Shere is recorded in the Domesday Book as Essira, a name thought to mean "bright" or "clear," likely referring to the Tillingbourne stream that runs through the heart of the village. Settlement here is ancient. The Romans passed through the area, and Saxon farmers worked the fertile land along the valley floor. St James's Church was built around 1190 in the Early English style, and its most remarkable feature is the anchorite's cell attached to the north wall.
In 1329, Christine Carpenter petitioned the Bishop of Winchester to be enclosed as an anchorite, a form of religious devotion that involved being permanently walled into a small cell. She was sealed in with a ceremony resembling the rites for the dead, and spent her days in prayer, communicating with the outside world only through a small window. The cell's squint, through which she could see the altar and receive communion, is still visible. She was released at some point, only to be enclosed again, and her story is one of the most vivid surviving accounts of medieval anchoritic life in England.
The village has remained remarkably unchanged in its layout for centuries. The stream, the ford (still crossable on foot in dry weather), the church, and the cluster of tile-hung and timber framed cottages form a scene that has looked essentially the same for generations. The White Horse pub has served the village since at least the 17th century. During the Second World War, Canadian troops were billeted in and around the village, and their presence is remembered locally. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the village's photogenic qualities drew filmmakers. It appeared as the English village in "The Holiday" (2006), and in "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" (2004), "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994), and several other productions.
