Bletchingley
| Bletchingley | |
|---|---|
 Medieval Church - grade I listed |
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 Bletchingley
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| Bletchingley shown within Surrey | |
| Area | 23.45 km2 (9.05 sq mi) |
| Population | 2,973 (Civil Parish 2011) |
| • Density | 127/km2 (330/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ327507 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Redhill |
| Postcode district | RH1 |
| Dialling code | 01883 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Bletchingley (historically "Blechingley") is a village in Surrey, England. It is on the A25 road to the east of Redhill and to the west of Godstone, has a conservation area with medieval buildings and is mostly on a wide escarpment of the Greensand Ridge, which is followed by the Greensand Way.
The village lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Tandridge hundred.
The settlement appears in the Domesday Book as Blachingelei. It was held by Richard de Tonebrige. Its Domesday Assets were: 3 hides; 14 ploughs, 17 acres (69,000 m2) of meadow, woodland worth 58 hogs. Also 7 houses in London and Southwark. It rendered (in total): £15 13s 4d.
In 1225 there is mention of Bletchingley as a borough. In the Middle Ages a borough was created by either the King or a Lord as a potentially profitable element in the development of their estates.
It appears that after the 14th century Bletchingley began to lose its importance as a borough, perhaps losing out to the market town of Reigate. The village retained its status as a parliamentary borough and elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons. By the time of the Industrial revolution, it had become a rotten borough. Parliamentary elections were held from 1733 in what is now the White Hart inn: a book in 1844 notes this and that 8 to 10 people voted, as well as a sale of the manor for a very disproportionate sum of £60,000 in 1816.
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