CUDDINGTON
Codintone (xi cent.); Cudintone, Codington
(xiii cent.); Codynton or Codyngton (xiv cent.).
Cuddington measures nearly 4 miles from north-west to south-east, and is scarcely a mile in breadth.
It contains 1,859 acres, and extends over the usual
variety of soils, the southern part being upon the
chalk downs, the centre on the Woolwich and Thanet
beds, the rest upon the London clay. There is no
village of Cuddington; Henry VIII pulled down the
church, the old manor-house, and the village, to make
Nonsuch Palace. (fn. 1) It appears possible from its position
that the destroyed church and village were in this
neighbourhood, and if this was the case they were
placed in the usual situation, close to the foot of
the chalk, either on the chalk itself or on the Thanet
beds. There is no instance, on the northern side of
the chalk-hills, where the parishes extend from the
chalk on to the clay, of the old church and village
being on the clay. It is unlikely that Cuddington
was differently placed from the others, but no map
older than the time of Henry VIII exists. The
Manor Farm is on the chalk and the Thanet sand,
and may show the neighbourhood of the old manor-house.
The South Western Railway line from Wimbledon
to Letherhead crosses the parish, with a station at
Worcester Park, opened in 1859; and the London,
Brighton, and South Coast Railway line to Epsom
passes through it. This was first opened as the
Croydon and Epsom Railway in 1848.
The early history, and the history of the inclosure,
are summed up together in the story of Nonsuch
Palace.
After the destruction of Nonsuch in 1671–2 the
land in the parks was thrown into farms, of which
more than one had evidently existed before outside
the park pales. The place, however, existed in name
only. There was no ecclesiastical parish; the land
was taxed with Ewell, but separately rated, with its
own overseers.
The present house, known as Nonsuch Park, is the
property of Captain W. R. G. Farmer. It is not on
the site of the palace, but is on the confines of the
old Little Park, in which the palace stood. It was
built for Mr. Samuel Farmer by Sir Jeffrey Wyattville, in supposed 16th-century style, early in the
19th century (1802–6).
In the last fifty years, as railways extended, houses
have grown up near the site of Worcester Park
and have received the name of Cuddington. Worcester
Court is the residence of Mrs. Hanney, and Home-steads that of Mr. C. A. Harris, C.B., C.M.G. In
1894 a church was built at Worcester Park, which
is now the parish church, though certainly upon a
very different site from the original one. There is
also a Primitive Methodist chapel.
In Cuddington is the Joint Isolation Hospital for
the Sutton, Carshalton, Letherhead, and Epsom
District Councils.
Cuddington and Nonsuch Park were, according to
Leland, the site of pits for obtaining fire-clay. Subsequently Nonsuch pottery and tiles were known, but
they were in reality made in Ewell. (fn. 1a) There used
to be gunpowder works on the Hoggsmill Stream,
called generally the Malden Mills or the Long Ditton
Mills, but they were actually in Cuddington parish. (fn. 2)
There are no schools peculiar to Cuddington.
