SURREY

(Redirected from Surrey, England)

'Surrey' is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The county town is Guildford.^[1] Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, though this is no longer in the administrative county of Surrey and now a part of Greater London.
Surrey is divided into 11 boroughs and districts: Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Guildford, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Tandridge, Waverley, Woking. After the elections of 3 May 2007, the Conservatives are in control of nine out of 11 councils in Surrey.^[2]
On 3 August 2007 it was announced that foot-and-mouth disease has been discovered near Guildford^[3]. This is the first discovery in the UK since 2001

Contents

Settlements and communications

Physical geography

History

British and Roman Surrey

The Saxon tribes and the sub-kingdom

The West Saxon shire

Medieval Surrey

Modern history

Economy

Waste management

Major towns

Education

Places of interest

Culture, arts and sport

Surrey in film and books

County Emergency Services

References

External links

References

Settlements and communications

:''See also list of places in Surrey.''
Surrey has a population of approximately one million people. The historic county town was Guildford, although the county administration was moved to Newington in 1791 and to Kingston upon Thames 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 Greater London by the London Government Act 1963.^[4] Recent plans to move the offices to a new site in Woking have now been abandoned.^[5] Due to its proximity to London there are many commuter towns and villages in Surrey, the population density is high and the area is more affluent, on average, than other parts of the UK. Surrey is the most densely populated shire county in England, and the most densely populated ceremonial county after Greater London, the metropolitan counties and Bristol. Much of the north east of the county forms part of the Greater London Urban Area.^[6] In the west, there is a conurbation straddling the Hampshire/Surrey border, including in Surrey Camberley and Farnham.
Most English counties have nicknames for people from that county, such as a Tyke from Yorkshire and a Yellowbelly from Lincolnshire; the traditional nickname for people from Surrey is 'Surrey Capon', as it was well known in the later Middle Ages as the county where chickens were fattened up for the London meat markets.

Physical geography

Surrey contains a good deal of mature woodland (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, Newland's Corner and Puttenham & Crooksbury Commons. It is the most wooded county in Great Britain, with 22.4% coverage compared to a national average of 11.8%^[7] and as such is one of the few counties to not include new woodlands in their strategic plans. Box Hill has the oldest untouched area of natural woodland in the UK, one of the oldest in Europe.
Much of Surrey is in the Green Belt and is rolling downland, the county's geology being dominated by the chalk hills of the North Downs. 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, a scenic long-distance path. Accordingly, Surrey provides much in the way of rural leisure activities, with a very large horse population. Towards the north of the county, the land is largely flat around Staines and bi-sected by the River Thames.
The highest point in Surrey is Leith Hill near Dorking at 965 ft (294 m) above sea level. Surrey boasts a further three points above 800 feet.

History

British and Roman Surrey

Before Roman times the area today known as Surrey was very probably governed by the Atrebates tribe centred at Calleva Atrebatum in the modern county of Hampshire. They were known to have controlled the southern bank of the Thames from Roman documents describing the nature of tribal relations between them and the powerful Catuvellauni on the north banks. In about 42AD King Cunobelinus or Cynfelin ap Tegfan of the Catuvellauni died and war broke out between his sons and between King Verica of the Atrebates. The Catuvellauni invaded the Atrebatean lands, probably crossing the River Thames near modern Staines where the river could be forded. The Atrebates were defeated in the conflict, their capital captured and their lands made subject to the Catuvellauni now led by Togodumnus ruling from Camulodunum. Verica fled to Gaul and appealed for Roman aid. The Atrebates were allies with Rome during their invasion of Britain in 43AD. The territory of Surrey was traversed by Stane Street and other less well known Roman roads.
After the Romans left Britain in c.410AD the territory of modern Surrey was officially part of Britannia Prima but was probably ruled by the successor realm of the Atrebates tribe. It has long been speculated that Guildford may have been the Astolat of Arthurian renown, however the legendary city is more likely to have been Calleva (modern day Silchester), the capital of the Atrebates, which resisted the Anglo-Saxons for many years.

