Editing River Mole (section)

==History==

===Etymology===
The river is first recorded in the ''Red Book of Thorney'' in AD 983 as ''Emen'' and in the AD 1005 ''Cartulary of the Abbey of Eynsham'' as both ''Emen'' and ''Æmen''.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Bonner A |title= Surrey River Names: Mole |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |publisher= Surrey Archaeological Society |volume= 38 |pages= 107–108}}</ref><ref name=Ekland>{{cite book |title= English River Names |author= Ekland E |year= 1928 |publisher= Clarendon Press |location= Oxford |pages= 146–147}}</ref> Variations in the name are recorded throughout the Middle Ages and the river appears as ''Amele'' in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, and subsequently as ''Emele'' in 12th- and 13th-century Court Rolls.<ref name=Bonner>{{cite journal |author= Bonner A |year= 1925 |volume= 37 |pages= 117–143 |title= Surrey Place Names: River Names |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_36/surreyac036_085-101_bonner.pdf |access-date= 27 September 2020 |doi= 10.5284/1068742 |archive-date= 2 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210102110414/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_36%2Fsurreyac036_085-101_bonner.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> This name is probably derived from the [[Old English]] word ''æmen'' meaning ''misty'' or ''causing mists'',<ref name=Ekland/>  and the name of the River Ember probably has its origins in this name.<ref name=Bonner/><ref>{{cite book|author=Room, Adrian|title=Dictionary Of Place Names In The British Isles|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofplac0000room|url-access=registration|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=1988|page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofplac0000room/page/128 128]|isbn=9780747501701 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50887 |title=A Topological Dictionary of England |access-date=10 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102092003/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50887 |archive-date=2 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref group=note>The prefix of the former [[Hundred of Elmbridge|hundred]] and present [[borough of Elmbridge]], which is referred to as Emley Bridge in some 19th-century records, probably also has its origins in the [[Old English]] word ''æmen''.</ref>

The name ''Mole'' does not appear until the 16th century, first occurring as ''Moule'' in [[William Harrison (clergyman)|Harrison's]] ''Description of Britain'' of 1577. The antiquarian [[William Camden]] uses the Latinized form ''Molis'' in the 1586 edition of ''Britannia'' and [[Michael Drayton]] is the first to use ''Mole'' in his poem ''Poly-Olbion'' published in 1613.<ref name=Bonner/> In [[John Speed]]'s 1611 map of Surrey this stretch of the river is denoted by a series of hills accompanied by the legend "The river runneth under".  However the river's name is unlikely to have derived from this behaviour: The ''Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names'' suggests that ''Mole'' either comes from the Latin ''mola'' (a mill) or is a [[back-formation]] from ''Molesey'' (Mul's island).<ref name="AD Mills 1998"/> In [[John Rocque]]'s 1768 map of Surrey, the name ''Moulsey River'' is used.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.moleseyhistory.co.uk/maps/pages/map_0002.htm |title= Detail from Rocque's Map of Surrey, c1768. |author= Baker R |work= Maps |publisher= Molesey History |access-date= 5 December 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110722005955/http://www.moleseyhistory.co.uk/maps/pages/map_0002.htm |archive-date= 22 July 2011 |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Archaeology===
In common with much of the rest of the Weald, the earliest evidence of human settlement along the Upper Mole is from the [[Mesolithic|Mesolithic Period]] (20,000–7000&nbsp;BC).  Mesolithic sites at Wonham, Flanchford and Sidlow. Finds at Wonham include arrowheads and a plano-convex knife.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Ellaby EL |year= 1977 |title= A Mesolithic Site at Wonham |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |publisher= Surrey Archaeological Society |volume= 71 |pages= 7–12 |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_71/surreyac071_007-012_ellaby.pdf |access-date= 27 September 2020 |doi= 10.5284/1069028 |archive-date= 2 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210102110414/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_71%2Fsurreyac071_007-012_ellaby.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>  The Lower Mole appears to have been settled during the same period and a flint axe dating from Mesolithic period found on spit of land close to River Mole in Cobham in 1965.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Holling F |year= 1966 |title= Mesolithic Flint Axe from Cobham |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |publisher= Surrey Archaeological Society |volume= 63 |page= 167}}</ref>  Remains of a flat-bottomed dug-out canoe were found at the confluence of the Mole and Thames in 1877 by a local boatman.  The canoe is preserved at the [[Pitt Rivers Museum]] in [[Oxford]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://england.prm.ox.ac.uk/englishness-Hampton-Court-canoe.html |title= The Hampton Court Canoe |author= Petch A |year= 2010 |work= ENGLAND: THE OTHER WITHIN: Analysing the English Collections at the Pitt Rivers Museum |publisher= Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University |access-date= 12 December 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110815173948/http://england.prm.ox.ac.uk/englishness-Hampton-Court-canoe.html |archive-date= 15 August 2011 |url-status= live }}</ref>

