Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in South East England, bordering

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

to the south west. Surrey has a large

rural area In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. With a population of approximately 1.2 million people, Surrey is the 12th-most populous county in England. The most populated town in Surrey is

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

, followed by

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

. The county is divided into eleven districts with borough status. Between 1893 and 2020, Surrey County Council was headquartered at County Hall, Kingston-upon-Thames (now part of Greater London) but is now based at

Woodhatch Place, Reigate Woodhatch Place is a large office building on Cockshot Hill, Reigate, Surrey, England, which serves as the headquarters of Surrey County Council. The main building was built in 19981999 as the head office of Canon (UK) Limited, in the grounds o ...

. In the 20th century several alterations were made to Surrey's borders, with territory ceded to

upon its creation and some gained from the abolition of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

. Surrey is bordered by

to the north east,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

to the east,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

to the north west,

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

to the south,

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

to the south east, and

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

to the west.

Geography

Surrey is divided in two by the chalk ridge of the

North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills and ...

, running east–west. The ridge is pierced by the rivers

Wey Wey may refer to: Places *Wey (state) (衞), or Wei, ancient Chinese state during the Zhou Dynasty *River Wey, river in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex, England *River Wey (Dorset), river of Dorset, south west England *Wey and Arun Canal, canal ...

and

Mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...

, tributaries of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, which formed the northern border of the county before modern redrawing of county boundaries, which has left part of its north bank within the county. To the north of the Downs the land is mostly flat, forming part of the basin of the Thames. The geology of this area is dominated by

London Clay The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian (early Eocene Epoch, c. 56–49 million years ago) age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for its fossil content. The fossils from t ...

in the east, Bagshot Sands in the west and

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

deposits along the rivers. To the south of the Downs in the western part of the county are the sandstone Surrey Hills, while further east is the plain of the Low

Weald The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It has three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the ...

, rising in the extreme southeast to the edge of the hills of the High Weald. The Downs and the area to the south form part of a concentric pattern of geological deposits which also extends across southern Kent and most of Sussex, predominantly composed of Wealden Clay, Lower Greensand and the chalk of the Downs. Much of Surrey is in the Metropolitan Green Belt. It contains valued reserves of mature

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

(reflected in the official logo of Surrey County Council, a pair of interlocking oak leaves). Among its many notable beauty spots are Box Hill, Leith Hill,

Frensham Ponds Frensham Common is a large Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) heathland of which includes two lakes; it is owned by the National Trust. Terrain, plants and animals Frensham Common is an English SSSI heathland of which includes two ...

Newlands Corner Newlands Corner is a nature reserve east of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is owned by the Albury Estate and managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust under an access agreement between the estate and Surrey County Council. Features The site reac ...

and Puttenham & Crooksbury Commons. Surrey is the most wooded county in England, with 22.4% coverage compared to a national average of 11.8% and as such is one of the few counties not to recommend new woodlands in the subordinate planning authorities' plans. Box Hill has the oldest untouched area of natural box woodland in the UK, one of the oldest in Europe. In 2020 the

Surrey Heath Surrey Heath is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Camberley. Much of the area is within the Metropolitan Green Belt. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local ...

district had the highest proportion of tree cover in England at 41%. Surrey also contains England's principal concentration of lowland heath, on sandy soils in the west of the county. Leith hill tower

Agriculture not being intensive, there are many commons and access lands, together with an extensive network of footpaths and bridleways including the

North Downs Way The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ...

, a scenic

long-distance path A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents excep ...

. Accordingly, Surrey provides many rural and semi-rural leisure activities, with a large horse population in modern terms. The highest elevation in Surrey is Leith Hill near

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...

. It is above sea level and is the second highest point in southeastern England after Walbury Hill in

West Berkshire West Berkshire is a local government district in Berkshire, England, administered from Newbury by West Berkshire Council. History The district of Newbury was formed on 1 April 1974, as a merger of the borough of Newbury, Bradfield Rural Distric ...

which is .

Surrey rivers

The longest river to enter Surrey is the

, which historically formed the boundary between the county and

. As a result of the 1965 boundary changes, many of the Surrey boroughs on the south bank of the river were transferred to

, shortening the length associated with the county. The Thames now forms the Surrey-

border between

Runnymede Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with its adjoining hi ...

and

Staines-upon-Thames Staines-upon-Thames is a market town in northwest Surrey, England, around west of central London. It is in the Borough of Spelthorne, at the confluence of the River Thames and Colne. Historically part of Middlesex, the town was transferred to ...

, before flowing wholly within Surrey to Sunbury, from which point it marks the Surrey-Greater London border as far as

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the historic county of Surrey and since 1965 it has ...

. The River Wey is the longest

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

above London. Other tributaries of the Thames with their courses partially in Surrey include the

, the Addlestone branch and Chertsey branch of the River Bourne (which merge shortly before joining the Thames), and the

Hogsmill River The Hogsmill River in Surrey and Greater London, England is a small chalk stream tributary of the River Thames. It rises in Ewell and flows into the Thames at Kingston upon Thames on the lowest non-tidal reach, that above Teddington Lock. Th ...

, which drains Epsom and Ewell. The upper reaches of the River Eden, a tributary of the

Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...

, are in Tandridge District, in east Surrey. The River Colne and its

anabranch An anabranch is a section of a river or stream that diverts from the main channel or stem of the watercourse and rejoins the main stem downstream. Local anabranches can be the result of small islands in the watercourse. In larger anabranches, th ...

, the

Wraysbury River The Wraysbury River is an anabranch of the River Colne to the west of London. Course The river leaves the Colne at West Drayton and runs under the M4 motorway then close to Longford when it passes under the M25 motorway. A branch then fee ...

, make a brief appearance in the north of the county to join the Thames at Staines.

Climate

Like the rest of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

, Surrey has a maritime climate with warm summers and cool winters. The Met Office weather station at

Wisley __NOTOC__ Wisley is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England between Cobham and Woking, in the Borough of Guildford. It is the home of the Royal Horticultural Society's Wisley Garden. The River Wey runs through the village and Ockham and ...

, about 6.5 miles (10 km) to the north-east of Guildford, has recorded temperatures between (August 2003) and (January 1982). From 2006 until 2015, the Wisley weather station held the UK July record high of .

Settlements

file:Woking town centre from the west.jpg, The skyline of

, the most populous settlement in Surrey, as seen from the western approach by railway. Surrey has a population of approximately 1.1 million people. Its largest town is

with a population of 105,367, followed by

with 77,057, and Walton-on-Thames with 66,566. Towns of between 30,000 and 50,000 inhabitants include Ewell, Esher, and

Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...

. Much of the north of the county, extending to Guildford, is within the Greater London Built-up Area. This is an area of continuous urban sprawl linked without significant interruption of rural area to Greater London. In the west, there is a developing

conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...

straddling the Hampshire/Surrey border, including the Surrey towns of

and

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

. Guildford is often regarded as the historic

county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...

, although the county administration was moved to Newington in 1791 and to

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

in 1893. The county council's headquarters have been outside the county's boundaries since 1 April 1965, when Kingston and other areas were included within

by the London Government Act 1963. The administration moved to Reigate at the start of 2021.

History

Ancient British and Roman periods

Before Roman times the area today known as Surrey was probably largely occupied by the

Atrebates The Atrebates (Gaulish: *''Atrebatis'', 'dwellers, land-owners, possessors of the soil') were a Belgic tribe of the Iron Age and the Roman period, originally dwelling in the Artois region. After the tribes of Gallia Belgica were defeated by Caes ...

tribe, centred at

Calleva Atrebatum Calleva Atrebatum ("Calleva of the Atrebates") was an Iron Age oppidum, the capital of the Atrebates tribe. It then became a walled town in the Roman province of Britannia, at a major crossroads of the roads of southern Britain. The modern villa ...

(

Silchester Silchester is a village and civil parish about north of Basingstoke in Hampshire. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire and about south-west of Reading. Silchester is most notable for the archaeological site and Roman town of ...

), in the modern county of

, but eastern parts of it may have been held by the

Cantiaci The Cantiaci or Cantii were an Iron Age Celtic people living in Britain before the Roman conquest, and gave their name to a '' civitas'' of Roman Britain. They lived in the area now called Kent, in south-eastern England. Their capital was ''Dur ...

