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Burial registers for St Michael & All Angels have been kept from the 17th century onwards and the oldest historical records are stored at the Surrey History Centre in Woking: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/history-centre Current records There is a Register of Burials kept in the church. The first burial, that of Arnold Henry Foster, took place on 15 December 1963. In total there are 318 burials recorded, the latest being that of Richard Charles Bates on 7 February 2026. The margin notes can denote if an individual is buried in the grave of another, almost invariably of the same family. DD denotes double depth. Title page of the Register in current use Page 1 of the Register in current use, note the comments in the margin The list of burials in the Register are in chronological order and are in the pdf below: As this list of burials consists of photographs of each page of the Register of Burials it is not a searchable document. The majority of the information from the Register has now been transcribed into a Word document, and page 1 is shown below. The headings correspond to the Register of Burials with the page number column denoting the relevant page in the Register and the complete file (23 pages as at April 2025) is in the pdf below. Although the records should be chronological, this is not always the case, eg see page 13 of the Register, but the dates shown in the Register have been followed. NB: details of plot numbers etc. ie the margin notes, can be found only in the pdf of the Register of Burials. In typing these records, sometimes a best-guess had to be made where the handwriting was difficult to decipher.  If you are aware of an error please use the contact tab on the website: https://www.thursleyhistorysociety.org/ The work of the West Surrey Family History Society The comprehensive file below was acquired from The Revd Peter Muir in the early 2010s, without any provenance or authorship indicated on the file. The presumed origin is from the West Surrey Family History Society survey, 1990 (the latest grave date in this file is 1982). The list refers to the churchyard Sections (or Divisions) A-F on the file ‘thursley stitched plan.jpeg’ dated 1993, by Tim Wilcock, where the boundaries are not at all clear. An interpretation of these boundaries has been made by Sean Edwards on a file: ‘Thursley_Churchyard_20141121_divisions.tif’, extended to the west with Divisions ‘Gn’ and ‘Gs’, as a basis for Churchyard management.   This File The ‘ThursleyStMichael.pdf’ file was converted to a word-processed file (WordPerfect) to allow formatting inconsistences and typos to be corrected, and to enable updating. Otherwise no other errors have been corrected. It has now been converted to Word and here is page 1: NB: A great deal of work has been done, mainly by Amanda Flint and Alie Hanbury, to improve the accuracy of these records where they have been able to either correct or add to the entries on the gravestones. Their work has not yet been incorporated here, but over time their work will be reflected by updating the above file which should not, in the meantime, be regarded as approaching 100% accuracy. Other efforts to map the churchyard:

The history of Bowlhead Green dates back to the 16th century when it was a small hamlet. The village was named after a local landowner, John Bowlhead, who owned a large estate in the area. https://earth.google.com/web/@51.1398953,-0.68751104,112.63724356a,4518.48894138d,35y,72.17247331h,0t,0r/data=OgMKATA Listed buildings and conservation area. A view of the Chapel taken from Corner Cottage in the early 1920s. Holly Cottage, formerly Yew Cottage can be seen. It belonged to Heath Hall, the estate of the Yalden Knowles and used to be two cottages. A view of "Timbers", which used to be two cottages. The Gale family once lived in the right hand side, which had two bedrooms. The Walkers lived in the left hand side. Timbers A view of Forge Cottage which dates from the 16th Century and an anvil stands outside as a memento of the forge site. Forge Cottage was the home of the Gale family from 1932 to 1938. Miss Fulford built the extension for the Gale family. The little shed housed the engine for the pump of the well of Corner Cottage. A group by Bowlhead Green's village seat taken in the late 1930s. On the left is Margaret (Mag) Gale and Bill Cooper who married her. He was Parish Clerk from 1948 to 1983. He was also responsible for the Thor sign. On the right are friends of theirs from London. The oldest part of Emley Farmhouse which can bee seen on the right hand side. It was a