Molesey

History

The earliest documentary evidence of a settlement in Molesey appears in a 7th-century charter, shortly after Erkenwald founded Chertsey Abbey in AD 666. He secured from Frithwald, sub-king of Surrey, a charter endowing the abbey with much of the surrounding land, including Muleseg. Etymologists suggest that the town's name is derived from the personal name Mul compounded with the Old English word eg, meaning an island or river meadow – thus Mul's Island. The name was pronounced 'mule' and, like that hybrid animal, denoted the offspring of mixed parentage, probably of a Saxon father and a Celtic mother . Therefore, Molesey is not, as commonly believed, named after the River Mole that runs through it. The prefixes East and West did not appear until about the year 1200, before which there was only one parish centered around what is now known as East Molesey. Molesey lay within the Saxon administrative district of Elmbridge hundred. East Molesey appears in the Domesday Book of 1066 as Moleshire. It was held partly by John from Richard Fitz Gilbert and partly by Roger d'Abernon. Its Domesday assets were: 2 hides and 3 virgates. It had 7 ploughs, 2 oxen, and of meadow and woodland worth 10 hogs. It rendered £6 15s 0d. West Molesey was held by Odard Balistarius. Its Domesday assets were: 1 hide, 1 church, and 5 ploughs. It rendered £4. Along with neighbouring Thames Ditton, East Molesey formed a part of the ancient parish of Kingston upon Thames, based at the historic All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames. From 1933, the Urban District of East and West Molesey became part of the Esher Urban District, which was originally recommended by the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London (the Herbert Commission) for inclusion within the new ceremonial county of…

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  53,226
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  50,066
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  47,842
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  46,675
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  43,318
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  41,249
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  39,058
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  38,009

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2020-09-22
  5 km N of Aylesbury, United Kingdom
• M 3.9 — 2020-09-08
  2 km WSW of Pitstone, United Kingdom
• M 3.3 — 2019-02-27
  3 km SE of Dorking, United Kingdom
• M 2.8 — 2018-07-05
  1 km S of Ewhurst, United Kingdom
• M 2.6 — 2018-06-27
  5 km W of Capel, United Kingdom
• M 2.7 — 2018-04-01
  4 km E of Holmwood, United Kingdom