Editing Reigate (section)

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:BARBED AND TANGED ARROWHEAD (FindID 969304).jpg|thumb|right|A [[British Bronze Age|Bronze Age]] barbed and [[tang (tools)|tanged]] flint [[arrowhead]], found in Reigate<ref>{{cite web |last= Maslin |first= Simon |title= Barbed and tanged arrowhead |date= 3 April 2020 |orig-date= 4 September 2019 |url= https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/969304 |publisher= The Portable Antiquities Scheme |access-date= 17 Aug 2022 }}</ref>]]
The earliest evidence of human activity in the Reigate area is a triangular stone axe from the [[Paleolithic]], which was found in Woodhatch in 1936.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Hooper |first= Wilfrid |year= 1937 |title= A palaeolith from Surrey |journal= The Antiquaries Journal |volume= 17 |issue= 3  |page= 318 |doi= 10.1017/S0003581500094403 |s2cid= 164049561 }}</ref> Worked flints from the later [[Neolithic]] have been found on Colley Hill.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=13}}</ref> Finds from the [[Bronze Age Britain|Bronze Age]] include a gold [[Ring (jewellery)#Styles|penannular ring]], dated to {{circa|1150|750}} [[Common Era|BCE]],<ref>{{cite journal |last= Williams |first= David |date= February 2012 |title= A Bronze Age gold penannular ring from Reigate |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS431_0.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Society Bulletin |volume= 431 |page= 17 |access-date= 19 September 2021 |archive-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210922211021/https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS431_0.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> and a barbed spearhead from Priory Park.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Williams |first= David |date= March 1994 |title= A late Bronze Age spearhead from Priory Park, Reigate |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS282.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Society Bulletin |volume= 282 |page= 19 |access-date= 19 September 2021 |archive-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210922211021/https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS282.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> The eight [[tumulus|barrows]] on Reigate Heath are thought to date from the same period, when the surrounding area may have been marshland.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Hooker |first1= Rose |last2= English |first2= Judie |date= October 2010 |title= Reigate Heath Archaeological Survey |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS423_0.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Society Bulletin |volume= 425 |pages= 17–19 |access-date= 19 September 2021 |archive-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210922211022/https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS423_0.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=Heath_Barrows>{{unbulleted list citebundle|[[Historic England]] bowl barrows on Reigate Heath: {{NHLE|short=yes|num=1008849|access-date=16 October 2012}} {{NHLE|short=yes|num=1008851|access-date=16 October 2012}} {{NHLE|short=yes|num=1008852|access-date=16 October 2012}} {{NHLE|short=yes|num=1008857|access-date=16 October 2012}} {{NHLE|short=yes|num=1008869|access-date=16 October 2012}} {{NHLE|short=yes|num=1008871|access-date=16 October 2012}} {{NHLE|short=yes|num=1008872|access-date=16 October 2012}}}}</ref>

[[File:Reigate-Roman-tile-kiln 2004 thumb2.jpg|right|thumb|Roman tile kiln excavated in Doods Road<ref name=SCC_Roman>{{cite web |url= https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/archaeology/archaeological-unit/recent-archaeology-projects/roman-tile-kiln-excavated-at-doods-road-reigate |title= Roman tile kiln excavated at Doods Road Reigate |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 18 December 2014 |publisher= Surrey County Council |access-date= 20 September 2021 |archive-date= 21 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210921203746/https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/archaeology/archaeological-unit/recent-archaeology-projects/roman-tile-kiln-excavated-at-doods-road-reigate |url-status= live }}</ref>]]
During the Roman period, the Doods Road area was a centre for tile-making.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Masefield |first= Robert |date= March 1994 |title= New evidence for a Roman tilery at Reigate in Surrey |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS282.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Society Bulletin |volume= 282 |pages= 17–18 |access-date= 19 September 2021 |archive-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210922211021/https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS282.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> An excavation in 2014 uncovered the remains of a 2nd- or 3rd-century kiln with several types of tile, identified as [[imbrex and tegula|'' tegulae'', ''imbrices'']] and ''pedales''.<ref name=SCC_Roman/>{{refn|Roman tiles originating from Reigate have been found in London. It is probable that ceramics were transported to markets in ''[[Londinium]]'' via [[Stane Street (Chichester)|Stane Street]] or the [[London to Brighton Way]] to the west and east of the town. The nearest points on the two [[Roman roads in Britannia|Roman roads]] to the Doods Road tilery are around {{convert|9|km|mi|abbr=on|order=flip}} distant.<ref name=Robertson_2003>{{cite web|url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-726-1/dissemination/pdf/reigate/reigate_eus_report.pdf |title= Extensive Urban Survey of Surrey: Reigate |last= Robertson |first= Jane |date= June 2003 |orig-date= March 2001 |publisher= Surrey County Archaeological Unit |access-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210922211109/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-726-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Freigate%2Freigate_eus_report.pdf |url-status= live}}</ref>|group=note}} Artefacts discovered to the south west of the town centre in 2011 suggest that there was a high-status [[Roman villa|villa]] nearby. Coins from the reigns of [[Vespasian]] (69–79), [[Hadrian]] (117–138), [[Severus Alexander]] (222–235) and [[Arcadius]] (383–408), indicate that there was Roman activity in the local area throughout the [[Roman Britain|occupation of Britain]].<ref>{{cite journal |last= Williams |first= David |date= February 2011 |title= A Roman site at Slipshatch Road, Reigate |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS425_0.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Society Bulletin |volume= 425 |pages= 8–9 |access-date= 19 September 2021 |archive-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210922211114/https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS425_0.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>

