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- Book Review: The Portsmouth Road by Charles G. Harper, first published in 1895
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 .
- Photographs of Thursley Common
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
- The Old Village Hall, Thursley
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
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
- Thursley Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1613 - 1840
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:
- Thursley Recreation Ground
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/
- Pitch Place, Houndown and Sailors Lane
The view taken near the corner of Sailors Lane from where The Pines now stands. The three houses are named Pitchfield Cottage, Quirral House and Cassingray Pitch Place, Long Acres (on Sailors Lane), built by Mr and Mrs Henry can be seen on the hill. The field that can be seen is known as Wonham's Field as Ben Wonham's father, George, farmed as a tenant of the Dye House Estate when the Gooch family owned it. The house in the picture was lived in by the Voller family. View From Kettlebury Hill, January 1985 Kettlebury Hill Houndown Houndown Cottage Houndown Cottage The swimming pool in June 1936 John and Annete Graham-Stewart, 1977 Little Houndown Photographs from when the property was last listed in September 2025: Pitchfield Cottage Cynthia Tann, June 1996 The Pines Tim, Margaret and Stephen Walsh, The Pines, Sailors Lane, June 1996 Weymoor From sales particulars c2020 Mulberry and Kettlebury Cottage These properties at linked by a common boundary. Prior to the development of Mulberry c2013, the plot comprised agricultural buildings as can be seen from the photographs below. Mulberry was developed from a former farming/industrial site in 2013. This photograph is c2022. Kettlebury Cottage is on the right side of the photograph. Photographs are from the sale brochure produced by Knight, Frank in 2024 Full details were available here in July 2025: https://www.onthemarket.com/details/15038201/ Oakenhurst From sales particulars c2020 https://assets.savills.com/properties/GBFARSCLV189291/CLV189291_LAC19002977.PDF Pitch Place Farm House Entry from Historic England : Pitch Place Farm House is a Grade II listed building (9th March 1960), built in the late 16th Century. Timber framed on rendered rubblestone plinth with whitewashed rubble and brick infilling, under plain tiled roof, hipped to right and with tile hung ends. Two storeys. Multiple ridge stack to left of centre. Four framed bays with chimney bay. Three C19 arched head casements to first floor under steep gabled dormers with scalloped bargeboards. Two plain casement windows to first floor. Two decorative C19 and two leaded casements to ground floor. Plank door to right end. Wing at right angles to rear and pentice to rear right. All probably pre-WW2, note the entrance porch which does not feature on later photographs Charles Barrington visited Pitch Place Farm when his grandfather lived there in the 1950s. Here he is with his grandfather. He has also written a book which includes his recollections of staying there. https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-book-reviews/what-did-you-do-in-the-great-war-grandfather-the-life-and-times-of-an-edwardian-horse-artillery-officer/ : This aerial view taken in the late 1970s, shows Pichino and its garden at the bottom left before it became a separate property, Kettlebury Cottage on the far left, together with the agricultural barns that are now the garden of Mulberry Previous owners of Pitch Place Farm include: Marchant Pichino These photographs were provided by Salli Tomlinson and date from the 1990s Silver Birches From sales particulars in 2026: https://search.savills.com/property-detail/gbfarsfas240003 Wulmer Cottage Wulmer Cottage has the date of 1861 detailed in the original brickwork Illustrations taken from Estate Agent's brochure in 2024
- William Karn Fosberry
Taken from an article in the Parish Magazine, November 2022, written by Jackie Rickenberg Fosberry is a name that has come up in many articles written for the Parish Magazine. It seems whenever Lutyens and his life and influence on Thursley is discussed, Fosberry’s name crops up. Hugh Semper, who lives in “The Outlook” has asked if the Society has any more information on the man who built, not only his house, but many others locally. “William Karn Fosberry was born in 1853 and was the village builder in Thursley from the latter part of the last century until the 1930’s. In the 1870’s he married Elizabeth Smithers whose parents lived at “The Corner”. At that time, it was a general store and baker’s shop supplying bread to the inhabitants of the village. (The rest of this article can be downloaded below). Here is some fascinating information about the sculptor, Julias A Gems, and his subject, written by his grandson, Chris Gems: "In 1939, Julius Albert [Gems] decided he would enter a model for the summer exhibition of the Royal Academy. There was a very aged builder named William Fosberry in Thursley Village, who had a long beard and very large hands. The old chap agreed to sit for Julius but, when he did so, as he was deaf he insisted on putting one of his hands up to his ear to hear what was being said to him, so Julius modelled him in this position and, not only was the model accepted by the Royal Academy, but it was placed on a pedestal in a very prominent position in the exhibition. Julius and Evelyn Gems Mercy Fosberry and her daughter Mary - Copy of a painting by Eveline Lance c1930 (Mary Kalinowski, nee Fosberry, has the original) Mr & Mrs William Fosberry taken outside what is now know as Vean Cottage, date about 1920 Mr Harry Fosberry, Mrs Mercy Fosberry and their daughter, Mary, early 1940s
