WINDLESHAM
Wyndesham (xiii cent.); Wyndelesham (xiv cent.);
Wynsham (xvii cent.).
Windlesham is a parish on the north-west border
of the county, 25 miles from London. It contains
5,672 acres, and measures 5 miles from north-east to
south-west, and 3 miles from north-west to southeast. It is bounded on the north-west by Berkshire,
on the east and south by Chobham, on the west by
Frimley. It is in Woking Hundred, (fn. 1) but is isolated
in Godley Hundred, to which Chobham and Frimley
belong. This corner of the county appears, from
absence of notice in Domesday, to have been very
sparsely inhabited. Godley Hundred was the land of
the abbey of Chertsey, and when Chertsey early acquired property the hundred was extended. Windlesham and Bagshot, never belonging to Chertsey,
were never incorporated into the hundred. But the
boundary between Surrey and Berkshire was known,
and was delineated as the boundary of Windsor
Forest by the perambulations of 1226 and 1327. (fn. 2)
The neighbourhood has yielded bronze implements,
now in the Archaeological Society's Museum, Guildford, and a certain number of neolithic flints.
The village of Windlesham is a scattered one, and
though almost entirely modern, is picturesquely
situated in rolling and well-wooded country. The
church is some distance from the village, on high
ground. The plan of the village defies analysis, and
is of very recent growth. A few examples of late
18th-century work remain, but these are rapidly
giving place to modern cottages and villas. The
roads and lanes by which the parish is traversed,
though erratic in their course, are picturesque in the
extreme, with magnificent hedges and well shaded by
fine timber.
The soil of Windlesham and Bagshot is the barren
Bagshot sand, with extensive peat beds. Digging in
the peat reveals the former existence of a forest of
small oaks. The peat produces the only important
industry of to-day, the raising of rhododendrons,
azaleas, and so on, in nursery gardens—those of
Messrs. Fromow and Messrs. Waterer employing a
great deal of labour. Bagshot Heath, part of which
was called Windlesham Heath, covered a great deal
of the parish; there is still some uncultivated land,
and the heaths extend beyond the parish. The great
south-western road from London passes through the
parish. The London and South Western Wokingham
and Reading line cuts its extreme end, and the Ascot,
Aldershot, and Farnham branch runs through it for
some distance, with a station at Bagshot, opened in
1878. Sunningdale station, on the Wokingham
branch, is just inside the parish. It was opened in
1856.
The old road had been the source of great prosperity in Bagshot till it was superseded by the railway. Thirty coaches a day passed through, and there
were many inns, since closed. The most interesting
history of the place is in connexion with Windsor
Forest, and its bailiwick in Surrey. The tenure of
Bagshot in the Red Book of the Exchequer is per
serjentiam veltrariae, i.e. providing a leash of hounds.
The later history is full of the exploits of highwaymen,
who found the wild country hereabouts specially
favourable for their purposes.
The Inclosure Act of 1812 inclosed much of Bagshot Heath, and also inclosed the common fields of
Windlesham. (fn. 3) Inclosure had begun before, for in
1768 the lords of the manors and the freeholders gave
land inclosed from the waste for charitable purposes. (fn. 4)
There are a considerable number of gentlemen's
houses about Windlesham. The Camp is the residence of Sir Joseph Hooker, F.R.S., &c., &c.;
Ribsden, of Mrs. Christie; The Towers, of Lady
Elvey. Woodcote House is a boys' school.
There are an Institute and Reading-room built in
1880, and enlarged in 1901; the Institute and
Reading-room at Bagshot were founded in 1862.
The schools (built as National Schools in 1825, now
Provided) were taken over by a board in 1871.
They were enlarged in 1889.
Bagshot was a tithing of Windlesham. There is a
church there dedicated to St. Anne, and also a Wesleyan
Methodist chapel.
Bagshot Park, long the property of the Crown, was
formerly the residence of the Duke of Gloucester,
son-in-law to George III, and now of H.R.H. the
Duke of Connaught.
Pinewood is the residence of Lady Elphinstone;
Penny Hill of Mr. L. Floersheim; Hall Grove of
Mr. Stephen Soames.
A school was built at Bagshot in 1870, and taken
over by the newly-formed Windlesham School Board
in 1871. It was enlarged in 1893.
MANORS
The manor of WINDLESHAM
(Winlesham, xiii cent.; Winsham, xvii
cent.) belonged in the Middle Ages to
the small convent of Broomhall in Berkshire. Land in
Bagshot was granted to the Prioress of Broomhall by
Henry III in 1228. (fn. 5) But Windlesham appears among
the manors granted to Westminster by Edward the
Confessor in his foundation charter. It was apparently
transferred to Broomhall at an unknown date.