Cheam and Cuddington (National) School for Boys
was built in 1826, and that for girls and infants in
1869. But they are the original Cheam schools.
MANOR
The earliest mention of CUDDINGTON is in connexion with Chertsey
Monastery, the alleged first endowment
of which in 675 by Frithwald, subregulus of Surrey,
and Bishop Erkenwald included thirty dwellings at
Ewell cum 'Cotinton.' (fn. 3) The confirmation of this
charter by Athelstan in 933 (fn. 4) mentions the village of
'Cudintone'; and Edward the Confessor in 1062
confirmed to the monastery six dwellings at 'Cudintone.' (fn. 5) No further mention of Chertsey in connexion
with Cuddington occurs after this date, however, (fn. 6) and
in the Domesday Survey it is declared to have been
held in the time of Edward the Confessor by
Earl Leofwine, the younger brother of Harold. (fn. 7) At
the date of the Survey (1086) it was held by Ilbert
de Laci, lord of Pontefract, of Odo of Bayeux, (fn. 8) and
on the forfeiture of his estates for high treason by
Robert son of Ilbert, was bestowed by Henry I on
Hugh de Laval. (fn. 9)
In 1203 Guy de Laval forfeited his English estates
for joining with the French king against John, (fn. 10) who
in the same year granted Cuddington to William de
St. Michael, who was to render to Roger de Lacy,
Constable of Chester (who had claimed the estates of
Guy as his right by inheritance), the same farm which
he, William, had been wont to render to Guy. (fn. 11)
Laurence de St. Michael was holding land in Surrey
in 1233, (fn. 12) and in 1236–7 he appears as party to a
fine concerning lands in Cuddington. (fn. 13) He or his
son died in 1283, leaving a widow Margaret, four
sons—Laurence, William, Thomas, and John—and
four daughters. (fn. 14) It was probably the eldest son
Laurence who in 1289 sought to replevy his land in
Cuddington which had been taken into the king's
hands for default. (fn. 15) In 1331,
1332, and 1333 courts were
held in the name of Thomas
de St. Michael, (fn. 16) who in 1333
settled the manor upon himself for life, and after his death
upon Laurence son of John
de St. Michael and Joan his
wife and their heirs. (fn. 17) In
1337 the manor was held by
Laurence, (fn. 18) who appears indifferently in records of this period
under the name of Codington
(Cuddington) or St. Michael, the latter, however,
occurring but rarely after this date.
Codington. Gules a cross or fretty gules.
In 1355 courts were held in the name of Sir Simon
de Codington (Sheriff of Surrey in 1353 and 1362)
and Katherine his wife. (fn. 19) Sir Simon married,
secondly, Idonea, and died before 1378, in which
year the manor was settled by trustees on Ralph son
of Simon (Sheriff of Surrey in 1400) and Anne his
wife. (fn. 20)
In 1470 the manor was surrendered to John
Codington by his mother Margaret widow of
Thomas Codington. (fn. 21) The manor was finally sold
in 1538 by Richard Codington and Elizabeth his
wife to Henry VIII, (fn. 22) who annexed it to the honour
of Hampton Court, and commenced there the erection of the magnificent palace of Nonsuch.
In 1547 a messuage and lands in the manor of
Nonsuch alias Cuddington were granted by Edward VI
to Sir Thomas Cawarden (who was Sheriff of Surrey
in 1547) to hold for 21 years for a rent of £5 5s. 8d.
In 1550 Cawarden was appointed Keeper of the
King's House of Nonsuch, 'called the Banketyng
House within the Park there.' (fn. 23) The Banqueting
House was a separate building from the Palace,
which was not completed until later. In 1556
the reversion of Cawarden's lease, with the additions of the capital mansion of Nonsuch or Nonsuch Place, with appurtenances in Nonsuch, Ewell,
Cuddington, and Cheam, and all that park called the
Little Park of Nonsuch, was bestowed on Henry,
twelfth Earl of Arundel, (fn. 24) Lord Chamberlain to
Henry VIII and Lord High Steward of the Household to Mary and Elizabeth. The Earl of Arundel
died in 1580, (fn. 25) having bequeathed all his manors and
lands to his son-in-law Lord Lumley, upon whom he
had already settled Nonsuch. Lord Lumley died in
1609, and was succeeded by his nephew, Splandian
Lloyd. (fn. 26) The latter dying without issue was succeeded by his
brother Henry Lloyd, (fn. 27) whose
grandson of the same name
died in 1704. Robert Lumley Lloyd, son of Henry, was
rector of St. Paul's, Covent
Garden, and chaplain to the
Duke of Bedford, whose patronage he acknowledged by
bequeathing to him all his
possessions in Surrey, including this estate. (fn. 28) In 1755 the
manor, rectory, and advowson of the vicarage were
sold by the duke to Edward Northey of Epsom, (fn. 29)
who died in 1772, leaving this estate to his son
William Northey. (fn. 30) The latter died in 1808, (fn. 31)
and was succeeded by his cousin William Northey,
on whose death the estate passed to his brother,
Rev. Edward Northey, Canon of Windsor. (fn. 32) Edward
Richard Northey, son of the latter, was holding the
manor in 1821, (fn. 33) and his son, Rev. E. W. Northey,
M.A., of Epsom, is lord of the manor at the present
day.
