Tatsfield

Tatsfield is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. It is located 3.3 miles north west of Westerham and 3.9 miles north east of Oxted, and is adjacent to the Surrey border with both Greater London and Kent.

Geography

The village itself is on the North Downs with its centre near its highest point, at an altitude of around north of the ridge of the North Downs where the North Downs Way passes through the parish. The 'village' area is in a small salient of Surrey into the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London (to the west, north and east). Biggin Hill is immediately to the north. The boundary with Kent is less than mile to the east. Tatsfield is covered by the Westerham post town, meaning Tatsfield's postal county was Kent. Since 1996, the postal county has not been required in postal addresses.

Etymology

The origin of the village name is uncertain. The English Place Name Society suggests it is derived from 'a field or open land belonging to one Tatol' (possibly a nickname meaning the lively one) The word 'field' denotes a clearing in The Weald, a main Anglo-Saxon forest. An alternative explanation is that the earliest community began on the hill with church, manor house and rectory. The name could therefore derive from Totehylefelde – meaning a look-out place in a clearing. The appearance of Tot-hyl in a place name is a reference to a watch hill and quite possibly to the whole system of Anglo-Saxon civil defence involving beacons, watch hill and army roads. Tatsfield appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Tatelefelle''.

History

Tatsfield

In Anglo-Saxon England, Tatsfield lay within Tandridge hundred. In 1086 it was held by Anschitill (Ansketel) de Ros from the Bishop of Bayeux. Its Domesday assets were: ½ hide. It had 2 ploughs. It rendered 60 shillings (£3) to its feudal overlords per year.

During the mid 14th century the manor was held by Rhodri ap Gruffudd, brother of the last native Prince of Wales, and his descendants. Thomas Retherick's heir was his son Owen, also called 'de Gales' (of Wales), who in 1366, during the war with France, left England to join the king's enemies in that country, and before going likewise released all his right in the reversion of the manor to Roger de Stanyngden and his heirs. Thus in 1392 a grant of the manor of Tatsfield, which was alleged to have been long-concealed, was made by the Crown to John Maudelyn.

In 1416–17 John de Stanyngden or Stalkynden conveyed his rights in the manor to John Uvedale. William Uvedale inherited on his father's death in 1616. He conveyed the manor to a later Sir John Gresham (see Gresham baronets), before passing under his nephew, Marmaduke Gresham's will. From his son and co-heir, Sir Isaac Shard acquired it in 1717. 1759 Isaac Pacatus Shard wanted a sale; his heir William put it up for sale with three farms containing let at £190 a year and of wood. It was acquired via a Mr Butler by the last in the line of Greshams (see Calcotts below). The ancient manor-house, called Tatsfield Court Lodge, stood near the church and was pulled down by this last Baronet, Sir John before his death in 1801, and a new house was built at the foot of the hill, near the Pilgrims' Way.

Calcotts

Calcotts was a capital mansion belonging to the collegiate church of Lingfield at the dissolution of the monasteries worth £3 6s. 8d a year. On the surrender of its master, Edward Colepeper, LL.D., in 1544, the college and its possessions were granted by the king to Thomas Cawarden, a gentleman of the Privy Chamber. In 1560 its heir sold it to, William Lord Howard of Effingham, who sold it in 1564 to Sir Richard Sackville, kt. The latter died on 20 April 1566 and was succeeded by his son Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst. On 22 June 1575 the latter sold Calcotts with associated Paynters in Westerham to Walter Henley. The Henleys kept it until 1598, when Richard Henley sold it to Thomas Gresham of Limpsfield for £690 () yet reserving to himself land called Eades Croft, on Westmore Green, Tatsfield, which was then in the tenure of Joan Burstow, widow. In 1801 their senior descendant being a daughter, led to its passage to a junior branch of the Leveson-Gowers (not the Dukes of Sutherland) until parted with during the 20th century.

Lovestead

Lovested Down or Lusted was a large estate, with mansion in Cudham, seen in a rental of Titsey dated 19 November 1401, of Merton Priory. At the dissolution of the monasteries the priory held wood to the value of 4s. a year here. In 1553 Sir John Gresham devised to his son William, after the death of his wife Katherine, "the farm in Surrey and Kent where Steven of Lusted dwelt", for which he paid £10 a year. Sir Marmaduke Gresham, by his will dated 14 January 1696, gave Lusted to his son Charles and daughter Alice Gresham. It was owned in 1891 by Jeremiah Dummett.

Other land

The other land was common land even in 1912.

20th century

In 1929, the BBC
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