, based largely in

. The Atrebates are known to have controlled the southern bank of the

from Roman texts describing the tribal relations between them and the powerful Catuvellauni on the north bank. In about AD 42 King

Cunobelinus Cunobeline (or Cunobelin, from Latin , derived from Common Brittonic ''*Cunobelinos'' "Strong as a Dog", "Strong Dog") was a king in pre-Roman Britain from about AD 9 until about AD 40.Malcolm Todd (2004)"Cunobelinus_ Cynfelin ap Tegfan) of the Catuvellauni died and war broke out between his sons and King Verica">Cunobelin">Cynfelin ap Tegfan) of the Catuvellauni died and war broke out between his sons and King Verica of the Atrebates. The Atrebates were defeated, their capital captured and their lands made subject to Togodumnus, king of the Catuvellauni, ruling from Camulodunum (Colchester). Verica fled to Gaul and appealed for Roman aid. The Atrebates were allied with Rome during the invasion of Britain in AD 43. During the Roman era, the only important settlement within the historic area of Surrey was the London suburb of

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

(now part of

), but there were small towns at Staines, Ewell,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

and

. Remains of Roman rural temples have been excavated on

Farley Heath Farley Green is a small hamlet of Albury in the Greensand Ridge where it forms the south of the Surrey Hills AONB, to the south east of Guildford. History On the outskirts of Farley Green, lies Farley Heath where one of Surrey's few Roman rema ...

and near Wanborough and

Titsey Titsey is a rural village and a civil parish on the North Downs almost wholly within the M25 London Orbital Motorway in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. In local government it forms the south-western part of the ward ''Tatsfield ...

, and possible temple sites at Chiddingfold, Betchworth and

Godstone Godstone is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Surrey, England, east of Reigate at the junction of the A22 road, A22 and A25 road, A25 roads, near the M25 motorway and the North Downs. Godstone railway station is separate ...

. The area was traversed by Stane Street and other Roman roads.

Formation of Surrey

During the 5th and 6th centuries Surrey was conquered and settled by

Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

. The names of possible tribes inhabiting the area have been conjectured on the basis of place names. These include the (around

Godalming Godalming is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settleme ...

) and (between

and

Wokingham Wokingham is a market town in Berkshire, England, west of London, southeast of Reading, north of Camberley and west of Bracknell. History Wokingham means 'Wocca's people's home'. Wocca was apparently a Saxon chieftain who may als ...

in Berkshire). It has also been speculated that the entries for the and peoples in the

Tribal Hidage Image:Tribal Hidage 2.svg, 400px, alt=insert description of map here, The tribes of the Tribal Hidage. Where an appropriate article exists, it can be found by clicking on the name. rect 275 75 375 100 w:Elmet rect 375 100 450 150 w:Hatfield Ch ...

may refer to two groups living in the vicinity of Surrey. Together their lands were assessed at a total of 7,000 hides, equal to the assessment for

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. Surrey may have formed part of a larger

Middle Saxon Middle Low German or Middle Saxon (autonym: ''Sassisch'', i.e. " Saxon", Standard High German: ', Modern Dutch: ') is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented ...

kingdom or confederacy, also including areas north of the Thames. The name Surrey is derived from (or ), meaning "southern region", and this may originate in its status as the southern portion of the Middle Saxon territory. If it ever existed, the Middle Saxon kingdom had disappeared by the 7th century, and Surrey became a frontier area disputed between the kingdoms of

, Essex, Sussex, Wessex and

Mercia la, Merciorum regnum , conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia , common_name=Mercia , status=Kingdom , status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879)Client state of Wessex () , life_span=527–918 , era=Heptarchy , event_start= , date_start= , ye ...

, until its permanent absorption by Wessex in 825. Despite this fluctuating situation it retained its identity as an enduring territorial unit. During the 7th century Surrey became Christian and initially formed part of the East Saxon

diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames. For centuries the diocese covered a vast tract and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north ...

, indicating that it was under East Saxon rule at that time, but was later transferred to the West Saxon diocese of Winchester. Its most important religious institution throughout the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

period and beyond was Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666. At this point Surrey was evidently under Kentish domination, as the abbey was founded under the patronage of King Ecgberht of Kent. However, a few years later at least part of it was subject to Mercia, since in 673–675 further lands were given to Chertsey Abbey by Frithuwald, a local sub-king () ruling under the sovereignty of

Wulfhere of Mercia Wulfhere or Wulfar (died 675) was King of Mercia from 658 until 675 AD. He was the first Christian king of all of Mercia, though it is not known when or how he converted from Anglo-Saxon paganism. His accession marked the end of Oswiu of North ...

. A decade later Surrey passed into the hands of King Caedwalla of Wessex, who also conquered Kent and Sussex, and founded a monastery at

in 686. The region remained under the control of Caedwalla's successor

Ine INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Estadística (disambiguation) * Instituto Nacional de Estatística (disambiguation) * Instituto Nacional Elec ...

in the early 8th century. Its political history for most of the 8th century is unclear, although West Saxon control may have broken down around 722, but by 784–785 it had passed into the hands of

King Offa Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æt ...

of Mercia. Mercian rule continued until 825, when following his victory over the Mercians at the

Battle of Ellandun The Battle of Ellendun or Battle of Wroughton was fought between Ecgberht of Wessex and Beornwulf of Mercia in September 825. Sir Frank Stenton described it as "one of the most decisive battles of English history". It effectively ended Mercian S ...

King Egbert Ecgberht (770/775 – 839), also spelled Egbert, Ecgbert, Ecgbriht, Ecgbeorht, and Ecbert, was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was King Ealhmund of Kent. In the 780s, Ecgberht was forced into exile to Charlema ...

of Wessex seized control of Surrey, along with Sussex, Kent and Essex. It was incorporated into Wessex as a

shire Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...

and continued thereafter under the rule of the West Saxon kings, who eventually became kings of all of England.

Identified sub-kings of Surrey

* Frithuwald () * Frithuric? ()

West Saxon and English shire

In the 9th century England was afflicted, along with the rest of northwestern Europe, by the attacks of Scandinavian

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

. Surrey's inland position shielded it from coastal raiding, so that it was not normally troubled except by the largest and most ambitious Scandinavian armies. In 851 an exceptionally large invasion force of

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

arrived at the mouth of the Thames in a fleet of about 350 ships, which would have carried over 15,000 men. Having sacked

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

and London and defeated King Beorhtwulf of Mercia in battle, the Danes crossed the Thames into Surrey, but were slaughtered by a West Saxon army led by King Æthelwulf in the

Battle of Aclea The Battle of Aclea occurred in 851 between the West Saxons led by Æthelwulf, King of Wessex and the Danish Vikings at an unknown location in Surrey. It resulted in a West Saxon victory. Little is known about the battle and the most importa ...

, bringing the invasion to an end. Two years later the men of Surrey marched into Kent to help their Kentish neighbours fight a raiding force at

Thanet Thanet may refer to: *Isle of Thanet, a former island, now a peninsula, at the most easterly point of Kent, England *Thanet District, a local government district containing the island *Thanet College, former name of East Kent College *Thanet Canal, ...

, but suffered heavy losses including their

ealdorman Ealdorman (, ) was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied ...

, Huda. In 892 Surrey was the scene of another major battle when a large Danish army, variously reported at 200, 250 and 350 ship-loads, moved west from its encampment in Kent and raided in Hampshire and Berkshire. Withdrawing with their loot, the Danes were intercepted and defeated at Farnham by an army led by

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...

's son Edward, the future King Edward the Elder, and fled across the Thames towards Essex. Surrey remained safe from attack for over a century thereafter, due to its location and to the growing power of the West Saxon, later English, kingdom.

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

was the scene for the coronations of

Æthelstan Æthelstan or Athelstan (; ang, Æðelstān ; on, Aðalsteinn; ; – 27 October 939) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first ...

in 924 and of Æthelred the Unready in 978, and, according to later tradition, also of other 10th-century Kings of England. The renewed Danish attacks during the disastrous reign of Æthelred led to the devastation of Surrey by the army of Thorkell the Tall, which ravaged all of southeastern England in 1009–1011. The climax of this wave of attacks came in 1016, which saw prolonged fighting between the forces of King Edmund Ironside and the Danish king

Cnut Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...

, including an English victory over the Danes somewhere in northeastern Surrey, but ended with the conquest of England by Cnut. Cnut's death in 1035 was followed by a period of political uncertainty, as the succession was disputed between his sons. In 1036

Alfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, son of King Æthelred, returned from

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, where he had been taken for safety as a child at the time of Cnut's conquest of England. It is uncertain what his intentions were, but after landing with a small retinue in Sussex he was met by Godwin, Earl of Wessex, who escorted him in apparently friendly fashion to

. Having taken lodgings there, Alfred's men were attacked as they slept and killed, mutilated or enslaved by Godwin's followers, while the prince himself was blinded and imprisoned, dying shortly afterwards. This must have contributed to the antipathy between Godwin and Alfred's brother

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

, who came to the throne in 1042. This hostility peaked in 1051, when Godwin and his sons were driven into exile; returning the following year, the men of Surrey rose to support them, along with those of Sussex, Kent, Essex and elsewhere, helping them secure their reinstatement and the banishment of the king's

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

entourage. The repercussions of this antagonism helped bring about the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

of England in 1066.

