Godalming, commonly called Godliman, is a Saxon name, which signifies Goda’s alms, and was given to this place on its being bestowed by a lady named Goda or Godiva, on some religious house.

This town is delightfully situated in a beautiful valley, encompassed with fine hanging woods, at a small distance, with the river Wye running close by. It consists of a principal street running nearly east and west, and several smaller ones. The great road from London to Portsmouth passes through it; also the roads to Petworth and Chichester. The manufacture of cloth and kerseys formerly flourished here as well as at Guildford, but of late years has gone very much to decay. The bridge over the river Wye here, was opened for public use in 1785. The weekly market, first granted in 1300, is held on Wednesday.

The church, dedicated to St. Peter, consists of a nave with two aisles, a chancel separated by a transept, in the centre of which, the steeple is erected upon four strong arches. The length of the whole building is 117 feet, and the breadth 48. The steeple contains eight bells. Part of the roof is divided into pannels with small frames of wood, in the junctures of which, are various coats of arms, and other devices of the nobility and persons who had contributed to the repairs of the edifice. Among these, are the letters H. R. crowned, the Prince of Wales’s crest, and the red and white rose conjoined, as borne by Arthur Prince of Wales, from which it is supposed that this wainscot ceiling was put up in the reign of Henry VII., and before 1502, when Prince Arthur died. Here are numerous memorials of the Eliots of Busbridge, and the Wyatts of Shakleford; and on a white marble tablet with a small urn over it, against a pillar in the nave, is an inscription to the Rev. Mr. Manning, the historian of the county, who is interred in the church-yard, and has a head-stone with an epitaph upon it, though he expressly forbade his family and friends to erect any monument for him.

On the right of Godalming, at some distance, is the seat of Mr. Anstey, whose manufactory for printed linens and cottons, for hangings and bed furnitures, is among the first and most fashionable in England.

On the border of the common of Peasemersh, about three quarters of a mile on the road to Guildford, is an Almshouse, a plain brick building, with a small chapel in the centre, and a walled garden behind it. On the outside over the door of the chapel are the arms of the founder, and underneath this inscription:

"This Ospytall was given by Mr. Richard Wyatt of London, Esq. for tenn poore men, with sufficient lands to it for yeir mayntenance for ever, 1622." The founder died in 1619.

Near Godalming, to the left, is Westbrook Place, the seat of J. Anstey, Esq. and formerly the residence of the respectable General Oglethorp; and a little farther west, and near three miles from Godalming, is Pepper Harrow Park, the seat of Viscount Middleton. One mile south of Godalming is Busbridge, the seat of H. H. Townshend, Esq. And three miles to the north-west the village of Puttenham, which is noted for its good air.

Three miles east of Godalming is Ognersh; it had once a considerable manufactory of woollen doth, chiefly blue, for the Canary Islands.

Besides the villages in the neighbourhood already noticed, there are, within four miles of Godalming, Compton, Moulshill, and Elstead, on the west side of Godalming, between the river Wey and a brook that falls into it; and Hameldon, which is between Chidingfold and Godalming.

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GODALMING is a municipal borough and market town, head of a county court district, station on the Guildford and Portsmouth (London and South-Western) railway and parish in the South Western division of the county, Guildford hundred, petty sessional division and union, rural deanery of Godalming, archdeaconry of Surrey and diocese of Winchester, situated on the old road from London to Portsmouth and Chichester, and on the navigable river Wey, 34 miles from London by railway and 31 by road, 3 ½ south from Guildford, 24 ¼ from Kingston, 23 from Reigate, 33 ½ from Croydon and 17 from Dorking. The situation of the town in the valley of the Wey, the surrounding lofty hills, which are beautifully wooded, and the views from which are extensive and picturesque, render the town and neighbourhood attractive places of residence. The town is governed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Wm. IV. c. 76) by a mayor, four aldermen and twelve councillors, who also act as the Urban Sanitary Authority. The borough has a commission of the peace. The town is supplied with water by the Frith Hill, Godalming and Farncombe Water Company Limited, who have works in Sandy road and Catteshall lane, with a reservoir at Frith Hill holding 369,000 gallons, one at Catteshall lane holding 100,000 gallons and Frith Hill tower tank, which holds 28,000 gallons. The town is lit with gas by a company formed in 1836. The river Wey, which runs east of the town and joins the Thames at Weybridge, is navigable up to this point; its stream works several mills.

