executed. It is to be regretted that this apartment is CHAP. I. not occupied in a better manner than at present, being simply a receptacle for rubbish. The chapel, now used as a school for industry, (established in 1809) is curious, having stalls round it, and a panelled roof. The pulpit, situate at the west end of the apartment, is richly covered with scroll-work. The rest of the buildings are occupied as private residences, or manufactories. The principal part of the palace belongs to Messrs. T. and S. Stavey, calico bleachers.

manor.

The manor of Waddon, in this parish, was granted Waddon by Henry I. to the monks of Bermondsey, in exchange for other lands;* and was by them exchanged with the archbishop of Canterbury, for the advowson of the church of Croydon. It still belongs to that see.

Peter Chaceport had a charter of free warren in the manor of Benchesham, in the reign of Henry III.; Richard Gravesend, bishop of London, had a grant of the same nature, in the time of Edw. I.: Stephen Gravesend, bishop of London, died seized of it in the reign of Edward III. It was afterwards in the possession of the Cherburys and Chiritons, the latter of whom alienated it to Walter Whithorse, the king's shield-bearer, from whom it derived its second name. It afterwards belonged to the families of Holker and Brudenell. In 1566, it was the property of William Morton, Esq., whose grandson Thomas, dying in 1678, left five daughters, amongst whom this manor was divided. Four of the severalties were purchased by John Barrett, about the year 1712; the fifth was bought by his grandson, in 1787, who sold the whole to John Cator, Esq.

Cotton MSS. Brit. Mus. A. 8. f. 111. Extracts from a cartulary of Bermondsey Abbey.

BOOK VI.

Cronham manor.

Haling

manor.

The manor of Croham, formerly called Cronham, or Cranham, in the reign of Edward III. was the property of the Chiritons, who alienated it to Walter Whithorse. In the reign of Henry IV. it came into the hands of the crown, and the custody thereof was granted to William Oliver. This manor belonged to Dame Anne Peche, in the reign of Henry VII. Sir John Danet held it in the next reign, in right of his wife, who was daughter and heir of Thomas Elynbridge. It afterwards came into the hands of Sir Oliph Leigh, of whom Archbishop Whitgift bought it for the endowment of his hospital, under which it is now held by lease. Some part of the manor is in the parish of Sandersted.

The earliest record that Mr. Lysons found relating to the manor of Haling, m ntions that it was given by Hugh Warham to Henry VIII. in exchange for other lands. It continued in the crown till the reign of Queen Mary, when it was granted to Sir John Gage, knight. By the attainder of John Gage, Esq. in the next reign, it reverted to the crown, and was leased to Charles, earl of Nottingham, the celebrated lord admiral, who frequently made it his residence, and died there in the year 1624.† Soon afterwards the Gage family appear to have been again in possession, for they alienated the manor, in the second year of Charles I., to Christopher Gardiner, Esq. It continued to be the property of the Gardiners till 1707, when it was conveyed by them to Edward Stinger, Esq. who dying without issue, his widow brought it into the Parker family in whose possession it still continues.

* 27 Henry VIII. Grants and Exchanges of Lands, Augmentation Office.

+ Dugdale's Baronage, vol. ii.

The manor of Norbury, held of the arcnbishop of CHAP.I. Canterbury, was at an early period the property of the Norbury. Carews, and has descended in the same manner as

Beddington.

The benefice of Croydon is in the peculiar jurisdic- Church tion of the archbishop of Canterbury. It was formerly both a rectory and a vicarage; among the early rectors, was William de Wyttlesey, afterwards archbishop of Canterbury: the vicarage was then in the patronage of the rector. In 1390, Archbishop Courtney gave the advowson of the church to the monks of Bermondsey, in exchange for the manor of Waddon. Since the suppression of monasteries, the great tithes have been in lay hands. In the Liber regis it is valued at £21. 18s. 9d.

The church, which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is built of stone and flint; it is situated at the bottom of the town, near the source of the river Wandle. It consists of a nave, two aisles, and three chancels; at the west end is a handsome square tower with pinnacles. The nave is separated from the aisles by light clustered columns, with pointed arches, between which are several grotesque heads and ornaments. The church appears to have been rebuilt in the time of Archbishop Chicele, who was a great contributor to the work; his arms† are upon the west door, under the tower. The old font, which stands at the west end of the south aisle, appears to be of the same date. The total length of the church is one hundred and thirty feet, and the breadth seventyfour.

In the year 1639, the church suffered great damage

by a storm of wind. On the 11th of March, 1735,

Harleian MSS. Brit. Mus. 7025.

+ Or, a chevron between three cinquefoils, gules.