four-bay timber framed house with many characteristics of immediately post-medieval period called the smoke bay period, i.e. 1550 - 1590. The house featured in an episode of "Foyle's War". Emley Farmhouse in the early 1920s. The wisteria on the front can be seen and the bay tree on the left. It was lived in by Colonel and Mrs Vesey. Mrs Vesey was the daughter of the Loring family who lived at Emley from the early 1800s. The Veseys lived at Emley until 1929. Emley Hill House in the 1980s Emley Hill House, Bowlhead Green, 1990's The herbaceous border of Emley Farmhouse which once boasted the best garden in Surrey. Unfortunately, in 1948 it was let to Mr Pentcheff, a Bulgarian diplomat. He completely ruined the garden by allowing poultry, ducks and pigs to free range. Emley Farmhouse showing the chimney from the bread oven. The bread oven is one of the best preserved and has an iron door hinged at the bottom. The building on the right was built to house. a pair of mongoose given to the Lorings in 1914. The barns at Emley Farm. The extensive farm buildings show that in the past a traditional mix of arable and pasture farming was practised. The driveway of Emley Farm leading to the garage and cart shed, the old granary can also be seen. Chapel Cottage was a former Congregational Chapel which became residential in 1906 Holly Tree Cottage Painting of Holly Tree Cottage by Helen Allingham (1848 - 1926) Soldiers from the Royal West Surrey Regiment resting in Bowlhead Green with Holly Tree Cottage in the background Ian and Gill Mclellan, Blackhanger Farm, 1996 Blackhanger Farm in the 1980s Tom and Grace Ranson, Bowlhead Green Farm, 1997 Ian and Aly Warner, The Old Post House, 1997 Emley Hill House and its garden (below), 1997 Robin Hill Wykwell Cottage Wykwell Cottage, with sales particulars below https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/residential/for-sale/bowlhead-green-godalming-surrey-gu8/gld190040 The Clockhouse, 2024 with sales particulars below https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/residential/for-sale/bowlhead-green-godalming-surrey-gu8/GLD012219749 Greenacres Halnaker Hall, Bowlhead Green (Hall's Cottage) Lower House Video from when the house was put on the market in January 2026: https://thecountryhousedepartment.com/properties/lower-house-bowlhead-green/

Lower Highfield Farm was sold in 1952 as part of the break-up of the Cosford Estate. The entries below are from the auction catalogue. Lower Highfield Farm as it is today Previous owners of Lower Highfield Farm include: Treadwell The property has been on and off the market over the past couple of years and it reappeared in April 2026. The following were taken from the Knight, Frank sales brochure: https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/residential/for-sale/highfield-lane-thursley-godalming-surrey-gu8-6qj/gld012228328

Help in Thursley is a volunteer driving scheme and was founded in 2017 and which was launched in the village hall. Help in Thursley: Constitution Help in Thursley responds to the pandemic And here, we hope, is another piece of history: The current committee comprises: David Young, Chairman Peter Hunter, Treasurer Jo Kelly Julie Langley Sallie Roles

As part of the History of Thursley Society's Wedding Belles exhibition held in 2007, this list of marriages that took place in St Michael's and All Angels was compiled. For ease of research a complete file of the marriages from 1613 to date can be found at the end of this post. Overall, the most popular month to be married is October and March the least: 2000 August 19th James Ainsworth & Amik Nadia Steven Stephen Langley & Julie Holloway September 9th Stephen Langley & Julie Holloway   2002 June 14th Giles Parker & Lauraine Anderson September 7th David Slater & Emma Joan Scales   2003 July 5th Adrian Hugh George Linegar & Eulando Florendo Rimando July 26th Andrew Simon Ruffell & Joanne Jobson   2004 October 16th Christopher Melchior Richmond Hall & Louise Jane Burgess   2005 April 1st Simon Nicholas Richmond Hall & Amanda Jane Wood June 11th Theo Ivanovic & Martha Georgina Harvey August 27th Kerry Porter & Katherine Erika Sealy September 3rd Andrew Martin & Susannah Lindsay Prain September 9th Philip Patrick Collier & Abigail Christie Anderson   2006 May 6th Nigel John Hall & Fenella Duyland Wakeley August 26th Peter Rouse & Amanda Baker September 23rd Joseph Douglas Mercer Nairne & Melissa Emily Wakeley Scene from a Wakeley wedding   2007 September 15th Mark Ralph Godman & Katie Helen Cripp 2009 May 2nd Mark Lawrence Gordon Adams & Sarah Anna Maria Keating June 27th Ricardo Nuno Bugia Pires & Hayley Joanna