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The following was researched by Maurice Denny for the Surrey Wildlife Trust.

It is relevant firstly to consider the origin of the name "GRACIOUS". This is not related to the Abbey as a corruption of DEO GRATIAS or similar Latin Phrase. The name is not dealt with in most Place Name Directories but as included in "The Place Names of Surrey", 1969 (Gover, Mawes, Stenton and Bonnet). This gives the earliest name as CRACKETTES POND (1461). In 1917 AUBREY refers to it as "Gracious" Pond but a Tithe Award of 1842 refers to GRACECHURCH POND. The Place Names of Surrey opt for the origin as CRA(T)CHET POND, although various corruptions are recorded as "CRACHERS" "GRATINS", " CRATHORS". It is suggested that the recommendations of CRA(T)CHET be adopted for present purposes. Gracious Pond Farm seems to have had many names too, HORUS, HONIES, HONISH, but by 1870 had to assume its present title.

Chertsey Abbey was a Saxon foundation of the 7th Century. It was of the Benedictine Order, who's Rule encouraged the monks to be self supporting. At the time the Domesday book was compiled (1086) the Abbey held two manor's germane to present considerations and was virtually the sole owner of the Godley and Kingston Hundred's which accounted for a large proportion of North West Surrey. The entries in the Domesday (MORRIS 1975 translation) are as follows

"The Abbey holds Chobham itself. Before 1066 and now it answered for 10 hides. Land for 12 ploughs. In Lordship 1. 29 Villagers and 6 smallholders with 11 ploughs. 3 Slaves. Meadow 10 acres. Woodland 130 pigs.

ODIN holds 4 hides of this land from the Abbot and CORBELIN 2 hides of villagers land. In Lordship 1 Plough."

7 Villagers and 4 smallholders with 3 ploughs. A church and another chapel.

Value of the whole land before 1066..£16 now the Monks part £12.10s but the mens 60 shillings."

10 hides is roughly 1200 acres but there seems to be no reference to the Pond . It certainly came within the Parish and Manor boundaries at a later date.

The Abbey itself had been rebuilt in the 12th century on the south side of the "Abbey River" This is a misnomer. The "River" is actually a branch of the Thames which leaves the main stream Penton Hook and rejoins just above the modern Chertsey Bridge. The site, in Medieval times was an island, (BEDS-CEROTI INSULAR) and it is suggested that fish trapping would have been practiced at that time. However the Abbey had other properties close by supplying fish, the entries in Doomesday reading as follows:

Petersham (KINGSTON HUNDRED) assessed at 1000 EELS and the same number of LAMPHREYS

BYFLEET (GODLEY HUNDRED) [RIVER WEY] 1.5 [sic] fisheries, 325 EELS.

Whether these resources were adequate or not, is not clear for we are told by the Abbey Cartulary (Surrey Record Society) that Abbot RUTHERWYK (Floreat 1307-1346)

"In 1 307 the „abbot made running water to run round the manor of Chobham...... .

In 1308 he constructed a new mill called Hurstmyll there in the same year he stopped up and caused to be made a certain pond called CRATCHETTES POND.......

Abbot Rutherwyk was a highly energetic Abbot who travelled a great deal and vastly improved the Abbey's properties. By "Manor of Chobham" is meant the Manor house (Ref:998628) which was certainly moated with a double moat. Schueller in "History of Chobham" (1989) says "It is from this land that the Abbot obtained the water to increase the security of the moat around the house." These are as far as can can be discovered no maps to prove the point but without doubt this seems a very reasonable assumption, given that the area between the southern end of the Pond and what is Chobham Park Farm contains streams which could be adapted and may ever be the result of such engineering. It would, of course be essential to dig the moats first before the Pond was dammed to provide the Head of Water. Two or three points are worth noting here

1, The pond was dammed

2, The pond was "caused to be made"

3, The use of the pond was dependant on the Manor House

Since the Manor was in the ownership of the Abbey it is probable that the Manor House was used by the Abbot or other officials during peripatetic inspections etc. But the fact is that, given Abbot Rutherwyk's enterprise, it is unlikely that the pond would have remained solely as a Water supply. It would have been stocked with fish as soon as it was practical to do so. But Abbot Rutherwyk had built a large water system at the site of the Abbey. A series of moat's and 7 fish ponds were constructed given a surface area estimated at one third of an acre. Some of this work is still visible on the ground. This point is made to indicate the self-sufficiency of the Abbey. The intention of building Gracious Pond doubtless was to supply watermoats - whether fish from this source was supplied to the Abbey with all the difficulties of transport, seems unlikely.