The former name ''Cherchefelle'' suggests that the most recent period of permanent settlement in Reigate began in [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] times.<ref name=Robertson_2003/> The main settlement is thought to have been located in the area of the parish church, to the east of the modern centre, although much of the population was probably thinly dispersed around the parish.<ref name=Hooper_1979_p22>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=22}}</ref> Excavations in Church Street in the late 1970s uncovered a Saxon glass jar and remains of a skeleton of uncertain age,<ref>{{cite journal |last= Poulton |first= Robert |year= 1986 |title= Excavations on the site of the Old Vicarage, Church Street, Reigate, 1977-82, Part I Saxo-Norman and earlier discoveries |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_77_sup/surreyac077_m001-m094_poulton-a.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 77 |pages= 17–94 |doi= 10.5284/1069111 |access-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210922211120/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_77_sup%2Fsurreyac077_m001-m094_poulton-a.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> but archaeological evidence from this period elsewhere in the town is sparse.<ref name=Robertson_2003/>

===Governance===
Reigate appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle''. It was held by [[William the Conqueror]], who had assumed the lordship in 1075 on the death of [[Edith of Wessex]], widow of [[Edward the Confessor]]. The settlement included two [[Mill (grinding)|mills]] worth 11s 10d, land for 29 [[plough]] teams,{{refn|Each plough team was capable of cultivating {{convert|120|acre|ha|abbr=on}} per year, giving a total area of {{convert|3480|acre|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}} of arable land in Reigate in 1086.<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp20-21>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=20–21}}</ref>|group=note}} [[woodland]] and herbage for 140 [[Domestic pig|swine]], [[pasture]] for 43 pigs and {{convert|12|acre|ha|1|abbr=on}} of [[meadow]]. The manor [[feudalism|rendered]] £40 per year in 1086 and the residents included 67 villagers and 11 smallholders.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm |title= Surrey Domesday Book |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070715015325/http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm |archive-date= 15 July 2007}}</ref><ref name=Reigate_Domesday>{{cite web |url= https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ2161/epsom/ |title= Reigate |author= Powell-Smith A |year= 2011 |publisher= Open Domesday |access-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-date= 1 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201101011757/https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ2161/epsom/ |url-status= live }}</ref> The Domesday Book also records that the town was part of the larger [[Reigate Hundred|Hundred of Cherchefelle]].<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp20-21/>

The non-corporate [[Reigate (UK Parliament constituency)|Borough of Reigate]], covering roughly the town centre, was formed in 1295. It elected two MPs until the [[Reform Act 1832]] when it lost one.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20420/units |title= A Vision of Britain: First mention of Redhill, units and statistics |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150107185645/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20420/units |archive-date=2015-01-07 |publisher= [[University of Portsmouth]]}}</ref> In 1868, Reigate borough was disenfranchised for corruption,<ref>{{cite news |date= 15 June 1968 |title= Parliamentary changes under the New Reform Act |work= Birmingham Daily Post |issue= 3089 |page= 5 }}</ref> but representation in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] was restored to the town in the [[Redistribution of Seats Act 1885]] ([[48 & 49 Vict.]] c. 23).<ref>{{cite act |title= Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 |type=  |number= (48 & 49 Vict. c. 23) |language= English |date= 25 June 1885 |url= https://archive.org/details/publicgeneralac01walegoog/page/n113/mode/2up?view=theater&q=reigate |access-date= 21 June 2023 }}</ref>

