show it to have been held at that time
by Richard de Burstow, (fn. 14) whose name, however, does
not appear in Bysshe's pedigree, and whose relationship
to John de Burstow is not apparent.
Burstow. Gules three falcons close argent.
In 1366 the reversion of the manor was conveyed
by Richard de Burstow to Sir Nicholas de Loveyne. (fn. 15)
Margaret daughter of Nicholas Loveyne married
Sir Philip St. Clere, and they held the manor in the
right of Margaret, who was her father's heir. (fn. 16) When
Sir Philip St. Clere died in 1408, very shortly after
his wife, he was holding the manor of Burstow
'of the Archbishop of Canterbury by paying £6
yearly at his manor of Wimbledon.' (fn. 17) John St. Clere,
son and heir of Philip, died in 1418, and was succeeded by his brother Thomas. (fn. 18) In 1424–5 Thomas
St. Clere, whose children were then all minors,
granted the manor to William Cheyne, kt., John
Aston, and Geoffrey Motte, in trust for himself and his
heirs, 'in order to defraud the king and other lords of
those fees (i.e. the manor of Burstow and others) of
the custody thereof and the marriages of the heirs.' (fn. 19)
Aston's share was afterwards conveyed to John Hall, (fn. 20)
while Geoffrey Motte remitted his to the other
trustees. (fn. 21) Thomas St. Clere died in 1435, leaving
three daughters and no sons. (fn. 22) The second daughter,
Eleanor, inherited the manor of Burstow; she married
John Gage, who was seised of it at his death in 1475,
when, his wife having predeceased him, their son
William became lord of the manor. (fn. 23) John Gage,
who was the son and heir of William and who was
afterwards knighted, succeeded to the manor at the
death of his mother Agnes, on whom it had been
settled by her husband. (fn. 24) The manor descended
from Sir John to his son Sir Edward Gage, who as
Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex, 1557–8, was concerned
in the Marian persecutions. He died in 1568. (fn. 25)
His son John married Margaret daughter of Sir
Thomas Copley, of the noted recusant family, and
died without issue, his heir being his nephew
John Gage, who in 1614 conveyed the manor to Sir Edward
Culpepper (fn. 26) of Wakehurst. (fn. 27)
He died in 1630, when his
eldest surviving son, Sir William Culpepper, created a
baronet in 1628, (fn. 28) inherited
the manor. (fn. 29) Another son
Edward seems to have held
some share in the manor, settled on him doubtless on his
marriage with Mary Bellingham; (fn. 30) in 1638 he was apparently lord of the manor, (fn. 31) but it certainly reverted
afterwards to the elder branch, and in 1696 Sir
William Culpepper, fourth baronet, sold it to Sir
Richard Raines, (fn. 32) LL.D., judge of the Prerogative
Court of Canterbury.
St. Clere. Azure the sun in splendour or.
Gage. Party saltirewise azure and argent a saltire gules.
Culpepper. Argent a bend engrailed gules.
Henry Raines, son of Richard, inherited the
manor at his father's death, (fn. 33) and in 1733 conveyed
it to Joseph Kirke, (fn. 34) to whom Raines's widow Susan
quitclaimed her right in 1745. (fn. 35) Kirke, by will
proved in September 1765, devised Burstow to his
cousin James Harris, with remainder to the latter's
sons, and in default of such to Mrs. Bridget Hand,
sister of James Harris, and her sons in turn. (fn. 36) By
1779 the manor was in possession of Christopher,
the elder son. (fn. 37) After his death the second son
James became lord, and held as late as 1808. (fn. 38)
Thomas Bainbridge, who died in 1830, is described
as of Burstow, (fn. 39) and his son John Hugh Bainbridge
was lord of the manor in 1841. (fn. 40) He sold it before
his death in 1877, for in 1870, and as late as 1887,
Henry Kelsey of Burstow Park was lord of the manor.
It was sold in 1888 by Mr. Kelsey's executors to
Mr. Alfred Howard Lloyd, who holds at present.