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

records that the largest landowners in Surrey at the end of Edward's reign were Chertsey Abbey and Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex and later king, followed by the estates of King Edward himself. Apart from the abbey, most of whose lands were within the shire, Surrey was not the principal focus of any major landowner's holdings, a tendency which was to persist in later periods. Given the vast and widespread landed interests and the national and international preoccupations of the monarchy and the earldom of Wessex, the Abbot of Chertsey was therefore probably the most important figure in the local elite. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the emergence of the shire's internal division into 14 hundreds, which continued until

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

times. These were the hundreds of

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

, Copthorne, Effingham Half-Hundred, Elmbridge,

, Godley,

, Reigate,

Tandridge Tandridge is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge District, in the county of Surrey, England. Its nucleus is on a rise of the Greensand Ridge between Oxted and Godstone. It includes, towards its middle one named sub-locality (hamlet), ...

, Wallington,

and Wotton.

Identified ''
ealdormen Ealdorman (, ) was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied ...
'' of Surrey

* Wulfheard () * Huda (?–853) * Æðelweard (late 10th century) * Æðelmær (?–1016)

Later Medieval Surrey

After the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings nrf, Batâle dé Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William the Conqueror, William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godw ...

, the

army advanced through Kent into Surrey, where they defeated an English force which attacked them at

and then burned that suburb. Rather than try to attack London across the river, the Normans continued west through Surrey, crossed the Thames at Wallingford in Berkshire and descended on London from the north-west. As was the case across England, the native ruling class of Surrey was virtually eliminated by Norman seizure of land. Only one significant English landowner, the brother of the last English Abbot of Chertsey, remained by the time the Domesday survey was conducted in 1086. At that time the largest landholding in Surrey, as in many other parts of the country, was the expanded royal estate, while the next largest holding belonged to

Richard fitz Gilbert Richard fitz Gilbert (before 1035–), 1st feudal baron of Clare in Suffolk, was a Norman lord who participated in the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and was styled "de Bienfaite", "de Clare", and of "Tonbridge" from his holdings.G. E. Cok ...

, founder of the de Clare family. Runnymede-meadow-eghamend

In 1088, King William II granted William de Warenne the title of

Earl of Surrey Earl of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created five times. It was first created for William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, William de Warenne, a close Companions of William the Conqueror, companion of William the Con ...

as a reward for Warenne's loyalty during the rebellion that followed the death of William I. When the male line of the Warennes became extinct in the 14th century, the earldom was inherited by the

Fitzalan FitzAlan is an English patronymic surname of Anglo-Norman origin, descending from the Breton knight Alan fitz Flaad (d. 1120), who accompanied king Henry I to England on his succession. He was grandson of the Seneschal of the Bishop of Dol. The F ...

Earls of Arundel. The Fitzalan line of Earls of Surrey died out in 1415, but after other short-lived revivals in the 15th century the title was conferred in 1483 on the

Howard family The House of Howard is an English noble house founded by John Howard, who was created Duke of Norfolk (third creation) by King Richard III of England in 1483. However, John was also the eldest grandson (although maternal) of the 1st Duke of the ...

, who still hold it. However, Surrey was not a major focus of any of these families' interests. Guildford castle 1

Guildford Castle Guildford Castle is in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is thought to have been built by William the Conqueror, or one of his barons, shortly after the 1066 invasion of England. History From the eleventh to the thirteenth century Construction an ...

, one of many fortresses originally established by the Normans to help them subdue the country, was rebuilt in stone and developed as a royal palace in the 12th century. Farnham Castle was built during the 12th century as a residence for the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

, while other stone castles were constructed in the same period at Bletchingley by the de Clares and at Reigate by the Warennes. During

King John King John may refer to: Rulers * John, King of England (1166–1216) * John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237) * John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314) * John I of France (15–20 November 1316) * John II of France (1319–1364) * John I o ...

's struggle with the barons,

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...

was issued in June 1215 at

near Egham. John's efforts to reverse this concession reignited the war, and in 1216 the barons invited Prince Louis of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to take the throne. Having landed in Kent and been welcomed in London, he advanced across Surrey to attack John, then at

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, occupying Reigate and Guildford castles along the way. Guildford Castle later became one of the favourite residences of King Henry III, who considerably expanded the palace there. During the baronial revolt against Henry, in 1264 the rebel army of Simon de Montfort passed southwards through Surrey on their way to the Battle of Lewes in Sussex. Although the rebels were victorious, soon after the battle royal forces captured and destroyed Bletchingley Castle, whose owner Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Hertford and Gloucester, was de Montfort's most powerful ally. By the 14th century, castles were of dwindling military importance, but remained a mark of social prestige, leading to the construction of castles at Starborough near

Lingfield Lingfield can refer to: * Lingfield, County Durham, England, a village * Lingfield, Surrey, England, a village ** Lingfield Park Racecourse ** Lingfield Cricket Club, prominent in the 18th century ** Lingfield railway station, serving the villag ...

by Lord Cobham, and at Betchworth by John Fitzalan, whose father had recently inherited the Earldom of Surrey. Though Reigate and Bletchingley remained modest settlements, the role of their castles as local centres for the two leading aristocratic interests in Surrey had enabled them to gain

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

status by the early 13th century. As a result, they gained representation in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

when it became established towards the end of that century, alongside the more substantial urban settlements of Guildford and Southwark. Surrey's third sizeable town, Kingston, despite its size, borough status and historical association with the monarchy, did not gain parliamentary representation until 1832. Surrey had little political or economic significance in the Middle Ages. Its agricultural wealth was limited by the infertility of most of its soils, and it was not the main power-base of any important aristocratic family, nor the seat of a bishopric. The London suburb of Southwark was a major urban settlement, and the proximity of the capital boosted the wealth and population of the surrounding area, but urban development elsewhere was sapped by the overshadowing predominance of London and by the lack of direct access to the sea. Population pressure in the 12th and 13th centuries initiated the gradual clearing of the

, the forest spanning the borders of Surrey, Sussex and Kent, which had hitherto been left undeveloped due to the difficulty of farming on its heavy clay soil. Surrey's most significant source of prosperity in the later Middle Ages was the production of woollen cloth, which emerged during that period as England's main export industry. The county was an early centre of English textile manufacturing, benefiting from the presence of deposits of

fuller's earth Fuller's earth is any clay material that has the capability to decolorize oil or other liquids without the use of harsh chemical treatment. Fuller's earth typically consists of palygorskite (attapulgite) or bentonite. Modern uses of fuller's ea ...

, the rare mineral composite important in the process of finishing cloth, around Reigate and Nutfield. The industry in Surrey was focused on Guildford, which gave its name to a variety of cloth, ''gilforte'', which was exported widely across Europe and the Middle East and imitated by manufacturers elsewhere in Europe. However, as the English cloth industry expanded, Surrey was outstripped by other growing regions of production. Waverleyabbeydormitory

Though Surrey was not the scene of serious fighting in the various rebellions and civil wars of the period, armies from Kent heading for London via Southwark passed through what were then the extreme north-eastern fringes of Surrey during the

Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...

of 1381 and Cade's Rebellion in 1450, and at various stages of the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

in 1460, 1469 and 1471. The upheaval of 1381 also involved widespread local unrest in Surrey, as was the case all across south-eastern England, and some recruits from Surrey joined the Kentish rebel army. In 1082 a

Cluniac The Cluniac Reforms (also called the Benedictine Reform) were a series of changes within medieval monasticism of the Western Church focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement began wit ...

abbey was founded at Bermondsey by Alwine, a wealthy English citizen of London.

Waverley Abbey Waverley Abbey was the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128 by William Giffard, the Bishop of Winchester. Located about southeast of Farnham, Surrey, it is situated on a flood-plain; surrounded by current and previous channels o ...

near Farnham, founded in 1128, was the first

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

monastery in England. Over the next quarter-century monks spread out from here to found new houses, creating a network of twelve monasteries descended from Waverley across southern and central England. The 12th and early 13th centuries also saw the establishment of

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

priories at Merton,

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

and Reigate. A Dominican friary was established at

by Henry III's widow

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence (c. 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a French noblewoman who became Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served as regent of England during the absence of her spouse in 1253. ...

, in memory of her grandson who had died at Guildford in 1274. In the 15th century a

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...

priory was founded by King Henry V at

Sheen Sheen may refer to: Places * Sheen or West Sheen, an alternative name for Richmond, London, England ** East Sheen ** North Sheen ** Sheen Priory * Sheen, Staffordshire, a village and civil parish in the Staffordshire Moorlands, England * Sheenb ...

