County town: Guildford
Surrey was the territory of the South Saxons on the south bank of the Thames, established as a shire by the 9th century. Its name means 'southern district', reflecting its position in relation to Middlesex.
Surrey lies immediately south of London, a county of chalk and greensand hills, wooded commons, and suburban towns that have gradually been absorbed into the metropolitan area. The North Downs run east-west across the county, cut through by the Mole and Wey rivers. Guildford, on the Wey, was the county town — the castle was a royal residence in the medieval period. Runnymede, where Magna Carta was sealed by King John in 1215, lies on the Thames at the county's northern edge. Despite its suburban character, Surrey retains substantial areas of heathland and the Surrey Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that preserves something of the pre-metropolitan landscape.
Surrey was surveyed in the Domesday Book of 1086, William the Conqueror's great census of England. The survey recorded 147 settlements in the county, with details of their lords, landholders, population, and resources.
Browse 147 Domesday settlements in SurreyEngland's 39 historic counties, established between the 9th and 12th centuries, are the framework through which English local history, legal records, and landscape have been organised for a thousand years. Most survive today as ceremonial counties, their boundaries deeply embedded in place identity.
An Aubrey report for a specific location in Surrey draws on historical maps, archaeological records, Domesday data and landscape history to tell the full story of any site in the county.
Start your Aubrey report