Jutsum July 11th Gilbert Thinghi Yule & Michelle Anna Axford July 17th Christopher James Mendelssohn & Caroline Louise Morris July 25th Michele Ernesto De Gregorio & Catherine Selvarani le Doux Edwards September 12th Paul Tyers & Lynette Mary Jean Lawson November 7th Kevin Dass & Liza Ann Devi Gray December 28th Richard Charles Miller & Anna Hutton-Potts 2010 April 24th Nikolaos Minas & Lydia Laura Stephen May 28th Mehrdad Rahbar Sehat & Charlotte Mary Ford June 12th Edward James Alsford & Lara Camilla Patrick July 24th Deane Richard Eales & Annabel Charlotte Sophia Timberlake November 6th Andrew Neil Peters & Hannah Ellen Ford 2011 June 18th Benjamin James Russell Stoneham & Chloe Ria Rankin November 12th Mark John Fisher Foster & Emily Jane Ockenden 2012 June 30th Alan George Andrew Weir & Hailey Louise Wilkinson July 12th Maximillian Michael Collins & Shannan Louise Keen September 1st Benjamin John Whitehead & Katherine Jeanne Morris 2014 July 12th Benjamin David Clutterbuck & Francesca Louise Goodwin 2015 May 23rd Charles Simon Treadwell & Anne Herforth Finnerup June 6th James Peter Goble & Lucy Kate Wall-Palmer August 1st Peter Edwin David Swabey & Magali Clotilde Marie Webster-Nicol 2016 May 28th Alistair Matthew Smith & Louisa May Hunter 2018 June 30th Peter Justin Rickenberg & Jacqueline Jean Brown 2019 March 15th Ryan John Birse & Amy Louise Rapley June 29th Thomas Clermont Lake Davies & Pollyanna Louise Russell Stoneham 2021 July 30th Toby Oliver Simon Downes & Leonora Susan Chisholm Schofield Historical note: Covid masks worn by most 2022 April 2nd Calum Alastair Gee & Jemma Elizabeth Corridan 2023 May 27th Neil Geoffrey Lankester Woods & Lisa Catherine Rickenberg Neil Woods & Lisa Rickenberg September 9th Rupert Terence Bulkeley Perrier & Elodie Camilla Pendred 2024 April 27th Bradley Patrick May & Charlotte Mary Cruickshank Bradley Patrick May & Charlotte Mary Cruickshank July 20th Cameron Burns Dow & Lila Kate Flint Roberts Cameron Burns Dow & Lila Kate Flint Roberts 2024 Photo: James White Photography September 14th Patrick Hugh Hudson & Matilda India Tess Warner (Wedding Blessing) 2025 June 7th Edward James Spencer & Sophie Baker Edward James Spencer & Sophie Baker August 9th James Fitzroy Cordy-Redden & Olivia Frances Palmer-Jeffery August 16th Michael Joseph Barrett & Katherine Julia Woods Michael Joseph Barrett & Katherine Julia Woods August 30th Angus Frederick Secrett & Olivia Fae Welch 2026 Liam Thomas Herlihy & Virginia Finovola Cordy-Redden

This article, written by Jackie Rickenberg, was published in the Thursley Parish Magazine in March and May 2026. It makes reference to the Murder of the Unknown Sailor, a crime so heinous that it still fascinates to this day. Thursley History Society is building up quite the library of interesting books all concerning either the village, its occupants, buildings and/or surroundings. These can be lent out as required and expect to see them at many of the Society’s events throughout the year. As we have designated this year to transportation and its many facets, this month I am including passages from a book in our archives called The Portsmouth Road by Charles G. Harper , first published in 1895 and acquired by our Chairman, Sally Scheffers in her research for our society's year of transport in 2026. It is a little jewel of a book, detailing the road from its London source, to its Portsmouth destination and everywhere in between. The road, of course, cut through our village and was a source of much folk lore and some incredibly mysterious goings on. I have included small extracts, but the book is a fascinating read with lovely illustrations by the author and “Old time Prints and Pictures”, a couple of which I have included here. “The Portsmouth Road was measured from the Stones’ End, Borough. It went by Vauxhall to Wandsworth, Putney Heath, Kingston-On-Thames, Guildford and Petersfield; and thence came presently into Portsmouth through the Forest of Bere and past the frowning battlements of Portchester. The distance was seventy-one miles, seven furlongs; and our forebears who prayerfully entrusted their bodies to the dangers of the roads and resigned their souls to Providence, were hurried along this route at the breakneck speed of something under eight miles an hour, with their hearts in their mouths and their money in their boots, for fear of the highwaymen who infested the roads. By 1821 the speediest journey was quoted as nine hours, performed in that year by what was then considered the meteoric and previously unheard-of swiftness of the “Rocket”, which, in that new and most fashionable of era of mail and