The church of SS. Peter and Paul is an ancient cruciform structure of Bargate stone, partly in the Early English style and consisting of chancel, with north and south chapels, nave, with arcades of four arches, aisles, transepts, and a central tower with a lofty wooden spire covered with lead and containing 8 bells, cast in 1741 from an older peal of 5; the tenor weighs 25 cwts.: in the chancel are sedilia and a piscina: the east window, of 5 lights, is stained and there is another in the north chapel; there are several monuments, including one within the communion rails, with kneeling figure, to Edith Elyott, dated 1615; another to Philip Webb M.P. for Haslemere, 1756, and a third to Major-General James Edward Oglethorpe M.P. who settled the colony of Georgia, uniting in himself the functions of a military commander and a civil administrator; he died 30th June, 1785; there is also a memorial to the Rev. Owen Manning B.D. formerly vicar of this parish, who, in conjunction with Mr. William Bray F.S.A. published in 1817 a “History of Surrey;” he died 9th September, 1801. A new organ was added in 1887 at a cost of £1,400, raised by subscription. The church was enlarged and repaired in 1840 and completely restored in 1879, and has 1,000 sittings, half being free. The register dates from the year 1582. The living is a vicarage, with an endowment of £468 from the great tithes of the tithing of the hamlets of Easbing and Norney, net yearly value £330, with residence and about 5 acres of glebe, in the gift of the Bishop of Winchester, and held since 1888 by the Rev. Leonard Hedley Burrows M.A. of New College, Oxford, and surrogate.

The Society of Friends have a meeting house on the Mint, but it is now (1890) closed.

The Congregational church, Bridge street, erected by voluntary subscriptions in 1869, at a cost of about £3,660, is a structure of native rubble stone, with Bath stone facings, in the Early Decorated style, and has a tower with spire 85 feet in extreme height: there are 500 sittings.

The Congregational school-room and mission hall was erected in 1884, at a cost of about £2,500: in the central area there is room for about 700 children: the 17 classrooms hold 300 children, and a portion of the former schoolroom has been converted into a gallery for the infants’ class, so as to hold 50 children.

The Wesleyan chapel, Harts lane, is an edifice of brick, and has about 200 sittings.

The Cemetery, situated in the Nightingale road, is about 4 acres in extent, with 2 mortuary chapels, and is under the control of a Burial Board of nine members.

The Town Hall and Market house includes a council chamber used for the meetings of the corporation, containing portraits of Admiral Balchin and the late Henry Marshall, John Simmonds, and Richard Balchin, formerly mayors of Godalming; above the building rises a turret with cupola containing a clock. There is also a large public hall in Bridge street for public meetings, seating 600 persons.

The Masonic Hall, situated in South street and erected in 1886, is a structure of red brick with Bath stone dressings in the English Renaissance style; the banqueting room and club room will each hold 200 persons.

The Conservative Club, situated in Wharf street and erected at a cost of £5,500 from the designs of C. H. Sparkes esq. C.E. is an edifice of brick and stone, containing a large hall, billiard and other rooms, and has grounds at the back.

The Liberal Club in Bridge street, erected in 1888, is a building of red brick with red Mansfield stone dressings, and contains a large room for meetings and entertainments, a billiard room and refreshment and reading rooms.

The Bethlehem Convalescent Home at Witley is a brick building in the Italian style, and will hold 40 patients.

The almshouses, situated in Meadrow, Farncombe, were founded by Richard Wyatt esq. of London, who died in 1619, for ten poor men, each of whom receives 5s. a week; the management of the charity, consisting of 146a. 3r. 28p. of land and an amount of £69119s. 6d. Consols, producing an annual gross income of £182 5s. 2d. is vested in the Carpenters’ Company; Smith and Champion’s charities consist of a farm, 82 acres in extent, and £1,338 4s. 1d. in Consols, the income arising from which is distributed by trustees according to a scheme established under an order of the Charity Commissioners dated 23rd January, 1885; Walcott’s charity of £49 16s. was bequeathed in 1859.