The manor of ''Cherchefelle'' was granted to [[William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey|William de Warenne]] when he became [[Earl of Surrey]] {{circa|1090}} and under his patronage, Reigate began to thrive. The castle was constructed shortly afterwards and the modern town was established to the south in the late 12th century.<ref name=O_Connell>{{cite journal |last= O'Connell |first= M |year= 1977 |title= Historic Towns in Surrey |journal= Surrey Archaeological Society Research Volumes |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-2249-1/dissemination/pdf/r_vol_5/surreyrv005_025-048_godalming.pdf |access-date= 30 January 2021 |volume= 5 |page= 41 |archive-date= 30 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210130182832/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-2249-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fr_vol_5%2Fsurreyrv005_025-048_godalming.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> An [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] [[priory]], founded by [[William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey|the fifth Earl of Surrey]], is recorded in 1240.<ref name=Robertson_2003/> By 1276, a regular market was being held and a record of 1291 describes Reigate as a [[ancient borough|Borough]].<ref name=O_Connell/> On the death of the seventh Earl, [[John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey|John de Warenne]], in 1347, the manor passed to his [[sibling-in-law|brother-in-law]], [[Richard Fitzalan, 3rd Earl of Arundel|Richard Fitzalan]], the third [[Earl of Arundel]]. In 1580 both Earldoms passed through the female line to [[Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel|Phillip Howard]], whose father, [[Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk|Thomas Howard]], had forfeited the title of [[Duke of Norfolk]] and had been executed for his involvement in the [[Ridolfi plot|Ridolfi plot to assassinate Elizabeth I]].<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|wstitle=Norfolk, Earls and Dukes of|volume=19|page=744}}</ref> The dukedom [[Thomas Howard, 5th Duke of Norfolk|was restored to the family]] in 1660, following the accession of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]].<ref>{{EB1911|wstitle=Arundel, Earls of|volume=2|pages=706–709}}</ref>

[[Tudor period#Local government|Reforms during the Tudor period]] reduced the importance of [[manorial court]]s and the day-to-day administration of towns such as Reigate became the responsibility of the [[vestry]] of the parish church.<ref>{{harvnb|Kümin|1996|pp=250–255}}</ref> By the early 17th century, the {{convert|5000|acre|km2|adj=on|abbr=on|order=flip}} ecclesiastical parish had been divided for administrative purposes into two parts: the "Borough of Reigate", which broadly corresponded to the modern town centre, and "Reigate Foreign", which included the five petty boroughs of Santon, Colley, Woodhatch, Linkfield and Hooley.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp4-5>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|pp=4–5}}</ref>{{refn|The division of Reigate parish into two distinct administrative areas is unusual among Surrey towns.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp4-5/>|group=note}} The two parts were reunited in 1863 as a [[Municipal Borough]] with a council of elected representatives chaired by a mayor.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp4-5/><ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=180–181}}</ref> The Borough was extended in 1933 to include Horley, Merstham, Buckland and Nutfield.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=190}}</ref>

The [[Local Government Act 1972]] created Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, by combining the Reigate Borough with Banstead Urban District and the eastern part of the Dorking and Horley Rural District.{{refn|Buckland and Nutfield were transferred to [[Mole Valley]] and [[Tandridge District]]s respectively.|group=note}} Since its inception in 1974, the council has been based in the Town Hall in Castlefield Road, Reigate.<ref name=R&B_Guide>{{harvnb|Reigate_&_Banstead_Guide|1989|p=33}}</ref>

===Reigate Castle===
{{main|Reigate Castle}}
[[Image:Reigate Castle 002.jpeg|right|thumb|The gatehouse folly was constructed in 1777.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1188787|desc=Reigate Castle Gateway|grade=II|fewer-links=yes}}</ref>]]
Reigate Castle was built in the late 11th or early 12th century, most likely by [[William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey]]. Taking the form of a [[motte-and-bailey castle]], it was originally constructed of [[lumber|timber]], but the [[curtain wall (fortification)|curtain walls]] were rebuilt in stone around a century later. A water-filled moat section was dug into the clay on the north side and a dry ditch was excavated around the remainder of the structure. The large size of the motte indicates that the castle was designed both as a fortification and as the lord's residence from the outset.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=44}}</ref>{{refn|Local legend says that part of [[Magna Carta]] was [[draft document|drafted]] in the Barons' Cave beneath Reigate Castle in 1215, but the academic consensus is that this story is untrue.<ref>{{harvnb|Douglas|2016|p=15}}</ref> The earliest recorded reference to the cave system is from 1586.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/beta/sites/underground-sites/barons-cave-reigate |title= Barons' Cave, Reigate |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2022 |publisher= The Time Chamber |access-date= 22 April 2022 |archive-date= 7 April 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220407035853/https://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/beta/sites/underground-sites/barons-cave-reigate |url-status= live }}</ref>|group=note}}