stage-coach travelling, had deserted the grimy and decidedly unfashionable precincts of the Borough and the Elephant and Castle, for modish Piccadilly. They were jolly coach-loads that fared along the roads in coaching days, and, truly, all their jollity was needed, for unearthly hours, insufficient protection from inclement weather, and the tolerable certainty of falling in with thieves on their way, were experiences and contingencies that, one might imagine, could scarce fail of depressing the most buoyant spirits”. A Scene of the London to Portsmouth Road . At this juncture, I digress from my planned article and literally go down a rabbit hole as I read about Mary Tofts of Godalming. I previously wrote an article about Hammer Ponds, in which it was mentioned that there was an area of farmed rabbit warrens nearby (hence Warren Park) which had disappeared in the middle of the eighteenth century. It was supposed that rabbit meat went out of fashion, but perhaps it was a result of Mary Tofts legacy. “Godalming was a place notorious in the eighteenth century as the scene of one of the most impudent frauds ever practised upon the credulity of mankind. The story of Mary Tofts, if not edifying, is at least interesting. She was the wife of Joshua Tofts, a poor journeyman cloth-worker of this little town, and was described as of “a healthy, strong constitution, small size, fair complexion, a very stupid and sullen temper, and unable to write or read”. Stupid or not, she possessed sufficient cunning to maintain her fraud for some time, and even to delude some eminent surgeons of the day into a firm belief in her pretended births of rabbits. For this was the preposterous nature of the imposition, and she claimed to have given birth to no less than eighteen of them.   Mary Tofts of Godalming A Mr Howard, a medical man of Guildford, who claimed to have assisted Mary in giving birth to eighteen rabbits, seems, from the voluminous literature of this subject, to have been something of a party to the cheat; and if we did not find him a guilty accomplice, there would remain the scarce more flattering designation of egregious dupe. But Mr Howard, dupe or rogue, was extremely busy in publishing to the world the particulars of this extraordinary case.  Public attention was now roused in the most extraordinary degree, and the subject of Mary Tofts and her rabbits was in everyone’s mouth. The King (George I), too, was numbered among the believers, and things came to such a pass that ladies began to be alarmed with apprehensions of bringing into the world some unnatural progeny. “No one presumed to eat a rabbit”, and the rent of rabbit-warrens sank to nothing. But a German Court physician – a Dr Ahlers – who had proceeded to Guildford in order to report upon the matter to his Majesty, was rendered sceptical as much by the behaviour of Mr Howard as by that of his interesting patient. He returned to town, convinced of trickery, and finally Mary Tofts and her medical advisor were brought to London and lodged on the Bagnio, Leicester Fields, where, in fear of combined threats of punishment and an artfully-pictured operation darkly hinted at by Sir Richard Manningham, Obstetrician, she confessed that the fraud had been suggested to her by a woman, a neighbour of Godalming, who, with the showman’s instinct of Barnum, told her that here was a way to a good livelihood without the necessity of working for it. The part taken by Mr Howard has never been satisfactorily explained, but as he was particularly insistent that Mary Tofts deserved a pension from the King on account of her rabbits, his part in the affair has, naturally, been looked upon with considerable suspicion. Doctor and patient were, however, committed to Tothill Fields, Bridewell. (a prison located in Westminster, Central London and demolished in 1834 – Ed.). Could this account for the disappearance of the rabbit warrens in Thursley? To read the original Warren Park article, please visit the website https://www.thursleyhistorysociety.org/post/warren-park-and-loseley-house  The subject of transportation and the history of the Portsmouth Rd will be continued next month – with absolutely no mention of rabbits!   