Westcott and the World: Maps of the Bury Hill Estate

Surrey History Centre recently received ten 18^th-19^th century manuscript maps relating to Bury Hill Estate, Westcott, Dorking, which complement an extensive archive of deeds of this estate, long time of the Barclay family, 1371-1929 (Surrey History Centre reference 6006).

The Bury Hill estate at Westcott was created by Edward Walter (1727-1780) during the mid 18^th century, setting a new mansion in an elevated wooded landscape, with vistas of an impressive artificial lake and island.  Like its subsequent neighbour Abinger Hall to the west (see Surrey History Centre reference 9779), the estate was accumulated from a patchwork of small freeholds and copyholds (of the manors of Milton, Westcott and Dorking).  It befitted Walter's aspirations to document his new domain, and the collection includes surveys commissioned in 1751 and 1763. Perhaps the most impressive of the maps is by the Scottish surveyor and cartographer George Gauld (Surrey History Centre reference 6006/83). We see many individual buildings depicted which made the small community at Milton Street and Westcott, including the smallpox hospital or pest house on Hampstead Lane, and houses on the road to Dorking (Coldharbour Lane).  A curiosity is the line vertically bisecting the Bury Hill landscape, with a compass star radiating from the newly created lake, marked 'Meridien of Berry Hill'.  A meridian is any line drawn between the North and South Poles, although the term is most commonly used in referring to the standard lines of longitude measured from zero at the Greenwich Meridian (internationally recognised in the 19^th century).  This meridian, marking Bury Hill's place on the globe, is perhaps a touch contributed by George Gauld, who was fresh from recent service on the HMS Deptford, the ship upon which the chronometer of John Harrison was proven to measure longitude in 1761.  Bury Hill was acquired by the noted collector Robert Barclay (1751-1830) in the early 19^th century.  From Bury Hill, Arthur Kett Barclay was later able to view spheres beyond his own from his hill-top observatory.

Among others, maps in the new accession show the estate of Theodore Jacobson at Lonesome Lodge, Wotton,1754-1755 (Surrey History Centre reference 6006/82), and Crockers Farm, Dorking, 1814 (6006/87).

Images:

• Central area of Map of Bury Hill by George Gauld, 1763, showing mansion, lake and 'meridien of Berry Hill'.
• Detail of Map of Bury Hill by George Gauld, 1763.  John Constable's barn and Dean's House
• Detail of Map of Bury Hill by George Gauld, 1763.  Pest house or smallpox hospital.