- Paintings of the village and parish of Thursley
Thursley has a fine history of supporting artists and this entry adds current and historic paintings of the village. We would welcome any new entries be they current or in the past. See also the entry for Thursley's Artists Through the Ages as it provides some background on some of the artists featured. Three paintings by John Hassell From the Surrey History Centre: John Hassell (1767-1825) is remembered today as a watercolour painter, engraver and drawing master. He was born in 1767, perhaps in Wales, and first appeared as an exhibitor at the Royal Academy in 1789. He was a popular drawing-master and published several works on the techniques of drawing and painting in watercolour. He also published books of topographical views which owe much to the romantic interest in the picturesque. Several of these books, notably his ‘ Views of Gentleman’s Seats Adjacent to London ‘ (1804-1805), ‘ Picturesque Rides and Walks within Thirty Miles of the British Metropolis ‘ (1817-1818) and ‘ Excursions of Pleasure ‘ (1823) show Hassell’s deep interest in Surrey which was to take him to most parts of the county and result in at least 750 watercolour views of churches, houses and other buildings of architectural or historical interest which he found. They provide a superb glimpse of the county’s architecture over two centuries ago before the face of Surrey was transformed by the coming of the railway. The Old Parsonage and the Granary of Hill Farm Barns by Edward Wilkins Waite (1854-1924) The Old Parsonage has attracted painters for decades past These paintings are by Arthur Robertson who was a late Victorian British watercolour artist and topographical painter active in the 1880s and 1890s. He specialised in village and town scenes, domestic and architectural subjects and figures in contemporary dress: The Lodge, The Street, Thursley The Old Parsonage Postcard of painting of Keeper’s Cottage by A.R. Quinton. Minding the Fire by Henry Edward Spernon Tozer Mercy Fosberry and her daughter Mary by Eveline de la Belinay Lance c1930 Kitchen of Pitlands Farm (now Punch Bowl Farm) by Eveline Lance The Three Horse Shoes when the breathalyser was introduced by Russell Brockbank, Art Editor of Punch Sunflowers leading to the Threshing Barn, painted in Thursley by Philip Traill , 2003 Philip's daughter, Helena Traill , is establishing a reputation as a plein air painter: No. 248 Heather and Gorse , on Thursley Common, 2026 No. 46 After a walk everything changes , Moat Pond, 2025 These contemporary paintings of Thursley Common are by Sallie Roles :
- Witley Park
This article written by Jackie Rickenberg was published in the Parish Magazine in January and February 2022 Many of you, like me, may have been intrigued over the last year or so with the current refurbishment of Witley Park (formerly Lea Park). The number of contractors vehicles entering and leaving daily, the shielded scaffolding over the lodge houses, and not least the whisperings of grandiose extravagance are all rather eerily reminiscent of past times when the Victorian mansion was originally created. Here is the tale of the history of the great house, as written by Jane Brown, in a booklet from the archives, entitled “Portrait of S.W Surrey”. “Whitaker Wright was one of the last great eccentrics of the Picturesque – a movement that has seemed singularly attracted to Surrey ever since Charles Hamilton started building Painshill Park in the 1730’s – and the creation of Wright’s fantasy, Witley Park, was the last act of a suitably bizarre life. He was born in the north of England in 1845 – and surely with a sense of adventure and a “nose” for an opportunity – because he studied chemistry and metal assaying and set out for the United States when he was only 21. He went to the metal mining boom areas of the mid-west and by the early 1870’s he rose to the ranks of the fortune makers. After moving to Philadelphia, Wright became a pillar of East Coast society – more than a millionaire at aged 31. However, for some reason, his American business failed, and so he returned home to England in 1889 with just enough money to start all over again. Of course, Wright now knew enough about the metal mining business to exploit it from the actual “centre”, the City of London. In 1891 he bought his first mining company, the Abaris Mining Corporation, and then he floated the West Australian Exploring and Finance Corporation. He was on the road to success again, and his companies got bigger and bigger and his flotations ever more daring; his power over the stock market seemed