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John May and Sarah White ©

It is believed that John was born about 1775 in or around Mickleham in Surrey and that his father’s name was also John.  Research of the area has revealed a possible baptism of John, the son of John May, in Mickleham, on the 17^th May, 1778¹, but the record has not yet proved to be my John.  Mickleham is both a village and a parish which lies on the eastern side of the Mole River in the Mole Valley, near the foot of Box Hill, close to the old Roman Road known as Stane Street.  Approximately 4km south of Leatherhead, Mickleham adjoins Headley to the east, Dorking to the south, with Fetcham and Great Bookham to the west.  Appearing in Domesday Book of 1086 as Michelham and Micleham, it consisted of 26 quite large households, but only 4 villagers, 4 smallholders and 2 slaves, the value to the Lord was £4.   It appears there were four manors in the parish at the time, the manor of Mickleham or Littleburgh, the manors of Norbury, Westhumble and the manor of Polesden Lacey (where John & Sarah’s grandson John Fuller later worked).

It is also though that Sarah was born in Surrey around 1776, and gain research in the area has uncovered a possible baptism for Sarah, the daughter of James & Mary, on the 23^rd February, 1776, in Richmond, Surrey¹.  However, like John, this record has not been confirmed as referring to our Sarah.  Situated on the River Thames, Richmond lies approximately 25km north of Fetcham.  The area now known as Richmond-upon-Thames was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Sceon, and gained the name Richmond when, in 1501 Henry VII built Richmond Palace, named in honour of his ancestral home in Yorkshire. He chose the area to build the palace in due to the fact that he and his successors would hunt in the neighbourhood lands. At this time, beyond the grounds of the old palace the area was a collection of medieval farms and pastures, and remained mostly agricultural land until well into the 18^th Century.    

The first documentation found of John and Sarah is that of their Marriage Banns being read, on the 23^rd & 30^th September and 1^st October, 1798, in St Mary the Parish Church in Fetcham².  John and Sarah were then married, in the Parish Church, Fetcham, on the 14^th October, 1798³.  The record
indicates they were both single and both from the Parish of Fetcham.  John signed his name and Sarah made her mark.  R. Sherson, the Rector, performed the marriage and the witnesses were John May Snr, presumed to be John’s father, and an Edward Sayers.

With evidence of occupation since the Stone Age, Fetcham is 2km south-west of Leatherhead, in Surrey.  The name is said to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Fecca’s ham’.  Recorded in the Domesday Book of 1068, as Feceham, mention is made of four mills, and a large number of households, Fetcham was an agricultural community with three manors; one known as King's Manor was probably what is now known as Fetcham Park; another was given to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux after the Norman Conquest. The third was an Augustinian foundation from Merton Priory, at Cannon Court, which Henry VIII dissolved in 1538.  There were also several farms in the surrounding are, so it is highly likely John and possibly Sarah worked on one of these manors or farms.  In 1349, the population was decimated as a result of the Black Death.

Records indicate John and Sarah had at least six children: Ann 1798; John 1800-1816; Sarah 1802; James 1804-1875; Mary Ann 1806, she married William Fuller 1827; and Richard 1809.  All the children appear to have been baptised in Leatherhead, which is approximately 2km north-north-east of Fetcham.  The Leatherhead Museum has traced the history of the town from its beginnings in about 880 when it was known as ‘Leodridan’, meaning a place where people can cross the river.  Another view which has been put forward suggests the Anglo-Saxon form was distorted from a Celtic form whose Welsh equivalent is Llwyd-rhyd, meaning grey ford.  In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was called ‘Leret’ and later in the second half of the 12^th Century recorded as ‘Lereda’, ‘Ledreda’ & ‘Leddrede’.  The early settlement appears to have grown up on the east side of the River Mole, although Hawk's Hill, on the west side of the river, is said to be the site of a Saxon burial ground.  Within 3km to the east and south of Leatherhead, there is evidence of Pre-historic and Celtic hill farming.   The Druid's Grove, Norbury Park being a possible example of a place of pre-Christian pagan gathering.

Fetcham Parish records indicate that Sarah died in 1830, at the age of 54, and was buried on the 24^th October⁴.  It is assumed she was laid to rest in the Churchyard of St Mary the Virgin in Fetcham.

John has been located on the 1841 Census⁵ living in Fetcham on Cannon Farm, with a Joseph & Susannah Shearnery, and a William Denby.  John is recorded as a 66year old Agricultural Labourer who was born in Surrey. 

By 1851⁵ John had moved to Leatherhead Road, Mickleham, and was a Lodger in the house of Ann Denby, her son Samuel, his wife Jane, and their daughter Luisa.  Also in the house was Lodger, William Bishop from Winchester.  John is recorded as a 76year old Farm Labourer, born in Mickleham. 

The 1861 Census⁵ has John in Kings Head Square, Dorking.  An 86year old widowed Farm Labourer, John is a Boarder in the house of Thomas Razzell, his wife Elizabeth and daughter Jane, with them in the house is 12year old Boarder John Razzell.  John’s place of birth is given as Mickleham.  

No evidence has been found which indicate John was related to any of the individuals he boarded with.  However, it is thought that his daughter Ann may have been related to the William Denby who was in the same house as John in 1841.

John died at the age of 91 in 1866, and was buried in the Dorking Cemetery on the 21^st January⁴.

References:

1. Parish Baptism Record via Surrey Record Office

2. Parish Marriage Record via Surrey record Office

3. Parish Record of Banns Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk

4. Parish Burial Record Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk

5. UK Censuses Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk

Other Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk  https://www.ancestry.co.uk

British History Online  http://www.british-history.ac.uk/

Exploring Surreys Past  www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/themes/places/surrey/mole_valley/

Open Domesday  http://opendomesday.org/place/

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