Pyrford or Pirford, Surrey
Historical Description
Pyrford or Pirford, a parish in Surrey, on the river Wey, 2½ miles E by S of Woking station on the L. & S.W.R., and 6¼ NNE of Guildford. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Woking. Acreage, 1881; population, 431. There is a parish council consisting of five members. The manor was given by William the Conqueror to the church of Westminster, went at the Reformation to the Crown, was given by Elizabeth to Sir John Wolley, and belongs now to Earl Onslow. A mansion was built here by Sir John Wolley, was long the residence of Dr Donne, and has been taken down. The living is a vicarage, annexed to the rectory of Wisley, in the diocese of Winchester; gross value, £270 with residence. The church includes some Norman and Decorated portions, and has a low wooden spire.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Surrey | |
| Ecclesiastical parish | Pyrford St. Nicholas | |
| Hundred | Godley | |
| Poor Law union | Chertsey |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
Ancestry.co.uk, in association with Surrey History Centre, have images of the Parish Registers for Surrey online.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Pyrford or Pirford from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Pyrford (St. Nicholas))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Surrey is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Pyrford or Pirford are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Surrey papers online:
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Surrey, 1662-1668 is available on the Heraldry page.