In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Mole Valley like this:
MOLE (THE), a river partly of Sussex, but chiefly of Surrey. It is formed by the union of several runnels, issuing from the forest of Tilgate; acquires appreciable Volume within Horley parish, on the S border of Surrey; runs thence north-westward to the vicinity of Dorking; enters there one of the defiles of the great barrier downs which extend across Surrey; traverses a romantic reach through that defile, and past the foot of Boxhill; and proceeds northward, past Leatherhead, with circuitous detour round Cobham, and past the vicinity of Esher, to the Thames opposite Hampton-Court. ...
Its length of course is about 30 miles. Milton calls it the "sullen Mole; ''Thomson calls it the "Silent Mole; ''and Spencer speaks of it as
Mole, that like a nousling mole doth make
His way still underground, till Thames he o'ertake.
Mole Valley through time
Click here for graphs and data of how Mole Valley has changed over two centuries. For statistics for historical units named after Mole Valley go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Mole Valley in Surrey | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/17207
Date accessed: 30th October 2024
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