An 1868 Gazetteer description of the following places in Byfleet

 

BYFLEET

"BYFLEET, a parish in the first division of the hundred of Godley, in the county of Surrey, 4 miles to the S. of Chertsey. Cobham is its post town. It is situated on a branch of the river Wey, near the London and South-Western railway, and is crossed by the Wey and Arun Junction canal. The manor of Byfleet was given to Piers Gaveston, the favourite of Edward II. The Black Prince is said to have erected the old mansion called Byfleet Park, which is now a farmhouse.

The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Winchester, value £295, in the patronage of the lord chancellor. The church is dedicated to St. Mary, and contains a monumental brass of a priest who died in 1480. There is a chapel belonging to the Baptists. The parochial charities produce about £24 a year. The rectory of Byfleet was held by the noted Stephen Duck, who, beginning life as a farm labourer, became a poet, was appointed by Queen Caroline one of the yeomen of the guard, obtained the living of this parish, and was named Keeper of the Queen's Library at Richmond Gardens. He died at Byfleet in 1756."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003] These pages are intended for personal use only, so please respect the conditions of use.