149

The Market-house, a small brick building, with piazzas below and a chamber above for the purposes of a Town-Hall, was erected about the year 1708, on the site of a chapel dedicated to Thomas Becket, which had previously been appropriated to the same uses. A smaller building contiguous to it, denominated the Clock-house, was designed as a prison for felons and others, who are brought to the Easter Sessions held at Reigate. The assizes also were formerly held here, and the above-mentioned chapel served as the court. A little below the neighboring inn known by the sign of the White Hart, and at the upper end of the street leading southward, are the visible remains of another chapel, said to have been dedicated to St. Lawrence. It is now a dwelling-house, and the walls and roof are entire. To these may be added a third, dedicated to the Holy Cross, which formerly stood near the west end of the principal street, and was afterwards converted into, or gave place to, a barn, now razed to its foundation. The latter, from its name, was doubtless an appurtenance to the priory.

The Park of Reigate is part of the demesnes of the manor containing 150 acres, situated on the south side of the town, but divided from it by the Priory estate; it is high ground, and forms a terrace upwards of half a mile in length, which commands extensive and delightful views. It appears, by the Survey taken in 1622, that " the old Park was well stored with timber trees, and replenished with deer." About 1635, Lord Monson, who then had the manor, disparked it, and cut down the timber. Till lately it has been a fine turf, but is now converted into arable land, perhaps not much to the advantage of the farmer, being a poor sandy soil. The wastes of Earlswood, the Wray, and Peteridge Heath, which, with Reigate Heath, belong to this manor, were also formerly covered with timber, which is supposed to have been cut down by Lord Monson about the same time that he threw open the park. Instead of trees he filled them with rabbits, to the great annoyance and damage of the commoners; but there has been no warren in the memory of man.*

this work has been unjustly assigned to foreigners*. In this chancel are also the grave-stones of the Archbishops Wake, who died in 1731; Potter in 1747, and Herring in 1757.

In the north chancel is a large tomb of free-stone, to the memory of Nicholas Heron, Esq. who died in 1563. On it are represented in alto-relievo the figures of himself, his wife, five sons, and eight daughters. Here is also an altar-tomb to the memory of Ellis Davy, founder of a hospital in this town, which bears his name. He died in 1455.

At the east end of the nave is a monument with a column of white marble, designed by Glover, the author of Leonidas, to the memory of Philippa, wife of James Bourdieu, Esq. of Combe, in this parish, who died in 1780.

In the church-yard is the tomb of Constantine Phipps, the first Lord Mulgrave, who died in 1775. Here too Alexander Barkley, or Barclay, author of the satirical poem intituled The Ship of Fools, was buried June 10, 1552.

In this church were two chantries, dedicated to St. Mary and St. Nicholas. The first was founded by Sir Reginald de Cobham of Sterborough, who vested the presentation in twelve principal inhabitants of Croydon. Its income at the Dissolution was 161. Is. 2d. The other was founded by John Stafford, Bishop of Bath and Wells, who in 1443, was translated to the see of Canterbury, and its revenues amounted to 141. 14s. 6d.

per annum. Whitgift's Hospital was thus named after its founder Archbishop Whitgift, who began in 1596, to erect this building, which he finished in 1599, at the expense of 27001. He then endowed it with lands to the annual value of 1851. for the maintenance of a warden, schoolmaster, and twenty-eight poor brethren and sisters, or a greater number, not exceeding forty, if the revenues should admit of it. The founder vested in the see of Canterbury the nomination of the members, who must be at least sixty years old; but inhabitants of Croydon and Lambeth are to be preferred. To this hospital belongs a small, but commodious chapel, in

which is a portrait of the founder, painted on board; and adjoining to it is the school, which forms part of the archbishop's charity, and the house for the master. The warden's apartments over the hall and inner gate-house are handsomely wainscotted with oak, and were reserved by the founder for his own use as long as he lived. It is directed by the statutes, that the rents of the lands belonging to this institution shall never be raised, but the revenues have been considerably increased by the fines received on the renewal of leases, and by several benefactions.

An Alms-house for seven poor people was founded in the reign of Henry VI. by Ellis Davy, citizen and mercer of London. The revenues of this charity originally 181. per annum, are now increased to 731. 2s. The house was some years since rebuilt.

In another edifice called the Little Alms-house, the parish poor are usually placed; and in 1775, some new buildings were erected for the reception of twelve poor inhabitants, with a sum of money given by the late Earl of Bristol, and a voluntary subscription of the inhabitants.