Following the [[dissolution of the monasteries]], the lords of the manor moved their primary residence to Reigate Priory, to the south of the town. The castle was allowed to decay, with only small outlays recorded in the manor accounts for repairs, until 1686, when the buildings were reported as ruinous. Much of the masonry was most likely removed for local construction projects, but in around 1777, Richard Barnes, who rented the grounds, built a new gatehouse folly using the remaining stone. A century later, the Borough Council was granted a long lease on the property, which had been turned into a public garden.<ref name=Hooper_1979_46-47>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=46–47}}</ref>{{refn|In late Victorian times, the field to the east of the castle was used as a cricket pitch.<ref name=Hooper_1979_46-47/> A new road, Castlefield Road, was constructed over the field and the Municipal Buildings were built on the west side, opening in 1901.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=189}}</ref>|group=note}} Regular tours of the caves beneath the castle are run by the Wealden Cave and Mine Society.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://reigatecaves.org.uk |title= Reigate Caves |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Wealden Cave and Mine Society |access-date= 8 October 2021 |archive-date= 4 March 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210304011327/https://reigatecaves.org.uk/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Reigate Priory===
{{main|Reigate Priory}}
[[File:Priory Pond - geograph.org.uk - 1326750.jpg|thumb|Former fish pond in Priory Park, restored in 2007<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1326750 |title= TQ2449: Priory Pond |last= Capper |first= Ian |date= 29 May 2009 |publisher= Geograph |access-date= 9 October 2021 |archive-date= 9 September 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190909013059/https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1326750 |url-status= live }}</ref>]]
William de Warenne, the fifth Earl of Surrey, is thought to have founded the Augustinian priory at Reigate before 1240.<ref name=NHLE_Priory>{{NHLE|num=1188089|desc=Reigate Priory|grade=I|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> Early documents refer to the priory as a hospital, but in 1334 it is described as a [[convent]] and thereafter as a purely religious institution.<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp68-69>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=68–69}}</ref> The priory was built to the south of the modern town centre and a series of fish ponds was constructed in the grounds.<ref name=Ward_1998_pp11-12>{{harvnb|Ward|1998|pp=11–12}}</ref> Although the exact layout is uncertain, the buildings are thought to have been arranged around a central square cloister, with the church on the north side and the [[refectory]] on the south.<ref name=Ward_1998_pp13-14>{{harvnb|Ward|1998|pp=13–14}}</ref>

[[File:Reigate Priory - geograph.org.uk - 1199604.jpg|thumb|Reigate Priory, south elevation]]
In 1541, [[Henry VIII]] granted the former priory to [[William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham]], the uncle of [[Katherine Howard]].<ref name=Hooper_1979_p71>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=71}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Moore |first= Alan |date= 27 December 2006 |title= Reigate Priory and its owners |url= https://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk/news/heritage/1090762.reigate-priory-and-its-owners/ |work= Redhill and Reigate Life |access-date= 13 October 2021 |archive-date= 13 October 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211013211149/https://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk/news/heritage/1090762.reigate-priory-and-its-owners/ |url-status= live }}</ref> The old church was converted to a private residence and the majority of the rest of the buildings were demolished.<ref name=Ward_1998_pp21-22>{{harvnb|Ward|1998|pp=21–22}}</ref> Richard Ireland, who purchased the priory in 1766, is primarily responsible for the appearance of the buildings today.<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp73-74>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=73–74}}</ref> A fire destroyed much of the west wing and Ireland commissioned its rebuilding.<ref>{{harvnb|Ward|1998|p=44}}</ref> Following Ireland's death in 1780, the priory passed through a succession of owners, including [[Lady Henry Somerset]], who remodelled the grounds between 1883 and 1895, creating a sunken garden.<ref>{{harvnb|Ward|1998|pp=63–65}}</ref> Following her death in 1921, the estate was divided for sale and much of the land was purchased for housebuilding.<ref name="Ward 1998 86–87">{{harvnb|Ward|1998|pp=86–87}}</ref>

The final private owner of the house was the racehorse trainer, [[Peter Beatty]], who sold it to the Mutual Property Life and General Insurance Company, which relocated from London for the second half of the Second World War. In 1948, the borough council bought the grounds, having secured them as Public Open Space three years earlier.<ref name=SM_May1948>{{cite news |date= 7 May 1948 |title= Ministerial sanction for £19,120 loan for Priory purchase and £7,000 grant |work= Surrey Mirror |page= 7 |issue= 3665 }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Ward|1998|pp=106–107}}</ref> Also in 1948, the Reigate Priory County Secondary School opened in the main priory building, with 140 children aged 13 and 14. In 1963 the boys moved to Woodhatch School and the Priory School continued as an all-girls secondary school. In 1971, the secondary school closed and Holmesdale Middle School, which had been founded in 1852, moved to the priory.<ref name=Ward_1998_114-115>{{harvnb|Ward|1998|pp=114–115}}</ref>

