Ashtead, Surrey Genealogy

England   Surrey   Surrey Parishes

Parish History
ASHTEAD (St. Giles), a parish, in the union of Epsom, Second division of the hundred of Copthorne, W. division of Surrey, 2 miles (S. W. by S.) from Epsom; containing 618 inhabitants. It comprises 2516a. 25p., of which 511 acres are common or waste; and is pleasantly situated on the road from London, by Dorking, to Bognor and Worthing. A small fair is held on the 4th of May. Ashtead Park is a fine structure of white brick, and is said to have cost nearly £100,000; it is surrounded by a demesne of 140 acres: here is preserved a very valuable collection of pictures. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 15. 5., and in the patronage of the Hon. Fulk Greville Howard and Hon. Mrs. Howard: the tithes have been commuted for £549. 12. 6., and there are 12½ acres of glebe. The church is a neat building, beautifully situated in Ashtead Park. An hospital for six poor widows was founded by Lady Diana Fielding, and endowed with property producing £32. 7. per annum. Here is a mineral spring, the water of which is similar to that of the Epsom wells. A Roman encampment may be traced round what is now the churchyard and part of Ashtead Park; and the great Roman road by Noviomagus (now Woodcote Park) passes along the south side of the parish. Sir Robert Howard, the poet, resided here in the time of Charles II., by whom, it is said, he was often visited.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis (1848), pp. 77-81. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50761 Date accessed: 26 May 2010.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
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Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Surrey Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
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Web sites
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