Origin of God's Own Country

Anyone have a url with info on the origin of God's Own Country? Cheers

It's a well known fact that God's own country is England and, contrary to the opinion of a few Yorkshire men who should know better, God's own county is Surrey, which probably accounts for the fact that God actually lives in Godalming Surrey. See local electoral register for proof of this.

Having worked in Surrey (Sutton) this Kiwi would argue that his country is much more God's own than England/Surrey. Still doesn't explain the origin of the phrase tho', and I'd like to know.