===Transport and communications===
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In medieval times, the main road north from Reigate followed Nutley Lane, climbing Colley Hill in the direction of [[Kingston upon Thames]], from where produce and manufactured items could be transported via the [[River Thames]].<ref name=Greenwood_2008_p7>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=7}}</ref>{{refn|During the middle ages, goods were generally transported using [[packhorse]]s, rather than wheeled [[cart]]s.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_p7/>|group=note}}{{refn|In the medieval and early modern periods, Kingston upon Thames acted as a "port" for much of east Surrey, from where goods could be distributed via the Thames to London and elsewhere.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_p52>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=52}}</ref>|group=note}} Although the direct route to London via Merstham had a less severe gradient, it appears to have been little used for the transport of goods.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_p7/> The manor of Reigate was responsible for maintaining the roads in the local area, but repairs were carried out infrequently<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp82-83>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=82–83}}</ref> and improvements were often only funded by private donations.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp23-24>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|pp=23–24}}</ref>{{refn|In 1466, Richard Jay of Crawley left money in his will to fund repairs to "the weies [ways] of the new causey [causeway] between Crawlei and Reygate".<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp23-24/>|group=note}} In 1555, the responsibility for local infrastructure was transferred to the parish, and separate [[surveying|surveyors]] were employed for the Borough and for Reigate Foreign. The inefficiency created by this division resulted in frequent complaints and court cases relating to the poor state of the roads<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp82-83/> and so, in 1691, local [[justices of the peace]] were given the role of appointing the surveyors.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=23}}</ref>

The first [[turnpike trust]] in Surrey was authorised by Parliament in 1697 to improve the road south from Woodhatch towards Crawley. The new road took the form of a [[bridleway]], laid alongside the existing causeway between the River Mole crossing at [[Sidlow]] and Horse Hill, and was unsuitable for wheeled vehicles.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=85}}</ref> Repairs were also carried out on the route between Reigate and Woodhatch under the same Act.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=26}}</ref> A second turnpike was authorised in 1755, to improve the route from [[Sutton, London|Sutton]] to Povey Cross, near [[Horley]], which involved creating a new road north from Reigate over Reigate Hill. A cutting was excavated at the top of the hill, using a battering ram to break up the underlying chalk.
The new route was completed the following year<ref name=Hopper_1979_pp86-87>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=86–87}}</ref> and the old road via Nutley Lane was blocked at Colley Hill.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=32}}</ref>{{refn|On opening, the turnpike over Reigate Hill was so steep that coach passengers had alight and to ascend on foot. In the early 19th century, the base of the cutting was lowered to reduce the gradient<ref name=Greenwood_2008_p29>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=29}}</ref> and bends in the road were straightened in 1825.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=33}}</ref>|group=note}} In 1808, a second turnpike to the north was opened to Purley via Merstham. The new trust was required to pay £200 per year to the owners of the Reigate Hill road, in compensation for lost tolls.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=90}}</ref>

[[File:Reigate Tunnel (June 2022).jpg|thumb|[[Reigate Tunnel]] decorated for the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II]] in June 2022]]
Two improvements were made to the road network in the town centre in the early 19th century. Firstly, in 1815, the Wray Stream, was [[culvert]]ed to improve the drainage and road surface of Bell Street. Secondly, [[Reigate Tunnel]], the first road tunnel in England, was constructed at the expense of [[John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers]], the lord of the manor. Opened in 1823, it runs beneath the castle and links Bell Street to London Road. It enabled road traffic to bypass the tight curves at the west end of the town centre, but is now only used by pedestrians.<ref>{{harvnb|Ward|1998|pp=51–52}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1241366|desc=The Tunnel|grade=II|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> The Borough Council became responsible for local roads on its formation in 1865. The final tolls were removed from the turnpikes in 1881.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=91}}</ref>

The first station to serve Reigate area, on Hooley Lane near [[Earlswood]], opened in 1841. The following year, the South Eastern Railway opened the {{rws|Redhill||railway station at Redhill}}, which was initially named Reigate Junction.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=177}}</ref> The [[North Downs Line|railway line]] through Reigate was constructed by the Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway and opened in 1849. It was designed to provide an alternative route between the west of England and the Channel ports, and serving intermediate towns was a secondary concern.<ref>{{harvnb|Jackson|1988|p=7}}</ref>{{refn|Reigate railway station was known as Reigate Town until 1898.<ref>{{harvnb|Mitchell|Smith|1989|loc= Fig. 97}}</ref>|group=note}} [[Railway electrification in Great Britain|Electrification]] of the section of line from Reigate to Redhill was completed on 1 January 1933.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= Southern Railway Developments |date= 19 January 1931 |page= 9 |issue= 45724 }}</ref>