In 1247 a grant of free warren was made to the
lord of the manor and his heirs; at the same time he
also received a grant of a weekly market on Tuesdays
and an annual fair to be held on the vigil, feast, and
morrow of St. Michael. (fn. 41)
In 1329 Roger son of Roger atte Logge of
Burstow granted to Roger son of Ralph Salaman
lands and tenements in Burstow, Nutfield, and Horley,
consisting of a messuage, 360 acres of land, 12 acres of
meadow, 10 acres of wood, and 20s. rent, part of which
formed the dower of Agnes wife of Roger atte Logge. (fn. 42)
These are evidently the lands and tenements called
'La Logge' of which Roger Salaman died seised in
1343, (fn. 43) and which were afterwards known as the
manor of LODGE or BURSTOW LODGE. Roger
Salaman held of John de Burstow, lord of the manor
of Burstow, by service of 26s. and suit of court. (fn. 44)
His son Roger left a daughter and heir, who married
Thomas Codyngton of Codyngton (fn. 45) and brought
the manor to this family, though it evidently passed
to a different branch afterwards, as Thomas Codyngton
left an only child Rose, married to John Jordan of
Gatwick, who does not appear to have held the
manor. According to Manning a settlement was
made by which, in default probably of male heirs to
Codyngton, the manor passed to another Thomas
Codyngton, a goldsmith in London. (fn. 46) In 1470
Margaret widow of Thomas Codyngton quitclaimed
to her son John Codyngton 'the manor called le
Logge' in Surrey. (fn. 47) He held a court as late as
1491–2. (fn. 48) In 1538 the manor was held by Richard
St. Myghell alias Codyngton. (fn. 49) It is probable that the
manor had passed to an heiress, perhaps Elizabeth
Cornwayles, who is said to have held a court in 1511, (fn. 50)
and whose son by a second husband, or perhaps her
grandson, Richard St. Myghell, on inheriting his
mother's lands, took her maiden name in addition to
his own.
In 1538 Richard St. Myghell alias Codyngton and
Elizabeth his wife enfeoffed Thomas Fromond of the
manor; (fn. 51) he held it of Sir John Gage of Burstow
for rent of 39s. 8d., and died in 1542, leaving a son
Bartholomew, (fn. 52) who was in turn succeeded by his
son William and grandson Bartholomew. (fn. 53) The
latter died before 1652, by which date his widow
had married again, her second husband being
William Howard, who held the manor for some years. (fn. 54)
After the death of William and Elizabeth the manor
passed to Mary daughter and co-heir of Bartholomew
Fromond and Elizabeth, who had married Richard
Walmesley. (fn. 55) Catherine, granddaughter of Richard
and Mary and sole heir to her father Bartholomew
Walmesley, who died in 1701 and whose son
died in infancy, married Robert, Lord Petre, (fn. 56) and
held the manor in her own right. (fn. 57) She lived until
1788, (fn. 58) but before that time she had vested the
manor in her grandson and heir Robert Edward,
ninth Lord Petre, as in 1785 he joined with his son
Robert Edward in conveying it to Melancthon
Saunders, (fn. 59) who was a representative of the younger
branch of the Sanders of Charlwood. (fn. 60) He held it
in 1808. (fn. 61) It now no longer exists as a manor.
Land in Burstow called BURSTOW PARK belonged at an early date to the Archbishops of Canterbury,
to whose manor of Wimbledon it was attached. (fn. 62) In
the early 13th century reference is made to land in
Burstow 'lying to the south of the park of H. Archbishop of Canterbury,' the
reference evidently being to
Hubert, who was archbishop
until 1205. (fn. 63)
During the vacancy of this
see in the time of Edward I
or Edward II an account of
51s. 7d. was rendered for the
sale of three oaks and ashes in
the archbishop's park of Burstow. (fn. 64) In 1328 a commission was issued against evildoers who had entered the
parks of the archbishop's
'manors' of Croydon, Wimbledon, Burstow, Wyke, &c. (fn. 65)
In 1531 Burstow Park was
leased to Sir John Gage of Burstow for a term of eighty years
at an annual rent of £11, 'the deer therein being
reserved to the Archbishop of Canterbury until the
following Christmas.' (fn. 66) In 1536 the archbishop made
an exchange of lands with the king, the latter receiving, among other lands, the manor of Wimbledon and
all parcels and members of the said manor. (fn. 67) The king
in the same year granted these lands to Thomas Cromwell, when the previous act was stated to have referred
'not only to the manor of Wimbledon, but also to the
manor of Burstow.' (fn. 68) A few years later Cromwell was
attainted, and his lands became forfeit to the Crown.
