Holmsdale; and its name, which in Saxon signifies the course or channel of a river, was given from its being seated on a branch of the river Mole. Its very antient castle, during the Civil Wars of Charles I. was in the possession of lord Monson, who forfeited it to the crown. Charles II. at his restoration, granted the manor and castle to his brother the duke of York; and at the revolution, they were again granted to lord Somers. The town gives title of baron to the earl of Peterborough.

Under the hill, adjoining to the fouth side, is a large house, formerly a priory of black canons, founded by William Warren, earl of Surrey, about the year 1245. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross; and at the Dissolution, its revenue was valued at 771. 14s. lid. per annum. It was given to the earl of Nottingham, and afterwards sold to Sir John Parsons, lord mayor of London; it was lately in the possession of Mr. Parsons, Sir John's grandson, and is now possessed by Mr. Mowbray. This seat is beautified with plantations, and a large piece of water. In the house are two halls, each fifty feet long, and of a proportionable breadth; but the ceilings are low. The carving about the house appears to be very antient. The whole is surrounded with hills on every side, so as to render the prospect very romantic. In Reigate the late lord Shaftesbury, author of "The Characteristics," had a house, to which he frequently retired when he was inclined to seclude himself from company. possessed by a private gentleman, who planted a small spot of ground in so many little parts, as to comprise whatever can be supposed in the most noble seats; so that it may properly be called a model of a garden and park; for in the garden are a mount, a river, a parterre, and wilderness; besides the gardens, &c. a lawn

The house is now has laid out and

It has been said that when the Danes were in England, the inhabitants of this town defeated some of their straggling parties, from whence they have ever since entertained a high opinion of their own bravery, of which they thus poetically boast;

The valley of Holmsdale

Was never won, nor ever shall,

U u 2

with

This

with four or five deer, terminated by a small wood; yet the whole compass of ground is no more than four acres. has occasioned it to be called All the world in an acre. Reigate sent members to parliament as early as the twenty-third of Edward I.

The weekly market on Tuesday was procured by charter from Edward II.; and one monthly on Wednesday, from Charles II. The fairs are held on Wednesday in the Easter week, Whit Monday, and St. James's Day. The neighbourhood abounds with fullers-earth, and medicinal plants and herbs.

The present CHURCH, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen, is supposed to have been built about the reign of Edward I.* and is of free stone, consisting of a nave, chancel, and three aisles, with a porch, which has been since added, now converted into a vestry room and library. The length of the fabric is about fifty yards, the breadth sixteen, and the tower, twenty-six high. The body of the church is very neatly fitted up, and the windows have crown glass. Over the principal entrance at the west end, is a large gallery for singers. In the chancel are several curious, though no very antient monuments. On the side of the communion table is a large vault, in which were deposited several of the noble family of Howard of Effingham. Here are also memorials for Sir Edward Thurland, one of the barons of the Exchequer, in the reign of Charles II. Sir Thomas Bludder, of Flanchford; the family of Ladbroke, of Trenches, &c. Over the vestry room is a very neat

*There is no mention of a church at Reigate, in Domesday Book, Cherchefeld, being the only name which it then bare. Salmon, in his Antiquities of Surrey, says, "I do not apprehend how this of Cherchefeld was taken up, unless from some church built there early upon the conversion of the Saxons; some church, either the first hereabouts, or the largest, or the most magnificent; or from a number of churches and chapels that stood here. Whatever there was, might be razed in inroads of the Pagan Danes, and nothing left besides the name (at the Conquest) and perhaps that which was afterwards, was erected by earl Warren.” Aubrey mentions three places of worship antiently here; St. Lawrence, now a shop in Bell Street; Holy Cross, (a barn and coach house) both these churches anterior to the Conquest; a third, dedicated to St. Thomas à Becket, at present the market and sessions house.

parochial

parochial library. In the tower are eight fine bells. A free school was established here in 1675. The population of Reigate has been estimated at upwards of nine hundred, persons inhabiting two hundred houses.

GATTON, near Reigate, is of very antient date; and though formerly a considerable town, is now reduced to a small village. From the number of coins and other antiquities found, it is supposed to have been a Roman station. The town was once destroyed by the Danes The borough consists of only a few houses, and was the property of Sir George Colebrooke: after his failure in the funds, it was sold by the assignees, under his commission, to lord Newhaven. Since the year 1786, it has been purchased and repurchased by three or four different persons. The returning officer is the constable appointed at the court-leet of the two proprietors. In this case, the constituent and representative body, who are the same in number, may also possibly be the same persons, as they would have the power to elect each other. Gatton began to send members 29 Henry VI. The river Mole rises in this parish, it is also noted for a quarry of white free-stone, which is soft, and endures the fire admirably well in winter, but neither sun nor air. This stone is much used by chemists, bakers, glass houses, &c.

