1620 Wotton's diarist
John Evelyn, diarist and friend of Pepys, is born in Wotton and spends most of his life there

1st century AD Hill ffrts
Remains of Iron-Age hill forts can be found in several places in Surrey

circa 300 Southwark
In Roman times the main town in Surrey is Southwark, now part of Greater London

circa 500 Saxons
In the 5th and 6th centuries Surrey is conquered and settled by Saxons

666 Chertsey Abbey
Chertsey Abbey is founded and soon becomes Surrey's most important religious institution in the Anglo-Saxon period

686 Monastery at Farnham
King Caedwalla of Wessex founds a monastery at Farnham

825 Wessex and Surrey
The small kingdom of Surrey is absorbed by Wessex

825 Battle of Ellendun
Victory at Ellendun by the Wessex king Egbert leads to the kingdom of Surrey being absorbed into Wessex

circa 1040 Tower of St Mary's in Guildford
The Anglo-Saxon tower of St Mary's in Guildford is the earliest surviving architectural feature in Surrey

circa 1060 Saxon thane in control
West Horsley Place (WHP) is one of many manors owned by Beorhtsige, a Saxon thane

1068 Beorhtsige survives
Beorhtsige survives the Norman Conquest but is deprived of all his manors

circa 1070 Walter FitzOtha
West Horsley is given to a Norman baron, Walter FitzOtha, who is also made responsible for Windsor Castle and changes the name of the family owning West Horsley to the more aristocratic De Windsor

circa 1070 New name de Windsor
The FitzOtha family change their name to the more aristocratic de Windsor

1077 Cluniac abbeys
William de Warenne, a very powerful English baron, and his wife Gundred visit the Cluniac Abbey in France and are inspired to establish a Cluniac establishment in England. This is achieved in Lewes Priory

circa 1080 Visit to Cluny
William de Warenne and his wife's visit to Cluny Abbey in France so impresses them that they decide to build Cluny Abbey in Lewes, England's earliest Cluniac establishment

1087 William I dies
William I dies and leaves England to his son William Rufus, who thus becomes William II, and Normandy to his other surviving son, Robert Curthose

1088 Ear of Surrey
William de Warenne has been a fervent supporter of William II and in reward is created Earl of Surrey

1088 Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, a keen supporter of William II in English dynastic wars, is created Earl of Surrey

circa 1090 Guildford Castle
Guildford Castle is built by Normans to subdue the Anglo-Saxons of the surrounding district

circa 1106 Southwark Priory
Southwark Priory is formed and eventually becomes Southwark Cathedral (now in London)

circa 1115 Oldest part of house
The oldest remaining fabric of West Horsley Place is the north-west wing, carbon-dated to about 1115

1128 Waverley Abbey
The first Cistercian monastery in England is Waverley Abbey, near Farnham

circa 1150 Farnham Castle
Farnham Castle is built as a residence for the Bishop of Winchester

Circa 1200 Gilforte and Guildford
Gilforte, a variety of cloth exported all round Europe, derives its name from Guildford, its main centre of production

12th and 13th c. Clearing of Weald
Population pressure causes the gradual clearing of the Weald, the forest spanning the borders of Surrey, Sussex and Kent

circa 1200 Surrey Castles
There is a spate of castle-building in Surrey from the earliest, Farnham, to others at Bletchingly and Reigate

circa 1200 Guildford cloth
Guildford becomes an important early centre for the production of woollen cloth, thanks to deposits of fuller's earth

1215 Barons and king at Runnymede
John, the king of England, fixes his seal to Magna Carta, which the barons place before him in a meadow called Runnymede

circa 1215 Improvements in St Mary's
One of the Windsors spends lavishly on the church in West Horsley, giving a new chancel, the murals, the first coloured glass in the windows and the font