The trade of the town consists principally in timber, flour, paper and hosiery, but there is an oil-leather factory, a glove factory and several corn mills. Building stone is dug from Bargate rock in large quantities, and is used in the erection of churches and other public buildings.

There are three good hotels.

Godalming was devised by Alfred the Great to his nephew, Ethelwald, who died in 905, at which time it passed out of the hands of the Crown, and finally became the property of the see of Salisbury, until exchanged with Henry VIII. for other estates. Queen Elizabeth, in consideration of a sum of £1,341 8s. 2 ½d. granted the manor, in 1601, to Sir George More, of Losely, from whom it descended to James More Molyneux esq. and is now owned by James Stewart Hodgson esq. J.P. of Lythe Hill, Haslemere.

Pine Wood is the residence of Rt. Hon. Lord Knutsford G.C.M.G., P.C., D.L., J.P. and Eashing Park of Lord Penzance.

The principal landowners are E. D. Gosling, F. E. Eastwood J.P. and J. Godman J.P. esqs. Lieut.-General Marshall, the Hon. Mrs. Kerr and Viscount Midleton.

The area is 9,098 acres; rateable value, £46,105; the population of the entire parish, including Farncombe, in 1871 was 6,862 and in 1881, 8,639, of which 2,505 are within the borough, but the population is now (1890) considerably increased.

St. Thomas’ mission church, an iron building in the Carlos road, will hold about 120 persons.

Crownpits Sand, a quarter of a mile south; Holloway Hill, a quarter of a mile south; Munstead Heath, 1 mile south-east.

Places of Worship, with times of Services

SS. Peter & Paul Church, Rev; Leonard Hedley Borrows M.A. vicar: Rev. Archdall Malden Hill M.A. Rev. Bentley Roscow M.A. curates; holy communion 8 a.m. (2nd & 4th Sun. at midday), 11 a.m. & 3 p.m, (children's service), 6.30 p.m.; Mon. & Sat. 8 a.m.; Wed. & Fri. 11a.m.; Tue. & Thur. 6 p.m.; Wed. 8 p.m.

St. Thomas’ Mission Church, Carlos road; holy communion, 3rd Sun. 8.15 a.m. 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

St. John the Baptist Church, Busbridge, Rev. William Tringham M.A. rector, 11 a.m. &6 p.m; holy communion 1st & 3rd Sun. midday; 2nd & 4th Sun. 11 a.m.; holy days, matins, 11.15 a.m.

St. Mary’s Church, Shackleford, Rev. John Castle Montgomery, rector, 11 a.m. & 3 p.m. & in sum. 6.30 p.m.

St. John the Evangelist Church, Farncombe, Rev. Edgar Fras. Bowring M.A. rector; Rev. Samuel David Titmas M.A. curate; 11 a.m. 3.30 & 6.30 p.m.

Congregational, Bridge street. Rev. A. J. Crighton, minister; 11 a.m. & 6.30; mond. 8 p.m.

Unitarian, Mead row, Rev. S. Pinkerton, minister; 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

Wesleyan, Harts lane. 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; Tue. 7.30 p.m.

Wesleyan, Farncombe, 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

Brethren Meeting Room, Farncombe 6.30 p.m.; Tue. 7.30 p.m.

Congregational Mission Hall, Mead row; Sun. 3 & 8 p.m.; Tue. & Sat. 8 p.m.