The priory of Newark had a grant of land in
Windlesham in 1256, (fn. 6) and had the advowson of the
church. (fn. 7)
Joan Rawlyns, Prioress of Broomhall, made a
voluntary surrender of the property of her house in
1522. (fn. 8) In the next year Windlesham was granted
to St. John's College, Cambridge, (fn. 9) who still hold it.
The manor of BAGSHOT in early times was royal
demesne, and may have formed part of the forest of
Windsor.
There are traces of two distinct holdings in Bagshot. About 1211 one Hoppeschort held 30s. worth
of land in Bagshot, (fn. 10) which, according to Testa de
Nevill, (fn. 11) had been granted by Henry II out of his
demesne lands to a certain Ralph. This land was
bought from Hoppeschort by Robert de Basing. (fn. 12) In
1218 Geoffrey Aurifaber sued Robert de Basing for
the possession of 3½ hides of land in Bagshot, but
judgement was entered for Basing. (fn. 13) Some three
years later, however, Robert de Bagshot, evidently the
same person as Basing, granted the 3½ hides to
Geoffrey with the consent of Hoppeschort. (fn. 14) But this
grant was only of a temporary nature, for at the time
of the Testa de Nevill
(fn. 15) Robert son of Robert de
Basing was holding, and in 1365 Geoffrey de Bagshot
died holding the manor. (fn. 16)
The other part of Bagshot was granted to John
Belet by Henry III, and descended to his son
Michael. (fn. 17) Both these holdings seem to have reverted to the Crown early in the 14th century, and
from that date Bagshot followed the descent of Sutton
in Woking (q.v.).
The return for the aid taken for marrying of Blanche
daughter of Henry IV states that 'Mantell tenet
terras et tenementa que quondam fuerunt Hoppesort.' (fn. 18) Unfortunately the name is torn off, but it
seems probable that the reference is to Bagshot.
The reputed manor of FOSTERS in Windlesham
appears first in 1557, when Alan Fryday and Margaret his wife released one-seventh of it to John
Taylor. (fn. 19) In 1603 George Evelyn at his death was
reported to have been in possession of three-fifths of
it. (fn. 20) This portion passed under the terms of a settlement made before his death to George second son of
his second son John. (fn. 21) The whole manor was in the
possession of the Evelyns in 1637, (fn. 22) but apparently
was sold in the year that George died to James
Lynch, (fn. 22a) who died seised of it in 1648, (fn. 23) and in 1650
his nephew James Lynch conveyed it to John Lovibond. (fn. 24) Heneage Finch, Lord Guernsey, held a court
here in 1714. (fn. 25) In 1717 Mr. John Walter bought
it, (fn. 25a) and his son Abel Walter sold it in 1752 to Sir
More Molyneux. (fn. 26) He was a trustee of the Onslow
property, (fn. 26a) and probably purchased in that capacity, for it
belonged to Lord Onslow
later. (fn. 27)
St. George's Windsor. Argent a cross gules.
There is mention in 1650
of a 'manor' in Windlesham
which was held by the Dean
and Canons of Windsor. (fn. 28)
They were said to have received it of the gift of Queen
Elizabeth, and to have shortly
afterwards leased it to Edward
Harward. 'Those entrusted
with the abolishing of the Deans and Chapters' granted
it to Walter Harward, possibly the son of Edward. (fn. 29)
The so-called manor of FREEMANTLES in Windlesham had its origin in land held by Richard
Freemantle in the time of Edward II. (fn. 30) His grandson Richard, son of John, released to William Skrene
and Robert Hewlett all his right in the manor of
Windlesham. (fn. 31) In 1467 Edmund Skrene, probably
son of William, quitclaimed his right to Robert Hewlett, (fn. 32) and from that time until the Dissolution the
manor apparently formed part of the endowment of
Hewlett's gild in this parish. (fn. 33)
After the dissolution of gilds and chantries the
manor seems to have been granted out in two parts.
In 1549 George Molyneux was in possession of one
moiety, (fn. 34) and in 1561 William Molyneux released it
to John Attefield. (fn. 35) During the next hundred and
fifty years it passed successively through the Whitfield, (fn. 36) Quinby, and other families, (fn. 37) none of whom,
however, retained possession for any length of time.