1215 Magna Carta
The Great Charter is a charter of rights and freedoms for barons, agreed under pressure by the unpopular King John at Runnymede, near Windsor

circa 1235 Guildford Palace
Henry III improves the comforts of Guildford Castle to such an extent that the result is sometimes referred to at the time as Guildford Palace

Circa 1275 Owl and Nightingale
The Owl and the Nightingale, an early Middle English poem, is supposedly written by Nicholas of Guildford who features in the text

1279-1441 Long De Berners possession
The De Berners family own West Horsley Place and estate for a very long period but make little mark in the world

1279 De Berners family
West Horsley is inherited through the female line by the De Berners family

circa 1287 William of Ockham
The Franciscan friar William of Ockham is believed to have been born in the village of Ockham and as a philosopher is best known for the principle of Ockham's Razor

Circa 1330 Occam's Razor
A theory attributed to the philosopher William of Ockham that among rival conclusions the simplest one is likely to be right, thus applying a razor to unnecessary perplexities

1425 Northwest wing
The earliest surviving part of West Horsley Place has been dated by dendrochronology to 1425

circa 1425 West Horsley Place
West Horsley Place is a Tudor house with a brick facade of the 17th century, in a version of contemporary Dutch design in a style known as Artisan Mannerism

1425 De Berners WHP
The earliest part of West Horsley Place is built by the De Berners family

1441 Bourchier family
The Bourchier family inherit West Horsley Place, again through the female line

1441-1532 Bouchier family
The Bouchier family, having close connection with royalty, bring new prominence to West Horsley Place

circa 1500 Hidden Tudor mansion
The main fabric of West Horsley Place is a superbly strong early Tudor mansion, not visible now because of the later brick facade

1509 Grammar School Guildford
The Royal Grammar is founded in Guildford and moves in 1552 to Upper High Street

1532 Bourchier debts
John Bouchier dies owing Henry VIII a lot of money, so the king seizes West Horsley Place and estate.

1533 Courtenay new owner
Henry VIII gives West Horsley Place to his cousin and favourite Henry Courtenay

1533 Henry VIII dines in the house
Henry VIII dines in the Great Hall of West Horsley Place as the guest of Henry Courtenay. Stewed sparrow, stork and heron feature on the lengthy menu

1533 Henry's West Horsley Place menu
Among many dishes on offer the first course included stewed sparrows and gulls and pasty of venison from red deer; then there was stork, gannet and heron. pasty of venison from fallow deer and fresh sturgeon; and finally jelly, blancmange, clotted cream with sugar, quince pie and marzipan.

1547-1643 Royal links continue
Sir Anthony Browne and the Montagues all have strong royal connections

1547-1643 Anthony Browne and the Montagues
Henry VIII gives WHP to Sir Anthony Browne, who is followed by his relations, the Lords Montague

1547 New owner West Horsley Place
Nine years after the execution of Henry Courtenay, Henry VIII gives the estate to a rich and aged courtier, Sir Anthony Browne

circa 1550 Bankside
Bankside becomes Surrey's (now London's) main place of entertainment because the control exercised by the local authorities of Surrey is less stringent than that of the city of London

circa 1550 Earliest reference to cricket
A coroner, John Derrick, testifies that he and his friends played cricket at the Free School in Guildford, later the Royal Grammar School, in what is accepted as the earlest reference to the game

17-23 August 1559 Royal week in West Horsley Place
Elizabeth I spends a week at West Horsley Place, as guest of honour in festivities given to celebrate her recent accession to the throne

1562-1568 Losesley Park
This magnificent Tudor house southwest of Guildford is built by an ancestor of the More-Molyneux family, still its owners today

circa 1570 Bankside and Shakespeare
Early performances of plays by William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Johnson are presented on Bankside

