Weston Green
Encyclopedia
Weston Green is a village close to Thames Ditton
and Long Ditton
in the county of Surrey
. It is just inside the southern part of the circle of the M25
near the larger towns of Esher
and Sunbury-on-Thames
.
Weston Green is in the census area of Thames Ditton which has a population of 5,863.
Weston Green appears in Domesday Book
of 1086 as Westone. It was held by Barking Abbey
(a nunnery). Its domesday assets were: 3 plough
s. It rendered £2.
There were at least two manors in medieval Thames Ditton: firstly the manor of Weston was held by the abbey of Barking in 1086, and continued part of the property of that house till shortly before the Dissolution, when Henry VIII bought it to add to the honour of Hampton Court. Secondly there was the manor of Immeworth (or Imworth), which belonged to Ralphe de Imworth in the reign of Henry III
.
According to the Chancery Rolls of 1212, King John
was entertained at a residence of some size in Ditton belonging to Geoffrey Fitz Pierre, the Chief Justice, during a royal journey from Chertsey
to London
. It was likely the house of one of these two manors.
A curious reminder of the ancient lordship of Weston is given by a notice board, which used to stand on the common, headed 'Manor of Weston otherwise Barking'. The name of Barking Manor, for Weston, appears also in surveys of Imber Court.
The manor of Weston was annexed by Act of Parliament in 1539, and leased in the following year to John Baker. In later times, it was usually demised upon lease to the owner of Imber Court. In the great Onslow
sale of Imber Court in 1778, Wlliam Speer (who had acquired property in Westminster and Fulham on marrying heiress Katherine Wilson) bought Manor Farm. In 1801 his son, also William, bought the remains of the Manor of Weston from the Crown. This comprised 'waste' or common lands and also came with the Lordship of the Manor of Weston alias Barking. William passed on the title of Lord of the Manor of Weston to his son Wilfred Speer, and later it was inherited by Wilfred's son Wilfred Dakins Speer and then Hannibal son of Cecilia Speer and Hannibal Sandys, who took the name of Speer to conform with William's will. At about the same time that Speer bought the manor of Weston, he bought extensive 'wastes' or common lands belonging to the manors of Claygate and Imber Court, which has since been treated as part of the manor of Weston.
The barn of Weston Manor Farm, built to Henry VIII's order, was said to be a 'huge and splendid building'. During the reign of Elizabeth I, it belonged to Thomas Fanshawe
. It was demolished in 1962.
Towards the end of the 18th century, an amateur police force of about 80 men was formed at Weston Green. In 1792, a group of vigilantes was formed and based at the Harrow Inn. Their backers included William Speer of Weston Grange, Thomas Bracey and William Chauncey.
At Weston Green, south of Thames Ditton, is the chapel of ease of St. Nicholas, a plain red-brick building constructed in 1901.
Weston Green was the birthplace of Felicia Browne
(1904-1936).
and Thames Ditton
.
Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
and Long Ditton
Long Ditton
Long Ditton is a village in Surrey, England lying on the boundary with Greater London. Neighbouring settlements include Thames Ditton, Surbiton, Tolworth and Chessington.-History:...
in the county of Surrey
Surrey
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 historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. It is just inside the southern part of the circle of the M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
near the larger towns of Esher
Esher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
and Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames, also known as Sunbury, is a town in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, England, and part of the London commuter belt. It is located 16 miles southwest of central London and bordered by Feltham and Hampton, flanked on the south by the River Thames.-History:The earliest evidence of...
.
Weston Green is in the census area of Thames Ditton which has a population of 5,863.
History
The name is derived from Westun farm.Weston Green appears in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as Westone. It was held by Barking Abbey
Barking Abbey
The ruined remains of Barking Abbey are situated in Barking in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in east London, England, and now form a public open space.- History :...
(a nunnery). Its domesday assets were: 3 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s. It rendered £2.
There were at least two manors in medieval Thames Ditton: firstly the manor of Weston was held by the abbey of Barking in 1086, and continued part of the property of that house till shortly before the Dissolution, when Henry VIII bought it to add to the honour of Hampton Court. Secondly there was the manor of Immeworth (or Imworth), which belonged to Ralphe de Imworth in the reign of Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
.
According to the Chancery Rolls of 1212, King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
was entertained at a residence of some size in Ditton belonging to Geoffrey Fitz Pierre, the Chief Justice, during a royal journey from Chertsey
Chertsey
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was likely the house of one of these two manors.
A curious reminder of the ancient lordship of Weston is given by a notice board, which used to stand on the common, headed 'Manor of Weston otherwise Barking'. The name of Barking Manor, for Weston, appears also in surveys of Imber Court.
The manor of Weston was annexed by Act of Parliament in 1539, and leased in the following year to John Baker. In later times, it was usually demised upon lease to the owner of Imber Court. In the great Onslow
George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow
George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow PC , known as The Lord Onslow from 1776 until 1801, was a British peer and politician....
sale of Imber Court in 1778, Wlliam Speer (who had acquired property in Westminster and Fulham on marrying heiress Katherine Wilson) bought Manor Farm. In 1801 his son, also William, bought the remains of the Manor of Weston from the Crown. This comprised 'waste' or common lands and also came with the Lordship of the Manor of Weston alias Barking. William passed on the title of Lord of the Manor of Weston to his son Wilfred Speer, and later it was inherited by Wilfred's son Wilfred Dakins Speer and then Hannibal son of Cecilia Speer and Hannibal Sandys, who took the name of Speer to conform with William's will. At about the same time that Speer bought the manor of Weston, he bought extensive 'wastes' or common lands belonging to the manors of Claygate and Imber Court, which has since been treated as part of the manor of Weston.
The barn of Weston Manor Farm, built to Henry VIII's order, was said to be a 'huge and splendid building'. During the reign of Elizabeth I, it belonged to Thomas Fanshawe
Thomas Fanshawe
Sir Thomas Fanshawe of Jenkins and Barking Manor was an English politician and government official....
. It was demolished in 1962.
Towards the end of the 18th century, an amateur police force of about 80 men was formed at Weston Green. In 1792, a group of vigilantes was formed and based at the Harrow Inn. Their backers included William Speer of Weston Grange, Thomas Bracey and William Chauncey.
At Weston Green, south of Thames Ditton, is the chapel of ease of St. Nicholas, a plain red-brick building constructed in 1901.
Weston Green was the birthplace of Felicia Browne
Felicia Browne
Felicia Mary Browne was an English artist. She was the first British volunteer to die in the Spanish Civil War.-Early years:...
(1904-1936).
Present day
There is an Anglican church, All Saints Weston, built in the 1930s and an unusual rounded Catholic church. Hampton Court Way was built 1928-32. It bisects the village and demarcates postcodes into EsherEsher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
and Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
.