Finally it came into the hands of Francis Bartholomew, (fn. 38) who conveyed it to Leonard Child, an attorney
in Guildford, in 1719. (fn. 39)
The other moiety was granted by Queen Elizabeth
to George Evelyn in 1560, (fn. 40) and seems to have
followed the history of the manor of Fosters (q.v.). (fn. 41)
CHURCHES
The church of ST. JOHN THE
BAPTIST, Windlesham, consists of
a modern chancel with a north
vestry and south chapel, a nave with north and south
aisles, a south porch, and a south-western tower. The
south chapel and aisle are the chancel and nave of a
small church, the date of which is given on a board in
the tower, which bears the inscription: 'Burnt by
lightning in 1676. Rebuilt 1680 John Atfield
Richard Cotherell.' The tower dates from 1838,
and, like the rest of the church, is of brick. The
17th-century walls are faced with a chequer of black
and red bricks; the aisles have projecting stone quoins.
In the south wall of the old nave are four windows of
Gothic style, two of three lights in 15th-century
style with square heads, and two of late 13th-century
style with a quatrefoiled circle over the trefoiled
lights. They are in part modern, in part old work
reset. The porch has small balustered openings on
either side.
The roofs, seating, and fittings throughout are
modern, and of no particular interest. The sanctuary has been somewhat elaborately decorated in
recent years, and has a high dado of marble and
mosaic. Preserved in a glass case in the nave is a
chained copy of Jewel's Apology, found in the floor
of the tower at the time of the enlargement of the
church. There are no monuments of any interest.
The tower contains a sanctus bell by William
Eldridge, 1686, and one large bell by Warner,
1875.
The church plate is a silver-gilt set given by
H.R.H. the Duchess of Gloucester in 1841, and
consists of two cups with paten covers of 1841, a
paten of 1840, a flagon of the same date, an almsdish undated, but part of the set, and a cup of 1896.
The first book of the registers contains baptisms
from 1677 to 1689; a second, all entries from 1695
to 1747; a third, baptisms and burials from 1749 to
1783, and marriages from 1749 to 1753; a fourth,
baptisms from 1783 to 1810; a fifth, burials from
1793, and baptisms from 1810 to 1812. There are
also two printed marriages and banns books from 1754
to 1802, and from 1802 to 1812.
When the old church of Windlesham was struck by
lightning and burnt in 1676, the registers were burnt,
and now date only from that time.
There is a chapel of ease, St.Alban's, on the Bagshot
Road.
ST. ANNE'S, BAGSHOT, is red brick with Bath
stone dressings, a tower, and spire. The east window,
in memory of H.R.H. the Duke of Albany (ob. 1884),
was given by King Edward VII and the other brothers
and sisters of the late duke.
ADVOWSONS
The earliest mention of the
church of Windlesham is in 1230,
when it was reported that Hoppeschort, who held land in Bagshot, granted the advowson to Sherborne Priory in the time of Henry II. (fn. 42)
The priory's right of presentation, however, was
successfully disputed by Newark Priory in 1230, (fn. 43)
and in 1262 the living was, it is said, appropriated to
Newark. (fn. 44) The advowson was, however, in private
hands after that date. In 1443 the church reappears attached to the manor of Freemantles in
Windlesham. (fn. 45) It was still so attached in 1539. (fn. 46)
In 1536 John Quinby, who held Freemantles, presented. (fn. 47) But on the death of the rector in 1598 the
queen presented, (fn. 48) and the patronage has since continued in the Crown.
Presentations were always to Windlesham, cum
capella de Bagshot. The chapel at Bagshot was
dedicated to Our Lady. Hewlett's or Hulot's
chantry was founded in the chapel of Our Lady
at Bagshot, and endowed with half the manor of
Freemantles. (fn. 49) In 1467 Edmund Skrene released
all his rights in the manor of Freemantles to Robert
Hewlett. (fn. 50) He, or one of his family, founded
the chantry. The chapel at Bagshot probably fell
with the chantry in it, though a tradition of its site
lingered here in the middle of the 18th century. (fn. 51) In
1820 a new chapel was built. Bagshot became a
separate ecclesiastical parish in 1874. In 1884 a
new church, that of St. Anne, was built (see above).
CHARITIES
Smith's Charity is distributed as in
other Surrey parishes. Half an acre
of land was vested in the parish for
the use of the poor at an unknown date.
Mr. George Newton, by will 1754, left £5 a year
charged on land for the distribution of bread quarterly on Sundays in the churchyard. A tablet in the
church commemorates the bequest. Annotation 659
In 1757 Lady Amelia Butler, residing in Bagshot
Park, gave £100 for building a pest-house. One room
was set apart for wayfaring men suffering from smallpox.
In 1761 James Butler gave a house for an almshouse. These benefactions seem to have been amalgamated into six almshouses.
In 1804 the Rev. Edward Cooper by will gave five
guineas annually for educating poor boys.
In 1809 Mrs. Strange gave by will £100 bank
annuities for providing clothing for six poor widows.