Lloyd. Quarterly or and azure four harts countercoloured.
NONSUCH.
—The whole of the former village of
Cuddington, with its mansion and church, were
swept away by Henry VIII to make room for the
palace afterwards known as Nonsuch, and its two
parks—the Great Park or Worcester Park (containing
911 acres), and the Little Park (containing 671 acres).
The palace was never completed by Henry VIII, but
had alread attained sufficient splendour to evoke from
Leland the lines—
'Hanc quia non habeat similem, laudare Britanni
Saepe solent, nuliique parem cognomine dicunt.'
During the next reign Sir Thomas Cawarden,
Keeper of the Banqueting House, in accordance with
a royal mandate entertained there 'at the Quenes
Majestie's House,' the French ambassador, M. de
Noailles, and his wife. (fn. 34)
In 1556 the reversion of Cawarden's lease was
granted to the Earl of Arundel, with the additional
grant of the Little Park and the palace (vide supra) which
he is said to have completed. (fn. 35) He in 1559 entertained
there Queen Elizabeth, when, we are told, 'her grace
had as gret chere every nyght and bankets; but ye
sonday at nyght my lord of Arundell made her a
grete bankett at ys coste as ever was sene, for soper,
bankete, and maske, wt drums and flutes, and all ye
mysyke yt cold be, tyll mydnyght; and as for chere,
has not bene sene nor heard. On Monday was a
great supper made for her, but before night she stood
at her standing in the further park, and there she saw
a course. At nyght was a play of the Chylderyn of
Powlles and theyr mysyke master Sebastian Phelyps
and Mr. Haywode; and after, a grete banket, wt
drumes and flutes and the goodly bankets and dishes
as costely as ever was sene, and gyldyd. . . . My
Lord of Arundell gayfe to ye Quene grace a cubard
of plate.' (fn. 36) Queen Elizabeth paid frequent subsequent
visits to Nonsuch, and in 1590–2 purchased the
palace and park of John, Lord Lumley, heir of the
Earl of Arundel, in exchange for lands to the value of
£534. (fn. 37)
In 1599 Mr. Roland White wrote to Robert
Sydney: 'Her Majestie is returned again to None-such, which of all other places she likes best'; and it
was on the occasion of this visit that the Earl of
Essex, having returned from Ireland without the
queen's permission, burst into her bedchamber at
ten o'clock in the morning, and though received
kindly at the time, was committed four days later to
the custody of the Lord Keeper. (fn. 38)
Lord Lumley was appointed Keeper of the Palace
and Little Park by James I, who was frequently resident there for hunting and racing, which probably
took place on Banstead Downs (vide Banstead).
On 1 December 1606 the Earl of Worcester was
appointed Keeper of the Great Park at Nonsuch,
whence no doubt it acquired the name Worcester
Park, and the lodge in it the name of Worcester
House. (fn. 39)
The estate formed part of the jointure of Queen
Henrietta Maria, and was visited by Charles I in
1625, 1629, 1630, and 1632. During the Common-wealth the palace was at first leased to Algernon
Sidney for £150 per annum. The Government soon
afterwards assigned the whole place to Lilburne's
regiment, then in Scotland, as security for the men's
pay. A letter is extant from Colonel Robert Lilburne to General Lambert, in which he offers on
behalf of the regiment to sell Nonsuch to him. The
men, it was thought, would be willing to accept 12s.
in the £ for their debentures. (fn. 40) Certainly the Little
Park and Palace were purchased by Major-General
Lambert, (fn. 41) and in 1654–6 the Great Park and Worcester House were purchased by Colonel Thomas
Pride, (fn. 42) who died in 1658 at Worcester House, the
house in the Great Park.
