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Shere, Gomshall and Peaslake Local History Society
Meeting Reports for 2008-2009
SHERE
AND GOMSHALL IN THE DOMESDAY BOOK
On Tuesday 8th April in Shere Village Hall a packed audience of members
and visitors from Shere, Gomshall and Peaslake Local History Society welcomed
speaker Patrick Molineux who gave a fascinating illustrated talk about Domesday
Book and Surrey from the 1050s to the 1090s.
Drawing upon his extensive research into the subject Patrick explained the construction of Domesday Book which translates as "day of judgement" being a survey of who held land and wealth-generating assets, income from manors and assessment for geld (taxation), which formed a mediation document between the King and his landowners. The talk covered the parallels with a modern census and how the survey results were collated in Winchester, the original text being later written up in a form of latin shorthand which calligraphers have confirmed was written by one monk or clerk over a period of some years on sheepskin parchment.
Patrick went on to discuss the structure and style of Surrey manors and settlements which were all around rivers and streams and that Surrey was essentially the crossroads of the South-East which was the base of power, other parts of the country being rebellious, with London and Winchester being the two great cities of England at that time.
We learned that Surrey comprised 14 Hundreds, many recognisable in name today and that land cultivation in the north of Surrey produced a lot of hay to feed oxen; whereas the south had the weald, which being well wooded supported pigs which ate acorns and beechnuts. Some terminology was explained; a Hide was one unit of taxation, notionally the land to support one peasant and family. A Hundred was notionally one hundred Hides (a district).
Saxon Surrey was owned by 125 landowners, the largest being Chertsey Abbey. The county was well scattered with churches, which had a spiritual and poor relief role collecting tithes for use in hard times and was well supplied with mills, half of which were in Battersea. Shere and Gomshall were part of Blackheath hundreds. This is just a summary of what was a very extensive talk for which John Whitaker offered thanks following a lively questions and answers session. Jeff Nellist.
HISTORY
SOCIETY AGM & "TRADE TOKENS" LECTURE
Our AGM took place on 11 March in the Village Hall. Some 40 or so members
were present as Barbara Karlsson reported on a successful year of lectures
and outings and announced the launch of a new local book, "Shere Church
Bells a History" on sale this evening and at local shops and hopefully
soon at the Church. After the minutes and accounts were approved and officers
elected, Barbara was presented with a small bouquet and she then introduced
our speaker for the evening, John Theobald who was speaking on the subject
of 'Trade Tokens'. This may seem a rather dry subject but, believe me, members
enjoyed a remarkably interesting talk.
Effectively, unofficial money was issued by local businesses and organisations. Locally, unofficial money was first used in the 17th century after the Civil War, when, with the country virtually bankrupt, local tradesmen issued individual penny, halfpenny and quarter penny tokens as money of necessity so they could continue doing business when no national currency was available.
Guildford Borough issued 'brass farthings', probably for the benefit of the Parish poor and Joseph Chitty a blacksmith of Bramley and his brother Henry, a grocer from Godalming, both issued Trade tokens. There was even a Shalford postman, one Thomas Wilmott, who issued his own tokens. Remarkably, there is no record of any tradesman failing to redeem his tokens.
John related the incredible story of the Albury Park Mill who were approached in 1793 or 1794 by a stranger who showed them a bank note with certain watermarks and asked them to produce exactly similar paper. An order was placed and the buyer was satisfied with the work when he came to collect. Indeed, he placed several more orders. The mysterious buyer proved to be the Comte d'Artois, later King Henry X of France, and the paper was used to make false French assignats (bank notes) to be used in an attempt to destroy the French economy during the revolutionary period.
After 1816 when a great Regal recoinage took place, local money was no longer required, although workhouses produced tokens for use by the poor inmates, specifically for the purchase of food. It was feared that real money would be spent on alcohol.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, various factories issued tokens for their workforces to be 'spent' on protective clothing, canteen food and even for the use of the toilet facilities. Locally, Chilworth Gunpowder Mills provided brass clothing tokens which were used to reclaim clothing staff had removed in order to dress in the special safety clothing issued. Dennis Bros (Fire Engines), even after World War II, were issuing Tool checks with the employee number, which he was obliged to give to the 'loo' attendant before using the toilet, to be collected when he departed that sanctuary. Woe betide anyone who 'sat down on the job' for too long! In 1871, Unwin Brothers (Gresham Press Printing Works) came to Chilworth and issued very ornate brass checks to staff for use as time tickets.
John talked about Co-op tokens which were issued and used extensively in Godalming, Guildford and Haslemere. They spanned about the first 60 years of the 20th centuruy. The Co-op issued, for example, milk tokens which the roundsman found much more convenient to collect than cash. His round was speeded considerably because he didn't have to find change. He was also much less likely to be robbed. John then came to the British Restaurants which opened during WWII to provide a hot meal without using ration coupons. Plastic tokens were issued by a slot machine dispenser; one such dispenser was presented to Godalming Museum.
John's lecture was enhanced by many coins and tokens being passed around as he explained their use.
On behalf of the society, David Hicks made a small speech of thanks to John and we all went home rather wiser.