By this time probably part of the estate had been disparked and tenants had settled there, for in 1542 a
court with view of frankpledge, evidently an offshoot of the court at Wimbledon Manor, was held at
Burstow, which then included the tithings of Southborough, Middleborough, and Northborough. (fn. 69) A
curious entry in a Court Roll occurs for the year 1547,
when after the usual entries under Wimbledon it is
stated that at Burstow no one was amerced that year
causa infirmitatis. (fn. 70) In 1590 Elizabeth granted to Sir
Thomas Cecil and his heirs the manor of Wimbledon
and 'all those our lands in Bristowe alias Burstowe
called le Parke.' (fn. 71) Later in the same year Cecil
received licence to alienate the manor of Burstow to Sir
Thomas Shirley and his heirs. (fn. 72) Shirley, whohad been
appointed Treasurer-at-War to the English army in
the Low Countries in 1587, had in that capacity
become inextricably involved in debt to the Crown, and
his pecuniary embarrassments grew greater as the years
passed on; in 1596 it was stated that 'he owed the
queen more than he was worth.' (fn. 73) In satisfaction of
£800 11s. 8d. remaining due to her, the queen
accepted, among other lands, this manor, which was
therefore conveyed to her in March 1602 by Shirley
and John Quarles, (fn. 74) whom Shirley had previously
enfeoffed. (fn. 75) In the following month the queen
granted the manor to William Bowes and others in
consideration of the payment by them to the Crown
of the above sum. (fn. 76)
See of Canterbury. Azure the cross of the archbishop having its head or and its staff argent surmounted by the pall of a metropolitan argent having edges and fringes or and four crosses formy fitchy sable upon it.
These grantees were evidently trustees for Quarles,
to whom they conveyed the manor in 1603. (fn. 77) It
remained in his possession until 1606, in which year
he conveyed it to William Turner, (fn. 78) from whom it
passed, four years later, to Richard Infield or Innyngfield. (fn. 79) The latter in 1625 made a settlement on
himself in tail, with contingent remainder to his brother and to his nephew Innyngfield Falconer, son of his
sister Agnes. (fn. 80) He died in 1625 and was succeeded
by his brother. (fn. 81) Henry and Agnes Falconer were
seised of the manor in 1633. (fn. 82) It was conveyed by
Falconer to Edward Payne in 1649, when the Park is
mentioned as still existing. (fn. 83) Richard Payne, perhaps
his son, was owner in 1669. (fn. 84) In 1697 Richard's son
John Payne was holding it, (fn. 85) and in 1701 settled it
on his intended wife, Anne Gage. (fn. 86)
Owing to a family dispute the manor was sold, and
bought by John Smith, husband of Elizabeth Smith
and grandson of John Payne by his first wife Blanche. (fn. 87)
In 1743, apparently after the death of Ann and Elizabeth, John Smith, with his son and various trustees,
conveyed the manor to Walter Harris, (fn. 88) from whom
in 1765 it passed to Daniel Hailes. (fn. 89) The latter
conveyed in 1779 to Thomas
Dickson, who held it as late as
1807. (fn. 90) It was soon afterwards
sold by him to Henry Kelsey,
who died in 1827, and whose
son, of Burstow Court Manor
(q.v.), owned the estate in
1841 (fn. 91) and held it as a farm
until 1887, when he died. It
was bought from his family by
Mr. Alfred Howard Lloyd in
1888. (fn. 92)
Kelsey. Gules a cross moline argent over all a bend azure with three plain crosses argent thereon.
