The earliest surviving record of the village is from the
Domesday Book of 1086, in which it appears as
Wescote. In the early 13th century, it is recorded as
Westcot (1202) and
Westcotes (). The name is generally agreed to refer to a group of cottages in the western part of the parish of Dorking. The earliest evidence of human activity in Westcott is from the
Mesolithic. Flint flakes and implements from this period, the
Neolithic and
Bronze Age have been found to the north of the village. An excavation in the same area revealed evidence of an
Iron Age enclosure, which also included some items of
Roman origin. A
brass Roman
cavalry pendant, dated to the first century
CE, was discovered in the village in 1998. In Domesday Book, the manor was held by
Ralph of Fougères as
tenant-in-chief. It was in the
Wotton Hundred and had a population of 14 villagers, five smallholders and three slaves. Westcott included of meadow, sufficient woodland for 30 swine and a watermill. It produced an annual income of 8 pounds for the lord of the manor. Bury Hill, between Dorking and Westcott, was recorded in the 15th century. It became a
manor, formed from waste (infertile land) of the manor of Milton, Dorking. James Walter bought the land in 1753, built the house there, and planted the grounds. He died 1780, after which the
3rd Viscount Grimston, his daughter's husband, succeeded him. In 1812, his son and heir, about to be created
Earl of Verulam, sold the property to a wealthy
Scot, Robert Barclay, and it descended to his Barclay heir in the
Edwardian period, when The Nower was "a favourite place to walk for Dorking people". He was the ancestor of comedy executive/producer
Humphrey Barclay. Many pre-1800
listed buildings, including some that are
thatched, are in the lanes leading off the A25, including
Leslie Howard's (actor 1893–1943)
Stowe Maries, built in the 1550s, in Balchins Lane. Milton Street and Westcott Street lead to several more old buildings. The Church of the Holy Trinity is Grade II listed because it was designed in 1851, by Sir
George Gilbert Scott, and is made of knapped
flint with
ashlar quoins/dressings. Its spire has a clock, striking bell and weather vane, and there is a small western turret. Charles Barclay of Bury Hill gave for it to be built, and Lady Mary Leslie the same, as an endowment. The clock was installed to commemorate the Jubilee of 1887. The parsonage was built at the expense of Barclay and the secular Westcott School was built by subscription in 1854. The infant school was also built by subscription, in 1882. ==Economy and amenities==