Gomshall

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Gomshall
Gomshall shown within Surrey
Population	<3,000
OS grid reference	TQ084480
District	Guildford
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Guildford
Postcode district	GU5
Dialling code	01483
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
European Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Mole Valley
List of places: UK • England • Surrey

Coordinates: 51°13′16″N 0°26′53″W / 51.221, -0.448

The village of Gomshall is bisected by the A25 running west to Guildford and east to Dorking. Neighbouring villages include Shere, Albury, Abinger Hammer and Sutton Abinger. The North Downs Way is just north of the village. Gomshall is within the census area called Shere which has a population of 3,359.^[1]

Gomshall is part of Shere civil parish.^[2]

The River Tillingbourne runs through Gomshall and there is Gomshall railway station.

[edit] History

The Manor of Gumesele was a Saxon feudal landholding which originally included the present day Gomshall.^[3]

Gomshall appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Gomeselle. It was held by William the Conqueror. Its domesday assets were: 1 mill worth 3s 4d, 20 ploughs, 3 acres of meadow, woodland worth 30 hogs. It rendered £30. ^[4]

In 1154, Henry II of England divided the Manor of Gumesele into three: West Gomshall, East Gomshall and Somersbury. In 1240, West Gomshall was granted to the Cistercian Abbey of Netley in Hampshire and became known as Gomshall Netley. East Gomshall was granted to the Abbey of St Mary Graces, Tower Hill, London in 1376 and became known as Gomshall Towerhill.

For the 1380 Poll Tax, Gomshall had 267 names registered. The occupations written beside the names show land-holders and the usual country crafts but also a high proportion of skills relating to the wool trade; there were spinners and weavers, fullers and pelterers and many tailors. At this time one of the Gomshall manors was held by the Abbey of Netley near Southampton.^[5]

Local industries developed which were based on the plentiful and constant water supply of the River Tillingbourne. Those which survived into the 20th century, but are now gone, were corn milling, watercress growing and leather tanning. Gomshall Mill was the corn mill. Netley Mill pumped water for the Hurtwood Water Company for part of its existence.