By Judy Hewins, Marchants Hill Rural Centre, 1979, with notes by Sean Edwards and an article by Jackie Rickenberg which was published in the Parish Magazine in June 2024
On 10th April 2013, Sean Edwards of The Street, edited and published a document originally produced in 1979 as a teaching resource, written by Judy Hewins from Marchant’s Hill Rural Life Centre. It was entitled “Village Study Notes – Thursley”. It contains a well collated account of Thursley village, plus much original research that should be available to a much wider audience. I have included some excerpts of it here:
1. “FUNCTION
b) Original Function: The settlement dates from Saxon times. It developed as a farming community and would have needed to be self-sufficient, therefore the availability of the following resources influenced the location of Thursley: Water, light soil which is easy to cultivate, fuel from the surrounding wood, rough grazing for the animals and building materials for houses were all important.
c) Increased Importance: Later Thursley increased in influence with the development of another function, the iron industry, with locally available raw materials. This brought employment and wealth to the village.
d) Function Today: Now, however, these original reasons for existence have been lost. Thursley is a residential village with high property prices. It assumed this new function with the greater wealth, mobility and leisure time of its changing population. Thursley is a very charming place to live, but within easy commuting distance of the nearby towns and even London. Farming is still seen, but not as the prime function of the village. The farms are dispersed around the village.
2. POPULATION AND ADMINSTRATION
The information given about the population of Thursley has been taken from the 1971 census. The total population of the civil parish was 630 people.
a) Parish Council: An act of 1894 introduced Parish Councils to organise Village affairs. Thursley’s first Parish Council met on June 2nd 1895. Today it serves as a voice of the local people and retains the power to make bye-laws. It has 7 elected members, who serve for a 4-year term and a paid part-time clerk. They meet every five or six weeks and their main business is to maintain footpaths, deal with local complaints and discuss planning applications.
3. HISTORY
a) Earliest Times: There is evidence that the settlement at Thursley dates from Saxon times. Parts of the village church are known to date from 1030. The name Thursley may be from the Anglo Saxon meaning a clearing or “field” in the forest, where the Gods Thunor and Thur were worshipped. Alternatively, the name may be a personal one associated with a former owner or holder of land - there was an Abbot Thor in 975 A.D. or an archdeacon Thor in 1100. Parishes were originally marked by boundary stones, and the bounds were beaten annually. On Thursley Common there are two boundary stones both known as Thor’s Stone. One beyond Thursley Hammer Pond marking the boundary between Thursley and Pepper Harrow and the other on the margin of Pudmore Pond marking the meeting of three parishes, Elstead, Pepper Harrow and Thursley. Both stones are located in extremely boggy areas, so it is very inadvisable to try and discover their location.
d) The Turnpike Age: In the 18th Century many roads were in a very poor condition. The narrow sunken lanes in Thursley were often virtually impassable to wheeled traffic and the main London to Portsmouth Road, which passes near to the village, was a dangerous highway where travellers were often attacked by robbers and cut throats. The poorer people had to walk and tragedy sometimes befell them. Thursley Burial Register contains this entry “January, 4th 1788, Samuel a Sailor found dead upon Hindhead, who perished in the Snow”. Prior to the Turnpike Act of 1753, many laws were passed requiring people to work on the upkeep of their local roads, but there was little improvement. The first metalled road was constructed in Thursley in 1749. In 1753 it was allowed that local trusts could make up roads, each in their own areas and they could then collect tolls from people who used the roads. The Portsmouth Road, near Thursley, thus became a Turnpike Road in 1767 and travel by stage coach became more popular. A milestone still remaining gives the distance to Portsmouth as 33 miles and Hyde Park Corner, 36 miles. The Tithe Map (1846) shows the Commons Roads, including French Lane, Road Lane, Highfield Lane and Rutten Hill Lane. A total of 20 roads in the parish altogether. The Award which accompanies the map, shows the site of the Turnpike Gate and Tollhouse – which was owned by the Trustees of the Turnpike. In 1851 Henry Craft was the Tollgate Keeper. He was 39 years old and lived with his wife, Jane and two children, Mary Ann aged 14 and Henry aged 11, described as a scholar. On census night he had a visitor, Edward Jay, a 31-year-old Agricultural Labourer and also living there was Mary Welland, a 13-year-old girl. Ten years later the Turnpike was in charge of Mrs. Craft, Henry Craft described himself as an Agricultural Labourer, the children had left home and Edward Lyling lodged with them.
4. SERVICES AND AMENITIES
a) The Church: Displayed in the Church Porch
Enter this door
As if the floor
Within were gold
And every wall
Of jewels all
Of wealth untold
As if a choir
in robes of
fire
Were singing here
Nor shout, nor rush
But hush . . . . . …
For God is here
Thursley church is dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels and dates from Saxon Times. The original church was built in 1030 A.D. and is therefore over 900 years old. The Saxon plan was of a nave and a chancel and except for the addition of a South Porch circa 1230, the church remained in this way until major restoration work was begun in 1860.”
More to be continued next month. HOWEVER. By the time you read this, we will have had the exciting launch of the Thursley History Society’s new website, which will include a lot of the archives you have read through the years in this magazine, including these study notes. So please do take a peep at:
also
Instagram: @thursleyhistorysociety
And as we’ve recently enjoyed the Horticultural Society’s Spring Show, I thought it might be interesting to look back on one from seventy years ago.
