Peper Harow Manor, Surrey, England

PEPER HAROW was held by Alward under Edward the Confessor, and after the Conquest came into the possession of Walter, Governor of Windsor Castle, son of Other, ancestor of the Windsors, to whose honour of Windsor the overlordship of the manor belonged. The actual tenant of Peper Harow in 1086 was a certain Girard, one of whose successors, Osbert of Peper Harow, sold Peper Harow to Ralph de Broc. His son-in-law Stephen de Turnham received a confirmation of the sale from King John in 1205. Stephen's daughter Clemency received Peper Harow as her portion on her marriage with her first husband Alan de Plugenhay; she afterwards married Wandrith de Corcell, and her third husband, Henry Braybrok, who evidently survived her, sued Ralph son of Bernard and his wife Eleanor, daughter of Clemency by Wandrith de Corcell, for Peper Harow as having been settled on him at his marriage with Clemency. Clearly the suit was decided in favour of Ralph and Eleanor, for William Braunch, husband of their daughter Joan, held a fee in 'Piperinges' of the honour of Windsor. William and Joan settled a rent of 2 marks from the manor on Giffard, Abbot of Waverley, and his successors in 1246, and Joan was still in possession of Peper Harow in 1279, when she claimed free warren there under a charter of Henry III, her right being disputed on the ground of the previous disafforestation of the whole county. A fresh grant of free warren in Peper Harow was issued to Henry of Guildford in 1303, when he was lord of the manor. Joan Braunch died before 21 December 1279, leaving a son and heir Nicholas,who suffered a recovery to Henry of Guildford, marshal of the king's household 1297–8, and gave him a release. Henry died 1312 holding the manor, and among the executors of his will was Hervey (or Henry) de Stanton, who obtained a release of the manor from Henry de Stoughton. Henry de Stoughton was assessed for feudal aid in Peper Harow in 1316. He is said to have obtained it from Henry of Guildford 1312–13 and to have conveyed it to Henry de Stanton c. 1360–2, from whom it descended to Hervey de Stanton. He held the manor for some time. The Stoughtons recovered their estate, though by illegal means, for in 1343 Henry de Stoughton was fined for persuading Walter de St. Neot to come to Bagshot calling himself Master Hervey de Stanton, and in that name to make quitclaim of Peper Harrow to John son of Henry de Stoughton. In the same year Sir Andrew Braunch, son of Nicholas, purchased Henry Stoughton's rights in Peper Harow for £100. He was succeeded by a young son and heir Thomas, who died in the wardship of the king in 1360, leaving, though he was only eleven years of age, a widow Mary, to whom dower was assigned in the manor. Stephen de Wydeslade, Andrew Braunch's nephew by his sister Eleanor, heir to Thomas, seems to have sold the manor, for in 1368 it appears in the possession of John Chapman and Geoffrey Edyth, evidently trustees, who conveyed it early in 1368 to Bernard Brocas, clerk, for life, with remainder to Sir Bernard Brocas of Beaurepaire and his wife Mary in tail. The latter's son and heir, Sir Bernard, succeeded to Peper Harow at his father's death in 1395, but forfeited it by his share in the conspiracy to restore Richard II. His son William, however, was restored to his father's estates in the following year, and died in 1456. His son William, sheriff of Berkshire and Oxfordshire in 1459, held the manor, as is recorded by his wife's inscription in Peper Harow Church. It had been seized by Edward IV and granted in 1477 to his servant John Smyth, but it was clearly recovered by Brocas. His son John followed, and was succeeded by William Brocas, also of Beaurepaire.

His two daughters and heirs, Anne and Edith, were aged respectively twelve and nine at their father's death in July 1506. Edith, who was ultimately her sister's heir, married Ralph Pexsall, during whose tenure the house and demesne lands, except the rights of fishing, were leased for ten years to John Moth of Sherborne. Ralph's son, Mr. Richard Pexsall, afterwards knighted, was holding in the survey of the manor of Godalming in 1547. He was once attacked at Peper Harow by a certain 'Bedon,' who with his friends had entered upon lands belonging to the Parsonage. Sir Richard's daughter Anne having married Bernard Brocas of Horton, a descendant of Sir Bernard, the supporter of Richard II, most of the Pexsall lands were settled on her son Pexsall Brocas, and among them a considerable portion of Peper Harow. In 1585 he sold ten-twelfths of the manor and the advowson to Henry Smythe, the remaining two-twelfths of the manor being in possession of Pexsall's aunt Margery Cotton, and of Edward Savage, son of Sir John Savage, second husband of Eleanor widow of Sir Richard Pexsall. The former conveyed her share to Henry Smythe in 1594, while Edward Savage sold his to Sir Walter Covert, kt., who in 1605 bought the other eleven parts from Henry Smythe. Sir Walter died 22 January 1631–2, the manor being settled on his widow Joan for life, with remainder to John Covert, son of Sir Walter Covert of Maidstone, who in June 1655 sold the reversion at Joan's death to the Hon. Denzil Holles of Damerham, afterwards Lord Holles, who died 1680. The manor descended to his son, Francis, Lord Holles. At the death of his son Denzil (who had no issue) in 1694, the manor reverted to John, Duke of Newcastle, male heir of the elder branch of the family. He sold it in February 1699–1700 to Philip Frowde, who in 1713 sold it to Alan Brodrick, afterwards Viscount Midleton.

In 1725 Viscount Midleton was 'expected to reside shortly,' and was patron. He died 1728. His son Alan, second viscount, died 1747. In his time his first cousin Vice-Admiral Thomas Brodrick was residing at Peper Harow. George, the third viscount, son of Alan the second, died 1765. He was succeeded by his son George, created Baron Brodrick of Peper Harow in the peerage of the United Kingdom. He died 1836. His son George Alan was succeeded in 1848 by his cousin Charles, grandson of the third viscount, who died in 1863. The manor passed to his brother the Very Rev. William John Brodrick, who dying in 1870 was succeeded by his son William, the late Lord Lieutenant of Surrey. Viscount Midleton died in 1907, and was succeeded by his eldest son, the present viscount.

There is mention in 1353 of a manor-house at Peper Harow. It formed for a time the residence of William Brocas and his widow Joan, who was buried in the church in 1487. The third viscount pulled down the old house, but at his death in 1765 the new house, which was being built from designs by Sir William Chambers, was not completed. It was finished by his son when he came of age ten years later, and afterwards added to, under the advice of Wyatt. It is a plain Italian building, in brick and stucco.