In February 1976, Reigate was joined to the UK motorway system when the [[M25 motorway|M25]] was opened between Reigate Hill and [[Godstone]].<ref>{{harvnb|Asher|2018|p=115}}</ref> The section to [[Wisley]] via [[Leatherhead]] was opened in October 1985.<ref>{{cite news |last= Petty |first= John |date= 5 October 1985 |title= Cracked M25 link to open |issue= 40526 |page=36 |location= London |work= Daily Telegraph }}</ref>

===Economy and commerce===
From much of its early history, Reigate was primarily an [[Agriculture in the United Kingdom|agricultural]] settlement. At the time of the Norman conquest, the common fields covered some {{convert|3500|acre|ha|abbr=on}} and in 1623 the total area of arable land was around {{convert|4500|acre|ha|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=40}}</ref> From the early 17th century, the manor began to specialise in the production of [[oatmeal]] for the [[Royal Navy]], possibly due to the influence of Admiral Charles Howard, who lived at the priory.<ref name="Greenwood 2008 52–53">{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|pp=52–53}}</ref>{{refn|16th and 17th century documents indicate that [[hops]] were grown in the local area by smallholders and that [[flax]] was important as a secondary crop. There is no surviving record of [[rye]] being cultivated in Reigate.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|pp=10–11}}</ref>|group=note}} By 1710, 11.5% of the population was employed in cereal processing, but the trade dwindled in the mid-18th century and had ceased by 1786.<ref name="Greenwood 2008 52–53"/> Until the early 18th century, most goods were traded locally, but thereafter, London is thought to have become the most important market for produce.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=16}}</ref>

The market in Reigate is first recorded in 1279, when [[John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey|John de Warenne]], the 6th Earl of Surrey, claimed the right to hold a weekly market on Saturdays and five annual [[fair]]s. [[John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey|His son John]], the 7th Earl, was granted permission to move the event to Tuesdays in 1313.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=25–26}}</ref> The original market place was to the west of the castle, in the triangle of land now bordered by West Street, Upper West Street and Slipshoe Street (where the former route to Kingston diverged from the road to Guildford). It moved to the widest part of the High Street, close to the junction with Bell Street, in the 18th century.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=77}}</ref> Cattle ceased to be sold in the late 19th century and the market closed in 1895, in part as a result of the opening of a fortnightly market in Redhill in 1870.<ref name=Hopper_1979_p96>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=96}}</ref>

Reigate has two surviving [[windmill]]s: a post mill on [[Reigate Heath Windmill|Reigate Heath]]<ref>{{harvnb|Farries|Mason|1966|pp=184–188}}</ref> and a tower mill on [[Wray Common Mill, Reigate|Wray Common]].<ref>{{harvnb|Farries|Mason|1966|pp=191–193}}</ref> In the early modern period, the parish had at least three other windmills<ref name=Hopper_1979_p96/> and about a dozen animal-powered mills for oatmeal. In addition, there were watermills along the southern boundary of the parish, on the [[River Mole, Surrey|Mole]] and Redhill Brook.<ref>{{harvnb|Farries|Mason|1966|pp=179–180}}</ref>

[[File:The White Hart Reigate.jpg|thumb|right|The White Hart pub as depicted in a book on the London–Brighton road from 1894.]]
Although the opening of the Reigate Hill turnpike in 1755 provided an easier route to transport produce and manufactured items to London, the new road appears initially to have had a negative impact on the local economy, as goods produced elsewhere became cheaper than those made in the town itself.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp65-66>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|pp=65–66}}</ref> As a result, there was little growth in the population between the 1720s and 1821.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=57}}</ref> In the late 18th century, the prosperity of the town began to recover as it became as stopping point on the London to [[Brighton]] coaching route.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp65-66/>{{refn|Between July and October 1760, approximately 400 visitors to Brighton passed through Reigate, rising to 2000 over the same period in 1787 and between 12,000 and 15,000 in Summer 1811.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp38-39>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|pp=38–39}}</ref>|group=note}} In 1793, over half of the traffic on the Reigate Hill turnpike was bound for the south coast and numbers swelled as a result of troop movements during the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp38-39/> The opening of the turnpike through Redhill, appears to have had little initial impact on the numbers travelling through the town, as travellers preferred to break their journeys in Reigate, rather than bypassing the town to the east.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp38-39/>

===Residential development===
Reigate began to expand following the arrival of the railway lines in the 1840s. At first, development was focused in the east of the parish. A new settlement, initially known as Warwick Town, was established on land owned by [[Sarah Greville, Countess of Warwick]] in the 1820s and 1830s. In 1856, the post office relocated its local branch to the growing village and the area became known as [[Redhill, Surrey|Redhill]]. Throughout the second half of the 19th century, Redhill expanded westwards towards Reigate town centre and the two towns are now contiguous.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=178–179}}</ref>

