Editing Oxted (section)

== History ==
===Early history===
The earliest evidence of human activity in the civil parish is from the [[British Iron Age|Iron Age]] and finds include a metal [[brooch]] dating from the 3rd or 4th centuries [[BCE]].<ref>{{cite journal |last= Williams |first= David |year= 1996 |title= Some recent finds from East Surrey |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_83/surreyac083_165-186_williams.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 83 |pages= 165–186 |doi= 10.5284/1069216 |access-date= 2 December 2021 |archive-date= 7 May 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220507104148/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_83/surreyac083_165-186_williams.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> During the [[Roman Britain|Roman period]], the roads from [[London to Lewes Way|London to Lewes]] and [[London to Brighton Way|London to Brighton]] ran either side of Oxted.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Ketteringham |first= Lesley |year= 1990 |title= The M25 from Godstone to the Kent boundary |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_80/surreyac080_121-132_ketteringham.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 80 |pages= 121–132 |doi= 10.5284/1069166 |access-date= 2 December 2021 |archive-date= 7 May 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220507104148/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_80/surreyac080_121-132_ketteringham.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> The name Oxted suggests that the modern settlement was founded in the Anglo-Saxon period and it is possible that St Mary's Church is built on a pre-Christian religious site.{{sfn|Alderton|1999|p=18}}{{sfn|Packham|1987|loc=Introduction}} From late Saxon times, the area was administered as part of the [[Tandridge Hundred]].{{sfn|Alderton|1999|pp=13-14}}

===Governance===
Oxted appears in the Domesday Book as ''Acsted'' and was held by [[Eustace II, Count of Boulogne]].<ref name=Oxted_Domesday>{{cite web |url= https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ3852/oxted/ |title= Oxted |author= Powell-Smith A |year= 2011 |publisher= Open Domesday |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 26 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210926222704/https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ3852/oxted/ |url-status= live }}</ref>{{refn|Before the Norman conquest, the manor of Oxted was held by [[Gytha Thorkelsdóttir|Gytha]], the mother of [[Harold Godwinson|King Harold]].<ref name=Munford_1966>{{cite journal |last= Munford |first= WF |year= 1966 |title= The Manor of Oxted 1360-1420 |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_63/surreyac063_066-094_mumford.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 63 |pages= 66–94 |doi= 10.5284/1068954 |access-date= 27 November 2021 |archive-date= 7 May 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220507104150/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_63/surreyac063_066-094_mumford.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>|group=note}} Its Domesday assets were: 5 [[hide (unit)|hide]]s; 1 church, 2 [[Mill (grinding)|mill]]s worth 12s 6d, 20 [[plough]]s, {{convert|4|acre|ha}} of [[meadow]], [[pannage]] worth 100 [[hog (swine)|hog]]s. It rendered £14 and 2d from a house in [[Southwark]] to its [[feudal]] overlords per year.<ref>[http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm Surrey Domesday Book] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715015325/http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm |date=15 July 2007 }}</ref>

The early medieval manor of Oxted was centred on Oxted Court Farm, to the south of St Mary's Church. {{sfn|Alderton|1999|pp=22-24}} For much of this period, up until the end of the 13th century, it was held by the de Acstede family, who were [[mesne lord]]s to the Crown.<ref name=Munford_1966/> As the Middle Ages progressed, Oxted was [[subinfeudation|broken up into smaller estates]]. In around 1246, Broadham manor, thought to have been centred on the present day Broadham Green, to the west of Hurst Green, was granted to [[Battle Abbey]].<ref name=Alderton_1999_pp22-24>{{harvnb|Alderton|1999|pp=22–24}}</ref><ref name=Munford_1966/> Records from 1312 and 1408 indicate that Broadham manor covered an area greater than {{cvt|250|acre|ha}} and that the annual rent from the abbey was 51[[shilling|s]]. Similarly, in 1283, the "Bursted" or "Birsted" estate was granted in perpetuity to [[Tandridge Priory]],<ref name=Munford_1966/>  but it is unclear where in the parish this land was located.<ref name=Alderton_1999_pp22-24/>{{refn|Two other 13th-century [[subinfeudation]]s are known to have taken place in Oxted: Foyle Manor is recorded in 1270 as being held by the de Staffhurst family; Stocketts Manor was held by John atte Stockett in 1299.<ref name=Alderton_1999_pp22-24/>|group=note}}