At the Restoration Nonsuch House and Parks were
restored to Queen Henrietta Maria. In 1663 the
reversion of part of the estate (under the name of
Nonsuch Great Park or Worcester Park, land called
the Great Park Meadow, and the mansion-house called
Worcester House) was leased by Charles II for a term
of 99 years to Sir Robert Long, his late companion
in exile, and at this date Chancellor of the Exchequer;
one of the conditions of the lease being that Sir Robert
should from time to time convert part of the premises
into pasture without destroying the trees and bushes,
so that the same might become fit for deer in case the
king were minded to restore and make the same park
a park as formerly, Sir Robert to be keeper of the
park and have herbage and pannage. (fn. 43) During the
plague year of 1665 Nonsuch Palace was fitted up
temporarily for the offices of the Exchequer. In
1670 Sir Robert Long pleaded for another life in his
lease, at the same time representing that during the
late disturbed times the site had been converted into
tillage, the wood all down, and that he, Sir Robert,
had compounded with the queen for her interest,
bought out the keepers, and paid £2,500 for repairs
of the house. (fn. 44)
Sir Robert Long died in 1673, and his will (fn. 45)
mentions that he settled his lease on his nephew.
But in 1670 the palace and fee simple of both parks
were bestowed by Charles II on Viscount Grandison
and Henry Brounker, in trust for Barbara Villiers,
Duchess of Cleveland, (fn. 46) in that year created Baroness
of Nonsuch, by whom as a means of settling her
pecuniary difficulties the house was entirely dismantled, its contents sold, and the park divided up
into farms. (fn. 47)
In 1710 the parks were held by Charles, Duke of
Grafton, grandson of the duchess, (fn. 48) whose son in 1731
sold Worcester Park to John Walter his former
steward. John Walter died in 1745, and was succeeded by his son George, afterwards knighted. The
latter left two daughters, one of whom died single in
1749, while the other married Rev. — Clarke, who
sold to Mr. Taylor, from whom it passed to William
Taylor, who died in 1764. Mr. Taylor set up here
a large gunpowder factory. (fn. 49) His heir, William Taylor, built a new house, called Worcester Park, in 1797.
The property has long been divided. Worcester Park
House is now the residence of
Miss Wheeler.
Farmer of Nonsuch. Argent a fesse sable between three lions' heads razed gules.
The Little Park was sold
by the Duke of Grafton in
1731 to Joseph Thomson, who
built a house here and left it
to his nephew, the Rev. Joseph
Whateley, on condition that
he should take priest's orders.
On the death of Mr. Whateley the estate was sold to
Mr. Farmer, who built a new
house, (fn. 50) and is now the property of his descendant, Captain William R. G. Farmer.
Some idea of the splendour of Nonsuch Palace may
be gathered from the eulogies of contemporary writers,
such as Leland and Camden, while it is described at
length by Braun in Civitates Orbis Terrarum. (fn. 51) The
Survey of 1650 gives a detailed account of the house
and grounds. The commissioners' admiration of the
splendid building and anxiety for its preservation can
be clearly seen through the dry official language of
their report. The 'capitall messuage or royal mansion house, commonly called Nonsuch [they say], consists of one fayer stronge and large structure of building of freestone of two large stories high, well wrought
and battled with stone and covered with blue slate,
standing round a court of 150 foote long and 132
foote broad, paved with stone, commonly called the
Outward Courte,' and also of 'one other faire and
very curious structure or building of two stories high,
the lower storie whereof is of good and well wrought
freestone, and the higher of wood, richly adorned and
set forth and garnished with variety of statues, pictures,
and other antick formes of excellent art and workmanship, and of no small cost; all which building lying
almost upon a square, is covered with blue slate, and
incloseth one faire and large court of one hundred
thirty seaven foot broad, and one hundred and sixteen
foot long, all paved with freestone, commonly called
the Inner Court.'
The uses of the various rooms are noted; in the
outer court on the ground floor were the buttery,
the wine cellar, and fifteen other rooms occupied by
Lady Holland's servants, the housekeeper, the gentlemen ushers, the quarter waiter, the groom porter, and
Mr. Henry Jermyn. On the first floor twenty-one
rooms are mentioned, three for Lady Denbigh, three
for Lady Holland, a dining-room, drawing-room, and
bedchamber for Lady Carlisle, two rooms for her servants, four rooms for the lord chamberlain, Lord
Dorset, two for the queen's almoner, two for the maids
of honour, and two for the housekeeper.