Schools

Charterhouse School

The Charterhouse school, removed from its ancient home in Aldersgate street, London, in 1872, is situated on ft plateau of elevated land about half a mile north of the town, & together with its attached grounds occupies 92 acres, partly wooded & including both hill & meadow, with a bathing place on the bank of the Wey for summer bathing: the buildings, constructed of Bargate stone, with Bath stone dressings, are in an early & simple Gothic style, from designs by Mr. Philip Hardwick, architect, & form three sides of a quadrangle, the principal block including a lofty tower of three stages, constituting the principal entrance, with a battlemented parapet, crocketed pinnacles & a rectangular spire: the wings terminate in towers of similar but plainer character; the chapel is attached to the left wing & has a tower with spire, about 125 feet in height: along the rear of the building are cloisters, with columns & arches of Bath stone, so that access can be gained from one part of the building to another without exposure: the library is a capacious & lofty edifice, 82 feet long by 32 feet wide; the hall (for concerts &c.) added from the designs of Sir Arthur Blomfield kt. M.A., A.R.A., F.S.A. forms a prolongation of the library, & is 100 feet long by 40 feet wide: the two rooms communicate by three lofty arches separated by sliding screens, on removing which a total length of 182 feet is available; at the end of the hall is a stage, beneath which is a large retiring or dressing room; there are also 27 class-rooms, physical & chemical laboratories, with class rooms to each, & a museum containing geological & mineralogical specimens & collections of antiquities & coins; in the corridors are preserved many of the stones from the old buildings in Charterhouse square, upon which some famous alumni have carved their names; among these are Isaac Barrow, Addison & Steele, John Wesley, Chief Justice Blackstone, Archbishop Sutton, Lord Chief Justice Ellenborough, Sir Henry Havelock, Bishop Thirlwall, Mr. Grote, Thackeray & John Leech, who (with others) are also commemorated in the painted windows of the library: in the school-room & library are a number of oil paintings given by Mr. Allen, once a student in Charterhouse, who also presented 2,000 volumes to the library, which now contains about 10,000 volumes: the dormitories in the three boarding-houses comprised within these buildings will hold 150 boys: each house also contains two large day rooms, one for the upper & one for the lower boys, & sixteen or twenty small studies; there are eight masters’ houses for the reception of boarders: ample provision has been made for an efficient water supply from a well 175 feet deep, never containing less than 25 feet, of water, which is pumped up by steam power, & is also available for the laundry: adjoining the school are 2 plots of ground laid out for cricket, each comprising about 10 acres of level sward, upon which the school matches are played: there are at the present time 500 scholars; this celebrated school was originally founded in 1611, in connection with a hospital, by Thomas Sutton, on the site of a convent of the Carthusian order, founded in 1371 by Sir Walter Manny K.G. & purchased by Sutton from Lord Suffolk for the sum of £13,000: the founder died December 12th, 1611 & was buried in the chapel of the hospital beneath a monument, the work of Nicholas Stone & Jansen.

King Edward’s School, Wormley, erected in 1867 upon elevated ground, at the extremity of the parish, adjoining Wltley, is in connection with & under the control of the governors of the royal hospitals of Bridewell & Bethlehem & is a charity intended for the maintenance, education & industrial occupation of 240 destitute children of both sexes, who have never been convicted of crime: the girls’ school is in St. George’s road, Southwark, London: the building at Witley, constructed of red brick in the Italian style, has been erected for 240 boys, who are admitted from the ages of 12 to 15 years & their training is directed so as to fit them either for the army & navy or for industrial occupations: the government of the school is vested in a Committee of Governors, who meet for the admission of children on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday in every month, at King Edward’s school, St. George’s road, Southwark: Sir James Clarke Lawrence, alderman, is president & Major Alfred J. Copeland, treasurer; the Rev. Gerard Moore Mason B.A. of Corpus Christi college, Cambridge, chaplain & superintendent; the school was enlarged in 1882 & again in 1887, when dormitories, gymnasium & a day room were added; a chapel, open to the public, has been erected for the use of the two establishments, King Edward’s schools & Bethlehem Convalescent hospital: there is choral service every Sunday at 11 & 7.

A School Attendance Committee, consisting of 7 members, was formed in 1876; Hugh Framingham Day, High street, clerk to the committee; Albert Brown Farncombe, attendance officer.

National, Moss lane, first utilized as such in 1840, for 160 boys, 250 girls & 180 infants; average attendance, 130 boys, 140 girls & 160 infants.

National, Shackleford, built in 1871, for 152 children; average attendance, 120 boys & girls.

National, Farncombe, built in 1856 & enlarged & a turret with clock added in 1884 & again enlarged in 1889; there is a residence for the master & mistress & the school will hold 468 children; average attendance, 117 boys, 125 girls & 135 infants.

National (mixed), Busbridge, built in 1868, & enlarged in 1887, for 220 children; average attendance, 190.

British, Bridge road, built in 1812 & enlarged in 1872, for 140 boys & as many girls & infants; average attendance, 63 boys, 71 girls & 87 infants.