The last male member of the de Acstede family, Roland de Acstede, was summoned to [[List of parliaments of England#Parliaments of Edward I|Parliament]] in 1290, but he died shortly afterwards. His estate was inherited by his five daughters, each of whom was given a share of the land. By 1300, one part of the manor was held by the sisters Clarica and Alina de Acstede, with the remainder by [[Baron Neville|Hugh de Nevile]]. In 1342, John de Wellesworth, grandson of Roland, sold the de Acstede portion of the manor to Robert de Stangrave and his wife Joan.<ref name=Munford_1966/>{{refn|Joan de Stangrave was the daughter of [[Reynold Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham of Sterborough]].<ref name=Munford_1966/>|group=note}}

Following the death of Robert de Stangrave in 1344, the former de Acstede portion of the manor of Oxted passed to his wife's family, the Cobhams.<ref name=Alderton_1999_pp22-24/> and in around 1350, John de Nevile, sold the remainder to them.<ref name=Munford_1966/> The Cobham family lived at [[Starborough Castle]] near [[Lingfield, Surrey|Lingfield]] and their lands in Oxted were run by a resident steward from Oxted Court Farm. In the 15th century, the manor passed to the Burgh family and, in 1587, Charles Hoskins purchased the "manor and advowson of Oxted" which covered some {{cvt|605|acre|ha}}. By the mid-17th century, Barrow Green Court appears to have superseded Oxted Court Farm as the manor house.<ref name=Alderton_1999_pp22-24/> The Hoskins family held Oxted until the death of Susannah Hoskins in 1868, when it was inherited by her aunt, Katherine Master. She passed the manor to her descendants, the [[Charles Hoskins Master|Hoskins Master]] family.{{sfn|Malden|1911|pp=312-321}}

The civil parish of Oxted was formed in 1894.{{sfn|Alderton|1999|p=59}} Oxted was part of the [[Godstone Rural District]] from 1894 until 1974, when it was combined with the [[Caterham and Warlingham Urban District]] to create the [[Tandridge District]].

===Transport and communications===
The [[Turnpike trust|turnpike road]] from [[Wrotham Heath]] to [[Godstone]] passed through the town.<ref>{{cite book |title=5 Geo III Journals of the House of Commons |date=1765 |publisher=House of Commons |page=59|volume=30}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |oclc=912921532 |title=The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain 10 George IV |publisher=H. M. Statute and Law Printers |location=London |page=402 |chapter=Publick General Acts|year=1829}}</ref> The modern-day [[A25 road]] divides the original town ("Old Oxted") from "New Oxted", the development that grew up to the north-east after the railway station opened in 1884.<ref>{{cite map |author = |title = Surrey XXVII.SE|scale=1:1:10560|year = 1898|url =  |series = |publisher =[[Ordnance Survey]] |location = London}}</ref> A [[Bypass (road)|bypass]] diverting the A25 to the north of Old Oxted was built in the late 1960s.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Old Oxted By-Pass |journal=[[Hansard#In the United Kingdom|Hansard]] |date=6 March 1967 |volume=742 |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1967-03-06/debates/ec728ceb-59b9-49ae-a4ad-e18087eb04c6/OldOxtedBy-Pass?highlight=old%20oxted#contribution-8a4dde6f-84ba-441a-9065-78a8ff7caa0d |publisher=[[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]}}</ref>

