In part one we explored the village of Charlwood and in this part we will be walking along ancient trackways, many of which appear just as they did 500 years ago, looking at the dispersed farmsteads of the parish and those in neighbouring Leigh (with a little dip into Sidlow too, as a narrow finger of this parish penetrates into the two). This is the longest and most challenging walk I have shared with Tudor Life readers by far, and anyone who wishes to follow in my footsteps should be well prepared with footwear and attire suitable for the season and with plenty of water.

We finished part one close to the centre of Charlwood and this is where we shall start from, initially heading north on the Norwood Hill Road. Our first building of interest is close by and is known as Spottles, a 4 bay open hall house and another building which, whilst not having been accurately dendro-dated, could possibly date back as far as the early 1400s. A modern gabled crosswing has been added to the left of Spottles which can be found a short way along Pudding Lane, so named many centuries ago as that is what the surface of this unmade ancient trackway resembled in winter; a sticky pudding. And it still does once you have passed Spottles! Pudding Lane is the right turn at the crossroads 350 metres into our walk and in the north-west corner of this crossroads is the beautiful Dormers, a much extended 4 bay open hall home of 1412 and the only remaining thatched cottage within the parish. Almost opposite Dormers is The Cottage (Norwood Hill Road, not to be confused with the building with the same name in The Street), another old open hall house, this of 1435 and three bays originally. The smoke hood survives within the building and the house remained thatched as recently as the 1970’s, though the roof is now tiled. Most of the timber framing is now hidden behind tiles and an apparent full length jetty has been underbuilt in brick and stone.

Spottles  

Dormers 

The Cottage (Norwood Hill Road)

A further stone’s throw away is Charlwood Place, which provides us with a plethora of Tudor Stories, most of them surrounding the life of one man. First documented in 1314, Charlwood Place was the Manor of Charlwood and surrounded by a moat, part of which survives. Most of the original house was burnt down during the civil war and a document of 1673 describes it as ‘the site and remaining part of the late capital messuage called Charlwood Place’. The house was rebuilt later in the 17th century and, despite one wing incorporating some remains of the original medieval building, it wouldn’t ordinarily warrant a mention in these pages, but it is the story of the past occupants of the Manor, and one in particular, which brings us to its door. In part one we learnt about Richard Saunders who died in 1480 aged 30 and in whose memory the chancel and screen at the parish church were erected. Richard was the owner of Charlwood Place and on his death it passed to his eldest son Nicholas Saunders. Nicholas lived an uneventful life and when he died in 1553, the ownership passed to his eldest son Thomas.

The exact year of Sir Thomas Saunders’ birth is not recorded, but he was born at Charlwood Place sometime before 1500. The well-educated young man became a lawyer, entering the Inner Temple in 1527, and on the 5 January 1540, the day before her wedding to a middle aged man named Henry, he was appointed as solicitor to Anne of Cleves. Having negotiated the divorce settlement on the annulment of Henry & Anne’s marriage just 6 months later Thomas then became solicitor to Catherine Howard.

Clearly the King was satisfied with the work of Saunders for in 1541 he became a ‘Commissioner of the Peace in the County of Surrey’. Commissioners were personally appointed by Henry and only his most trusted aides would be considered for the role. It was a position that Saunders held until his death in 1565. He was also the High Sherriff of Sussex and Surrey during 1553 & 1554 and a Member of Parliament for various local constituencies as well as holding the advowson of Charlwood. In 1552 he led The Commission for Church Goods, Inventories and Miscellanea in Surrey when they visited Charlwood to collate the church inventory (see part one).

On 4 February 1545 he was appointed as the King's Remembrancer of the Exchequer in reversion after Sir Christopher More. This position, one which still exists today, was one of the most important offices in government and gave the holder responsibility for the recovery of debts due to the Crown and to remind the King of such debts. In practice, ‘debts’ constituted any revenue that was owed to the King and ‘reminding’ him translated as collecting for him. There was also a responsibility to attend the ‘Trial of the Pyx’, a judicial ceremony performed in order to maintain the standard of the nation’s coinage. Saunders assumed this office on 29 August 1949 on the death of More by which time, of course, he was answerable to Edward VI. This office was also held until his death.

In his personal life, Saunders married Alice Walsingham, daughter of Sir Edmund Walsingham who was Lieutenant of the Tower of London during the reign of Henry VIII. Sir Edmund had charge of those held in the tower, including Anne Boleyn and Sir Thomas More. Saunders was a fine and trusted servant to the House of Tudor, displaying full allegiance to all monarchs he served; Henry VII, Protestant Edward VI, the Catholic Queen Mary and the Protestant Queen Elizabeth.

Charlwood Place

We shall now start our walk in earnest and in the first instance we shall head back to the crossroads next to which Dormers stands and turn right into Stan Hill. A short way along, on the left, is Stan Hill Cottage, a timber framed building of 1575 with an original chimney stack. The house is unique within Charlwood in that it’s the only timber framed house to have its lower walls built from local stone. The road facing aspect is actually the rear of the house and old maps show that the road was originally routed around the other side of the property. The sunken lane can still be seen.