The Mole Gap and North Downs do not appear to have been settled until the late Stone Age: A large axe, typical of a "rough-out" axe produced during the [[Neolithic]] period, which was discovered in 1952 during building work in Westhumble,<ref>{{cite journal |author= Rankine WF |year= 1952 |title= Neolithic Axe from Westhumble |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |publisher= Surrey Archaeological Society |volume= 52 |page= 80 }}</ref> A flint mine of the same period has been discovered at [[East Horsley]] along with Neolithic flakes of flint at [[Fetcham]] and [[Headley, Surrey|Headley Heath]].<ref>{{cite journal |author= Wood ES |year= 1952 |title= Neolithic Sites in West Surrey |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 52 |pages= 11–28 |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_52/surreyac052_011-028_wood.pdf |access-date= 27 September 2020 |doi= 10.5284/1068871 |archive-date= 2 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210102110414/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_52%2Fsurreyac052_011-028_wood.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>

Significant [[Bronze Age]] finds include a bronze sword found close to the river north of Amberley Farm near Charlwood<ref>{{cite journal |author= Lowther AWG |year= 1958 |title= A Late Bronze Age Sword from Charlwood |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |publisher= Surrey Archaeological Society |volume= 55 |pages= 122–123}}</ref> and a small hoard of weaponry consisting of two [[palstave|palstave axes]] and a scabbard chape was discovered in 2003 in Norbury Park close to Ham Bank.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Williams D |year= 2008 |title= A late Bronze Age hoard from Norbury Park, Mickleham |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 94 |pages= 293–301 |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_94/surreyac094_293-301_williams.pdf |access-date= 27 September 2020 |archive-date= 2 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210102110418/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_94%2Fsurreyac094_293-301_williams.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Navigation===
[[File:MoleThames.JPG|right|thumb|Confluence of the Mole with the Thames opposite Hampton Court]]
It is not clear to what extent the Mole was used for navigation in the past: In the late 13th century, Thorncroft Manor (south of Leatherhead) purchased a ''shout'', a type of boat up to {{convert|16|m|ft}} in length used to carry produce to market<ref>{{cite book |author= Campbell MWB |title= A Medieval capital and its grain supply: agrarian production and distribution in the London region c.1300 |volume= Historical Geography Research Series |year= 1993 |publisher= Institute of British Geographers |isbn=1-870074-12-2}}</ref> and it has been suggested that stone cut from quarries in Reigate was transported to London via the river.<ref>{{cite journal |author= de Domingo |year= 1994 |title= The Provenance of some Building Stones in St Mary Spital by Geological Methods |journal= London Archaeologist |volume= 7 |issue= 9 |pages= 240–243 |publisher= London Archaeologist Association}}</ref>

During the 17th century, two bills came before parliament to make sections of the river [[Canalized|navigable]].  The first, in 1663, was passed by the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] but was defeated in the [[House of Lords]]. During the following year (1664), an act was passed by both [[Houses of Parliament]] to make the River Mole navigable from Reigate to the River Thames, but was never executed.<ref name=Vine>{{cite book |title=London's lost route to the sea : an historical account of the inland navigations which linked the Thames to the English Channel |last= Vine |first= PAL |year= 1996 |publisher= Middleton |location= Midhurst |isbn= 1-873793-78-2 |edition= 5th}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.iisg.nl/hpw/papers/law-bogart.pdf |title= Political Institutions and the Emergence of Regulatory Commitment in England: Evidence from Road and River Improvement Authorities, 1600-1750 |author= Bogart D |date= August 2007 |publisher= International Institute of Social History |access-date= 7 February 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110608072734/http://www.iisg.nl/hpw/papers/law-bogart.pdf |archive-date= 8 June 2011 |url-status= live }}</ref> The only [[Surrey]] river to have been made fully navigable is the combined lower section of the [[River Wey]].<ref name=Vine/>