16th or 17th century Oakhurst
Oakhurst is a tiny cottage in Hambledon, restored by the National Trust as an example of a labourer's dwelling

circa 1600-1950 Twenty-four mills
The twenty-four mills identified in the Tillingbourne Valley provide power for industries as varied as gunpowder, paper for bank notes, iron-working, wire-making, fulling, tanning and and pumping waterumping water

circa 1600 onwards Valley of Tillingbourne
The Valley of Tillingbourne becomes a rich source of wealth in Surrey because of the increasing ease of transport to London via the rivers Wey and Thames

circa 1605 Donne in Surrey
The poet John Donne lives and works for some time in the village of Pyrford,on the bank of the river Wey

1611 Guildford's George Abbot archbishop
George Abbot, son of a Guildford clothworker, becomes Archbishop of Canterbury

1619 Abbot's Hospital
George Abbot founds Abbot's Hospital, an almshouse in Guildford still in service today

1620 Evelyn in Wotton
The diarist John Evelyn is born in Wotton and spends much of his life there

1620 Diarist born in Wotton
Diarist John Evelyn, friend of Pepys, is born in Wotton and spends most of his life there

1625-1645 Carew Raleigh
A member of the Raleigh family buys West Horsley Place and leaves it to Sir Walter's youngest son, Carew Raleigh

1626 Gunpowder mills
Gunpowder mills are set up at Chilworth by the East India Company

Up to 1631 Kew Palace
Kew Palace is completed in Kew Gardens in a red-brick style deriving from Holland, which is for a while a new fashion in England

1638 Another Abbot Lord Mayor
Maurice Abbot, a brother of George Abbot, becomes Lord Mayor London

1642 Surrey in the Civil War
Surrey is mainly on the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War after Sir Richard Onslow raises a regiment for Parliament

1642 Surrey in the Civil War
Surrey is mainly on the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War

circa 1645 Brick facade
The beautiful brick facade is a sham, built a few inches away from the timber-framed early Tudor house behind it

circa 1645 Matching dog kennels
Either side of the front door at WHP are matching dog kennels, both Grade II IIsted

circa 1646 Dersy and Dermid
A girl living in WHP in the 1640s records that the first occupants of the kennels are 'two noble deer hounds named Dersy and Dermid'

1647 Levellers in Guildford
The first manifesto of the movement known as the Levellers is drafted in Guildford

1647 Putney Debates
The Putney Debates are held within Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army, at their headquarters in Putney, on the issue of a new constitution for Britain

1649 Diggers at Weybridge
The Diggers, led by Gerrard Winstanley, establish their communal settlement at St George's Hill near Weybridge

Circa 1650 Slyfield Manor
A mid-17th house in the red-brick style, a fashion of the time deriving from Holland as seen also in the neighbouring West Horsley Place

1653 River Wey Navigation
The River Wey Navigation opens with twelve locks between Weybridge and Guildford - one of the first rivers in England to be made navigable

1665-1704 Nicholas family and royalty
Sir Nicholas and his son sir John continue the royal connection with WHP - both accompany Charles II in his exile

1665 Nicholas purchase
Sir Edward Nicholas buys the house from Carew Raleigh

1665-1749 Nicholas papers
The greatest contribution of the family to the history of West Horsley Place is the immensely detailed notebooks written by Sir John Nicholas

1674 Onslow family
Arthur Onslow is made a baronet and for nearly two centuries his descendants are the dominant political network in Surrey

1685 Mitcham Cricket Club
Mitcham Cricket Club is founded and is the earliest documented club in the game's history

cieca 1710 West Horsley Place unusual wall
The most spectacular feature of the garden is the crinkle-crankle wall, with its curves designed to capture the maximum sunlight and heat for espaliered fruit treesdred

circa 1710 Early 18th-century brick walls
The gardens of West Horsley Place are surrounded by about 700 yards of Grade II listed brick walls still in reasonable condition

Circa 1730 Clandon
Construction begins of Clandon Park House, home of the Onslow family and given by them in 1956 to the National Trust, but very severely damaged by fire in 2015

1749 Descent to Westons
Through the female line West Horsley Place is inherited by the family of Sir Henry Weston of Ockham

1749-1923 West ownership
Through a very long period of ownership the Westons decline from considerable wealth to relative poverty and in 1923 they sell the estate to Lady Cooper.

circa 1750 Turnpike and stagecoach
Turnpike roads and a stagecoach system continue to open Surrey more to the influence of London

1756-7 Hatchlands Park
The interior of Hatchlands Park is designed by Stiff Leadbetter with superb details by Robert Adam. The house also contains the superb Cobbe Collection of historic musical instruments.