Stan Hill Cottage

A further mile along Stan Hill is Highworth Farmhouse, an open hall house built between 1510 & 1530. The original structure of this still working farm is particularly unspoilt. Turning tail once again and then turning left into Norwood Hill (not to be confused with Norwood Hill Road, from where we first joined Stan Hill) we will, after a mile, arrive at the crossroads atop Norwood Hill. You should turn right here and temporarily back towards the village, perhaps taking in the view across Gatwick Airport now some two and half miles to the south east. As you reach the foot of the hill, The Morgans, a lovely little cottage which was built as a two + smoke bay timber framed house in the late 16th century will be on your right and after the sharp left bend in the road, but before the sharp right, Brittleware Farm will be to your left. Built in 1555, Brittleware is a large and tall farmhouse that incorporated a grain store in the attic and it is said that the grain bins are still in situ. The attic was accessed via a stair turret, sadly out of view from public land. The substantial rear wing, visible to the left as you view, was added in the 1700s.

Highworth Farmhouse 

The Morgans 

Brittleware Farm

We now go off road for a while, and having retraced your steps for just under 100 metres, look for a gap in the hedge and a public footpath sign on your right which will take you across fields to Collendean Lane and a brief foray into the parish of Salfords & Sidlow. When you reach the road, turn right and after 500 metres or so Collendean Farm will be on your left, set back from the road. Built in the 16th century, the timber framing is now sadly hidden between tiles and brick. A further half a mile along the lane and the timber framing at the rear of Horse Hill Farm, an early 16th century hall house, will be visible across the fields to your right. The front of the house, an early 19th century whitewashed extension, can be viewed by turning right at the end of the lane into Horse Hill.

Collendean Farm 

Horse Hill Farm

Heading north along Horse Hill for a mile will bring you to Deanoak Lane in the parish of Leigh. Leigh, pronounced ‘Lie’, is a small parish by population; home to around 1,000 people, but covers a wide rural area. The parish church is four and a half miles from its equivalent in Charlwood. The area was undoubtedly inhabited prior to The Conquest; the name is a Saxon word for ‘clearing in the woods’, but like Charlwood, the village does not appear in the Domesday Book. The Church of St Bartholomew is first recorded as being in existence in 1202 and the iron industry was also clearly important here during the Tudor era as, in common with Charlwood, the parish was specifically excluded from an act passed in 1558 to protect ancient woodland from destruction. Ewood Furnace and Forge (pronounced ‘yew wood’) was a large dual purpose ironworks in operation between 1553 & 1582 and the surviving pond bay at the site is 2 miles from the village green at Leigh as the crow flies. This falls in the neighbouring parish of Newdigate, so perhaps we will visit on a future tour. A small forge with a hammer pond, in operation for 12 years from 1551, was sited a little way south of the village, but no trace of this remains besides the odd piece of waste in the stream. Otherwise, little of much historical importance seems to have happened here.

As with Charlwood, I have a family connection to Leigh and my great great great great grandparents, James and Elizabath Edwards (parents of William Edwards, who is interred in Charlwood) who lived to the ages of 80 & 90 respectively; an unusual age for labourers and servants to see during the mid-19th century, are buried together in the churchyard with an old wooden grave marker indicating their final resting place.

Whilst Leigh may have been a tranquil, uneventful parish, it does have some splendid Tudor houses to see and we start our tour of the parish by turning left into Deanoak Lane and travelling for roughly half a mile until we come across a gap in the hedge and a public footpath sign, just after an ‘s’ bend in the road. This path takes you across a field towards Dene Farm, a large late 15th century open hall house with a crosswing. The outside was clad in brick to the lower floor with tiles above during the 18th or 19th century, but combined with the modern tiled roof, looks as though it could have been built 30 years ago meaning the house is visually disappointing, from a Tudor point of view at least. The inside of the house is said to be considerably more original and aesthetically pleasing. To the south of the house is a late 15th century barn.

Dene Farm

Having passed Dene Farm, we follow the public footpath along a shallow incline to the peak of a ridge from where we can enjoy views northwards across the Surrey countryside towards the North Downs before reaching Old Swaynes Farm, a lovely timber framed farmhouse of the 16th century set in splendid isolation on the side of the ridge. This ridge has clearly attracted humans for a considerable time as in 2004 a hoard of Roman coins, dated between 31bc and 180ad, were discovered in a field just above the farm. From Swaynes the bridleway that leads to the Charlwood to Leigh Road is mostly made up and this should be followed, taking a right turn towards the village when you reach the road.

Old Swaynes Farm

On reaching the village green you won’t fail to notice The Priest's House to your right. A long timber framed range with a core dating to the 15th century and a 16th century extension. Further additions were made in the 19th & 20th century using old materials, the source of which is unknown. In my opinion this is one of the finest medieval/post medieval era houses, certainly amongst those NOT built for the nobility, in Surrey. Immediately behind the Priest’s House is the Church of St Bartholomew. First documented in 1202, the current church is of 15th century origin, but had a major refurbishment in 1890 which included the replacement of the old tower and the addition of a spire. A short way to the north of St Bartholomew’s, along Church Road, is Leigh Place. Leigh Place is a rare medieval moated site where both the house and the complete moat are still in existence and is a grade 2* listed building and a scheduled monument. The site was first documented in 1281 (and likely pre-dates this mention), but the current building was raised in the 15th century. Extensive remodeling in around 1810 means that none of the timber framing is visible, giving the building a more modern look than it perhaps warrants.

The Priest's House