Surrey

Surrey is a in the  of  and is one of the. The county borders, , , , , and. The historic is. sits at, although this has been part of since 1965. Surrey is divided into 11 s and districts:, , , , , , , , , ,. After the elections of, the  are in control of nine out of 11 councils in Surrey.

On  it was announced that  had been  near Guildford. This was the first outbreak in the since.

Settlements and communications

 * See also .

Surrey has a population of approximately one million people. The historic was, although the county administration was moved to  in 1791 and to  in. The county council's headquarters have been outside the county's boundaries since   when Kingston and other areas were included within  by the. Recent plans to move the offices to a new site in have now been abandoned. Due to its proximity to London there are many commuter towns and villages in Surrey, the population density is high and the area is more affluent, on average, than other parts of the. Surrey is the most densely populated in England, and the most densely populated ceremonial county after Greater London, the  and Bristol. Much of the north east of the county forms part of the. In the west, there is a straddling the Hampshire/Surrey border, including in Surrey  and.

Most English counties have nicknames for people from that county, such as a from  and a  from ; the traditional  for people from Surrey is 'Surrey Capon', as it was well known in the later Middle Ages as the county where chickens were fattened up for the London meat markets.

Physical geography


Surrey contains a good deal of mature (reflected in the official logo of Surrey County Council, a pair of interlocking oak leaves). Among its many notable beauty spots are, , Ponds,  and. It is the most wooded county in Great Britain, with 22.4% coverage compared to a national average of 11.8% and as such is one of the few counties to not include new woodlands in their strategic plans. Box Hill has the oldest untouched area of natural woodland in the UK, one of the oldest in Europe.

Much of Surrey is in the and is rolling, the county's geology being dominated by the chalk hills of the. Agriculture not being intensive, there are many and access lands, together with an extensive network of s including the, a scenic. Accordingly, Surrey provides much in the way of rural leisure activities, with a very large population. Towards the north of the county, the land is largely flat around and bi-sected by the River. The highest point in Surrey is near  at 965 ft (294 m) above sea level.

British and Roman Surrey
Before Roman times the area today known as Surrey was very probably governed by the tribe centred at  in the modern county of. They were known to have controlled the southern bank of the from Roman documents describing the nature of tribal relations between them and the powerful  on the north banks. In about 42AD King or  of the Catuvellauni died and war broke out between his sons and between King  of the Atrebates. The Catuvellauni invaded the Atrebatean lands, probably crossing the River Thames near modern where the river could be forded. The Atrebates were defeated in the conflict, their capital captured and their lands made subject to the Catuvellauni now led by ruling from. Verica fled to and appealed for Roman aid. The Atrebates were allies with during their invasion of Britain in AD. The territory of Surrey was traversed by  and other less well known Roman roads. After the Romans left Britain in c.AD the territory of modern Surrey was officially part of but was probably ruled by the successor realm of the  tribe. It has long been speculated that may have been the  of  renown, however the legendary city is more likely to have been Calleva (modern day ), the capital of the Atrebates, which resisted the  for many years.

The Saxon tribes and the sub-kingdom
From around 480 AD Saxons from the south and Jutes from east invaded and began settling in the area and establishing a sub-kingdom probably with overlords. The name Surrey is Saxon, and is a shortened form of "South Ridge", referring to its position on the South bank of the Thames. At this time the Surrey area was sparsely populated and almost entirely forested. There was a local truce recorded in c.500 (possibly as a result of the ) and only north and east Surrey were retained by the. The westward expansion into British territory continued from c.550AD with some local British communities becoming marooned within the confines of Saxon Surrey, probably around. From the eastern border of Surrey and Kent is agreed and marked by a ditch. Local tribes named, (around ),  (around ),  (between  and ),  (the ) and  (around ) are known to have existed.

In the sub-kingdom took  as its overlord. In Surrey became one of the last portions of  to convert to  when its sub-King  and his son were baptised. The name of the area at this time is recorded as Sudergeona or "southern region". In Surrey changed allegiance and took  as its overlord. In the western border of Surrey was settled with ; the tribal territories of the Sonningas became part of  and the Basingas became part of. In Surrey was transferred from the Middle Saxon diocese of  to the West Saxon. After Surrey came under the rule of  and was so until  when Surrey reverted to  and so remained. Some historians have also speculated that the Nox gaga and the Oht gaga tribes listed in the Mercian refers to two distinct groups living in Surrey. They were valued together at 7,000. Sub Kings and Eorldermen of Surrey an unknown series of sub regulus until; an unknown series of Eorldermen until; an unknown series of Eorldermen until;
 * (c.673 - 675)
 * Frithuric (675 - c.686)
 * Brorda (c.775)
 * Wulfherd (c.823)
 * Huda (c.853)
 * Æðelwerd (late 10th century)
 * Æðelmær (? - 1016) son

The West Saxon shire
The territory of Surrey was formally annexed by Wessex in and became a Shire under the same model as the other counties of Wessex. It is around this time that the wars between the Ænglecynn and the Danes reach their height with Surrey becoming the arena for a number of key battles; most notably at the in  and the  in. After the death of King in  his son, King  was crowned on the  at. The use of this stone before is unknown but it seems likely that it would have been something of ancient spiritual or political significance. After him another six kings of England from the were crowned here, the last being  in.

