Reaching back to 1086, Ockham appears in the Domesday Book as Bocheham. It was a small village. Now, let’s explore its story together.
Ockham is a tiny village in Surrey near East Horsley. The village is east of the A3. It runs between Cobham and Guildford. Ripley, Wisley, and Effingham are nearby.
Ockham’s Domesday assets included 1 1/2 hides. There was one church. Two fisheries were worth 10 pence. Three ploughs tilled the land. Two acres of meadow provided grazing. Woodland could support 60 hogs. It rendered 10 pounds.
Most notably, Ockham is believed to be the birthplace of William of Ockham. He was a famous medieval philosopher. He proposed Occam’s Razor. Later, Ada Lovelace lived at Ockham Park.
William of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar and philosopher. He lived from 1287 to 1347. Occam’s Razor is his most famous idea. It is a methodological principle.
Ada Lovelace was the daughter of Lord Byron. She was a pioneering mathematician. She is often called the world’s first computer programmer. Ockham Park was her home in the mid-1800s.
Ockham Common is northeast of the village. It includes the disused Wisley Airfield. The airfield had a mile-long runway. Until 1972, it served as a satellite fit-out. It was a flight test center for Vickers and later the British Aircraft Corporation. It connected to Brooklands in Weybridge. It could handle aircraft as large as the VC10.
Ockham has a small parish church named All Saints. A war memorial honors those who died in the Great War and Second World War. There is a cricket club. The Black Swan pub is near Ockham Common.
HMS Ockham, a Ham class minesweeper, was named after the village.
Ockham boasts both a cricket and football team. They play at weekends at Hautboy Meadows on Ockham Lane. The cricket club fields two teams in the Surrey Downs League. They have a friendly-only side for Sundays. The Football Club plays in the Guildford & Woking Alliance.
The clubhouse was recently refurbished. It is open to members on Friday evenings year-round. It opens all day Saturdays and Sundays during the cricket season.
In 1836, Ada, Lady King, planned elaborate schools. These included workshops. Children learned carpentry, lathe use, and gardening. School lessons were more advanced. There was even a gymnasium. Children came from nearby parishes. Accommodation was provided for boarders. There were masters’ houses. Infants were taught in one up to age seven.
Lord Lovelace moved from Ockham to Horsley Towers. The Misses Lushington then supervised the schools. They were daughters of Dr. Lushington. He lived at Ockham Park. The schools were closed in 1874. An ordinary National School then occupied the buildings. It continues there today.
Ockham Common was enclosed by an Act of 1815–16. The Award is dated 3 March 1817.
The village of Ockham offers a glimpse into England’s rich history. It connects us to philosophers, mathematicians, and everyday life.