Burstow Park is considered
the manor-house of Burstow
Court Manor, as well as of
Burstow Park, but is probably
not the most ancient manor-house of the former (see
above). It is little more than a farmhouse. (fn. 93)
In 1328 John de Wysham received a grant of
free warren in his demesne lands of Burstow and
Horne, (fn. 94) and by inquisition taken in 1332, after
his death, he was found to have been seised of 1 messuage, 160 acres of land, 6 acres of meadow, and
22s. rent in Burstow known as the manor of REDHALL near Burstow, which he held, jointly with
Hawisia his wife, of John de Burstow. (fn. 95) His son
John de Wysham, afterwards knighted, inherited the
manor, and in 1370 granted it to John Pecche,
citizen and alderman of London. (fn. 96) In 1379 John
Pecche died seised of the manor, which he held of
Richard Burstow by fealty, and by service of rendering thence yearly to the said Richard 42s., and by
suit at his court of Burstow every three weeks. His
son Sir William Pecche was his heir. (fn. 97)
The history of the manor during the next century
is not apparent. It passed, however, out of the
hands of the Pecches and became the property of
the family of Welles. Mention is made in 1447 of
a Henry Welles of Burstow. (fn. 98) Edward Welles was
lord of the manor in 1595–6, (fn. 99) and it afterwards
passed to John Welles, who held it in 1613. (fn. 100) In
1650 it was in the possession of Edward Payne the
elder and Hannah his wife, (fn. 101) and it continued to
be held by this family until the late 18th century. (fn. 102)
Thomas Holles Payne, by his will, proved in May
1800, devised the manor of Redhall, including a
capital messuage or mansion-house called Redhall, and
a messuage called Cophall, to Sophia Elizabeth Beard
and her heirs for ever. (fn. 103) The said messuages, &c.,
were in 1799, when the will was made, in the occupation of himself and Richard King, and mention is
also made of two freehold tenements in Burstow
which were included among the appurtenances of the
manor. (fn. 104) Sophia Elizabeth Beard and her husband
Richard Beard held the manor in 1801, (fn. 105) and Mrs.
Beard was still lady of the manor in 1808. (fn. 106) It was
occupied as a farm throughout the 19th century. (fn. 107)
It is at present held by Mr. William Tebb. The
house is surrounded by a broad moat inclosing a
considerable area of ground.
The estate of SMALLFIELD in this parish belonged in the 16th and 17th centuries to the family
of Bysshe, who were said to be descended from the
de Burstows, lords of the manor of Burstow in the
13th and 14th centuries, through the marriage
of an heiress of the latter family with John Bysshe.
They said that the land had been given to
their ancestor John de Burstow, who served under
the Black Prince in the French wars, and who was
promised a gift of some small field or piece of land
in return for services rendered by him to Bartholomew
Lord Burghersh. Land in Burstow called Crullinges
was accordingly granted him, the name being changed
to 'Smallfield' to meet the terms of the promise. (fn. 108)
The house, Smallfield Place,
was erected there apparently
in the 17th century (fn. 109) by
Edward Bysshe, a successful
Chancery lawyer, the father
of Sir Edward Bysshe. The
latter, who was born there in
1615, was M.P. for Blechingley and also held the offices
of Garter King-of-Arms and
of Clarenceux King-of-Arms;
he was knighted in 1661, (fn. 110)
in which year he made additions to the house, which bore
that date. Manning states that part of the house
was pulled down, the remainder being occupied in
his time as a farm, and owned by Isaac Martin
Rebow, M.P., of Colchester, who died in 1781. (fn. 111) His
daughter Mary Hester married General Francis Slater,
who took the name of Rebow and owned Smallfield
Place when Brayley wrote, in 1841. He died in
1845. By a second wife he left a daughter Mary,
who married John Gurdon, who also took the name
of Rebow. He died in 1870. His son was Hector
John Gurdon Rebow, from whom Mr. William Leslie
Moore, the present owner, bought Smallfield Place in
1898. (fn. 112)
Bysshe. Or a cheveron between three roses gules.
The house, which had been only a farm, was
converted again into a gentleman's house by Mr. W.
Leslie Moore. It is an interesting house of local sandstone with a roof of Horsham slabs. With its three
embattled and mullioned bay windows, its gabled
porch, and the fireplaces, staircase, and panelling in
the interior, it ranks, although but a fragment, among
the more important remains of domestic architecture
in Surrey. It has a good staircase and much old
panelling in good preservation. (fn. 113) On it are the
initials E.M.B. and the arms assumed by Bysshe, a
cheveron between three roses. The old Bysshe coat
was Ermine a chief battled gules with three leopards'
heads or therein. (fn. 114) During the ownership of the
Rebow family the house was occupied as a farm by a
family named Hooker, one of whom used to manage
the Burstow Harriers before they became the Burstow
Foxhounds.