. These would all perish, along with the still important

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey of Chertsey, in the 16th-century Dissolution of the Monasteries. Now fallen into disuse, some English counties had nicknames for those raised there such as a 'tyke' from Yorkshire, or a 'yellowbelly' from

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

. In the case of Surrey, the term was a 'Surrey capon', from Surrey's role in the later Middle Ages as the county where chickens were fattened up for the London meat markets.

Early Modern Surrey

Under the early Tudor kings, magnificent royal palaces were constructed in northeastern Surrey, conveniently close to London. At

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

an existing royal residence was rebuilt on a grand scale under

King Henry VII Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufo ...

, who also founded a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

nearby in 1499. The still more spectacular palace of Nonsuch was later built for

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

near Ewell. The palace at Guildford Castle had fallen out of use long before, but a royal hunting lodge existed outside the town. All these have since been demolished. During the Cornish Rebellion of 1497, the rebels heading for London briefly occupied Guildford and fought a skirmish with a government detachment on Guildown outside the town, before marching on to defeat at

in Kent. The forces of Wyatt's Rebellion in 1554 passed through what was then northeastern Surrey on their way from Kent to London, briefly occupying Southwark and then crossing the Thames at Kingston after failing to storm London Bridge. Surrey's cloth industry declined in the 16th century and collapsed in the 17th, harmed by falling standards and competition from more effective producers in other parts of England. The iron industry in the Weald, whose rich deposits had been exploited since prehistoric times, expanded and spread from its base in Sussex into Kent and Surrey after 1550. New furnace technology stimulated further growth in the early 17th century, but this hastened the extinction of the business as the mines were worked out. However, this period also saw the emergence of important new industries, centred on the valley of the Tillingbourne, south-east of Guildford, which often adapted watermills originally built for the now moribund cloth industry. The production of brass goods and wire in this area was relatively short-lived, falling victim to competitors in the Midlands in the mid-17th century, but the manufacture of paper and

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

proved more enduring. For a time in the mid-17th century the Surrey mills were the main producers of gunpowder in England. A glass industry also developed in the mid-16th century on the southwestern borders of Surrey, but had collapsed by 1630, as the wood-fired Surrey glassworks were surpassed by emerging coal-fired works elsewhere in England. The Wey Navigation, opened in 1653, was one of England's first canal systems. George Abbot from NPG cropped

George Abbot, the son of a Guildford clothworker, served as

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

in 1611–1633. In 1619 he founded

Abbot's Hospital The Hospital of the Blessed Trinity, better known as Abbot's Hospital, is a Grade I listed Jacobean building and charity in Guildford. History The hospital was founded by George Abbot, the Archbishop of Canterbury (1611–1633) in 1619 to p ...

, an

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

in Guildford, which is still operating. He also made unsuccessful efforts to revitalise the local cloth industry. One of his brothers,

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, became Bishop of Salisbury, while another, Maurice, was a founding shareholder of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

who became the company's Governor and later

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

. Southwark expanded rapidly in this period, and by 1600, if considered as a separate entity, it was the second-largest urban area in England, behind only London itself. Parts of it were outside the jurisdiction of the government of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

, and as a result the area of

Bankside Bankside is an area of London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. Bankside is located on the southern bank of the River Thames, east of Charing Cross, running from a little west of Blackfriars Bridge to just a short distance befor ...

became London's principal entertainment district, since the social control exercised there by the local authorities of Surrey was less effective and restrictive than that of the City authorities. Bankside was the scene of the golden age of Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre, with the work of playwrights including

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

and John Webster performed in its playhouses. The leading actor and impresario

Edward Alleyn Edward "Ned" Alleyn (; 1 September 156621 November 1626) was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich. Early life Alleyn was born on 1 September 1566 in Bishopsga ...

founded the

College of God's Gift The College of God's Gift, often referred to as the Old (Dulwich) College, was a historic charity founded in 1619 by the Elizabethan actor and businessman Edward Alleyn who endowed it with the ancient Manor of Dulwich in south London. In 1857 it ...

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of ...

with an endowment including an art collection, which was later expanded and opened to the public in 1817, becoming Britain's first public art gallery. Hollar Long View detail

Surrey almost entirely escaped the direct impact of fighting during the main phase of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

in 1642–1646. The local Parliamentarian gentry led by

Sir Richard Onslow Sir Richard Onslow (1601 – 19 May 1664) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1664. He fought on the Roundhead, Parliamentary side during the English Civil War ...

were able to secure the county without difficulty on the outbreak of war. Farnham Castle was briefly occupied by the advancing Royalists in late 1642, but was easily stormed by the Parliamentarians under Sir William Waller. A new Royalist offensive in late 1643 saw skirmishing around Farnham between Waller's forces and

Ralph Hopton Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton, (159628 September 1652), was an English politician, soldier and landowner. During the 1642 to 1646 First English Civil War, he served as Royalist commander in the West Country, and was made Baron Hopton of Stra ...

's Royalists, but these brief incursions into the western fringes of Surrey marked the limits of Royalist advances on the county. At the end of 1643 Surrey combined with Kent, Sussex and Hampshire to form the

South-Eastern Association The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east ...

, a military federation modelled on Parliament's existing Eastern Association. In the uneasy peace that followed the Royalists' defeat, a political crisis in summer 1647 saw

Sir Thomas Fairfax Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (17 January 161212 November 1671), also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, was an English politician, general and Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. An adept and talented command ...

New Model Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...

pass through Surrey on their way to occupy London, and subsequent billeting of troops in the county caused considerable discontent. During the brief Second Civil War of 1648, the Earl of Holland entered Surrey in July, hoping to ignite a Royalist revolt. He raised his standard at Kingston and advanced south, but found little support. After confused manoeuvres between Reigate and

as Parliamentary troops closed in, his force of 500 men fled northwards and was overtaken and routed at Kingston. Surrey had a central role in the history of the radical political movements unleashed by the civil war. In October 1647 the first manifesto of the movement that became known as the

Levellers The Levellers were a political movement active during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populis ...

, ''

The Case of the Armie Truly Stated ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', was drafted at Guildford by the

elected representatives Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

of army regiments and civilian radicals from London. This document combined specific grievances with wider demands for constitutional change on the basis of popular sovereignty. It formed the template for the more systematic and radical ''

Agreement of the People Agreement may refer to: Agreements between people and organizations * Gentlemen's agreement, not enforceable by law * Trade agreement, between countries * Consensus, a decision-making process * Contract, enforceable in a court of law ** Meeting o ...

'', drafted by the same men later that month. It also led to the

Putney Debates The Putney Debates, which took place from 28 October to 8 November 1647, were a series of discussions over the political settlement that should follow Parliament's victory over Charles I in the First English Civil War. The main participants were ...

shortly afterwards, in which its signatories met with

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

and other senior officers in the Surrey village of Putney, where the army had established its headquarters, to argue over the future political constitution of England. In 1649 the

Diggers The Diggers were a group of religious and political dissidents in England, associated with agrarian socialism. Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard, amongst many others, were known as True Levellers in 1649, in reference to their split from ...

, led by

Gerrard Winstanley Gerrard Winstanley (19 October 1609 – 10 September 1676) was an English Protestant religious reformer, political philosopher, and activist during the period of the Commonwealth of England. Winstanley was the leader and one of the founde ...

, established their communal settlement at

St. George's Hill St George's Hill is a private gated community in Weybridge, Surrey, United Kingdom. The estate has golf and tennis clubs, as well as approximately 420 houses. Land ownership is divided between homes with gardens, belonging to home owners, and t ...

near

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...

to implement egalitarian ideals of common ownership, but were eventually driven out by the local landowners through violence and litigation. A smaller Digger commune was then established near Cobham, but suffered the same fate in 1650.

Modern history

Prior to the Great Reform Act of 1832, Surrey returned fourteen

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MPs), two representing the county and two each from the six boroughs of Bletchingley, Gatton, Guildford,

Haslemere The town of Haslemere () and the villages of Shottermill and Grayswood are in south west Surrey, England, around south west of London. Together with the settlements of Hindhead and Beacon Hill, they comprise the civil parish of Haslemere i ...

, Reigate and Southwark. For two centuries before the Reform Act, the dominant political network in Surrey was that of the Onslows of

Clandon Park Clandon Park House is an early 18th-century grade I listed Palladian mansion in West Clandon, near Guildford in Surrey. It stands in the south east corner of Clandon Park, a agricultural parkland estate which has been the seat of the Earls of ...

, a gentry family established in the county from the early 17th century, who were raised to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

in 1716. Members of the family won at least one of Surrey's two county seats in all but three of the 30 general elections between 1628 and 1768, while they took one or both of the seats for their local borough of Guildford in every election from 1660 to 1830, usually representing the Whig Party after its emergence in the late 1670s. Successive heads of the family held the post of

Lord Lieutenant of Surrey This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Surrey. Since 1737, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Surrey. Lord Lieutenants of Surrey *William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton 1551–1553? *William Howard, ...

continuously from 1716 to 1814. Kew Palace from Thomas Dugdale's Curiosities of Great Britain (1835)

One of the principal residences of the British monarchy in the 18th century was Kew Palace in north Surrey, leased by Queen Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach in 1728 and inhabited by her son

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fath ...

