Daviesites was built as a boarding house for pupils of Charterhouse School on the edge of the hillside above what is today Sellars Hill. This road used to be called Hindhead Road and after WW1 became Frith Hill Road^[1]. The large property was sited sideways on to the bridge leading into the school that was below it and had been built on flat ground just above the 300 foot OS map contour line^[2]. The above image shows the outhouse, the name given to boarding houses built outside the school's perimeter, in 1906. We can see a slight slope on the left hand side behind the building but the grounds then became steeper.

The house was named after Rev. Gerald Stanley Davies, who arrived in Godalming in 1873, the year after Charterhouse School opened on its present site. He was one of the sons the son of George and Julia Davies and was born at Banff Castle^[3]. His father became a Rear Admiral in the British Navy and the family moved around the country. Gerald was a former Charterhouse pupil, attending the school from the age of nine^[4]. In 1861 he and another future housemaster, Frederic K. W. Girdlestone, were in the same boarding house at Charterhouse, Holborn; both boys were foundation scholars^[5] and Gerald became head of the school. He went on to study at Christ's College, Cambridge (B.A. in 1868; M.A.in 1871) and briefly became a curate in Bedfordshire before returning to Charterhouse as a master^[4].

Two years later he enlarged his house and by way of a thank you arranged a treat for the workmen of Messrs. Mitchell, builders (Shalford). The day began with a cricket match, with 18 on each side, followed by races and other sports which Davies supervised. A silver plated teapot was awarded to Eli Smith of Shalford for the highest score in the match. About 40 people were subsequently entertained to supper and Davies told them how satisfied he had been with their conduct whilst working on his premises. There were then songs and a toast, until everyone dispersed at 10p.m.^[6]

At his suggestion "The Charterhouse Science and Arts Society" was formed in 1875, although it did not last long. The group met on alternate Saturday afternoons to listen to and discuss papers and make excursions during the summer. Davies also organised exhibitions, including one of the work of G. F. Watts^[7].

According to Veale, at one point Rev. Davies owned a famous prancing pony, named "Tommy", which was housed in a low wooden shed near a barn used as a Verite stable before the Museum block was built^[8]. The museum itself was probably his most lasting achievement at the school; in 1882 the arts and antiquities section has been "arranged with great care and discrimination by the Rev. Gerald Davies"^[9]. His obituary later said that the school museum "owes him an immense debt for his acquaintance with art and archaeology was very great, and he could describe and catalogue almost anything^[4]."

The Davies family - Gerard, his wife Constance Mary and their children - were still at the property in 1881, with 26 boarders and 7 servants. He became the house master of Verites in the Long Quarter, or Spring Term, of 1889^[10]. In 1891 there were 56 boarders in his care and in 1901 there were 60 boys with the Davies family. He had been a housemaster at the school for 32 years by the time he his retired in 1905^[11]. He lost his only son the same year^[12].

He moved to Priorshatch, Godalming but in early 1909 it was announced that he had been appointed to succeed the late Canon Jelf as Master of The Charterhouse in London^[11]. He died at The Charterhouse on 12 Feb 1927 and was buried at Compton Cemetery, where his wife had been interred. He was survived by four daughters and one granddaughter.

Leonard Marshall succeeded Davies as housemaster of Daviesites^[10], followed in 1904 by Charles Henry Parry who had been at Laleham. Robert Charles Slater was appointed to teach chemistry in 1896^[8] and became the housemaster in 1910^[13]; he retired in 1924 and T. E. Allen took over the role^[14].

In the 1970s Daviesites was set to be demolished and replaced by a new boarding house within the school grounds. It was the first of seven new houses to be built and opened in 1973^[15]. Although the original property was taken down after the pupils had moved out, the foundations of both it and the other nearby boarding houses were still on the site in 1976.

Read more about what happened to Robinites and the other outhouses, including Daviesites, in the 1960s and 70s, including the Markenhorn project.

Bodeites

Hodgsonites

Lockites

Weekites

Pageites

Robinites

References:

^[1] The 1913 OS map, published in 1919, show the road as Hindhead Road. It is unclear when it was renamed.

^[2] "National Library of Scotland, [Surrey Sheet] SU96455SE - A, surveyed 1966 and published 1967. This was when the Markenhorn field had prefabs on it that were to potentially house pupils whilst their house was being refurbished. It should be noted that, following the sale and demolition of most of the school's outhouses, the road system on Frith Hill was changed.

^[3] This from various census returns and other sources. Gerald, by this time a Bachelor of Arts, was living with his parents in St Andrew the Less, Cambridge in the 1871 census.

^[4]" South of England Advertiser", 17 Feb 1927. An obbituary for Rev. Davies.

^[5] 1861 census of England and Wales.

^[6] "Surrey Advertiser", 28 August, 1875. Treat to Workmen.

^[7] "Pall Mall Budget", 4 August 1982. The Charterhouse School Museum.

^[8] Veale, W (1957) "From a New Angle. Reminiscences of Charterhouse 1880-1945". P & G. Wells, Ltd., Winchester.

^[9] Tod, A. H., M.A. (2nd Ed., Revised) (1919) "Charterhouse". Handbook to the Great Public Schools. London : George Bell and Sons Portugal St. Lincoln's Inn W.C. Cambridge: Deighton, Bell & Co New York : The MacMillan Co Bombay : A. H. Wheeler & Co. With grateful thanks to Clive Carter, a former Charterhouse headmaster, for the loan of this book.

^[10] "Charterhouse Register, Tercentenary Edition, Volume 2, 1892-1910"..

^[11] "Surrey Mirror", 5 January 1909.

^[12] "Globe", 3 June 1905:
Deaths.
DAVIES.--On the 9th ult., near Poonah, India, Lieut. Sutton Aylmer Davies, aged 30, 2nd Batt. East Lancashire Regt., son of Rev. Gerald S. Davies, Charterhouse, Godalming, grandson of Admiral George Davies, late Chef Constable of Cambridgeshire.

^[13] "The Standard", 20 October 1910. Daviesites was "under new management".

^[14] "Surrey Mirror and County Post", 11 July 1924.

^[15] "Surrey Advertiser", 17 August 1973. The decision to build the replacement boarding houses had been taken in 1971 but the completion of the new Daviesites was then delayed by three months because of the power workers' strike in 1972.