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Frensham
Frensham is a village in Surrey, England beside the A287 road|A287, 20 km south west of Guildford. Neighbouring villages include Millbridge, Shortfield Common, Dockenfield, Spreakley, Batt's Corner and Rushmoor. Frensham lies on the River Wey. Farnham is the nearest main town and it is 5 km to the north. The majority of the land around Frensham is located in the Green belt (UK)|Green Belt. The non-agricultural land surrounding the village is mainly open heathland and birch woodland.
Planning permission is being discussed for a potential mineral zone for the extraction of sand and gravel near Frensham Manor.[Surrey Planning Department Notice (downloaded 8/12)]
Frensham Common is owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It covers about 1000 acres[Waverley Borough Council: Frensham Common] and comprises a large area of heathland, together with some coniferous and mixed woodland. There are two large ponds, known as Frensham Great and Little Ponds, which were built in the Middle Ages to provide fish for the Bishop of Winchester's estate.
History
Mesolithic camp or living sites have been discovered around Frensham.[Extracts from 'A Frensham History' by Robert Hickling] Hundreds of Bronze Age arrow heads have been found around Frensham and there there are several tumulus|tumuli (burial sites). In 688 AD, Caedwalla of Wessex|King Caedwalla of Wessex made a charter conveying to the Catholic church 60 hides of land that included Farnham, Frensham and Churt. This became the property of Hedda, Bishop of Winchester.
The origins of the name Frensham come from 'Frena's ham'. Frena was the name of either a Denmark|Danish Earl who was killed in the battle of Ashdown in the year 871, or a Anglo-Saxons|Saxon who was driven south from Northumberland by the Danes (Germanic tribe)|Danes in 993. The second part 'ham' means 'settlement', and is also from where we get the word 'home', so Frensham is 'Frena's settlement'.
In 1348, Frensham suffered from the Black Death|plague. Before it ceased in 1350, 52 farms around became desolate.
Locally clay was extracted from around Frensham for Farnham Pottery.
In the 17th century, farmers focused primarily on hop growing and sheep rearing.
During the Second World War, tanks based in the Headley area used Frensham Common for training.[BBC WW2 People's War Stories] Whilst Canadian soldiers used to gallop across the Common.[BBC WW2 People's War Stories] At this time, Frensham Great and Little Ponds were drained as otherwise they would have provided markers for Germany|German bombers.[BBC WW2 People's Stories]
In the 1960s boxy little rowing boats were available for hire on the Little Pond from a boathouse near the road.
St Mary's Church
Originally a chapelry of Farnham, the present St Mary's church was dedicated in 1239, having been moved from its previous site on low ground beside the River Wey. The move was probably due to the massive storms of the 1230s which flooded Waverley Abbey (6 km downstream) to a depth of 1.75 m.
The chancel is the oldest part of the church, its walls being those of the original building, the 13th century niches, piscina and aumbry. The tower is 14th century, with massive diagonal buttresses and eight bells dated between 1627 and the 19th century. The porch is restored but is believed to be 15th century. The north aisle was built in 1827, and the whole church was subject to a major restoration in 1868.
The font, of Purbeck Marble, is early medieval but its carvings are nearly obliterated. The organ was installed in 1871 with subsequent modernisations. The exterior of the building is of local sandstone, flint and rubble, with evidence of endless repair and reconstruction.[St Mary's Church]
Population
The population of Frensham in 1851 was 714.[A Vision of Britain through time.] Today the area of Frensham, Dockenfield and Tilford has a total population of 3,961.[Census Data]
Today
Frensham Post office and village shop is a community run shop and has celebrated its tenth anniversary.
There are three local schools: St Mary's Church of England Infants' School, Frensham Heights School|Frensham Heights and Edgeborough School|Edgeborough.
Frensham Great Pond, lying within Frensham Common, extends over 100 acres and is a centre for sailing activities.[BBC Guide to Surrey] In the summer, Surrey County Council provides a lifeguard to supervise the swimming area. However, the pond often suffers from eutrophication due to excess run-off of nitrate fertilisers from nearby arable land. The presence of the blue-green algae means that swimming is dangerous and therefore not permitted. The smaller Frensham Little Pond is a scenic area for picnics - no swimming or sailing is permitted here.
References
External links
- Multimap
- Interesting local walk with pictures
- Map of Frensham Common
- Results and conclusions of village survey
- National Trust Little Pond
- St Mary's Church website
Category:Villages in Surrey
Category:WaverleyRelated Images
Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL
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