The outer court was entered through a three-story
gatehouse, 'very strong and gracefull,' with embattled turrets at the angles, and a large room on the
top floor 'very pleasant and delectable for prospect.'
The rooms of the inner court, being the royal
apartments, were 'very faire and large,' many of them
panelled and having 'spacious lights both inwards and
outwards,' i.e. towards the court and towards the park.
Another gatehouse stood between the two courts, an
ascent of eight steps leading up from the outer to the
inner court. This gatehouse was of freestone with
corner turrets and a clock turret in the middle, and
was 'of most excellent workmanship and a very speciall
ornament to Nonsuch house.'
The rooms of the inner court were on the ground
floor a guard chamber, two rooms for Lady Cary, two
for 'Madam Nurse' the queen's back stairs, two for
Madam Vautlet the queen's dresser, two for Dr. 'Myerne,' two for Madam Conget, two for the queen's
priests, two for the master of the horse, two for the
queen's robes, two for Madam Cyvet, two for the
queen's 'querrier,' the queen's kitchen, a room for
'Mr. Cooke," and one for the queen's waiters. On
the first floor were the presence chamber, the privy
closet, the privy chamber, the privy gallery, the
queen's bedchamber, the queen's back stairs, the king's
bedchamber and back stairs, the queen's chapel, and
two rooms for the Marchioness Hambleton. The
inner court had wooden battlements covered with
lead, adding 'a very great grace and special ornament to
the whole building,' and had large angle turrets at
east and west, five stories high, of timber covered with
lead, 'the chiefe ornament of the whole house.' In
the west turret was a large lead cistern, serving the
whole house, including a white marble fountain in
the inner court, supported by two brass dragons, and
having a lead-lined marble basin on three steps. A
'belcone' in the middle of the privy gallery seems to
have been specially designed to give a view of this
fountain.
In addition to these two courts was a third and
smaller kitchen court, adjoining the outer court on
the east. The lay-out of the grounds is described.
In front of the outer court was a stone balustrade
with a bowling-green, 'railed with good postes,
rails, and lattices of wood,' from which an avenue
of trees led directly to the park gate. The privy
garden, inclosed by a 14-foot brick wall, lay round
and adjoining unto the three outsides of the inward
court,' and was divided into 'allyes, quarters, and
rounds set about with thorne edges,' rather neglected
at the time, as was to be expected, but easily capable
of repair. To the north lay the kitchen garden,
also walled, and to the west a wilderness, its trees
lately felled by 'one Mr. Bond, one of the contractors
for sale of the late king's goods.' (fn. 52) North of the
wilderness was an orchard.
In the privy garden, on the west side of the great
turret at the west angle of the inner court, was a
marble basin with a pelican through which the water
was supplied, and near it a 'piramide' or spired pinnacle of marble. There were also two other marble
'piramides' called the 'Fawlcon perches,' having between them a white marble fountain set round with
'six trees called black trees, which trees beare no
fruite but only a very pleasant flower.'
In the highest part of the park was a foursquare
banqueting house, timber-built in three stories, with
three cellars on the ground floor, a hall and three other
rooms above, and on the top floor five rooms, with a
lantern on the roof. Nearly all the rooms were
panelled and amply lighted, and at each of the four
corners of the house was a 'belcone placed for prospect.' The banqueting house was surrounded by a
brick wall with projecting angle bastions. This wall
is the only part now remaining. There were also a
well-house, 'with a wheel for winding up of water,'
and a wash-house close by.
Other buildings in the park were the under-house-keeper's house, with the saucery house for the yeomen
of the saucer, and a well-house with a deep well, the
stables, 'a little remote upon the north-east,' with
barns and outhouses, and the keeper's lodge.
All the buildings were in a very good state, and 'not
fit to be demolished or taken down,' and the value of
their materials was estimated at £7,020.