such that the whole City shook at the mention of his name. During the late 1890’s he was at the peak of his fortune and reputation again. With his business life secure again, it was time for the fulfilment of dreams. Despite owning a palatial house in Park Lane and the most magnificent yacht, in 1897 he bought what was then Lea House, one of the old Witley manor houses, and its surrounding land, which included at the time, Hindhead Common and the Devils Punchbowl. He pulled down the old house and built an enormous Victorian mansion, which has been variously described as “hideous” or “clever free Tudor style”, but which was certainly in the big league of baronial mansions, with 32 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a drawing room, two dining rooms, a library, a theatre, a palm court, an observatory, a velodrome, stabling for fifty horses and even its own private hospital . E ndless spooky corridors were hung with hunting trophies and suits of armour. With his home comforts secured, Wright turned his attention to his real dream, which was to leave his name in the list of great “gentlemen-amateurs of the Picturesque” by creating and constructing a truly marvellous landscaped park. His first task was probably to enclose his park – a considerable feat in itself – as the great stepped wall runs for over a mile down the A286 from Milford Lodge to Brook, and then can be followed for over another mile beside and above the lane to Bowlhead Green. In 1903, The Royal Magazine told “how the sombre, silent man from the City strode about his park, carrying a great oak stick and superintending. Everywhere he saw chances of improvement. “We will have a great lake here” he said, with a wave of his oak staff, “this hill blocks the view – take it away. Cut down this wood. Here we will have a grotto. An Italian fountain would look well here! It was a standing joke among the workmen to say, every time they saw the oak stick waving ‘there goes another hundred pounds’”. And so the land at Witley was moved about by many men, at the will of one man – hills and valleys were manufactured the three great lakes: Upper Lake, Thursley Lake and Stable Lake were dug and filled from the tributary stream of the Wey. Wright imported fantastic ornaments for his park, one fountain of a dolphin came from Italy to Southampton docks but the railways refused to deliver it because it was too wide to go through their tunnels! Undeterred, Wright sent a tractor engine to haul the load home by road, and when it reached a bridge that was too low to get beneath, he ordered the road to be cut away until the dolphin could progress safely. He was not short of imagination either and had a tunnel dug beneath Thursley Lake – it was 400 feet long, lit with chandeliers and wide enough for four people to walk side by side – and it led to a great chamber of curved glass 80 feet in height, known as the ballroom. It had tiled floors and the glass walls allowed the fish swimming in the lake to be observed. Apart from the underwater ballroom, there was also the grotto, approached by a secret water passage from the lake. The grotto itself was a “fairy-like cavern, with trees high above, forming the roof within their branches” and it led to galleries and chambers carved out of rock and decorated in the Oriental manner”. Parish Mag article February 2022 Witley Park – Part 2 Last month we learned about the early life and times of Whitaker Wright, the entrepreneur businessman (AKA swindler and fraudster – keep reading!) who bought and built Witley Park at the turn of the twentieth century. This first passage continues Jane Brown’s excerpt from the publication “Portrait of S.W Surrey”. “Whitaker Wright obviously also had an eye for local talent, for he gave the then 19-year-old Edwin Lutyens from Thursley, one of his earliest commissions for two boathouses on the lakes. The biggest of these is a beautiful classical building, a real Lutyens minor masterpiece built on two levels – the top floor with a small room and balcony for sitting and viewing, with boathouses and steps for swimming from on the lower level. And then, of course, disaster struck again. Perhaps Wright was too involved in his dream landscape to keep tight enough control on his City activities, or perhaps those he thought were his friends, let him down, but his shares tumbled and the giant London and Globe Finance Corporation crashed in late 1900, bringing many members of the Stock Exchange and many subsidiary companies down with it. However, at first it seemed that Wright would escape; the Official Receiver’s report revealed the expected manipulations, deficits and false accounts, but no reason for public prosecution (in fact the Government ran scared because of the number of highly influential members of high society involved – Ed.). However, one creditor, a Mr John Flower, decided to act on his own account and obtained a warrant for Mr Wrights arrest in late 1902. Wright was in New York and eventually arrested the following March. Extradition failed and he returned home in August, of his own accord, to face the charges. Wright’s trial took place at the Law Courts in January 1904; he was found guilty of fraud and convicted