CHURCH
The church of ST. BARTHOLOMEW
consists of a chancel 30 ft. by 14 ft. with
a small vestry on the north side, a nave
38 ft. by 18 ft. with a south aisle 8 ft. 10 in. wide,
a timber west tower, and a south porch.
The plan of the nave, and probably that of the
chancel, dates from c. 1120, and the north and part
of the west walls of the nave, with the west half
of the north wall of the chancel, are for the most
part of this time. Two original windows remain,
one in the chancel and one in the nave; but nearly
all the rest of the building, including the south
aisle, belongs to the 15th century, and has been connected, though apparently on no direct evidence, with
Archbishop Chicheley. The church was restored in
1884, the east wall of the aisle and the eastern quoins
of the chancel being rebuilt.
The vestry and the south porch are modern additions. The east window of the chancel is of 15th-century date, and has three cinquefoiled lights under
a flat drop arch with moulded label. The easternmost north window is a single trefoiled light, and
the only other window in this wall is a narrow round-headed 12th-century light which now looks into the
vestry.
Beneath the sill of the north-east window is a
recess with two trefoiled openings separated by a mullion, and with moulded jambs and square head; it
has served as a cupboard, and possibly also for the
Easter sepulchre. West of it is a modern doorway
to the vestry, and near the west end of the north
wall, in an unusual position, is another aumbry set
low in the wall, with rebated jambs and a square
head.
The south-east window of the chancel is like the
east window, but of two lights, and the other south
window is of four lights of the same character. Near
the east end of the south wall is a piscina with a
small quatrefoiled basin and a chamfered shelf. The
lower portion has plain chamfered jambs, but above
the shelf they are moulded and the head is trefoiled,
under a square lintel. It is of 15th-century date.
Beneath the sill of the first window is a canopied seat
which has moulded jambs and a very flat arched head.
Between the two south windows is a small 15th-century priest's doorway with a four-centred arch
under a square head, and now blocked on the inside.
The vestry has a small single trefoiled east window,
the jambs being of old stones re-used, but the head
and sill are modern.
The 15th-century chancel arch has shafted and
moulded jambs with octagonal moulded bases and
capitals to the shafts. On either side of it are shallow
trefoiled recesses to contain images over the nave
altar, that on the south having a second recess below
it, while in the south-east arcade of the nave is a
piscina. At the north-east end of the north wall of
the nave is an arched recess, common in this district,
designed to give more room
for the altar here.
The north-east window of
the nave has two cinquefoiled
lights under a flat head with
a moulded label, and near
the west end of the north
wall is a window of four
cinquefoiled lights under a
square head with a moulded
label, all but the foiled heads
and the label being modern.
Immediately to the east of it
is a small blocked 12th-century
window with a semicircular
head, the western jamb of
which must have been destroyed when the four-light
window was inserted. Nothing of it can be seen on the inside. There is no
trace of a doorway in this wall.
The south arcade is of three bays with columns
formed of four attached shafts set square with the wall
over, and not diagonally after the usual fashion; their
moulded bases and capitals are single octagons, not
following the plan of the shafts, the arrangement
being unusual, but quite satisfactory in effect. The
arches are four-centred and are moulded with a
hollow casement between two hollow chamfers, and
above the capitals at the springing level there are
plain shields, and in a similar position on the south
side of the east respond is a large carved head.
The east and west windows of the aisle are modern
and have each two cinquefoiled lights, and the south-east window is like that in the north wall, of four
cinquefoiled lights, of which only the heads are old;
to the east of it is a piscina with chamfered jambs and
four-centred head and a small quatrefoiled drain.
The south doorway is of 15th-century date and
has moulded jambs and a two-centred arch under a
square head, the spandrels being filled with quatrefoils.
At the west end of the nave is a modern Gothic
tower arch, set within the lines of a four-centred arch
evidently coeval with the south arcade. It was made
to contain a deal screen of poor Gothic character,
now set up in the west side of the tower. The
tower is a very interesting piece of timber construction, probably of 15th-century date, the supporting
beams and posts being very massive. As usual, the
lower stage is wider than the upper, the main posts
coming down within its lines, and being connected by
heavy ground sills with a most picturesque effect.
The ground stage must have been almost entirely dark
before the narrow cinquefoiled windows were pierced
in the north and south walls within recent years.