1780 The Derby
The Derby is held at Epsom Downs Racecourse and has almost invariably been held there ever since

circa 1800-1900 Population of London
By 1800 the population density of London has reached Vauxhall; a century later the spread of the city westwards engulfs Putney

1817 Dulwich gallery
An art collection given to Edward Alleyn's college in Dulwich is opened to visitors in 1817, becoming Britain's first public art gallery

1822 Cobbett Rural Rides
William Cobbett, born and raised in Farnham, begins to publish his Rural Rides in which Surrey features prominently

1830 Cobbett influence of devil
William Cobbett argues that the influence of the devil links Tillingbourne with two of the most damnable inventios - namely the making of gunpowder and of banknotes

1835 Ada marries
Lord Byron's daughter Ada has a strong with East Horsley. At the age 20 she marries Lord Lovelace, the designer and owner of Horsley Towers. a grand mansion which survives. It becomes her home.

1836 Pickwick Papers
While living in Dorking Dickens writes Pickwick Papers, published in 20 parts from March 1836

circa 1838 Railways
Railways are built throughout Surrey leading to the now familiar custom of commuting and greatly adding to Surrey's population and wealth.

circa 1840 Disraeli in Dorking
Benjamin Disraeli writes Coningsby while living in Dorking

circa 1843 Ada Lovelace and Byron
Ada Lovelace, the daughter of Byron, publishes the first algorithm and is regarded as the first mathematician to realize the potentials of the computer

Circa 1843 Coningsby
Disraeli writes Coningsby while living in Dorking

1843 Gertrude Jekyll born
Gertrude Jekyll, collector of plants for preservation and famous for her subtle gardens and collaboration with Lutyens, designs 400 gardens in Britain and Europe, many of them in Surrey

1845 Surrey County Cricket
The Surrey County Cricket Club is founded and is based from the start at the Oval in Kennington. It has won the County Championship 19 times, more than any other county except Yorkshire

1849 Brookwod Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery is built near Woking with its own railway, leading it to become very possibly the largest burial ground in the world

1866 Molesey Boat Club
Molesey Boat Club is founded on the Thames and becomes the elite centre of British Rowing, with many Olympic champions, past and present, among its memberst

1869-1871 Middlemarch
George Eliot writes Middlemarch when living at Haslemere

Circa 1870 Through the Looking-Glass
Lewis Carroll spends much of his time at his sisters' home near Guildford and it is there that he writes Through the Looking-Glass

1871 Through the Looking Glass
Lewis Carroll writes Through the Looking Glass, a second story of Alice's adventures, while staying with his sisters in Guildford

circa 1873 Edwin Lutyens
Edwin Lutyens, who becomes famous for buildings in multiple styles around the world, grows up in the Surrey village of Thursley

1877 Wimbledon
The first Gentlemen's Championship in lawn tennis (singles only and underarm serving) is held at Wimbledon by the All England Croquet Club

1878 Woking crematorium
The first custom-built crematorium in Britain is established near Woking

1881 Godalming has own electricity
Godalming is the first town in the world with its own electricity supply, powered by a water wheel on the river Wey

1889 Mosque in Woking
The first purpose-built mosque in Britain, the Shah Jahan mosque, is built in Woking

1892 ViceRoy of Ireland
Lord Crewe is appointed ViceRoy of Ireland at the very early age of thirty-four

1892 Crewe Viceroy
Lord Crewe, the duchess of Roxburghe's father, is appointed Viceroy of Ireland at the very early age of thirty-four