, and later by King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

and Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. After the latter's death at the palace in 1818 it was sold. The White House was demolished about this time, but the Dutch House survives and is now a museum. Until the modern era Surrey, apart from its northeastern corner, was quite sparsely populated in comparison with many parts of southern England, and remained somewhat rustic despite its proximity to the capital. Communications began to improve, and the influence of London to increase, with the development of

turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...

roads and a

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

system in the 18th century. A far more profound transformation followed with the arrival of the railways, beginning in the late 1830s. The availability of rapid transport enabled prosperous London workers to settle all across Surrey and travel daily to work in the capital. This phenomenon of commuting brought explosive growth to Surrey's population and wealth, and tied its economy and society inextricably to London. There was rapid expansion in existing towns like Guildford, Farnham, and most spectacularly

, while new towns such as Woking and Redhill emerged beside the railway lines. The huge numbers of incomers to the county and the transformation of rural, farming communities into a " commuter belt" contributed to a decline in the traditional local culture, including the gradual demise of the distinctive

Surrey dialect English in Southern England (also, rarely, Southern English English; Southern England English; or in the UK, simply, Southern English) is the collective set of different dialects and accents of Modern English spoken in Southern England. As of ...

. This may have survived among the "Surrey Men" into the late 19th Century, but is now extinct. Woking Crematorium - geograph

Meanwhile, London itself spread swiftly across north-eastern Surrey. In 1800 it extended only to

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

; a century later the city's growth had reached as far as Putney and

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

. This expansion was reflected in the creation of the

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

in 1889, detaching the areas subsumed by the city from Surrey. The expansion of London continued in the 20th century, engulfing Croydon, Kingston and many smaller settlements. This led to a further contraction of Surrey in 1965 with the creation of

, under the London Government Act 1963; however, Staines and

Sunbury-on-Thames Sunbury-on-Thames (or commonly Sunbury) is a suburban town on the north bank of the River Thames in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, centred southwest of central London. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, in 1965 Sunbury and other ...

, previously in Middlesex, were transferred to Surrey, extending the county across the Thames. Surrey's boundaries were altered again in 1974 when

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport (), also known as London Gatwick , is a major international airport near Crawley, West Sussex, England, south of Central London. In 2021, Gatwick was the third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after H ...

was transferred to

. In 1849 Brookwood Cemetery was established near Woking to serve the population of London, connected to the capital by its own railway service. It soon developed into the largest burial ground in the world. Woking was also the site of Britain's first crematorium, which opened in 1878, and its first mosque, founded in 1889. In 1881 Godalming became the first town in the world with a public electricity supply. The eastern part of Surrey was transferred from the Diocese of Winchester to that of Rochester in 1877. In 1905 this area was separated to form a new

Diocese of Southwark The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient Dio ...

. The rest of the county, together with part of eastern Hampshire, was separated from Winchester in 1927 to become the Diocese of Guildford, whose

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

was consecrated in 1961. During the later 19th century Surrey became important in the development of architecture in Britain and the wider world. Its traditional building forms made a significant contribution to the vernacular revival architecture associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement, and would exert a lasting influence. The prominence of Surrey peaked in the 1890s, when it was the focus for globally important developments in domestic architecture, in particular the early work of

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memori ...

, who grew up in the county and was greatly influenced by its traditional styles and materials. DennisSabre

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the demise of Surrey's long-standing industries manufacturing paper and gunpowder. Most of the county's paper mills closed in the years after 1870, and the last survivor shut in 1928. Gunpowder production fell victim to the First World War, which brought about a huge expansion of the British munitions industry, followed by sharp contraction and consolidation when the war ended, leading to the closure of the Surrey powder mills. New industrial developments included the establishment of the vehicle manufacturers Dennis Specialist Vehicles, Dennis Brothers in Guildford in 1895. Beginning as a maker of bicycles and then of cars, the firm soon shifted into the production of commercial and utility vehicles, becoming internationally important as a manufacturer of fire engines and buses. Though much reduced in size and despite multiple changes of ownership, this business continues to operate in Guildford. Kingston and nearby Ham, London, Ham became a centre of aircraft manufacturing, with the establishment in 1912 of the Sopwith Aviation Company and in 1920 of its successor H.G. Hawker Engineering, which later became Hawker Aviation and then Hawker Siddeley. Dragons teeth

During the Second World War a section of the GHQ Line, GHQ Stop Line, a system of Bunker#Pillbox, pillboxes, gun emplacements, anti-tank obstacles and other fortifications, was constructed along the North Downs. This line, running from Somerset to Yorkshire, was intended as the principal fixed defence of London and the industrial core of England against the threat of invasion. German invasion plans envisaged that the main thrust of their advance inland would cross the North Downs at the gap in the ridge formed by the Wey valley, thus colliding with the defence line around Guildford. Between the wars Croydon Airport, opened in 1920, served as the main airport for London, but it was superseded after the Second World War by Heathrow Airport, Heathrow, and closed in 1959.

, where commercial flights began in 1933, expanded greatly in the 1950s and 1960s, but the area occupied by the airport was transferred from Surrey to

in 1974. In June 1972, British European Airways Flight 548 crashed near Staines just after taking off from Heathrow Airport. This remains the worst air accident in the UK.

Historic architecture and monuments

Few traces of the ancient British and Roman periods survive in Surrey. There are a number of round barrows and bell barrows in various locations, mostly dating to the Bronze Age. Remains of Iron Age hillforts exist at Holmbury Hill, Hascombe Hill, Capel, Surrey#Anstiebury, Anstiebury (near Capel, Surrey, Capel), Dry Hill (Surrey), Dry Hill (near

), St. Ann's Hill, Chertsey, St Ann's Hill (Chertsey) and St George's Hill (

). Most of these sites were created in the 1st century BC and many were re-occupied during the middle of the 1st century AD. Only fragments of Stane Street and Ermine Street, the Roman roads which crossed the county, remain. Anglo-Saxon elements survive in a number of Surrey churches, notably at Guildford (St Mary's Church, Guildford, St Mary), Godalming (Church of St. Peter & St. Paul, Godalming, St Peter & St Paul), Stoke D'Abernon (St Mary's Church, Stoke d'Abernon, St Mary), Thursley, Witley, Compton, Guildford, Compton and Albury, Surrey, Albury (in ''Old Albury''). Numerous medieval churches exist in Surrey, but the county's parish churches are typically relatively small and simple, and experienced particularly widespread destruction and remodelling of their form in the course of Victorian restoration. Important medieval church interiors survive at Chaldon,

, Stoke D'Abernon, Compton, Guildford, Compton and Dunsfold. Large monastic churches fell into ruin after their institutions were dissolved, although fragments of

and Newark Priory survive. Southwark Priory, no longer in Surrey has survived, though much altered, and is now Southwark Cathedral. Farnham Castle largely retains its medieval structure, while the keep and fragments of the curtain walls and palace buildings survive at

. Very little non-military secular architecture survives in Surrey from earlier than the 15th century. Wholly or partially surviving houses and barns from that century, with considerable later modifications, include those at Wanborough Manor, Bletchingley, Littleton, Spelthorne, Littleton, East Horsley, Ewhurst, Surrey, Ewhurst, Dockenfield,

, Limpsfield, Oxted, Crowhurst Place,

and Old Surrey Hall. Abbotshospital

Major examples of Tudor period, 16th-century architecture include the grand mid-century country houses of Loseley Park and Sutton Place, Surrey, Sutton Place and the old building of the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, founded in 1509. A considerable number of smaller houses and public houses of the 16th century are also still standing. From the 17th century the number of surviving buildings proliferates further.

, founded in 1619, is a grand edifice built in the Tudor architecture, Tudor style, despite its date. More characteristic examples of major 17th-century building include West Horsley Place, Slyfield Manor, and the Guildford Guildhall, Guildhall in Guildford.