The stairs to the belfry are in the north-west corner,
and do not rise above the first floor; in the west wall
is a wooden doorway with moulded jambs and a threecentred head with trefoiled spandrels. The upper
part of the tower is covered with oak shingles lately
renewed (1902), and has small angle pinnacles, and
an octagonal shingled spire, on the east side of which
a large flagstaff is set up. The fittings of the church,
except the font, are of modern date, but under
the tower is kept an old chest with an arched lid
heavily strapped with iron, and doubtless of considerable age.
The font is of 15th-century date, octagonal with
quatrefoil panels on each side, and leaf paterae at the
base of the bowl.
There are six bells in the tower, the treble by
Gillett and Johnson, 1906, and the second by the
same founders, 1899, who at this date recast the other
four bells, preserving their original inscriptions. The
third was by John Daniell of London, c. 1450, inscribed, 'Sancte Thome ora pro nobis,' with Daniell's
cross and stop, and the royal arms of England; the
fourth had the three names 'Thos. Gelman, John
Bhyss, and Wyllum Rofe'; the fifth was by William
Mears, and the tenor by William Eldridge, 1681.
Plan of St. Bartholomew's Church, Burstow
The plate is as follows:—A silver cup of 1667; a
paten probably belonging to it, but the hall-mark, if
any, is almost obliterated. There is also a stand
paten of 1899 and a flagon of 1898. There is a
pocket Communion set of plated white metal.
The registers are contained in six books, the first
having entries of baptisms, marriages, and burials from
1549 to 1600. This is a paper book in very good
condition. The second book is of parchment, and
contains all three entries from 1547 to 1685, and
is a copy of the first with additions both at the
beginning and end of the book. The third book
has marriages and burials from 1685 to 1756 and
baptisms from 1685 to 1797. The fourth has
marriages on printed forms from 1757 to 1798, the
fifth continues marriages from 1798 to 1812, and the
sixth has entries of baptisms and burials from 1798
to 1812.
The churchyard is small, surrounded by tall trees,
and on the east side is a modern wooden lych-gate.
Close to the church on the south, and at a lower
level, stands the rectory, an old building of several
periods, the middle being probably 16th-century
work, and of timber construction. Additions were
made by Flamsteed the astronomer, formerly rector
here, and by several later rectors. To the west of the
house is a rectangular site surrounded by a moat still
full of water, on which ancient foundations are said to
exist; it is at present a rose garden, and adds greatly
to the beauty of the grounds of the vicarage.
ADVOWSON
The church of Burstow was probably built by the Archbishop of
Canterbury on his land at Burstow, as
it was always a peculiar of the see of Canterbury. (fn. 115)
In 1121, when the earliest mention of the church
occurs, Ralph, Archbishop of Canterbury, granted it
to the Cluniac priory of St. Pancras at Lewes. (fn. 116) In
the confirmation of its charters made to this house from
1129 to 1171 it appears as holding Burstow Church. (fn. 117)
It is not apparent how long the monks continued to
do so, but it is possible that the archbishop reclaimed
it towards the end of the 13th century, as from
1286 onwards the alien priory of Lewes was liable to
have its possessions seized when there was war with
France. (fn. 118) Presentation was made to Burstow by the
king in the 14th century during voidance of the see
of Canterbury. (fn. 119) The church came finally into possession of the Crown in 1536, being given up by the
archbishop with his manor of Burstow Park. (fn. 120) Except during the time of the Commonwealth, when
the right of presentation was vested in the Lord Protector, (fn. 121) the patronage has since that time remained
in the Crown, presentation being now made by the
Lord Chancellor. (fn. 122) The living ceased to be a peculiar
to the see of Canterbury in 1851, when it was united
to Winchester. By the rearrangement of dioceses in
1878 it was joined to Rochester. One eminent man,
John Flamsteed, the famous astronomer, was rector of
Burstow from 1684 to 31 December 1719, when he
died.
CHARITIES
Smith's Charity is distributed as
in other Surrey parishes.
In 1684 Ralph Cooke, rector of
Burstow, left money to buy large upper coats for
a widower and a widow yearly.
In 1718 John Flamsteed, rector and Astronomer
Royal, left money to buy new coats for two poor
Christian people.
In 1728 Mrs. Margaret Flamsteed, widow of
the rector, left money for clothing for two poor
women.