In 1011 it is recorded that Surrey was over-run by Danish forces led by before all of England submitted to them in. In 1035, Canute died and during the uncertainty that followed the heirs of former Anglo-Saxon rulers attempted to restore the to the throne of Ænglalond. the younger of the two heirs (his older brother being the future ) landed on the coast of Sussex with a mercenary body guard and attempted to make his way to London. In the  there is an account of this fateful encounter:
 * "As Ælfred and his men approached the town of in Surrey, thirty miles south-west of London, they were met by the powerful  of Wessex, who professed loyalty to the young prince and procured lodgings for him and his men in the town. The next morning, Godwin said to Ælfred: "I will safely and securely conduct you to London, where the great men of the kingdom are awaiting your coming, that they may raise you to the throne." This he said in spite of the fact that the throne was already occupied by the son of Knud,, and he was actually in league with King Harold to lure the young prince to his death."


 * "Then the earl led the prince and his men over the hill of (called today The  and is the route of the ), which is to the west of Guildford, on the road to, not London. Perhaps the prince had insisted on continuing his journey to his original destination, his mother’s court in Winchester, in any case, Godwin repeated his tempting offer; showing the prince the magnificent panorama from the hill both to the north and to the south, he said: "Look around on the right hand and on the left, and behold what a realm will be subject to your dominion." Ælfred then gave thanks to God and promised that if he should ever be crowned king, he would institute such laws as would be pleasing and acceptable to God and men. At that moment, however, he was seized and bound together with all his men. Nine tenths of them were then murdered. And since the remaining tenth was still so numerous, they, too, were decimated."


 * "Ælfred was tied to a horse and then conveyed by boat to the monastery of Ely. As the boat reached land, his eyes were put out. For a while he was looked after by the monks, who were fond of him, but soon after he died, probably on February 5, 1036."

Interestingly, during the 1920s the remains of several hundred soldiers, probably Normans, were found to the west of Guildford. They were bound and had been executed. The grave was dated to c.1040. It is likely that they were the guards of poor Prince Ælfred. After the Anglo-Saxon restoration through the accession of in 1042 Surrey remained unmolested until the  in 1066.

Few remains of the ancient British, the Roman, or the Saxon periods in Surrey exist. There is an Iron Age hillfort at, and only remnants of the Roman roads Stane Street and Ermine Street remain. Roman and celtic relics, of no great significance, have been found at various locations.

Medieval Surrey
In 1088, William II granted the title of  as reward for Warenne's loyalty during the rebellion that followed the death of. The chief subsequent event connected with it was the signing of the great charter at, and other public events were mostly intertwined with the history of the metropolis. However, Guildford Castle was captured by forces supporting of  in, and in June 1497 the county was overrun by as many as 15,000  rebels heading for. This would have been the first Brythonic army to move through Surrey for nearly 900 years. There was a brief battle just outside at Gil Down before the Cornish rebels marched north east through  and right across  and  as far as  in  where they were eventually routed by an English army. Specimens of monastic buildings of early English date occur in, and. These were all destroyed during. It was also the home of the from 1114 until 1538. From the Saxon period up until times Surrey was divided into the 14 s of, , , , , , , , , , , ,  and.

Modern history
The reorganised county-level  throughout England and Wales. Accordingly, the of Surrey was formed in 1889 when the Provisional  first met, consisting of 19  and 57. The county council assumed the administrative responsibilities previously exercised by the county's in. The county had revised boundaries, with the north east of the historic county bordering the becoming part of a new. These areas now form the London Boroughs of, and , and the  area of the. At the same time, the became a, outside the jurisdiction of the county council.

For purposes other than local government the administrative county of Surrey and county borough of Croydon continued to form a "county of Surrey" to which a and Custos Rotulorum (Chief ) and a  were appointed.

Surrey had been administered from since the 1790s, and the county council was initially based in the sessions house there. As Newington was included in the County of London it lay outside the area administered by the council, and a site for a new county hall within the administrative county was sought. By 1890 six towns were being considered: Epsom, Guildford, Kingston, Redhill, Surbiton and Wimbledon. A decision to build the new at Kingston was made in 1891, and the building opened in 1893.

The boundaries of the administrative county were little altered until 1965, the only significant changes being the extension of Croydon county borough's area on a number of occasions.

By the 1930s most of the north of the county had been built over, becoming outer suburbs of London, although continuing to form part of Surrey administratively. In 1960 the report of the recommended that much of north Surrey (including Croydon) be included in a new "". The recommendations of the report were enacted in highly modified form in 1965 by the. The areas that now form the London Boroughs of, , , and that part of  south of the  were transferred from Surrey to Greater London. At the same time part of the county of, which had been abolished by the legislation, was added to Surrey. This area now forms the borough of. Further local government reform under the took place in 1974. The 1972 Act abolished administrative counties and introduced in their place. The boundaries of the non-metropolitan county of Surrey were similar to those of the administrative county with the exception of and some surrounding land which was transferred to. It was originally proposed that the parishes of and  would become part of West Sussex, however fierce local opposition led to a reversal of this under the.

