|
Friends of Woking Palace |
|
The Old Manor House part one |
|
TM275 Owner Richard Hodd Occupier Susan Bowles FT The Misses Ross This property was in the small Manor of Woking Rectory which stretched along the north of High Street from Shackleford to the right angle corner at the junction with present day Old Woking Road
“Henry Brabonde of Farnham and Joan his wife hold by copy (1541)……. one cottage with a garden in Wokingstrete on the east of the parsonage at Woking and one acre of land lying in the common field to the north of the said cottage.” (Court Rolls Of Woking Manor 1 – 3 Edward VI.)
Pevsner says mid-C17, brick.
The house is said to have been built by James Zouch in the 1660s after he had pulled down Woking Palace but this is unlikely since it was not in the Royal Manor. Similarly the suggestion that it was built for the Duchess of Cleveland, one of Charles II’s mistresses and to whom the Royal Manor was granted in 1708, is probably untrue.
This house was probably built in the mid to late 17th century about the same time as near by Old House with which it shares a number of features. There is much re-used timber which may have come from Woking Palace or more likely from a previous house on the site.
Arthur Locke says the Parsonage was on the north side of the High Street built of red brick and on the site of the present Old Manor House. Arthur Locke’s little yellow book has a great deal of information on Woking but unfortunately it is very seldom that he quotes his source. However, in this particular instance, confirmation does appear to be provided by the Woking Land Tax returns 1780 – 1811 and the Church Rate Assessments of St Peter’s 1673 to 1685.
The Land Tax returns for Woking show the owner, occupier and amount assessed sometimes showing the name of the property but more often than not this information is omitted. During the period covered by the returns, by far the largest assessment in Town Street is for the Parsonage. Such a relatively large property in such a small area could only be what is now known as the Old Manor House. The reason for the amount of the assessment may have been because the holding included Parsonage Farm next door, long since demolished.
The ownership of the property appears to have followed that of the Manor (see below). The occupier from 1780 – and probably before this – was Richard Fenn described as a bachelor of Woking on his burial at St Mary’s, Horsell in 1797. He was succeeded as occupier by James Fenn possibly a relative.
In 1673 the Church Rate Assessment for June shows Lord Aungier as the owner of the Parsonage with the highest assessment in Town Street. Only John Weston of Sutton Place has a higher assessment. The position is the same in October 1674, January 1675 and October 1676. There is no further mention of the Parsonage until October 1682 June 1683 and October 1885 when Richard Bird and William Harvest are assessed for a similar amount as tenants. There are no more surviving records after 1695.
©Phillip Arnold 2007 |
|
To contact us:email: askus at woking-palace.org |
Registered Charity No.1100852Copyright © 2008 Friends of Woking Palace
|