Parish Mag Article May 2026   As we started the history of the Portsmouth Road last time (albeit distracted by rabbits), we continue again this month. The book source that a lot of the information is from is “The Portsmouth Road” by Charles G Harper first published in 1895. “A fine crowd of coaches left town daily in the 1920’s. The “Portsmouth Regulator” left at 8am, and reached Portsmouth at 5pm; the “Royal Mail” started from The Angel 7.15 every evening, arriving at The George, Portsmouth at 6.10 the following morning. Others had such inventive names, such as The Hero, The Rocket and The Perseverance. Elderly ladies, travelling by coach, were not unreasonably afraid of the Devil’s Punch Bowl. It does not appear whether it was entirely the awful depths that alarmed them, or the chance, that presented itself to their imaginations, of seeing Auld Hornie himself., very black and terrible, skulking among the bilberry bushes. The parasitic wild plant, the Lesser Dodder (cuscuta epithymum), also grows in the hollow of the Punchbowl, sometimes so abundantly as to resemble red seaweed. In Cornwall, the rustics call it “Devil’s guts”. It strangles many other growths. Here in Thursley, the country-folk used to style it the “murder-plant”, and said it appeared first after the murder of the sailor (I am not including details of the Sailor’s murder here, as it has been covered in past articles, but should you wish to acquaint yourself with this gruesome tale, please go to thursleyhistorysociety.org ). We return to the elderly lady: A tale was at that time told of just such a nervous passenger who, with two or three nieces and servants, engaged the coach to London, on the understanding that the coachman should WALK the coach round the dreaded spot. It is a striking instance of how the anticipation of evil is generally worse than the realisation. When the coach came to the Sailor’s stone, overlooking the wildest spot, the coachman alighted and pretended to be making some trifling alterations to the harness; the old lady gazing complacently into the vast dell beneath. She asked its name. “Higgin-bottom, ma’am,” said the coachman. “What a delightful, but singular-looking spot!” she exclaimed; and then the coachman drove on. Arrival at Road Lane, the question often asked, “How far off to the Devil’s Punchbowl?” was repeated. “We’ve passed it, ma’am!” “Past it, and in safety? Bless me, where was it?” “Where I stopped, and you asked the name of that deep dell – THAT was the Devil’s Punchbowl – Higgin-Bottom’s the right name.” The body of the murdered sailor was buried at the little village of Thursley, and there, in the churchyard, shadowed by dark fir trees, stands a gruesome tombstone, an unconscionable product of local art, with a carving in relief of the three murderers in the act of dispatching their victim. Beneath this melodrama, the circumstances are recounted at great length, and some halting verses conclude the mournful narration.   Thursley itself is situated on an old road that branches from the newer highway upon entering Witley Common, and rejoined the ordinary route near the Royal Huts Hotel, Hindhead. The village is rarely visited by strangers. The old church stands in a commanding position, overlooking a wide tract of country, including the Hog’s Back, by Guildford, and the scattered ponds of Frensham. An old sun-dial on the tower has the inscription Hora pars vitae, and, like most of our clocks and watches, perpetuates in the numeral “IIII” the long-exploded fiction of the infallibility of kings. I wonder if anyone remembers the origin of the substitution of “IIII” for “IV” on nearly all the dials, whether sun-dials or clock-faces, of civilisation? Here is the story. The first clock that kept anything like accurate time was constructed by a certain Henry Vick in 1370. It was made to the order of Charles V. of France, who was known as “the Wise”. Wise he certainly was, in some respects; but Roman numerals were not within the sum of his knowledge. When Vick brought the King his clock, he looked at its movements awhile. “Yes”, said he, at length, “it works very well; but you have got the figures on the dial wrong”. “Surely never, your Majesty”, said Vick. “Yes”, replied the King, “that IV should be IIII”. “But your Majesty is wrong”, rejoined that not very tactful clockmaker. “Wrong!” answered outraged majesty, “I am never wrong! Take it away and correct the error”. Vick did as he was commanded, and so to this day we have IIII where we should really have IV”. The church’s sun-dial: "Hora Pars Vitae" translates to "An hour, a part of life". As we know, the route of the old Portsmouth Road was eventually completed to its modern-day condition when, in 2011, the Hindhead tunnel replaced the single carriageway with traffic lights, that caused the incessant traffic jams up at Hindhead. The Royal Huts Hotel, mentioned in the text is now known as The Devil’s Punchbowl Hotel, on the route of the old road. Remember to visit the website for more info on the sailor’s murder and the Hindhead tunnel. www.thursleyhistorysociety.org .