Economy
Surrey is a prosperous county with a service based economy closely tied to that of London.

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Surrey at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Waste management


There are two active landfill sites in Surrey. One is at near. This site is managed by.

Major towns

 * See 

The largest town in Surrey is with 66,773;  is a close second with a population of 62,796. The third largest town is  with 39,994 people to the north of the county and the fourth is  with 30,155 people in the west of the county. Towns with between 25,000 and 30,000 are, , and.

Education
Surrey has a secondary education system with 53 state schools (not including s), but there are also 41 independent schools&mdash;a high proportion of school children in Surrey go to independent school. Most have sixth forms although Reigate, Spelthorne, Woking and Waverley districts tend to have separate sixth forms colleges. In England, on average 45.8% of pupils gain five good GCSEs including English and Maths; for Surrey's 10,300 pupils taking GCSE at 16 it is 52.7%: one of the highest in South East England (second after ). The best performing state school is in Woking. The worst is the Jubilee High School in Addlestone. At A level, the county performs slightly under the England average. The best performing state school is in Dorking. The best schools overall at A level are the independent and  in Guildford. The independent schools generally perform better than state schools.

GCSE results in 2006 by district council
The following is the a list of the percentage of students who achieve 5 A-C grades at GCSE including English and Maths, by district council; compare this table to average house price by district.
 * Elmbridge 55.9%
 * Epsom and Ewell 57.4%
 * Guildford 53.3%
 * Mole Valley 55.7%
 * Reigate and Banstead 48.5%
 * Runnymede 54.1%
 * Spelthorne 44.0%
 * Surrey Heath 66.0%
 * Tandridge 51.8%
 * Waverley 54.5%
 * Woking 55.5%

Higher Education

 * The is based in
 * is based in


 * See also and Category:Education in Surrey.

Places of interest
Significant landscapes in Surrey include just north of ; the  at ;  Common is home to a variety of plant, animal and birdlife;  Great Pond houses assorted sailing activities whilst Frensham Little Pond provides places for picnics. to the south west of is the highest point in south-east England. is heathland south of and is run by the  and  is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Manicured landscapes can be seen at, south of. The gardens here date from 1715. There is also south east of   which was created in the. is home to the royal horticultural society gardens.

Surrey has important country houses such as, an  mansion in West Clandon to the east of. Nearby there is in, east of , was built in 1758 with  interiors and a fine keyboard collection. south of is a  villa with extensive grounds. On a smaller scale, in  near  is a restored  worker's home. Furthermore there is a museum the which remembers this time.

The county is linked with the and the. in commemorates this and is home to a restored Wey barge, the Reliance. Furthermore on the, is an  water-mill which may be visited. There are many typical English villages including which lies in an, close to the  and. It was developed in the 19th century and still has a mainly character as on the whole no new building is allowed. The, constructed in the village in , was the first purpose-built by the. Historically at  should not be overlooked. This is the site of the signing of the in. and s were very significant in medieval Surrey. is a post-war cathedral built from bricks made from the clay hill on which it stands.

Museum recognises the motoring past of Surrey. The county is also home to, a sister theme park of ; and.

Culture, arts and sport
The first known record of cricket was in Guildford, Surrey (see ). Currently, the represents the  of Surrey, although its largest ground,, which was once in Surrey, has been made part of. Surrey has numerous football teams (mainly non-League) including, , , and.

Surrey in film and books
Surrey has been mentioned in literature: in the  series, 's only living relatives, the, live in , a fictional town located in Surrey. The character from  claimed to be from Guildford in Surrey, but in actuality he was from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of. Interestingly much of the central plot of  by and  takes place in Dorking. Surrey was mentioned often in Aldous Huxley's novel . Much of 's 1898 novella  is set in Surrey with many specific towns and villages identified. The martians first land on Horsell Common on the north side of Woking, outside the Bleak House pub, now called Sands.

Interestingly the late Poet Laureate mentions  in his poem "A Subaltern's Lovesong". In contrast, forms the literary backdrop to many of the poems by.

The county has also been used as a film location. Part of the movie  was filmed in Surrey: 's character Iris lived there and 's character Amanda switched houses with her as part of a home exchange. In the 1976 film , the scenes at the cathedral were filmed at. The film  follows two hopeful lads from trying to break into the movies. Surrey woodland represented Germany in the opening scene of , starring ; it was filmed at near Farnham in Surrey.

County Emergency Services
Surrey is served by these emergency sevices.
 * , with 12 stations.
 *  as of . The, , and  services have all merged, and have now ceased to exist. Surrey has 21 stations.
 * , with 24 fire stations.