Notable inhabitants

Literature

Besides its role in Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre, many important writers have lived and worked in Surrey. * ''The Owl and the Nightingale'', one of the earliest Middle English poems, may have been written by one Nicholas of Guildford, who is mentioned in its text. * John Donne (1572–1631) lived and worked for a time in Pyrford. * John Evelyn (1620–1706) was born and spent much of his life in Wotton, Surrey, Wotton, and is buried there. * Daniel Defoe (1659/61–1731) was educated in Dorking. * William Cobbett (1763–1835) was born and raised in Farnham, later lived in Wyke, Surrey, Wyke, where he died, and is buried in Farnham; Surrey features prominently in his ''Rural Rides''. * Thomas Love Peacock (1785–1866) lived in Lower Halliford, then part of Middlesex, now in Surrey. * Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) wrote ''Coningsby (novel), Coningsby'' while living in Dorking. * Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892) spent the latter part of his life, and died, in

. * Charles Dickens (1812–1870) wrote part of ''The Pickwick Papers'' in Dorking, and refers to the town in the novel. * Robert Browning (1812–1889) was born in Camberwell, then part of Surrey. * George Eliot (1819–1880) wrote most of ''Middlemarch'' while living in Haslemere. * Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) lived in Laleham, then part of Middlesex, now in Surrey. * George Meredith (1828–1909) lived at Box Hill. * Lewis Carroll (1832–1898) spent much of his time at his sisters' home in Guildford, where he wrote ''Through the Looking-Glass''; he died there and is buried in the town. * Isabella Beeton (1836–1865) lived for several years in Epsom, where her step-father was clerk of the racecourse. * George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) lived in Woking and later in Hindhead, where he wrote ''Caesar and Cleopatra (play), Caesar and Cleopatra''. * Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) lived and wrote many of his books in Hindhead and served as deputy lieutenant of Surrey; the county forms a setting for several of the Sherlock Holmes stories. * J. M. Barrie (1860–1937) lived in Tilford, and based ''The Boy Castaways'', which later evolved into ''Peter Pan'', in the nearby countryside. * H. G. Wells (1866–1946) wrote ''The War of the Worlds'' while living in Woking; much of northern Surrey is laid waste in the course of the story. * John Galsworthy (1867–1933) was born in Kingston and the ''Forsyte Saga'' is partly set in the area. * E. M. Forster (1879–1970) lived and wrote in

and Abinger Hammer. * P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975) was born in Guildford and baptised there in St. Nicolas' Church, Guildford, St Nicolas' Church. * Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) was born and raised in Godalming and his ashes are interred at Compton; the end of ''Brave New World'' is set in Surrey. * Robert Graves (1895–1985) was born in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, then part of Surrey. * Rosemary Sutcliff (1920–1992) was born in East Clandon. * Clive King (1924–2018) was born in Richmond, London, Richmond, then part of Surrey. * John Osborne (1929–1994) grew up in Stoneleigh, Surrey, Stoneleigh. * Kazuo Ishiguro (born 1954) grew up in Guildford.

Arts and sciences

* William of Ockham (), scholasticism, scholastic philosopher, most famous for "Occam's Razor", came from Ockham, Surrey, Ockham. * Thomas Malthus (1766–1834), pioneer of demography, was born and raised in Westcott, Surrey, Westcott, and later lived in Albury. * Ada Lovelace (1815–1852), mathematician, lived at East Horsley. * Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904), photographer, was born and raised in Kingston, then part of Surrey. * Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932), garden designer, lived for much of her life at Munstead near Godalming, created significant gardens in Surrey and is buried in Busbridge. *

(1869–1944), architect, grew up in Thursley; many of his early works were built in Surrey, including collaborations with Gertrude Jekyll. * Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), composer, grew up at Leith Hill and later lived in Dorking. * Laurence Olivier (1907–1989), actor, was born in Dorking. * Peggy Ashcroft (1907–1991), actress, was born and raised in Croydon, then part of Surrey. * David Lean (1908–1991), film director, was born in Croydon. * Alan Turing (1912–1954), mathematician and pioneer of computer science, lived for much of his early life in Guildford. * Jimmy Perry (1923–2016), actor and screenwriter, was born in Barnes, London, Barnes, then part of Surrey. * Roy Hudd (1936-2020), comedian and actor, was born and raised in Croydon. * Alex Kingston (born 1963), actress, was born and raised in Epsom. * Tracey Emin (born 1963), artist, was born in Croydon. * Tom Holland (actor) (1996) came from Kingston Upon Thames

Popular music

The "Surrey Delta" produced many of the musicians in 60s British blues movements. The Rolling Stones developed their music at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond upon Thames, Richmond. * Roger Waters (born 1943) was born in Great Bookham, a village in Surrey. * Jimmy Page (born 1944) spent much of his early life in Epsom. * Jeff Beck (born 1944) was born in Wallington, London, Wallington, then part of Surrey. * Eric Clapton (born 1945) was born and grew up in Ripley, Surrey, Ripley. * Peter Gabriel (born 1950) was born in Chobham and grew up in Surrey. His band Genesis (band), Genesis was formed at the Charterhouse School in Godalming. * The Stranglers were formed in

. * Paul Weller (born 1958) was born and grew up in

, which inspired the song "Town Called Malice". The Jam were formed at Sheerwater Secondary School in the town. * Kirsty MacColl (1959–2000) was born in Croydon, then part of Surrey. * Fatboy Slim, Norman Cook, a.k.a. Fatboy Slim (born 1963), grew up in Reigate. * Georgia Buchanan a.k.a. Call Me Loop (born 1991), was born in Surrey. * Hard-Fi members Richard Archer, Ross Phillips and Kai Stephens are from Staines-upon-Thames. * Justin Hawkins, lead singer of rock band The Darkness (band), The Darkness, was born in Surrey. * Disclosure (band), Disclosure members Guy and Howard Lawrence are from Reigate. *Keith Relf (1943-1976) was born and grew up in Richmond, London, Richmond, then part of Surrey. *Jane Relf (born 1947) was born and grew up in Richmond, London, Richmond, then part of Surrey.

Sport

*Max Hall (cricketer), Max Hall (born 1975), cricketer

Television

The county is covered by BBC London and ITV London. BBC South and ITV Meridian can be received in western parts of Surrey and BBC South East in southeastern parts of the county.

Sport

James Pollard - Epsom Races- The Race Over - Google Art Project

* Cricket makes its first appearance in history in Surrey, in a reference to the game being played at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford in the 16th century (see History of English cricket to 1696). Mitcham Cricket Club, formed in 1685 and the oldest documented club in the game's history, was within Surrey's borders until 1965. The Surrey County Cricket Club has been based at The Oval in Kennington, now part of

, since its foundation in 1845. The club also uses Whitgift School in South Croydon and Woodbridge Road in

for some games. It was one of the original participants in the County Championship and has won the competition 19 times outright and once jointly, more than any other county except Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Yorkshire. * Epsom Downs Racecourse is the venue for the most prestigious event in British flat horse-racing, the Epsom Derby, Derby, which has been held there most years since 1780. Surrey is also home to Lingfield Park Racecourse, Lingfield, Kempton Park Racecourse, Kempton and Sandown Park Racecourse, Sandown Park Racecourses, presenting an unusually high concentration in one county. * Brooklands between Woking and Weybridge was the world's first purpose-built motorsport race circuit, opened in 1907. The headquarters of the McLaren Formula One team are at Woking. James Hunt, the 1976 Formula 1 World Driver's Champion was born in Belmont, Sutton, then part of Surrey, in 1947. * The All England Lawn Tennis Club, venue for the Wimbledon Championships, and the headquarters of the Lawn Tennis Association were within Surrey until 1965. * Surrey's leading Rugby union, rugby club, Esher RFC, Esher, currently compete in the National League 1, the third tier of English rugby. * Surrey is one of a handful of English counties with no teams in the top 92 Association football, football teams, the Football League. Its leading team is Woking F.C., Woking, currently playing in the fifth-tier National League (division), National League. * Surrey is home to the ice hockey team the Guildford Flames, who compete in the top-tier Elite Ice Hockey League. * The basketball team Surrey Scorchers, based in Guildford, play in the top tier of British basketball, the British Basketball League. * The netball team Surrey Storm, based in Guildford play in the Netball Superleague. They are the franchise for the Greater London area and the South East. * Golf has been played in the county since before 1900 most notably as international venue Wentworth Club, Wentworth; by 2013 a 142nd co-existing Surrey golf course was in planning consultation; 141 were recorded by ''The Daily Telegraph'' newspaper. * Rowing clubs include Molesey Boat Club, Molesey (with an elite development programme hosting several leading British Rowing crews), Walton Rowing Club, Walton, (one of the UK's top clubs in the junior category), Weybridge Rowing Club, Weybridge
Weybridge LadiesWeybridge Mariners
Rowing on the River Thames, Burway, Staines Boat Club, Staines an
Guildford
whose top female quad boat won Henley Women's Regatta, Henley Women's in 2012. * Volleyball teams include British Airways, BA, Friends Provident an
Guildford International Volleyball Club
(whose elite men's team has won the Volleyball England, 1st of the 4 National Divisions), while twelve clubs in Surrey and three in south-west Greater London compete in the Surrey Volleyball League.