1894 Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley is born and raised in Godalming, and the end of Brave New World is set in Surrey

1895 Dennis Brothers
The Dennis Brothers, very early pioneers in vehicle manufacture, open their business in Guildford

1897-1907 Conan Doyle
Conan Doyle lives and writes in Hindhead, and Surrey is the setting for several Sherlock Holmes stories

1897 War of the Worlds
H.G. Wells writes The War of the Worlds while in Woking, and much of northern Surrey is laid waste in the story

Circa 1904 Peter Pan
J.M. Barrie lives in Tilford and bases Peter Pan in nearby countryside

1906 Polesden Lacey
The Regency house of Polesden Lacey is transformed to a magnificent Edwardian mansion for Margaret Greville, a famous society hostess who fills the house with her collection of fine paintings, furniture, porcelain and silver

1907 Brooklands
Brooklands, a site near Weybridge, opens as the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor-racing circuit

1908 Crewe in cabinet
Lord Crewe joins Asquith's cabinet, famous for its dramatically radical reforms

1910 Crewe India
Lord Crewe becomes Secretary of State for India and is responsible for the visit to the Delhi Durbar in 1911 of George V as Emperor of India

1912 Sopwith Aviation
The Sopwith Aviation Company is formed in Ham, near Richmond

1920 Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport is opened and becomes for several years the main airport for London

1922 Golf
The Wentworth Golf Club is founded and its three eighteen-hole courses are now the location for many professional competitions at the highest level

1931 New family
The house and estate is bought by the duchess's father, the Marquess of Crewe, who was said to be looking for a small place in the country

1931 Chessington
Chessington Zoo opens and in 1987 is transformed, with help from Tussaud's, into one of the first themed amusement parks in Britain

1931 New family owns West Horsley Place
The duchess of Roxburghe's father, Lord Crewe, buys the West Horsley Place estate, when looking it is said, for a small place inn the country

1933 Gatwick Airport
Commercial flights begin from Gatwick, which is in an area transferred from Surrey to West Sussex in 1974

1940 Alan Turing
Turing, who spends much of his early life in Guildford, is the leading code-breaker at Bletchley Park, analysing at high speed German encrypted messages and thus enabling the Allies to anticipate and neutralise German attacks.

1940 Turing
Alan Turing, pioneer of computer science, leads the team at Bletchley Park and is responsible for massive life-saving advantages for the Allies

1945 Eric Clapton born
Eric Clapton, who achieves great fame as a brilliant rock and blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, is born in Ripley

1961 Guildford Cathedral
Guildford's new Anglican cathedral, designed by Edward Maufe, is consecrated

1963 Surrey and London
Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton are moved from Surrey to Greater London

1963 McLaren team
The McClaren Formula One racing team is founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren and has its HQ in Woking

1972 The Jam
The Jam, an immensely successful mod revival and punk rock band, led by Paul Weller, is formed at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking

1974 Stranglers
The Stranglers are formed in Guildford and become one of the leading bands in Britain of punk rock

2014 New home for Crewe rare books
Under the duchess's will Trinity College Cambridge inherits the superb collection of rare books assembled by her father, Lord Crewe, and her grandfather, Richard Monckton Milnes

2014 July 9 Bamber gets a surprise
Bamber Gascoigne receives the totally unexpected news that he has been left the entire West Horsley Place estate by his aunt, Mary Roxburghe

2015 Survey's unwelcome news
A survey of West Horsley Place reveals that the house needs £7 million to restore it to health and the eight Grade II listed features in the vicinity another £3 million

2016 Plan for opera house
Wasfi Kani, the founder and director of Grange Park Opera, plans to build an opera house in the woods just beyond the orchard of WHP

2016 West Horsley Place Trust
Bamber and Christina form a charity, the West Horsley Place Trust, to which they give the West Horsley Place house and estate