The Saxon tribes and the sub-kingdom

From around 480 AD Saxons from the south and Jutes from east invaded and began settling in the area and establishing a sub-kingdom probably with Middle Saxon overlords. At this time the area was sparsely populated and almost entirely forested. There was a local truce recorded in c.500 (possibly as a result of the Battle of Badon Hill) and only north and east Surrey were retained by the Anglo-Saxons. The westward expansion into British territory continued from c.550AD with some local British communities becoming marooned within the confines of Saxon Surrey, probably around Walton-on-Thames. From 568 the eastern border of Surrey and Kent is agreed and marked by a ditch. Local tribes named ''Æschingas'', ''Godhelmingas'' (around Godalming), ''Tetingas'' (around Tooting), ''Woccingas'' (between Woking and Wokingham), ''Basingas'' (the Blackwater Valley) and ''Sonningas'' (around Sonning) are known to have existed.
In 661 the sub-kingdom took Mercia as its overlord. In 675 Surrey became one of the last portions of England to convert to Christianity when its sub-King Frithuwold and his son were baptised. The name of the area at this time is recorded as ''Sudergeona'' or "southern region". In 685 Surrey changed allegiance and took Wessex as its overlord. In 690 the western border of Surrey was settled with Wessex; the tribal territories of the ''Sonningas'' became part of Berkshire and the ''Basingas'' became part of Hampshire. In 705 Surrey was transferred from the Middle Saxon diocese of London to the West Saxon diocese of Winchester. After 771 Surrey came under the rule of Offa of Mercia and was so until 823 when Surrey reverted to Wessex and so remained. Some historians have also speculated that the ''Nox gaga'' and the ''Oht gaga'' tribes listed in the Mercian Tribal Hidage refers to two distinct groups living in Surrey. They were valued together at 7,000 hides.
'Sub Kings and ''Eorldermen'' of Surrey'

★ Frithuwold (c.673 - 675)

★ Frithuric (675 - c.686)
an unknown series of ''sub regulus'' until;

★ Brorda (c.775)
an unknown series of ''Eorldermen'' until;

★ Wulfherd (c.823)

★ Huda (c.853)
an unknown series of ''Eorldermen'' until;

★ Æðelwerd (late 10th century)

★ Æðelmær (? - 1016) son

The West Saxon shire

The territory of Surrey was formally annexed by Wessex in 860 and became a ''Shire'' under the same model as the other counties of Wessex. It is around this time that the wars between the ''Ænglecynn'' and the Danes reach their height with Surrey becoming the arena for a number of key battles; most notably at the Battle of Ockley in 851 and the Battle of Farnham in 894.
After the death of King Alfred the Great in 899 his son, King Eadweard I was crowned on the King's Stone at Kingston upon Thames. The use of this stone before 902 is unknown but it seems likely that it would have been something of ancient spiritual or political significance. After him another six kings of England from the House of Wessex were crowned here, the last being Æþelræd II in 978.
In 1011 it is recorded that Surrey was over-run by Danish forces led by Canute the Great before all of England submitted to them in 1016.
In 1035, Canute died and during the uncertainty that followed the heirs of former Anglo-Saxon rulers attempted to restore the House of Wessex to the throne of ''Ænglalond''. Ælfred Æþling the younger of the two heirs (his older brother being the future Eadweard III) landed on the coast of Sussex with a Norman mercenary body guard and attempted to make his way to London. In the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' there is an account of this fateful encounter:

:"As Ælfred and his men approached the town of Guildford in Surrey, thirty miles south-west of London, they were met by the powerful Earl Godwin of Wessex, who professed loyalty to the young prince and procured lodgings for him and his men in the town. The next morning, Godwin said to Ælfred: ''"I will safely and securely conduct you to London, where the great men of the kingdom are awaiting your coming, that they may raise you to the throne."'' This he said in spite of the fact that the throne was already occupied by the son of Knud, Harold Harefoot, and he was actually in league with King Harold to lure the young prince to his death."

:"Then the earl led the prince and his men over the hill of Guildown (called today ''The Hog's Back'' and is the route of the A31), which is to the west of Guildford, on the road to Winchester, not London. Perhaps the prince had insisted on continuing his journey to his original destination, his mother’s court in Winchester, in any case, Godwin repeated his tempting offer; showing the prince the magnificent panorama from the hill both to the north and to the south, he said: ''"Look around on the right hand and on the left, and behold what a realm will be subject to your dominion."'' Ælfred then gave thanks to God and promised that if he should ever be crowned king, he would institute such laws as would be pleasing and acceptable to God and men. At that moment, however, he was seized and bound together with all his men. Nine tenths of them were then murdered. And since the remaining tenth was still so numerous, they, too, were decimated."
:"Ælfred was tied to a horse and then conveyed by boat to the monastery of Ely. As the boat reached land, his eyes were put out. For a while he was looked after by the monks, who were fond of him, but soon after he died, probably on February 5, 1036."
Interestingly, during the 1920s the remains of several hundred soldiers, probably Normans, were found to the west of Guildford. They were bound and had been executed. The grave was dated to c.1040. It is likely that they were the guards of poor Prince Ælfred.
After the Anglo-Saxon restoration through the accession of Eadweard III in 1042 Surrey remained unmolested until the Norman Conquest in 1066. Few remains of either the ancient British, the Roman, or the Saxon periods in Surrey exist. Stone Street and Ermine Street have left some vestiges, and Roman relics, of no great interest, have been found at various places.