Horley, near Charlwood, south-east of Reigate, had once a castle on Thunderfield Common, that inclosed near two acres, which are since so overgrown with wood and thorns, that there is hardly any sign of its foundation.

Gatton Park, is the seat of colonel Hay; and Upper Gatton is the mansion of colonel Mark Wood.

At the distance of five miles from Reigate, and twenty from London, is BLECHINGLEY, a small antient parliamentary borough by prescription, having enjoyed that privilege from the twenty-third of Edward I.

This borough consists of about sixty small houses, and is a proper companion to Gatton, from which it is distant about three miles. The right of voting is burgage tenure; and the lord of the manor's bailiff was the returning officer; but by the last resolution of the House of Commons in

1723,

1723, he was deprived of that office; and the borough has now the singularity of sending two members to parliament, without a mayor, constable, or any other legal officer, who can claim the exclusive exercise of such an authority. There are several instances of boroughs without electors, but this is the only one that presents itself without a returning officer. Sir Robert Clayton being sole proprietor of the majority of burgage-tenures, has the appointment of the representatives. The right of election is in the borough holders only, without the bailiff; the number of burgage holds is ninety.

This place, though it sends two members to parliament, bas no market; but has fairs on June 22, and November 2. The town stands on a hill, on the side of Holmsdale, with a fine prospect as far as the south downs and Sussex; and from some ruins of its castle, which are still visible, though overgrown with a coppice, there is a prospect cast into Kent, and west into Hampshire. Here is an almshouse, and a free-school. Blechingley has a handsome Gothic church, the spire of which in 1606 was consumed by lightning, and all the bells melted.

NUTFIELD, or rather NORTHFIELD, lies between Reigate and Blechingley. In a red sandy common at this place, is a metalline kind of substance, looking like cast iron, and is called ragges, much esteemed for paving; there are also several pits, from which they dig a great quantity of fuller's earth.

GODSTONE, near Blechingley, is partly in the great road to Sussex, and partly, with the church, on an eminence about half a mile higher. It has its name from the excellent stone quarries here. At Rooknest is the seat of Sir Harry Strachey, bart.

Passing on to New Chapel Green, on the right of the road is BYSCH COURT, the seat of John Manship, Esq.; and at the left is situated STORBOROUGH CASTLE, the seat of Sir Thomas Turton, bart. one of the members of parliament for the borough of Southwark.

Proceeding to FELLBRIDGE PARK, the seat of John Nichols, Esq. one mile and half brings the traveller to

EAST GRINSTEAD, IN THE COUNTY OF SUSSEX.

This town is situated at the northern extremity of the county, almost on the borders of Surrey and Kent, and about thirteen miles from Tunbridge, at the distance of thirty miles from London. It is an antient town, which came to the family of the Sackvilles about the time of Henry III.

It is a borough by prescription, of great antiquity, consisting of a bailiff and about thirty-five burgage-holders, who elect two members of parliament. The bailiff is the returning officer, and is chosen by the burgage holders, at the annual court of the lord' of the borough, who is the duke of Dorset. The right of voting formerly was allowed to be, by a refolution of the House of Commons, in the inhabitants as well as burgage-holders; but, by a subl sequent one, it is confined to the latter description of persons only. The burgage holds here are in number thirtysix. The first return of this borough is anno 1 Edward II.

This is a market town, pleasantly situated on a hill, commanding a beautiful surrounding prospeet. The parish is one of the largest in the county; it had a large handsome church, the spire of which was destroyed by lightning in the year 1685: a very beautiful tower was then built, but, owing to the badness of the materials and the manner of building it, on November 12, 1785, having stood just one hundred years, it fell on the body of the church, and damaged it in such a manner that the whole was obliged to be taken down and rebuilt.

The town is irregularly and ill built, and has very few houses of much consequence'; but the Lent assizes for Sussex are always held here: the county gaol is at Horsham (about eighteen miles distant,) whence the prisoners are brought to this place for trial.

Henry II. granted a charter for a monthly market; and at present here is a weekly corn market on Thursdays; and three annual fairs, namely, April 21, July 13, and December 11; the first and last of which are as large fairs for

all