In 1798 William Marshall advocated the canalisation of a short stretch of the River Mole between [[Betchworth]] and [[Dorking]] to facilitate the movement of chalk from quarry to market.<ref>{{cite book |title= The rural economy of the southern counties |url= https://archive.org/details/b28774942_0001 |last= Marshall |first= WH |year= 1798 |publisher= Nicol |location= London}}</ref> In 1810 the engineer [[John Rennie the Elder|John Rennie]] proposed a canal linking the [[River Medway]] to [[Portsmouth]] which was to have a branch to London following the Mole for much of its length.<ref name=Vine/>  Between 1825 and 1828 the architect and civil engineer [[Nicholas Wilcox Cundy]] proposed a Grand Imperial Ship Canal from [[Deptford]] to [[Chichester]] passing through the Mole Gap, however he was unable to attract sufficient financial interest in his scheme.<ref>{{cite book |title= Reports on the Grand Ship Canal from London to Arundel Bay and Portsmouth |last= Cundy |first= NW |year= 1827 |publisher= Clowes |location= London}}</ref>

Today the Mole is navigable for the {{cvt|400|m|yd}} from the confluence with the [[River Thames]] to Molember Weir at [[East Molesey]] where there is a private mooring facility.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.londoncanals.co.uk/smlnavs/molember.html |title= The River Molember |year= 2010 |work= London Canals |access-date= 5 December 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100730033117/http://www.londoncanals.co.uk/smlnavs/molember.html |archive-date= 30 July 2010 |url-status= live }}</ref>  The river may be paddled all year by [[canoe]] between [[Brockham]] and [[Fetcham]] with an appropriate licence from the [[British Canoe Union]].

===Second World War defences===
During the [[Second World War]] several sites along the course of the Mole were fortified for the defence of London against invasion from the south. [[GHQ Line|GHQ Line B]] ran along the North Downs from Farnham and Guildford, crossing the Mole Gap to the north of Dorking and following the river to Horley.<ref name=DA12>{{cite web |url= http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue//adsdata/arch-455-1/dissemination/pdf/Text_Reports/DA12_TEXT_-_DORKING_GAP.pdf |title= Defence Area 12: Dorking Gap |author= Foot W |year= 2009 |work= Defence Areas: a national study of Second World War anti-invasion landscapes in England |publisher= English Heritage |access-date= 11 December 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110811042351/http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue//adsdata/arch-455-1/dissemination/pdf/Text_Reports/DA12_TEXT_-_DORKING_GAP.pdf |archive-date= 11 August 2011 |url-status= live }}</ref> Between Betchworth and Box Hill, the north bank of the River Mole was stabilised and made steeper to prevent wheeled vehicles from crossing. At Boxhill Farm, where access to the river from the north bank was required for the herd of dairy cows, a row of twelve concrete cylinders were cast as an anti-tank measure. Gun mounts were also installed to protect both Boxhill and Deepdene bridges and several [[Bunker#Pillbox|pillboxes]] were installed.<ref name=DA12/><ref name="Marchington T 2000 96–100">{{cite journal |author= Marchington T |year= 2000 |title= Wartime Defences: A Second Look |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead and District Local History Society |volume= 6 |issue= 4 |pages= 96–100 |publisher= Leatherhead and District Local History Society}}</ref><ref name=Telegraph_walk>{{cite journal |date=2 March 2011 |title=Box Hill, Surrey: walk of the week |journal=Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/walkingholidays/8356605/Box-Hill-Surrey-walk-of-the-week.html |access-date=29 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309211404/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/walkingholidays/8356605/Box-Hill-Surrey-walk-of-the-week.html |archive-date=9 March 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> An anti-tank ditch was dug from the Stepping Stones eastwards across the fields belonging to Bradley Farm (now [[Denbies Wine Estate|Denbies vineyard]]).<ref name=DA12/>

The river crossing at Sidlow Bridge was heavily defended and a line of pill boxes was constructed on the north bank of the river. Concrete anti-tank [[dragon's teeth (fortification)|dragon's teeth]] were built on both sides of the river, a short distance upstream of the bridge, as an obstacle to [[armoured fighting vehicle|armoured vehicles]].<ref name=DA38>{{cite web |url= http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue//adsdata/arch-455-1/dissemination/pdf/Text_Reports/DA38_TEXT_-_SIDLOW_BRIDGE.pdf |title= Defence Area 38: Sidlow Bridge |author= Foot W |year= 2009 |work= Defence Areas: a national study of Second World War anti-invasion landscapes in England |publisher= English Heritage |access-date= 11 December 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110811042500/http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue//adsdata/arch-455-1/dissemination/pdf/Text_Reports/DA38_TEXT_-_SIDLOW_BRIDGE.pdf |archive-date= 11 August 2011 |url-status= live }}</ref>