Medieval Surrey

In 1088, William II granted William de Warenne the title of Earl as reward for Warenne's loyalty during the rebellion that followed the death of William the Bastard. The chief subsequent event connected with it was the signing of the great charter at Runnymede, and other public events were mostly intertwined with the history of the metropolis. However, Guildford Castle was captured by forces supporting Prince Louis of France in 1216, and in June 1497 the county was overrun by as many as 15,000 Cornish rebels heading for London. This would have been the first Brythonic army to move through Surrey for nearly 900 years. There was a brief battle just outside Guildford at ''Gil Down'' before the Cornish rebels marched north east through Banstead and right across Wallington and Brixton Hundreds as far as Blackheath in Kent where they were eventually routed by an English army.
Specimens of monastic buildings of early English date occur in Chertsey Abbey, Waverley Abbey and Newark Priory. These were all destroyed during the Reformation. It was also the home of the Merton Priory from 1114 until 1538. From the Saxon period up until Victorian times Surrey was divided into the 14 hundreds of Blackheath, Brixton, Copthorne, Effingham Half-Hundred, Elmbridge, Farnham, Godalming, Godley, Kingston, Reigate, Tandridge, Wallington, Woking and Wotton.

Modern history

The modern county of Surrey was formed in 1889 when the Provisional Surrey County Council first met. At that time, and until later local government reorganisation, it comprised Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum (Chief Magistrate), a High Sheriff, and a county council consisting of 19 aldermen and 57 councillors. This assumed the responsibilities of the now defunct Shire Court and Hundred Courts. The new county of Surrey was reduced in size with the loss of areas in the north east bordering the City of London which became part of the new County of London and today form the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth. Penge was lost to neighbouring Kent in 1899. It subsequently became part of Greater London in 1965, and forms part of the London Borough of Bromley.
Reforms in local government in 1965 further changed the borders of the county. The areas that now form the London Boroughs of Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Sutton and that part of Richmond south of the River Thames were made part of Greater London. The area that is now Spelthorne was acquired from the county of Middlesex.
The 1974 local government reforms caused Gatwick Airport and some surrounding land to be transferred to West Sussex. Under the Local Government Act 1972 Horley and Charlwood were transferred, however fierce local opposition led to a reversal of this under the Charlwood and Horley Act 1974.

Economy

Surrey is a prosperous county with a service based economy closely tied to that of London.
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Surrey at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by ''Office for National Statistics'' with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.^[8]

Year	Regional Gross Value Added[9]	Agriculture[10]	Industry[11]	Services[12]
1995	'12,177'	116	2,414	9,647
2000	'19,811'	103	3,288	16,420
2003	'22,790'	99	3,394	19,297

Waste management

There are two active landfill sites in Surrey. One is at Albury near Guildford. This site is managed by SITA. There is an incinerator at Slyfield Industrial Estate in north Guildford. There is a proposal to locate another one at Martyr's Lane, Woodham.

Major towns

:''See List of places in Surrey''
The largest town in Surrey is Guildford with 66,773; Woking is a close second with a population of 62,796. The third largest town is Ewell with 39,994 people to the north of the county and the fourth is Camberley with 30,155 people in the west of the county. Towns with between 25,000 and 30,000 are Ashford, Epsom, Farnham and Redhill.^[13]

Education

★ The University of Surrey is based in Guildford


★ Royal Holloway, University of London is based in Egham
:''See also List of schools in the South East of England#Surrey and .''

Places of interest

Significant landscapes in Surrey include Box Hill just north of Dorking; the Devil's Punch Bowl at Hindhead; Frensham Common is home to a variety of plant, animal and birdlife; Frensham Great Pond houses assorted sailing activities whilst Frensham Little Pond provides places for picnics. Leith Hill to the south west of Dorking is the highest point in south-east England. Witley Common is heathland south of Godalming and is run by the National Trust and Surrey Hills is an area of outstanting natural beauty (AONB).

