The county of Surrey is nothing if not an indispensable part of England as we know it. The fact of the matter is that without Surrey there would scarcely be an England. After all, the county is smack dab in the middle of London, Kent, both Sussex counties, and Hampshire. This is the heart of Britain and it is the home of over a million English citizens. While this tally pales in comparison to the population of many other counties in the U.K., the fact remains that Surrey has been an integral part of Britain far longer than most other parts of the country. While there are plenty of towns in Surrey that are old and historic and thus significant to the nation's history, the best example would likely be the town of Leatherhead. Leatherhead, located in the Mole Valley alongside the gorgeous River Mole, has its roots in the days of the Saxon empire. In those days, England was still in the womb, so to speak, and the castles and abbeys that were being built in the area were the precursors to what would become Great Britain. Leatherhead was an important roadway town at the time and throughout its history it would continue the tradition of being a wholly significant stopping point for travel.
One can visit the Leatherhead museum and see the vast plethora of Saxon relics that hearken back to the town's inception. In the 800s the town was known as Leodridan and, in the Anglo-Saxon language, this translated loosely into "the place where people ride the river". People most definitely rode across the river for traveling purposes but many people chose to stay in this precursor to a town due to its beauty and bountiful harvests. Recently a Saxon burial ground was uncovered not far from the River Mole and this indicates that Leatherhead was the final resting home for countless families and generations. It wasn't until the Middle Ages, however, that Leatherhead became a real English town. In those days a village wasn't worth its salt unless it had a weekly market square. Only the king was allowed to grant market charters to a village and, for Leatherhead, it was King Henry III who finally gave Leatherhead city status in the 1200s.
Unfortunately we can't see all of the amazing buildings and homes that have stood in Leatherhead over the years because of a massive fire that ravaged the town in the late 1300s. All the same, there are many relics that date from the 1400s and beyond and a few choice finds predate the disastrous fire. In short, Leatherhead has been a home to people long before England was a country and Leatherhead continues to be the birthplace and final resting place of many people even to this day. To truly appreciate this historic burg one must visit and see the place in person. A fair warning, though: Many people who come to Leatherhead fall hopelessly in love with the land and they themselves become citizens of this grand city.
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