Surrey football clubs

The county has numerous football teams. In the Combined Counties League can be found the likes of Ash United F.C., Ash United, Badshot Lea F.C., Badshot Lea, Banstead Athletic F.C., Banstead Athletic, Camberley Town F.C., Camberley Town, Chessington & Hook United F.C., Chessington & Hook United, Cobham F.C., Cobham, Epsom & Ewell F.C., Epsom & Ewell, Epsom Athletic F.C., Epsom Athletic, Farleigh Rovers F.C., Farleigh Rovers, Farnham Town F.C., Farnham Town, Frimley Green F.C., Frimley Green, Horley Town F.C., Horley Town, Knaphill F.C., Knaphill, Mole Valley SCR F.C., Mole Valley SCR, Molesey F.C., Molesey, Sheerwater F.C., Sheerwater, Spelthorne Sports F.C., Spelthorne Sports and Westfield F.C. (Surrey), Westfield; Lingfield F.C., Lingfield play at the same level but in the Southern Combination Football League, Southern Combination; Ashford Town F.C., Ashford Town, Chertsey Town F.C., Chertsey Town, Godalming Town F.C., Godalming Town and Guildford City F.C., Guildford City play higher in the Southern Football League, Southern League; equally Leatherhead F.C., Leatherhead, Merstham F.C., Merstham, Redhill F.C., Redhill, South Park F.C., South Park, Staines Town F.C., Staines Town, Walton Casuals F.C., Walton Casuals and Walton & Hersham F.C., Walton and Hersham are in the Isthmian League, Isthmian; Dorking Wanderers F.C., Dorking Wanderers and Woking F.C., Woking are currently the highest ranked Surrey based clubs, playing in the National League (division), National League. Chelsea F.C. practice at the Cobham Training Centre located in the village of Stoke d'Abernon near Cobham, Surrey. The training ground was built in 2004 and officially opened in 2007.

Local government

History

The Local Government Act 1888 reorganised county-level local government throughout England and Wales. Accordingly, the administrative county of Surrey was formed in 1889 when the Provisional Surrey County Council first met, consisting of 19 aldermen and 57 councillors. The county council assumed the administrative responsibilities previously exercised by the county's justice of the peace, justices in quarter sessions. The county had revised boundaries, with the north east of the historic county bordering the

becoming part of a new

. These areas now form the London Boroughs of London Borough of Lambeth, Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark, Southwark and London Borough of Wandsworth, Wandsworth, and the Penge Urban District, Penge area of the London Borough of Bromley. At the same time, the County Borough of Croydon, borough of Croydon became a county borough, outside the jurisdiction of the county council. For purposes other than local government the administrative county of Surrey and county borough of Croydon continued to form a "county of Surrey" to which a Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Surrey, Custos Rotulorum (chief magistrate) and a High Sheriff of Surrey, High Sheriff were appointed. Surrey had been administered from Newington since the 1790s, and the county council was initially based in the sessions house there. As Newington was included in the County of London, it lay outside the area administered by the council, and a site for a new county hall within the administrative county was sought. By 1890 six towns were being considered: Epsom, Guildford, Kingston, Redhill,

and Wimbledon. In 1891 it was decided to build the new County Hall (Surrey), County Hall at Kingston, and the building opened in 1893, but this site was also overtaken by the growing London conurbation, and by the 1930s most of the north of the county had been built over, becoming Outer London, outer suburbs of London, although continuing to form part of Surrey administratively. In 1960 the report of the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London, Herbert Commission recommended that much of north Surrey (including Kingston and Croydon) be included in a new "

". These recommendations were enacted in highly modified form in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The areas that now form the London Boroughs of London Borough of Croydon, Croydon, Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames, Kingston, London Borough of Merton, Merton, and London Borough of Sutton, Sutton and that part of London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Richmond south of the River Thames, were transferred from Surrey to Greater London. At the same time part of the county of

, which had been abolished by the legislation, was added to Surrey. This area now forms the borough of Spelthorne. Further local government reform under the Local Government Act 1972 took place in 1974. The 1972 Act abolished administrative counties and introduced non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties in their place. The boundaries of the non-metropolitan county of Surrey were similar to those of the administrative county with the exception of

and some surrounding land which was transferred to

. It was originally proposed that the parishes of Horley and Charlwood would become part of West Sussex; however this met fierce local opposition and it was reversed by the Charlwood and Horley Act 1974.

Today

After the elections of May 2021 the County Councillors' party affiliations were as follows: As of 2 May 2019, the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative local councillors controlled 4 out of 11 councils in Surrey, the Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats controlled Mole Valley, the Residents Associations of Epsom and Ewell controlled Epsom and Ewell, and the remaining 5 are in No overall control, No Overall Control. Of the five No Overall Control councils, Elmbridge and Waverley were both run by coalitions of Residents and Liberal Democrats, Guildford was run by a Liberal Democrats minority administration, and Tandridge and Woking were both run by Conservative minority administrations. The Conservatives held all List of Parliamentary constituencies in Surrey, 11 Parliamentary constituencies within the county borders.

Economy

The average wage in Surrey is bolstered by the high proportion of residents who work in financial services. Surrey has more organisation and company headquarters than any other county in the UK. Electronics manufacturers Canon (company), Canon, Toshiba, Samsung and Philips are housed here, as are distributors Burlodge, Future Electronics, Kia Motors and Toyota UK, the medico-pharma companies Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis and oil giant Esso. Some of the largest fast-moving consumer goods multinationals in the world have their UK and/or European headquarters here, including Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Superdrug, Nestlé, SC Johnson, Kimberly-Clark and Colgate-Palmolive. NGOs including World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF UK & Compassion in World Farming are also based here.

Transport

Road

Three major motorways pass through the county. These are: * M25 motorway, M25 (London Orbital) runs through the county, including a long cutting (transportation), cutting into the Reigate, Reigate Hill-Walton Down scarp of the

and has 8 junctions in the county.
It connects among others to the M1 motorway, M1, M11 motorway, M11, M20 motorway, M20, M26 motorway, M26, M4 motorway, M4 and M40 motorway, M40. The motorway runs close to Heathrow Airport and the motorway network can be used to access Gatwick Airport, Gatwick, Stansted Airport, Stansted and Luton Airport, Luton Airports and the Channel Tunnel motor vehicle service. *M3 motorway (Great Britain), M3 crosses the north-west of the county. It connects London to Southampton and the South West of England (excluding Gloucestershire, Bath, Somerset, Bath and Wiltshire connected by the M4) having in Surrey the

, M25 interchange and Lightwater/Bagshot junctions. *M23 motorway, M23 (north–south) in effect connects

to Brighton as the dualled A23 trunk road to the north and beyond Crawley. It has junction to a spur to

on the Surrey/Sussex border. It has a Surrey junction, the M25 Merstham interchange, close to the Reigate M25 junction. Other major roads include: *The A3 road, A3 trunk road from Portsmouth to London. The road now bypasses and historically assisted in the growth of

, Godalming,

, Esher and

. The Hindhead Tunnel bypasses a former bottleneck at Hindhead and the Devil's Punchbowl. *The A24 road (England), A24 from London to Littlehampton and Worthing. In Surrey, it passes through or around Ewell, Epsom, Ashtead, Leatherhead and

. It passes Box Hill, near Dorking. Unlike the A3, which is almost completely dual carriageway, the A24 is, apart from a central Surrey stretch, single carriageway; it bypasses Leatherhead,

and Horsham. *The A31 road, A31 trunk road west from

to Bere Regis via

and is connected to the M3 near

and via the A331 near Aldershot. It is dual carriageway along the Hog's Back from the A3 to Farnham, Surrey, Farnham. It is one of the ancient routes from London to

, see Pilgrims' Way. *The short A331 connects the A31 to the M3. It runs along the Surrey-Hampshire border, bypassing Aldershot, Frimley and Farnborough, Hampshire, Farnborough.

