Deceptive Bends – a population with a broad spectrum –

2 – 1066 to 1800

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By the medieval period, the valley had become part of the Pilgrims’ Way. After the martyrdom of Thomas Becket in 1170—and especially following the completion of his shrine at Canterbury Cathedral in 1220—this route carried pilgrims from across southern England.

 

In 1620, as celebrated by the Blue Plaque in West Street Dorking William Mullins, a Pilgrim father resided there before sailing on the Mayflower to what was to be the US.

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In times of upheaval, the valley offered refuge as well as passage. During the French Revolution, émigrés fleeing the Reign of Terror found sanctuary at Juniper Hall in the 1790’s, turning it into a hub of political and intellectual exchange.

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