Manicured landscapes can be seen at Claremont Landscape Garden, south of Esher. The gardens here date from 1715. There is also Winkworth Arboretum south east of Godalming which was created in the 20th century. Wisley is home to the royal horticultural society gardens.
Surrey has important country houses such as Clandon Park, an 18th century Palladian mansion in West Clandon to the east of Guildford. Nearby there is Hatchlands Park in East Clandon, east of Guildford, was built in 1758 with Robert Adam interiors and a fine keyboard collection. Polesden Lacey south of Great Bookham is a regency villa with extensive grounds. On a smaller scale, Oakhurst Cottage in Hambledon near Godalming is a restored 16th century worker's home. Furthermore there is a museum the Rural Life Centre, Tilford which remembers this time.
The county is linked with the River Wey and the Wey and Godalming Navigations. Dapdune Wharf in Guildford commemorates this and is home to a restored Wey barge, the Reliance. Furthermore on the River Tillingbourne, Shalford Mill is an 18th century water-mill which may be visited.
There are many typical English villages including Holmbury St Mary which lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, close to the Greensand Way and North Downs Way. It was developed in the 19th century and still has a mainly Victorian character as on the whole no new building is allowed. The youth hostel, constructed in the village in 1935, was the first purpose-built by the Youth Hostels Association.

Historically Runnymede at Egham should not be overlooked. This is the site of the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. Waverley and Chertsey Abbeys were very significant in medieval Surrey.
Guildford Cathedral is a post-war cathedral built from bricks made from the clay hill on which it stands.
Brooklands Museum recognises the motoring past of Surrey. The county is also home to Thorpe Park, a sister theme park of Alton Towers; and Chessington World of Adventures; and Legoland Windsor.

Culture, arts and sport

The first known record of cricket was in Guildford, Surrey (see History of English cricket to 1696). Currently, the Surrey County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Surrey, although its largest ground, The Oval, which was once in Surrey, has been made part of Greater London. Surrey has numerous football teams (mainly non-League) including Woking F.C., Kingstonians, AFC Wimbledon, Weybridge F.C. and Guildford City F.C..

Surrey in film and books

Surrey has been mentioned in literature: in the ''Harry Potter'' series, Harry's only living relatives, the Dursleys, live in Little Whinging, a fictional town located in Surrey. The 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 Betelguese.
Interestingly much of the central plot of ''Good Omens'' by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett takes place in Dorking. Surrey was mentioned often in Aldous Huxley's novel ''Brave New World''. Much of H. G. Wells's 1898 novella ''The War of the Worlds'' is set in Surrey with many specific towns and villages identified.
Interestingly the late Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman mentions Camberley in his poem "A Subaltern's Lovesong".
The county has also been used as a film location. Part of the movie ''The Holiday'' was filmed in Surrey, Kate Winslet's character Iris lived there and Cameron Diaz's character Amanda switched houses with her as part of a home exchange. In the 1976 film ''The Omen'' scenaes at the cathedral were filmed at Guildford Cathedral.^[14] The film ''I Want Candy'' follows two hopeful lads from Leatherhead trying to break into the movies. Surrey woodland represented Germany in the opening scene of ''Gladiator'' starring Russell Crowe was filmed at Tilford near Farnham in Surrey. Gory glory in the Colosseum
alittle off the subject of film and books, it is worth noting to any music fans out there that the lead singer of Reuben lives in surrey and workes in a chip shop, in the county as well!

County Emergency Services

Surrey is served by these emergency sevices.

★ 'Surrey Police', with 12 stations.

★ 'South East Coast Ambulance Service' as of 1 July 2006. The Surrey Ambulance Service, Sussex Ambulance Service, and Kent Ambulance Service services have all merged, and have now ceased to exist. Surrey has 21 stations.

★ 'Surrey Fire & Rescue Service', with 24 fire stations.

References

1. Guildford Borough Council Website--"Henry III confirmed Guildford's status as the county town of Surrey in 1257"
2. BBC news
3. Farm infected with foot-and-mouth
4. Vision of Britain
5. Surrey County Council press release January 17, 2006
6. National Statistics - Usual resident population
7. http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Surrey's+woodlands?opendocument
8. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf
9. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
10. includes hunting and forestry
11. includes energy and construction
12. includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
13. Surrey County Council population listings
14. Church fears return of Omen curse

External links

★ Surrey County Council

★ The Surrey Website

★ Surrey Interactive Map

★ University of Surrey Homepage

★ SurreyProperty.com/aerial.html aerial photographs

★ The River Wey and Wey Navigations Community Site

References

★ http://uk.geocities.com/guildfordian2002/AngloSaxon/PrinceAlfred.htm

★ http://www.omnipelagos.com/

★ http://www.btinternet.com/~john.whitbourn/Cornish.htm