Bisley Replies to Bishops' Visitations

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Replies to Bishops Visitations give some of the earliest official information about the population and make-up of a parish. There were three such episcopal visitations to the Archdeaconry of Surrey in the eighteenth century.

1725 Richard Willis, Bishop of Winchester
John Campion Rector
1 Area About 7 miles.
2 Population About 50 families, 4 or 5 in a family.
3 Marriages &c. Very few marriages, 3 or 4 burialls, and births.
4 Patron John Waters Esqr.
5 Chapels None
6 Lecturer None
7 Papists Not one
8 Dissenters Not one
9 Gentry, &c. None
10 Schools None
11 Charities Mr Smith's 40s. p.a., reduced to £1 4s. Hospitals - none.
12 Post-town [no reply.]

1764 John Thomas, Bishop of Winchester
[No Reply]

1788 Brownlow North, Bishop of Winchester
George Clark Gayton A.M., Rector
1 Area 700 acres of enclosed land, 100 of waste.
2 Population About 200.
3 Marriages &c. Under 10.
4 Patron Lord Onslow.
5 Chapels None
6 Lecturer The Revd Francis Scourfield of Horshill, the adjoining parish, officiates as curate.
7 Dissenters No papist nor dissenter in the parish.
8 Schools No school in the parish
9 Charities There are the following donations in the parish, viz. £5 per ann. left by Isabella Campion, in the year 1506, to be solely appropriated to the reparation of the church. Also £5 10s. p.a. arising from land to be appropriated to the use of the poor, not receiving alms, supposed to have been purchased for said purpose by proprietors of land in the parish, who are not known. Also the interest of £100 amounting to £4 10s. annually, left for aforesaid purpose by Andrew Lamont D.D. formerly rector of the parish, whose will directs the principal to be laid out in land, when opportunity offers, by the clergyman and churchwardens. Also the annual donation of £1 15s. by Henry Smith Esqr and 2s. 6d. annually left by George Rempnant, formerly of the parish, chargeable upon certain lands. The above anser to the ninth query is the transcript of the return to the parliamentary enquiry.