Its origins are Saxon. The village as Churt and Cherte is recorded in the 14th century as part of the "Great Sacks", and a tything of Farnham of the Bishop of Winchester – a subsidy roll assessed it with a figure: £3 9s ¼d, presumably annually. Frensham Great Pond, dug to provide one such spiritual leader, Hædde, with fresh fish, is less than 10m beyond the north border. Upon the establishment of the chapelry of Frensham in the 13th century, it became part of that entity short of a parish, which stretched as far south as Shottermill, a neighbourhood today of western Haslemere. Stating how the high common land was for tenants here of the lord of the manor, a court leet of 1540 ordered John Baker not to overburden it with his cattle. A case of 1692 asked whether Churt was in the Weald and whether wood cut from such land was tithe-free, and the juries answered both questions in the affirmative, the judges approved and refused a further appeal. Approximately opposite the parish church which was built shortly before it became a parish in 1865, is the old forge built in about 1600. A barn in the western fields next to the farmhouse of Green Cross Farm was built in the 16th century in Tudor style of wooden framing on a brick plinth. It is Grade II listed. In 1892 George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe enlarged the chancel of the relatively young church. By the early 20th century Hankley, Bordon and Bramshott had a heavy military presence.
Geography
The parish is roughly square and gradually slopes down to the north-west and steeply by the western border where it is drained by a straight brook which demarcates the border with Hampshire. In the north are sudden hills, or knolls, three of which are described as 'curiously conical sandhills' in the Victoria County History, and are recorded on maps as The Devil's Jumps. The town of Farnham is centred north and the village sits in forests and heathland by and atop acidic sands of largely uneroded sandstone north of the escarpment of the Greensand Ridge.
Notable residents
Industrialist Frank Mason spent the later part of his life in the area and provided the community with the village hall which remains the hub of the village. The BBC's Blue Peter presenter John Noakes and his much-filmed pet Shep lived in Churt, as does former professional golfer and golf commentator Peter Alliss. Kevin Keegan lived in Green Lane when playing for Southampton Football Club. David Lloyd George lived in Churt at his house Bron-y-de. His secretary and mistress, and later second wife, Frances Stevenson, also had a house there. The cricketing brothers Harry Walker and Thomas Walker were born in the village. The journalist Anthony Loyd grew up in Churt. The Police's drummer, Stewart Copeland, had a short spell in the village with his family. John Hunt lived for a period in the village at Hale House with his wife Magdalene. Charles Wylie who lived in Crosswater Lane was a member of the Everest expedition in 1953. Roger Black, Olympic athletics medallist, lives in the village. The amateur astronomerRichard Carrington, whose 1859 astronomical observations first corroborated the existence of solar flares, moved to Churt in 1865. He founded a private observatory and lived there until his death in 1875.
Sports clubs
Churt Recreation Ground is home to Churt Juniors Football Club, which caters for children in age groups from Under 5s to Under 11s. Children from Under 7s and above play matches in the North East Hampshire Youth League.
Demography and housing
The average level of accommodation in the region composed ofdetached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.
Output area
Population
Households
% Owned outright
% Owned with a loan
hectares
1,202
494
41.5%
32.6%
468
The proportion of households in the civil parish who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1%. The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5%. The remaining % is made up of rented dwellings.
Local government
One of the 81 councillors of Surrey County Council is elected by and serves the area by sitting for Waverley Western Villages. The relevant ward for the borough council is Frensham, Dockenfield and Tilford. Churt Parish Council meetings are open to the public.
