Thorley, Hertfordshire
Encyclopedia
Thorley is a civil parish
in Hertfordshire
, England
, encompassing the hamlet
s Thorley Street, Thorley Wash and Old Thorley; near Bishop's Stortford
in Hertfordshire
. It is mentioned in the Domesday book
as Torlei, belonging to Geoffrey de Mandeville
, a notable Norman
Baron
. During the reign of Edward the Confessor
, Thorley Manor belonged to Earl Tostig
.
Thorley has its own cricket club: Thorley CC and it lends its name to the nearby housing estate, Thorley Park. A very successful primary school, Manor Fields
, is situated within the estate.
Thorley Church, dedicated to St James the Great, dates from the 13th century and boasts a Norman
font
and a three-seat sedilia
. The pulpit
was designed by Gilbert Scott
. There is a one thousand year old yew
tree in the graveyard
, which also has the grave of Daniel Defoe
's sister. The graveyard is entered through a fine lychgate
dating from the 1920s . The stocks
and whipping post
that stood in the graveyard until the late 20th century have now been moved to the Bishop's Stortford Museum. Samuel Horsley
was rector
of the Church from 1779–1782, following in the footsteps of his father John, who was rector from 1745-1777. From 1594 to 1610, the rector was Francis Burley
, one of the translators of the King James Bible
The 16th century Tudor
Barn in the adjoining farm was converted from pig barn to church and community centre in 1996 with the help of a £1 million endowment.
Thorley is near the housing estate of St Michael's Mead, within walking distance from Bishops Stortford town centre.
It is now a district of Bishop's Stortford
.
was found by police during a long manhunt
after he had participated in the murder of three London
based policemen. He was found in a barn hiding under straw.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, encompassing the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
s Thorley Street, Thorley Wash and Old Thorley; near Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire in the county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated just west of the M11 motorway, on the county boundary with Essex and is the closest large town to London Stansted Airport and part of the...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. It is mentioned in the Domesday book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Torlei, belonging to Geoffrey de Mandeville
Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex
Geoffrey de Mandeville II, 1st Earl of Essex was one of the prominent players during the reign of King Stephen of England. His biographer, the 19th-century historian J. H...
, a notable Norman
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
. During the reign of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
, Thorley Manor belonged to Earl Tostig
Tostig Godwinson
Tostig Godwinson was an Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold Godwinson, the last crowned english King of England.-Early life:...
.
Thorley has its own cricket club: Thorley CC and it lends its name to the nearby housing estate, Thorley Park. A very successful primary school, Manor Fields
Manor Fields
Manor Fields is a cricket ground in Bletchley, Northamptonshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1973, when Young England women played International XI women in the grounds only Women's One Day International....
, is situated within the estate.
Thorley Church, dedicated to St James the Great, dates from the 13th century and boasts a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
and a three-seat sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
was designed by Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
. There is a one thousand year old yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
tree in the graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
, which also has the grave of Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
's sister. The graveyard is entered through a fine lychgate
Lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
dating from the 1920s . The stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
and whipping post
Pillory
The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
that stood in the graveyard until the late 20th century have now been moved to the Bishop's Stortford Museum. Samuel Horsley
Samuel Horsley
Samuel Horsley was a British churchman, bishop of Rochester from 1792.Entering Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1751, he became LL.B. in 1758 without graduating in arts. In the following year he succeeded his father in the living of Newington Butts in Surrey...
was rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Church from 1779–1782, following in the footsteps of his father John, who was rector from 1745-1777. From 1594 to 1610, the rector was Francis Burley
Francis Burleigh
Francis Burleigh, sometimes spelled Burghley, was an English Vicar, appointed in 1590 to Bishop's Stortford by Lancelot Andrewes. He was among Andrewes' "First Westminster Company", charged by James I of England with the translation of the first 12 books of the King James Version of the...
, one of the translators of the King James Bible
The 16th century Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
Barn in the adjoining farm was converted from pig barn to church and community centre in 1996 with the help of a £1 million endowment.
Thorley is near the housing estate of St Michael's Mead, within walking distance from Bishops Stortford town centre.
It is now a district of Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire in the county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated just west of the M11 motorway, on the county boundary with Essex and is the closest large town to London Stansted Airport and part of the...
.
Trivia
Thorley was the place where the criminal Harry RobertsHarry Roberts (murderer)
Harry Maurice Roberts is a career criminal who instigated the Shepherd's Bush Murders in which three police officers were shot dead in 1966. The killings happened after the plain-clothed officers approached the van which Roberts and two other men were sitting in, in Braybrook Street, near Wormwood...
was found by police during a long manhunt
Manhunt (law enforcement)
In law enforcement, a manhunt is a search for a dangerous fugitive involving the use of all available police units and technology and sometimes help from the public....
after he had participated in the murder of three London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based policemen. He was found in a barn hiding under straw.