The first [[Act of Parliament (UK)|act of Parliament]] to authorise the construction of a [[Oxted line|railway through Oxted]] was granted in July 1865. It authorised the Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway (S&SJR) to build a line from [[East Croydon railway station|Croydon]] to [[Groombridge railway station|Groombridge]], where there was to be a [[junction (rail)|junction]] with the [[Three Bridges–Tunbridge Wells line|East Grinstead to Tunbridge Wells line]]. The act was controversial as the S&SJR was sponsored by the [[London, Brighton and South Coast Railway]] (LBSCR), but ran into a part of Surrey and East Sussex which was considered [[South Eastern Railway (England)|South Eastern Railway]] territory.{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=6}}

In three years, the S&SJR managed to build the {{cvt|2267|yd|km|adj=mid|long}} Oxted Tunnel and two shorter tunnels at [[Riddlesdown]] and Limpsfield.{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=7}} However, construction became increasingly difficult as a result of the [[Panic of 1866|1866 financial panic]] caused by failure of [[Overend, Gurney and Company]] and, in 1869, there was a riot at [[Edenbridge, Kent|Edenbridge]] because Belgian [[navvies]] were being employed to build the line.{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=7}} A second act of Parliament was obtained in 1869 to formally transfer line to the LBSCR, who immediately asked for powers to suspend works. The company paid a penalty of £32,250 and construction ceased immediately.{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=7}}{{refn|Construction of the [[Ouse Valley Railway]], which was to have linked [[Lindfield, West Sussex|Lindfield]], [[Uckfield railway station|Uckfield]], [[Hailsham railway station|Hailsham]] and [[Bexhill railway station|Bexhill-on-Sea]], was similarly abandoned by the LBSCR in 1868.<ref>{{harvnb|Gould|2003|p=8}}</ref>|group=note}} No work took place on the unfinished railway line until 1878, when a third act of Parliament authorised the Croydon, Oxted and East Grinstead railway, which would take over construction and be jointly owned by LBSCR and SER.{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=9}} Among the works that were completed by the new company was the iron [[viaduct]] between Oxted station and Limpsfield tunnel.{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=39}}

The [[Oxted line|new line]] finally opened to passenger traffic in March 1884.{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=11}} [[Oxted station]], originally called Oxted and Limpsfield, was provided with two through platforms and a south-facing [[bay platform]]. There was also a [[rail yard|freight yard]] with a south-facing connection to the line.{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=39}} A second station in the parish, Hurst Green Halt opened with line and was replaced by [[Hurst Green station]], to the north, by [[British Rail]] in 1961.{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=39}}{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=71}}

The line south from Hurst Green to Eridge was opened in December 1887. A century later, in 1987, Hurst Green Junction [[signal box]] closed as part of a resignalling programme for the whole line.{{sfn|Gould|2003|pp=197-198}}  [[Railway electrification in Great Britain|Electrification]] of the line through Oxted to East Grinstead completed July 1987, but the line to Uckfield remains unelectrified.{{sfn|Gould|2003|p=164}}

===Residential development===
Although there is thought to have been a religious building on the site of St Mary's Church since before the [[Norman Conquest]], it is unclear whether there was a significant [[nucleated settlement]] close to the site. It is possible that much of the population was thinly dispersed throughout the parish until the 12th century.<ref name=EUS_2003>{{cite web |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-726-1/dissemination/pdf/old_oxted/old_oxted_eus_report.pdf |title= Extensive Urban Survey of Surrey: Old Oxted |last= Robertson |first= Jane |date= June 2003 |publisher= Surrey County Archaeological Unit |access-date= 15 April 2022 |archive-date= 15 April 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220415195538/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-726-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fold_oxted%2Fold_oxted_eus_report.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>