Rail

Much of Surrey lies within the London commuter belt with regular services into Central London. South Western Railway (train operating company), South Western Railway is the sole train operator in Elmbridge, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Woking and Waverley, and the main train operator in the Borough of Guildford, running regular services into and regional services towards the south coast and South west. Southern (train operating company), Southern is the main train operator in Mole Valley, Epsom and Ewell and Reigate and Banstead and the sole train operator in Tandridge, providing services into and . There are many railway lines in the county, those of note include the Waterloo to Reading Line, South West Main Line, Portsmouth Direct Line, Sutton and Mole Valley Lines (from Horsham,

itself on the Arun Valley Line from Littlehampton) and the Brighton Main Line. The Waterloo to Reading Line calls at , , and in Surrey. The South West Main Line calls at and up to six other Surrey stops including . The Portsmouth Direct Line is significant in linking , and to the South West Main Line at Woking. The Sutton and Mole Valley Lines link , , , to Waterloo via or London Victoria via . The Brighton Main Line calls at and before reaching either London Bridge or London Victoria. is on the east–west North Downs Line. Consequently, the towns Staines, Woking, Surrey, Woking,

, Walton-on-Thames, Epsom and Ewell and Reigate and Redhill, statistically the largest examples, are established rapid-transit commuter towns for Central London. The above routes have had a stimulative effect. The relative development of Surrey at the time of the Beeching cuts led to today's retention of numerous other commuter routes except the Cranleigh Line, all with direct services to London, including: # Chertsey Branch Line, Chertsey Line linking the first two of the above national routes via and # New Guildford Line via and from # Hampton Court Branch Line to via from Surbiton # Shepperton Branch Line, Branch Line via Sunbury railway station, Surrey, Sunbury # Ascot to Guildford Line via , , into Hampshire via Aldershot and back into Surrey to serve , and . # Alton Line calls at the far southwest Surrey town, . # Epsom Downs Branch from Sutton Common railway station, Sutton and then Belmont in Greater London to and . # Tattenham Corner Line, Tattenham Corner Branch Line calls at , and . # Oxted Line calls at and . # Redhill to Tonbridge Line serves and . The only diesel route is the east–west North Downs Line, which runs from Reading via Guildford, , and Redhill. The major stations in the county are Guildford railway station (Surrey), Guildford (8.0 million passengers), Woking railway station, Woking (7.4 million passengers), Epsom railway station, Epsom (3.6 million passengers), Redhill railway station, Redhill (3.6 million passengers) and Staines railway station, Staines (2.9 million passengers).

Air

Both Heathrow Airport, Heathrow (in the London Borough of Hillingdon) and Gatwick (in Crawley Borough Council, Crawley Borough, West Sussex) have a perimeter road in Surrey. First Group operates a RailAir coach service from Guildford and Woking to Heathrow Airport and there are early-until-late buses to nearby Surrey towns. Fairoaks Airport on the edge of Chobham and Ottershaw is from Woking town centre and operates as a private airfield with two training schools and is home to other aviation businesses. Redhill Aerodrome is also in Surrey.

Education

The UK has a Comprehensive school, comprehensive, state-funded education system, accordingly Surrey has 37 state secondary schools, 17 Academy (English school), Academies, 7 sixth form colleges and 55 state primaries. The county has 41 independent schools, including Charterhouse School, Charterhouse (one of the nine independent schools mentioned in the Public Schools Act 1868) and the Royal Grammar School, Guildford. More than half the state secondary schools in Surrey have sixth forms. Brooklands (twinned with a site in Ashford, Surrey), Reigate, Esher, Egham, Woking and Waverley host sixth-form equivalent colleges each with technical specialisations and standard sixth-form study courses. Brooklands College offers aerospace and automotive design, engineering and allied study courses reflecting the aviation and motor industry leading UK research and maintenance hubs nearby.

Higher education

* The University of Surrey is based in

* The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) has campuses in

and Epsom * Royal Holloway, University of London is based in Egham * The University of Law has a campus in Guildford * The Guildford School of Acting is located on the Surrey University campus

Emergency services

Surrey is served by the following emergency services: *Surrey Police *British Transport Police *South East Coast Ambulance Service *Surrey Fire & Rescue Service *SURSAR

Places of interest

Significant landscapes in Surrey include Box Hill just north of

; the Devil's Punch Bowl at Hindhead and Frensham Common. Leith Hill southwest of

in the Greensand Ridge is the second highest point in southeast England. Witley Common and Thursley Common are expansive areas of ancient heathland south of Godalming run by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust and Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence. The Surrey Hills are an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB). Lawns at Wisley

More manicured landscapes can be seen at Claremont Landscape Garden, south of Esher (dating from 1715). There is also Winkworth Arboretum southeast of Godalming and Windlesham Arboretum near Lightwater created in the 20th century.

is home to the Royal Horticultural Society RHS Garden, Wisley, gardens. Kew, historically part of Surrey but now in Greater London, features the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as well as The National Archives (United Kingdom), The National Archives for England & Wales. There are 80 Surrey Wildlife Trust reserves with at least one in all 11 non-metropolitan districts.
Surrey Wildlife Trust reserves Surrey's important country houses include the Tudor period, Tudor mansion of Loseley Park, built in the 1560s and Clandon House, an 18th-century Palladian mansion in West Clandon to the east of Guildford. Nearby Hatchlands Park in East Clandon, was built in 1758 with Robert Adam interiors and a collection of keyboard instruments. Polesden Lacey south of Great Bookham is a regency architecture, regency villa with extensive grounds. On a smaller scale, Oakhurst Cottage in Hambledon, Surrey, Hambledon near Godalming is a restored 16th-century worker's home. Shalford Mill on the River Tillingbourne, is an 18th-century water-mill. A canal system, the Wey and Godalming Navigations is administered at Dapdune Wharf in

, where an exhibition commemorates the work of the canal system and is home to a restored Wey barge, the Reliance. The Wey and Arun Canal is being restored by volunteers with hopes of a future full reopening.

at Egham is the site of the sealing of the

in 1215. Guildford Cathedral is a 20th-century cathedral built from bricks made from the clay of the hill on which it stands. Brooklands Museum recognises the motoring and aeronautical past of Surrey. The county is also home to the Thorpe Park amusement park.

In popular culture

Jane Austen's novel ''Emma (novel), Emma'' is set in the fictional town of Highbury, Surrey, and the picnic at which Emma Woodhouse embarrasses Miss Bates takes place on Box Hill. Austen's unfinished novel ''The Watsons'' is also set in Surrey, and Emma Watson's brothers Robert and Samuel live in

and

, respectively, while Emma has recently returned home to the fictional village of Stanton. Much of H. G. Wells' 1898 novel ''The War of the Worlds'' is set in Surrey with many specific towns and villages identified. The Martians first land on Horsell Common SSSI, Horsell Common on the north side of

, outside the Bleak House pub, now called Sands. The narrator flees in the direction of London, first passing Byfleet and then

before travelling east along the north bank of the

. The late Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman mentions

in his poem "A Subaltern's Lovesong", while Carshalton forms the literary backdrop to many of the poems by James Farrar (poet), James Farrar. The character Ford Prefect (character), Ford Prefect from ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' claimed to be from Guildford in Surrey, but in actuality he was from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse. Thomas Paine Kydd, the hero of the Kydd (novel), ''Kydd'' series of naval adventure novels written by Julian Stockwin, starts off as a young wig-maker from Guildford who is pressed into service and thus begins a life at sea. Ian McEwan's Atonement (novel), ''Atonement'' is set in Surrey. In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter (series), ''Harry Potter'' series, Harry Potter (character), Harry spends his childhood in the fictional town of Little Whinging, Surrey, under the guardianship of his pernicious relatives, the Dursleys. He leaves their house permanently four days before his seventeenth birthday, and that night there is an aerial battle in the skies over Surrey between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters. The county has also been used as a film location. In the 1976 film The Omen (1976 film), ''The Omen'', the scenes at the cathedral were filmed at Guildford Cathedral. Part of the movie ''The Holiday'' was filmed in Godalming and Shere: Kate Winslet's character Iris lived in a cottage in Shere and Cameron Diaz's character Amanda switched houses with her as part of a home exchange. The final scene of ''Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'' uses the village church, also in Shere, as does the movie ''The Wedding Date''. Surrey woodland represented Germany in the opening scene of Gladiator (2000 film), ''Gladiator'', starring Russell Crowe; it was filmed at the Bourne Woods near

in Surrey. The film I Want Candy (film), ''I Want Candy'' follows two hopeful lads from Leatherhead trying to break into the movies, and was partly filmed in Brooklands College (

campus). Scenes for the 2009 BBC production of Emma (2009 TV serial), ''Emma'', starring Romola Garai and Michael Gambon, were filmed at St Mary the Virgin Church, Send, Surrey, Send near

and at Loseley House.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

Surrey County Council

Surrey Interactive Map

Exploring Surrey's Past

Surrey Search & Rescue (SurSAR)

Surrey History Centre

Images of Surrey
at the English Heritage Archive {{Authority control Surrey, Non-metropolitan counties South East England Home counties Counties of England established in antiquity

Geography

Surrey rivers

Climate

Settlements

History

Ancient British and Roman periods

Formation of Surrey

Identified sub-kings of Surrey

West Saxon and English shire

Identified ''ealdormen Ealdorman (, ) was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied ...'' of Surrey

Later Medieval Surrey

Early Modern Surrey

Modern history

Historic architecture and monuments

Notable inhabitants

Literature

Arts and sciences

Popular music

Sport

Television

Sport

Surrey football clubs

Local government

History

Today

Economy

Transport

Road

Rail

Air

Education

Higher education

Emergency services

Places of interest

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Identified ''
ealdormen Ealdorman (, ) was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied ...
'' of Surrey