The summer assizes have long been held alternately at Guildford and Croydon. In 1806, the building here appropriated to that purpose being old and inconvenient, an Act of Parliament was obtained for empowering the trustees to sell 237 acres of waste land, which by the Inclosure Act had been vested in their hands for the use of the inhabitants, and with the produce to erect a courthouse fit for the reception of the judges of assize, to rebuild the market-house, and to purchase a piece of land for a burial-ground. A handsome and commodious Town Hall has accordingly been erected from the designs of Mr. Cockerell, and the trustees are engaged in effecting the other improvements.

A Navigable Canal from Croydon, connecting with the Grand Surrey Canal at Rotherhithe, was begun in 1801, and opened in October 1809. In the former year also commenced the construction of an iron rail-way from Wandsworth to this place, which has since been extended to Merstham, near Reigate. The facilities

thus

In this parish is a bridge called Battle Bridge, which has been written Batley Bridge. Tradition relates that here a great carnage of the Danes was made by the women: this probably alludes to the slaughter of some of the fugitives, after the memorable defeat sustained by them at Ockley.

Aubrey observes, that on the site of the present manor-house stood a castle, and that the town was formerly situated more westwardly, towards the top of White Hill, that is, the hill above Reigate. Of this castle not the least trace remains; nor is it mentioned in any of the old historians. That there were formerly more houses is very true, as many of them have been pulled down to lessen the number of voters, who consist of inhabitants paying scot and lot. Their present number is only about eight, including the mansion-houses of Upper and Lower Gatton, which, with all the land in the parish, except the glebe, belong to Sir Mark Wood, Bart, the owner of the manor. Gatton began to send members to Parliament 29 Henry VI. 1451,

The manor of Gatton was, in the fifteenth century, the property of the Tymperley family. In 1449 Henry VI. granted John Tymperley licence to impark it, with other privileges. How it afterwards came to the Crown is not known; but it formed part of the provision assigned to Ann of Cleves on her divorce from Henry VIII. At the beginning of the last century it became the property of the family of Newland, and was purchased in 1751, with some other lands, for 23,0001. by James Colebrooke, Esq. who, in 1759, was created a baronet. By his daughters it was sold to his brother Sir George, who made Gatton his residence. The estate afterwards passed through several hands before it became the property of the present owner.

Upper Gatton is a handsome mansion standing on the hill next to Chipsted, surrounded by a park of about 100 acres, in the occupation of Sir Henry Harpur Carew, Bart.

Lower Gatton, the beautiful residence of Sir Mark Wood, Bart. stands in the midst of an extensive park. The church is

also

ADDINGTON is a village on the border of Kent, about three miles east of Croydon. The inhabitants have a tradition, that this place was formerly of much greater extent than at present, and it is related, that timbers and other materials of ruined buildings have sometimes been turned up here by the plough. Near the church is a hill, on which a castle is said to have once stood; it still retains the name of Castle Hill. This circumstance indeed is not without authority, for Sir Robert de Aguillon, lord of this manor, in the time of Henry III. had a licence to fortify and imbattle his house here. On the common above the village is a cluster of tumuli, about twenty-five in number; they are of no great height, but one of them is about forty feet in diameter.

Part of the present manor is said in Domesday to have been then held of the king by Tezelin, the cook. Bartholomew de Chesney, in the reign of Henry II. held the same per serjeantiam coquinæ. In 18 Henry III. 1234, we find that William de Aguillon, in right of his wife, a daughter of de Chesney, held this manor by the serjeanty of making hastias in the king's kitchen on the day of his coronation, or some one in his stead to make a dish which is called giranit, or gyroun; and if seym (a Saxon word for fat) be put in, then it is called Malpigernoun. In another record he is said to have held by the serjeanty of finding a cook on the coronation-day to prepare such food as the king's steward shall give order for in the king's kitchen. We are elsewhere told, that this dish was to be prepared in olla lutea. This service is still kept up, and a dish of pottage was presented by Mr. Spencer, lord of the manor, to his present Majesty at his coronation. Mr. Lysons observes, that he cannot find that there exists any ancient receipt for making the mess, unless it be that called bardolf, in a collection of ancient cookery receipts in the fourteenth century, printed at the end of the Royal Houshold establishment, published by the Society of Antiquaries, VOL. XIV.

K

in

after found his countess dead in her bed suddenly, and his eldest son, the Lord Maidstone, was killed at sea by a cannon-bullet." A relic probably of the superstitions of the Druids.

A