King Harold’s brother-in-law was a Saxon thane with a name that shows remarkable prescience: Brixsi. Today the UK has rejected the EU Conquest, in 1066 Brixsi rejected the Norman one and paid for the consequences. The analogy stops here but the history lesson continues.
His village was burned (except for the Saxon church) and his lands given to Walter Fitz Otha, a loyal chap liked by King William, who went on to change his name to de Windsor and became Constable of Windsor Castle. The villlage stood where West and East Horsley are today. By 1086 it had been rebuilt and it features in the Domesday Book as Orselei with these somewhat meagre assets: eight hides, one church, eight ploughs and woodland worth twenty hogs.
As so often in history, it all happens at once and then nothing happens for centuries. The next thing to upset the repose of the W Horsley villagers was the Black Death (mid 14th century) which killed most of them. So many died that there were not enough people to work the land and it was turned over to grazing for sheep.
At the beginning of the 16th century West Horsley Place was built. Almost immediately, in 1536, as was his wont, Henry VIII requisitioned the estate and gave it to his cousin Henry Courtenay. In gratitude, Henry C invited Henry K to luncheon. They sat down to thirty-five courses: stewed sparrows, larded pheasants, ducks, gulls, stork, gannets, heron, pullets, quail and partridge, etc. Yum yum.
King Henry, as was his wont, took against Henry C and a mere three years later, in 1839, the latter was beheaded. Then there is radio silence from West Horsley until the Civil War when Carew Raleigh, the only son of Sir Walter Raleigh, came to live at the Place with his widowed mother. She held her husband close after his execution – she kept his head in a bag that she carried around with her. Eventually she was persuaded to deposit it in St Mary’s church in the village where it is buried under the floor.
Then almost nothing of any consequence happened in the village until 1830. The Beerhouse Act of that year allowed anybody, on payment of a license fee, to brew and sell beer and ale from their house. A local miller took advantage of this legislation and named his Public House the King William IV in honour of the new king – under which name it still trades.
A 20th century highlight was a visit by Beatrix Potter. No doubt the villagers hope that the arrival of Grange Park Opera is enough excitement to see them through the 21st century.