The Manor of Chobham was purchased by Henry VIII in 1535 i.e before the dissolution of the Monasteries. It remained the property of the Crown until sold by Queen Mary to the Heath family in 1558. It would appear that this sale did not include the Pond, as Aubrey reports (Natural History and Antiquities of Surrey 1719 page 208) "In the heath in this parish is a great pond called Gracious Pond above a mile in compass which was made by John Rutherwyk, Abbot of Chertsey tempore Edward III . It is now in the possession of Anthony Thomas Esq" The Thomas/Abdy families held substantial land in Chobham from Elizabethan times and this continued by inheritance until early in the 19th century when Chobham Park (The Manor Farm) and the Abdy estates were in part united in the ownership of the " Le Marchant" family (probably in 1838).

It will not have escaped notice that Aubrey describes the Pond as containing "excellent Carps" and "above a mile in compass". This would give a surface area of approximately 65 acres.

Another writer in 1771 described it "as now choaked with weeds" for the quotation in J.S. Ogilvy's "A Pilgrimage in Surrey" (1914) but the present writer has been unable to check this quotation from the original.

Manning & Bray's History of Surrey Vol.3. 1814 reports "The Mansion [Chobham Park] stood on the left of the road for Chobham to Chertsey where is now a farm house; The site within is very visible double moated [sic]; one very near the house the other very large and deep about 10 rods further out. Both are trackable although nearly dry" (Page 195)

"(Page 192) On the heath is a pond called Gracious Pond about three quarters mile in length, flowing when full, about 60 acres. It was made by John Rutherwyk Abbot of Chertsey in the time of Edward III. It was laid dry in 1810 which gave the Editor an opportunity of observing of the north side of it was peat [sic] which was then digging; the South side was wholly sand and pebbles.

W.E. Brayley in the 'History of Surrey' (1848) Vo1.1. Page 345 reports "There are bogs in different parts of the [Chobham] heath and also a large sheet of water called Gracious Pond, which is stated to have been made by John Rutherwyk, Abbot of Chertsey in the reign of Edward III. In this Pond, which is about three quarter mile in length (compromising between 50 and 60 acres) Aubrey says were excellent carp. It's appearance has much changed of late years, a considerable part of the bank on the north side which consists of peat having been cut away for fuel by persons to who it had been let." Brayley also mentions some of the flora and fauna of the heath as photocopy attached.

Finally, in 1895 C.R.B.Barret in 'Highways Byways and Waterways of Surrey page 208 repeated "In these days the Pond is drained & the moats filled in " In contrast to this statement, the Victoria County History writing about Chobham Park Farm in 1911 says "Parts of the Double Moats around the house remain"

This it would appear that the Pond was allowed to gradually deteriorate in the second half of the 18th century and was dry circa 1810 but peat digging in the north north side continued at least until say 1850.

The presence of a peat bed thick enough to work commercially may, perhaps indicate that the origin of the Pond was post glacial, it's size and scope being modified by Abbot Rutherwyk rather than "cause to be made". Peat digging would certainly alter the shape of the pond to it's present condition.

Further evidence may be gleaned from the old maps of Surrey although these must be used with caution. It will be seen that there was a stream running through the Pond area, roughly north to south, which if we are to believe the Abbey CARTULARY drained the pond and proceeded south to the Chobham Park Farm moats. The "Pale" (fence) which allowed the Lord of the Manor (the Abbott) to describe the property as a 'Park' seems at the time to have bordered on the Southern tip of the Pond. Norden (1594) and Speede (1610) mention the Pond and mark out the fence as does Seller in 1693. But the drainage into the moats is not so clearly marked. The earlier maps, as above and Molle (1724),Senex (1729), ROCQUE (1770) ale should drainage to run to the Bourne as that river flows West to East from Chobham to the Wey. Indeed ROCQUES map indicates that Chobham Park Farm was supplied with water from two Ponds North West of Gracious Pond probably "Glovers" Ponds.

It is interesting to note however that in the Senex map of 1729 the sketches of water now designated "FISHPONDS" by Surrey County Council situated just south of Gracious (map reference 995635) now appear for the first time. These too, eventually drained into the Bourne. But they are not mentioned by ROCQUE in 1770, not by Lindley and Crosley in 1789, when the road system seems to be much as it is now.

The 1816 Ordnance Survey shows Gracious Pond and Fishponds as draining into feeders of the Bourne. This may be in error if we believe the literary evidence quoted alive which is confirmed by C & J Greenwoods' Survey of 1822/3 when the pond is named but shown as dry land as it is in the 1870 Ordnance Survey. Fishponds however continue to be shown in detail to this day.

It is perhaps convenient to finish the report by suggesting further action which would give both historical and botanical/biological interest.

1/ If any of the peat at the northern end of the pond can be recovered, an analysis may reveal its position in the known series of pollen analysis post glaciation.

2/ A detailed survey - to include height etc may reveal the position of the 14th century dam, perhaps it's dimensions prior to the period 18th/19th century peat digging.