The settlement of Old Oxted was founded in the 13th and 14th centuries, to the south east of St Mary's Church, centred on a crossroads where the Guildford to Canterbury road met Beadle's Lane (leading to the south) and Brook Hill (leading to London via the ascent of the North Downs). The street plan does not appear to have changed significantly since medieval times, although the surface of the High Street appears to have been lowered at some stage, most likely to reduce the steepness of the gradient as it approaches the stream at its east end. The oldest buildings in the village, 2-6 Godstone Road and The Old Bell pub, date from the 15th and 16th centuries. Several of the houses are thought to have originated as open [[hall house]]s, which have since been modified.<ref name=EUS_2003/>

The opening of the railway line through Oxted in 1884, stimulated a rapid of phase of development in the parish. Since the line crossed the Guildford to Canterbury Road on an iron viaduct, it was not practical to build a station at this point. The site chosen for the station was to the northeast of Old Oxted and to the east of St Mary's Church.<ref name=EUS_2003/>

With the arrival of the railway in 1884 (after many years' delay caused by lack of funds) Oxted boomed in line with London's trade growth around its [[Oxted railway station|station]], north-east of Old Oxted, and new buildings created "New Oxted". These new buildings were built in the [[Tudorbethan architecture|Tudor]] style, particularly with [[stucco]] frontages. [[All Saints Church, Oxted|All Saints’ Catholic Church]] was built in 1913–1928 designed by [[Arts and Crafts]] architect James L. Williams (died 1926, his other work includes [[Royal School of Needlework]], St George's in [[Sudbury, London|Sudbury]], London (1926–27) and The Pound House in [[Totteridge]] (1907)).<ref>All Saints {{NHLE|num=1245423|access-date=1 December 2013}}</ref> The [[United Reformed Church]]'s building followed in 1935, which is listed for its coloured glass and Byzantine design by architect Frederick Lawrence.<ref>The United Reformed Church, Oxted {{NHLE|num=1388287|access-date=1 December 2013}}</ref>

Development was supported by [[Charles Hoskins Master]] through his Barrow Green Estate selling land parcels for building on what became Chichele Road Circa 1912 and the gifting of Master Park in 1924 for recreation space. Road and place names in Oxted such as Barrow Green Road, Chichele Road (named from their ancestral link to [[Henry Chichele|Archbishop of Canterbury Henry Chichele]] ), The Hoskins ( on the site of the former Hoskins Arms Hotel ), Hoskins Road, Hoskins Walk, Master Close and Master Park provide a lasting legacy to the family involvement.<ref>Records of the Chicheley Plowdens, A.D. 1590-1913 BY Walter F. C. Chicheley Plowden 1914. accessed 26 March 2024</ref><ref>Berry, William, 1774-1851. County Genealogies: Pedigrees of Surrey Families. London: Gilbert, 1837
</ref><ref>Ordnance Survey Map sheets 1:2500 Surrey XXVIII. 1896 and 1912 accessed 26 March 2024</ref>

In 2011 ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' listed Oxted as the twentieth richest town in Britain.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/3361038/Britains-richest-towns-20-11.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=Britain's richest towns: 20 – 11 | date=18 April 2008 | access-date=2 April 2018 | archive-date=3 February 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203003641/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/3361038/Britains-richest-towns-20-11.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> [[The Daily Mail]] listed Oxted as one of the 20 best commuter Towns in 2024.<ref>Redwood Fred, Daily Mail 02 April 2024 accessed 03 April 2024</ref>

===Oxted in the Second World War===
During the Second World War, the defence of the Oxted and the surrounding area was coordinated by the 9th Surrey Battalion of the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]].{{sfn|Crook|2000|p=25}} In September 1939, the boys of [[Haberdashers' Boys' School|Haberdashers Aske 's School]] were evacuated to the town{{sfn|Bristow|2002|p=11}} and a public [[Anderson shelter]] was constructed on Master Park.{{sfn|Bristow|2002|p=13}} Two [[fighter aircraft]], a [[Hawker Hurricane]] and a [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]] crashed in the civil parish in August 1940.{{sfn|Ogley|1995|p=53}}{{sfn|Ogley|1995|p=61}}