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Thomas Inwood and Mary Scrag © Thought to have been the son of Edward Inwood and his wife Sarah (nee Longhurst), a baptism, on the 16th August, 1727, has been located for Thomas, in St Perter & St Paul Parish Church, Ewhurst, Surrey1. It is believed Thomas married Mary Scrag in the same Parish Church, Ewhurst on the 26th May, 17552, after Banns had been read on the 13th, 20th and 27th of April. Both Thomas and Mary were from the Parish, Thomas signed his name and Mary made her mark. The ceremony was performed by the Curate E. Bickerton and the witnesses were James Child and Edmund Cook. Taking it’s name from the Old English ’iw’ meaning ‘yew tree’ and ’hyrst’ meaning ’wooded-hill’, the small rural village of Ewhurst is situated in the Mole Valley. During the medieval and Tudor periods, the richness of the Weald's natural resources led Ewhurst to become the industrial centre of Britain, as both the iron and glass industries needed large amounts of timber for fuel. But, by the 17th Century coal had replaced timber as fuel, the industries moved north, and the area declined. The heavy clay and the poor roads also contributed to its growing isolation. Farming and woodcrafts became the basis of the local economy, but there was much poverty and poaching and smuggling was widespread. The village remained small and isolated until the late 19th Century, when improved communications and a growing appreciation of the beauty of the wild Surrey countryside encouraged many wealthy businessmen and artistic people to move into the area, and by the 20th Century the village was a thriving and self-contained community with many shops and businesses3. It is estimated that Mary was born around 1730. A FamilySearch reference indicate her parents were possibly John and Mary, and she may have been baptised on the 18th February, 1730, in Shipley, West Sussex4. Lying close to the border of Surrey and only aproximately 9km south of Ewhurst, Shipley is first mentioned in a charter of 1073 as Scapeleia, and in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Sepelei. The name derives from the Old English scēap ('sheep') and lēah ('open ground, such as meadow, pasture, or arable land'). Thus it means 'sheep-clearing' or 'sheep-pasture'. William de Braose, a powerful supporter of William the Conqueror, was given the manor of Shipley and 40 other manors, including Knepp where he built the original castle, soon after the Battle of Hastings. He and his son participated in the Crusades and were great benefactors of the church. The son passed the estates at Shipley to his nephew, whose brother, Dean of Lincoln, gave them to the Knights Templar. Shipley church, St Mary the Virgin, is on of the oldest Norman churches in Sussex. It dates from the 12th century, contemporary with Chichester Cathedral, and was built by the Knights Templar on the site of a much earlier church and is the burial place of composer John Ireland. Shipley was home to Hilaire Belloc[4] who in 1906 purchased Kings Land, with a house, 5 acres (2 ha) and Shipley Windmill, which was made famous as the fictional home of the hero of the BBC television series, Jonathan Creek. The mill is an eight-sided smock mill, so-called because of the resemblance to an old-fashioned farm labourer's smock8. A search of parish records indicate that Thomas and Mary had seven children, all baptised in Ewhurst: Thomas 1756-1793; John 1758; Elizabeth 1760; Jane 1761; Isaac 1762, he married Lucy Puttock 1791; Mary 1768; and Edward 1772. The All Surrey, England, Land Tax Records, 1780-18327 indicates Thomas Inwood was the Occupier of land in Ewhurst 1780-1796, the land recorded as owned by Thomas Henley. These same records indicate Thomas was the occupier of land in Ewhurst 1798-1802, the land now owned by Thos Whitborn. Thomas is still recorded as the Occupier of land in Ewhurst 1803-1804, the land now owned by John Jackson. A possible will has been located for Thomas, dated 7th April, 18065. Thomas identifies himself as a farmer in the Parish of Ewhurst and appoints his son Edward and son-in-law James Cates (daughter Mary’s husband) as the executors and the document is witnessed by Thos Child of Ewhurst and Thos Child of Cranleigh. The will mentions his wife Mary, his children Edward, Mary, John, Isaac, Thomas (deceased) and grandson James (a minor). Records indicate Thomas, at the age of 79, died only a few weeks after the Will was written, and that he was laid to rest in the Parish Churchyard on the 24th July, 18066. Leaving less than £300, Thomas’s will was proved before the Reverend Edward Bickerton on the 23rd September, 1806. Today £300 would be equivalent to about $5000. The Surrey, England, Land Tax Records, 1780-18327 appear to indicate Mary, recorded as Widow Inwood and along with Jas Stedman, was the Occupier of land in Ewhurst 1808, the land owned by Jas Steadman & Jas Sparkes. Mary died in 1818, she was 85, and was buried in the Parish Churchyard on the 1st June6.
References: 1. Parish Baptism Record via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk 2. Parish Marriage Record via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk 3. Ewhurst History Society http://www.ewhursthistory.com/ 4. Family Search https://www.familysearch.org/search/ 5. London, England, WIlls, and Probate, 1507-1858 via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk
6. Parish Burial Record
via Ancestry.co.uk
https://www.ancestry.co.uk
8.
Sussex Online Parish Clerks
http://www.sussex-opc.org/index.php?no=1 Other Sources: Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk Diane Hansen Western Australia Exploring Surrey's Past http://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk Open Domesday Book http://domesdaymap.co.uk/ Visit Surrey http://www.visitsurrey.com
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