The people of Wonersh have been employed in a variety
of trades and professions. There have been weavers,
writers, printers, stonemasons, tanners, shoemakers,
judges, politicians, shopkeepers, gamekeepers,
brickmakers and farmers.
The writer and traveller Claudia Parsons became the
first person to circumnavigate the world by car in 1938.
In 1739 Judge Sir William Chappel passed sentence on
the highwayman Dick Turpin.
In Victorian Britain, Caroline Norton, a passionate
campaigner for women’s rights, was instrumental in the
passing of the Custody of Infants Act and Matrimonial
Causes Act.
During WW2 Constance Babbington Smith was awarded
an MBE and the US Legion of Merit for her work in air
photo intelligence.
It all began
when
in
1966,
a
year
before
he
moved
to
Wonersh,
the
late
Anthony
Fanshawe
started
his
research
into
the
village.
He
interviewed
residents
and
people
who
had
moved
away
and
he
visited
Public
Record
Offices.
In
all
he
spent
twenty-four
years
collecting
a
vast
amount
of
material.
On
Anthony’s
death,
John-Paul
Marix-Evans
of
Great
Tangley
and
Fraser
Scott
of
Woodyers
(respectively
our
first
Chairman
and
Secretary)
cleared
his
study
and
both
left
with
their
cars
loaded
with
books,
pictures,
maps
and
documents.
It’s
this
collection
that
formed
the
basis
of
the
Wonersh
History
Society
which
was
founded
in
1992 and since then the archive has continued to grow.