[[File:Doods Road, Reigate, Surrey.jpg|thumb|right|[[Terraced house]]s in Doods Road]]
A new residential area was established at Wray Park, to the north of Reigate town centre, in the 1850s and 1860s. St Mark's Church was built to serve the new community. Doods Road was constructed in around 1864 and Somers Road, to the west of the station, followed shortly afterwards. In 1863, the National Freehold Land Society began to develop the Glovers Field estate, to the south east of the town centre, and also led efforts to build houses at South Park, to the west of Woodhatch.<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp182-183>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=182–183}}</ref>

At the end of the 19th century, the estates of several large houses were broken up, releasing further land for development.<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp182-183/> Glovers and Lesborne Roads, to the south east of the centre, were developed by the National Freehold Land Company {{circa|1893}}.<ref name=Ingram_Pendrill_1982_p51>{{harvnb|Ingram|Pendrill|1982|p=51}}</ref>{{refn|Glovers Road is named after Ambrose Glover, a leaseholder of the land before it was developed.<ref name=Ingram_Pendrill_1982_p51/>|group=note}} The Great Doods estate, between the railway line and Reigate Road, was sold in 1897 and the first houses in Deerings Road appeared shortly afterwards.<ref>{{cite news |last= Lovell |first= Cara |date= 4 August 2004 |title= Rediscover the Great Doods |url= https://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk/news/heritage/515191.rediscover-the-great-doods/ |work= Redhill and Reigate Life |access-date= 13 October 2021 |archive-date= 13 October 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211013211150/https://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk/news/heritage/515191.rediscover-the-great-doods/ |url-status= live }}</ref> A major development occurred in 1921, when the Reigate Priory estate (which included much of the land in the town) was sold, enabling existing leaseholders to purchase the freehold of their properties and freeing up further land for construction.<ref name="Ward 1998 86–87"/><ref>{{cite news |last= Moore |first= Alan |date= 9 March 2007 |title= A lady not partial to a drink |url= https://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk/news/heritage/1249874.a-lady-not-partial-to-a-drink/ |work= Redhill and Reigate Life |access-date= 13 October 2021 |archive-date= 13 October 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211013211150/https://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk/news/heritage/1249874.a-lady-not-partial-to-a-drink/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

[[File:Western Parade, Woodhatch - geograph.org.uk - 1598244.jpg|thumb|right|Western Parade, Woodhatch, was built in 1936.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1598244 |title= TQ2548: Western Parade, Woodhatch |last= Capper |first= Ian |date= 28 November 2009 |publisher= Geograph |access-date= 13 October 2021 |archive-date= 27 August 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190827072716/https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1598244 |url-status= live }}</ref>]]
In the early 20th century, South Park continued to expand to the south and east. The sale of Woodhatch Farm in the 1930s released the land for housebuilding. Further expansion in Woodhatch occurred in the 1950s, with the construction of [[public housing in the United Kingdom|council housing]] on the Rushetts Farm estate.<ref>{{harvnb|Powell|2000a|pp=71–72}}</ref>

===Reigate in wartime===
Although little fighting took place in Surrey during the [[English Civil War|Civil War]], the Reigate Hundred was required to provide 80 men for the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] army, but a force of only 60 was raised, including a captain and lieutenant. Troops were garrisoned in the town and by the summer of 1648, serious discontent was rising in the local area as a result.<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp_144-146>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=144–146}}</ref> The [[Cavalier|Royalist]], [[Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland]], raised a fighting force and marched from Kingston to Reigate where his men plundered local property and briefly occupied the half-ruined castle. Parliamentary troops under Major Lewis Audley were sent to confront Rich, but he withdrew first to Dorking and then the following day back to Kingston. The withdrawal of the Royalists from Reigate was the final incident in the Civil War south of the [[River Thames]] before the [[execution of Charles I]] in 1649.<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp_144-146/><ref>{{cite journal |last= Butt |first= C.R. |year= 1959 |title= Surrey and the Civil War |journal= Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research |volume= 37 |issue= 149 |pages= 13–20 |jstor= 44226916}}</ref>

In September 1914, Reigate became a garrison town. Members of the [[London Regiment (1908–1938)|London's Own Territorials]] were billeted locally whilst undergoing training in the area<ref>{{harvnb|Ingram|1992|p=46}}</ref> and Reigate Lodge was used as an [[Royal Army Service Corps|Army Service Corps]] [[supply depot]].<ref>{{harvnb|Ingram|1992|p=49}}</ref> Reigate railway station was closed between January 1917 and February 1919 as a wartime economy measure.<ref>{{harvnb|Mitchell|Smith|1989|loc=Fig. 99}}</ref>

