Leigh, Surrey

Leigh ( /ˈlaɪ/) is a village and civil parish in Surrey, between Reigate and Dorking. It is located in the Mole Valley district. The civil parish has a population of 856 and covers 1,382 hectares.^[1]

A hoard of 62 Roman silver denarii was discovered in a field at Swains Farm in 2004. The oldest of the coins dates from 31 BC and the youngest were minted in around 180 AD after the death of the emperor Marcus Aurelius.^[2]

Leigh appears to have been a centre for the Wealden iron industry,^[3] and the village was explicitly exempted from a legal prohibition of making charcoal from certain timber types issued by Elizabeth I, so that iron smelting could continue.^[4]

The village lay within the Reigate hundred. The Plough pub, one of two in the village (the other being The Seven Stars) is pictured left. Also in the village is a church, St Bartholomew's, and the Leigh Acorns school for years one to three. The village has an excellent play area largely constructed of natural materials.

References

1. ^ Surrey Council census data
2. ^ Williams D (2005). "A late 2nd century coin hoard from Leigh". Surrey Archaeological Collections (Surrey Archaeological Society) 92: 259–262. 
3. ^ Giuseppi MS (1902). "The manor of Ewood and the ironworks there". Surrey Archaeological Collections (Surrey Archaeological Society) 17: 28–33. 
4. ^ Victoria County History of Surrey iii 208-210

External links

• The Parish Council official Website for Leigh, Surrey
• The Website for the reconstruction of the paly area