From Kay Cottle's postcard collection From Kay Cottle's postcard collection 'Farewell to the Pylons across Thursley?', from a calendar dated January 2014. Truxford Cottage and barns Painting by the Moat The Moat, c1990

A few months ago, we were asked why there wasn't a history of the first village hall on the website. Since then, a number of photographs of it have been found as well as photographs of it being used. More recently an article on its formation has been discovered in our archive. The Old Village Hall with the Three Horse Shoes in the background Helpers at Christmas Party in the Old Village Hall about mid 1950s. Left to right: Mrs Wonham; Mrs Messenger; unknown; Mrs Keen; Mrs Good; Mrs Dummer Hannah Wonham (See above) in her home, Overdale Bill Cooper's car, most likely an Alvis Firefly or Alvis Firebird, outside the Old Village Hall c1950 An Alvis Speed 20 Sports Tourer also outside the Old Village Hall Horticultural Society Dinner in the Old Village Hall - probably about 1950. Old Village Hall: exhibits at autumn show held by the Horticultural Society and Farmers Assocation - early 1950s Old Village Hall: Sid Hall facing microphone with Wilfred Pickles in the "Have A Go" radio show in 1958. See separate entry.

Truxford Cottage is at one of the extremities of Thursley Parish. It lies up a lane leading from Truxford Corner which is on the Thursley Road leading to Elstead. From Kay Cottle's Postcard Collection (see separate entry) Truxford Cottage and Barn Taken from sales particulars in 2025

This remarkably comprehensive information was transcribed, typed and indexed by Tim Wilcock, Cliff Webb and members of West Surrey Family History Society - https://wsfhs.co.uk/pages/index.php NB: pdfs, when downloaded, are searchable and here is an example: This is the complete 212 page file: Here are the titles of the various sections where the first page of that section is shown to illustrate the content:

The land was given to Thursley by Dame Helene Adeline Blanche Windham on 1st June, 1939. Hélène Adeline Blanche Windham  (née Chapman; previously Kidston) (1873–1957) was a member of the English landed gentry whose life connected her with several prominent families of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born into the Chapman family, she married first Captain Archibald Glen Kidston, with whom she had several children, and later Sir Walter George Windham, an early figure in British aviation. From Kay Cottle's postcard collection The Cricket Ground in the1990s? In the photograph immediately above:  James Maclean, ‘Cocker’ Keen (Homefields), Mike Spencer, with Ed and Will and Steve Langley, 17th March 2001 Dinner and Dance in the village hall in 2017 to raise funds for Thor's Den, the new playground: All photographs by Valérie Ferris Recreation Ground in May 2012, photograph by Sean Edwards Undated, but 2018 or later In November 2025 there was a public meeting to discuss plans to transform the existing cricket pavilion to an all-year round facility for the community. There was overwhelming support for the idea and appreciation of the generous donation that has kick-started the process. Artist's impression of the proposed new pavilion See https://www.thursleypavilion.co.uk/