By the end of the First World War, there were three temporary hospitals for members of the armed forces in Reigate. The Hillfield Red Cross Hospital opened on 2 November 1914 and was equipped with an operating theatre and 50 beds. As well as treating injured soldiers transported home from overseas, the facility also treated troops garrisoned locally.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/hillfield.html |title= Hillfield Red Cross Hospital |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= May 2011 |publisher= Lost Hospitals of London |access-date= 13 April 2022 |archive-date= 16 June 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210616023356/https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/hillfield.html |url-status= live }}</ref> The Kitto Relief Hospital in South Park opened on 9 November 1914, initially as an annex to the Hillfield Hospital, but from 28 September 1915 it was affiliated to the [[Horton Hospital]] in Epsom.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/crofthome.html |title= The Croft Home |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= November 2009 |publisher= Lost Hospitals of London |access-date= 13 April 2022 |archive-date= 16 June 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210616013252/https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/crofthome.html |url-status= live }}</ref> The Beeches Auxiliary Military Hospital, on Beech Road, was opened in March 1916 with 20 beds, but expanded to 40 beds that October. The hospital relocated to a larger facility in the same road in July 1917 and became affiliated with the Lewisham Military Hospital two months later.<ref>{{harvnb|Ingram|1992|pp=56–57}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/beechesreigate.html |title= The Beeches Auxiliary Military Hospital |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= May 2011 |publisher= Lost Hospitals of London |access-date= 13 April 2022 |archive-date= 16 June 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210616011200/https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/beechesreigate.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

[[File:Wartime Entrance - Tunnel Road Sand Caves and Mines, Reigate.jpg|right|thumb|Bricked-up entrance to a [[WW2]] air raid shelter, Tunnel Road]]
Some 5000 [[evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuees]] from London were sent to the Reigate and Redhill area at the start of the Second World War in September 1939,<ref name=Slaughter_2004_pp98-99>{{harvnb|Slaughter|2004|pp=98–99}}</ref> but by February of the following year around 2000 had returned home.<ref>{{harvnb|Ogley|1995|p=25}}</ref> The caves beneath Reigate Castle were converted for use as public [[air raid shelter]]s<ref name=Slaughter_2004_pp98-99/> and the first bombing raid on the town took place on 15 August 1940.<ref>{{harvnb|Pilkington|1997|p=196}}</ref> There was a succession of raids in November 1940, including on the 7th when Colley Hill and Reigate Hill were attacked.<ref>{{harvnb|Ogley|1995|p=89}}</ref> Towards the end of the war, in 1944, the Tea House café on top of Reigate Hill was destroyed by a [[V-1 flying bomb]].<ref>{{harvnb|Harding|1998|p=26}}</ref>

For much of the war, Reigate was the headquarters of the South Eastern Command of the [[British Army]].<ref name=Powell_2000_p71>{{harvnb|Powell|2000a|p=71}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Ogley|1995|p=171}}</ref> The command was partly housed in purpose-built tunnels beneath Reigate Hill, excavated in 1939 by Welsh miners. The complex consisted of four large underground halls, linked by a network of passageways dug through the chalk. The entrances to the tunnels were destroyed in 1968, after several people had been injured in unauthorised attempts to access the site.<ref>{{cite news |title= Blast will shut tunnels |date= 23 February 1968 |work= Surrey Mirror and County Post |issue= 4770 |page= 1 }}</ref>

During the Second World War, the defence of the town was primarily the responsibility of the 8th Surrey Battalion of the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]],<ref>{{harvnb|Crook|2000|p=25}}</ref> although the East Surrey Water Company and the London Passenger Transport Board formed separate units to defend local infrastructure.<ref>{{harvnb|Crook|2000|pp=69, 71}}</ref> Tank traps in the castle grounds were among the defences installed in the town.<ref name=Powell_2000_p71/> Before being deployed to the [[Western Front (World War II)|Western Front]], the 1st Battalion of [[the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment]] (part of the [[Canadian Army]], was encamped locally.<ref>{{harvnb|Ogley|1995|p=144}}</ref>{{refn|Canadian servicemen were injured in September 1940, when two bombs fell at the junction of Evesham Road and West Street.<ref>{{harvnb|Harding|1998|p=100}}</ref>|group=note}} On 19 March 1945 a [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B17G]], returning from a [[strategic bombing|bombing raid]] in Germany, crashed into Reigate Hill in low-visibility conditions. Two memorial benches, carved in the shape of [[wing tip]]s, were installed as a memorial at the crash site 70 years later.<ref>{{cite news |author= <!--not stated--> |date= 19 March 2015 |title= Reigate Hill WW2 plane crash memorial unveiled |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-31953498 |work= BBC News |location= London |access-date= 13 April 2022 |archive-date= 26 August 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210826175420/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-31953498 |url-status= live }}</ref>