By 1665 Evelyn speaks of the gardens as 'ruined,'
and though he remarks upon the wonderful preservation of the bas-reliefs in plaster, considering their age,
he implies that they were perishing. The house must
have needed a great outlay to keep it in repair. The
description and the picture alike convey the idea of
a somewhat barbaric magnificence overloaded with
ornament.
The house was destroyed by orders of the Duchess
of Cleveland, but not immediately after she received
it. (fn. 53) That some of it, or of the separate banqueting
house, was standing about the time of James II is
proved by a MS. note in Aubrey's Wiltshire, by P. le
Neve, Norrey, who writes: 'I saw it in James II's
time or thereabouts. It was done with plaister work
made of rye dough, in imagery, very costly.' (fn. 54) As
late as 1757 the foundations of it could be traced
round the courtyards. (fn. 54a)
CHURCH
Of the original church the exact site
cannot be determined at the present day.
It was, with the old manor-house, at the
foot of the downs between the villages of Cheam and
Ewell. (fn. 55) It was swept away with the rest of the village in the reign of Henry VIII to make room for the
palace and park of Nonsuch.
The present church of ST. MARY THE VIRGIN
is an unfinished building dating from 1895, and situated at Worcester Park. It is in the style of the 13th
century, and has flint-faced walls with bands of red
brick and dressings of stone. It consists of an apsidal
chancel, with organ chamber, south chancel-aisle, nave
and aisles of three bays out of the five requisite to
complete the building, the west end being closed by a
temporary brick wall and west porch. The chancel
has a wood-vaulted ceiling; its east walls are lined with
marble; the reredos is of white marble and alabaster.
Carved oak screens span the chancel arch. The nave
has a clearstory of lancets and a panelled oak ceiling.
The roofs are tiled. Over the nave roof is an oak
fleche with a spirelet covered with lead. The pulpit
is of carved stone; the font of stone with marble
shafts. The churchyard is a triangular grass plot in
which stands a tall elm and a few young trees. The
communion plate is electro-plated, and consists of a
cup, two patens, and a flagon.
ADVOWSON
The church of Cuddington was
granted in the early 12th century by
Hugh de Laval to Bernard the Scribe
in trust for the Prior and convent of Merton, by whom
it was retained from that date until the Dissolution. (fn. 56)
By a charter dating between 1186 and 1198 the prior
and convent granted to one, Master Hamo, a lease of
the church for four years in consideration of 6 silver
marks per annum. (fn. 57) In 1284 Pope Martin IV, upon
a petition from the prior and convent, pleading
poverty, consented to their appropriating the church
to their own uses, reserving, however, a suitable sustentation for a vicar, and sufficient for the payment of
ecclesiastical dues and other burdens, this appropriation
being confirmed by letters patent in 1309. (fn. 58) The
church was valued at £14 13s. 4d. in the Taxation of
1291. (fn. 59) In 1311 an episcopal ordinance was issued
for the endowment of a vicarage, and Low Thomas of
Kingston, priest, was presented to the same. (fn. 60)
In 1346 a suit took place between the king and the
Prior of Merton, the king claiming the presentation to
the vicarage by reason of the last vicar having resigned
at a time when the temporalities of the monastery
were in the king's hands during a vacancy of the
priorship. (fn. 61) The court adjudged the presentation to
the king.
In 1428 the church was exempted from taxation
on the ground that there were not at that time ten
inhabitants in the parish having dwellings.
At the Dissolution the rectory and advowson were
valued at a total of £10, from which the vicar received £8 in a money payment of 2s. and a cottage
for his dwelling. (fn. 62) At this time, or very shortly
after, the rectory appears to have been held at
farm by one William Cowper of Westminster and
Cecilia his wife, who in 1539 resigned the remainder
of their term in the same in consideration of other
estates. (fn. 63)
In 1586 the rectory and the church, which had been
pulled down, and the advowson, with tithes of grain,
hay, &c., which in 1571 had been leased to Roger
Marshall for twenty-one years, were granted by Queen
Elizabeth to Sir Christopher Hatton, (fn. 64) who the next
day conveyed the same to John, Lord Lumley, (fn. 65) and
from this date the descent of the rectory followed that
of the manor.