to seven years penal servitude. After sentencing he was allowed a private meeting with his lawyers. He gave his watch to one of them saying that "I will not need this where I am going" and after requesting a whisky and cigar, swallowed a cyanide capsule he had smuggled into court. He died minutes later and was buried at All Saints Church, Witley. The pity of it all was that Whitaker Wright, in seven short years, had found a real place in the hearts of the people who worked for him and lived near him at Witley. His time at the Park was marked by constant acts of generosity – great lunches, bazaar’s for charities and entertainments for Friendly Societies, Working Men’s Clubs and all kinds of ordinary people much less fortunate than himself. The day of his funeral was a very sad day – the villagers wore violets as a mark of their sadness – and his coffin was hauled from the Park to Witley Church by the men who worked for him”. The collapse of Wright’s companies was largely unforeseen and took place on the last trading day of the nineteenth century. It was a true fin de siècle moment. Thousands of investors were ruined or suffered huge losses, and 20 firms of London stockbrokers went under. The story was headline news. With masterly understatement, The Times of London commented that ‘the last settlement of the century has certainly terminated in a deplorable manner.' Coverage of the trial from a contemporary newspaper report: Following Wright's dramatic exit, his estate was parcelled up and sold off. The locals, who had been concerned about his landscaping efforts, banded together and bought the sections of the estate which included the Devil's Punch Bowl and Hindhead Common, at auction in 1905. The locals then donated the land to the National Trust in 1906, becoming, in the process, the first Trust property to be managed by a local committee. In 1909 the house was bought by William James Pirrie (Viscount Pirrie) - famous as the designer of the SS Titanic and chairman of 'Harland and Wolff' the shipbuilders. He lived there with his wife until his death in 1924. The house was then bought by Sir John Leigh, created Baron Leigh of Altrincham in 1918, who was a wealthy newspaper owner, cotton industrialist and property financier. Photos of the house and interiors - possibly dated to around 1948 - show the fine and elegant style in which the house was kept. Sir John was considered a good owner and used his wealth to keep the estate and house in the style to which it was accustomed. Sir John was not to end his days at Witley Park. Sometime around the early 1950s, he sold the estate and moved to Juniper Hill in Surrey where he died in 1959. Following the sale, the fortunes of the house now declined markedly. The new owner, one Ronald Huggett, bought the house and quickly held a sale to auction off anything possible, significantly stripping the house and leaving it a shadow of its former self. The die appeared to be cast for its eventual demise, as was to be the fate of many houses in the 1950s. However, the end for Witley Park was almost as sudden as that of its former owner. In October 1952, a fire broke out (or was possibly started deliberately) in the ballroom and swiftly destroyed the house. What remained was levelled by another property speculator – and by 1956 all that remained were the domestic buildings, stables and the extensive parkland including the lakes with their now Grade-II listed buildings. The stables eventually became a conference centre - and even had a meeting room named Whitaker - with the grounds maintained as parkland. However, this was about to change. In 2003 a planning application was submitted and approved to build a house "...of classical design, with a main axis and two forward projecting bays at each end. A full height portico marks the front entrance and the garden elevation includes a projecting domed semi-rotunda, centrally set in this elevation." That was 18 years ago and today, the former house and parkland are receiving yet another much needed injection of love, care, attention and funding. We welcome and wish good luck to the new owners and long may it continue to be one of the finest houses in Surrey. Witley Park today: These contemporary photographs were taken by Sean Edwards in 2018 From Wikipedia: Witley Park, formerly known as Lea Park, is an estate dating from the late 19th century between Godalming and Haslemere in Surrey , England. Its landscaped grounds include three artificial lakes, one of which conceals an underwater conservatory and smoking room. The mansion house, rebuilt for the swindler Whitaker Wright , was gutted by fire in October 1952 and the ruins were demolished in January 1954. In the early 21st century, a new house was built on the site. At its height, under Wright's ownership at the start of the 20th century, the estate covered 9,000 acres (36 km 2 ; 14 sq mi). Following his death in 1904, it was sold and became increasingly fragmented. Much of Hindhead Common , Witley Common and Thursley Common was bought by local residents and presented to the National Trust in December 1905. From Google Earth, both looking north:
- Thursley Marriages 1613 - 2023: Part 4 1900 - 1999 (includes Marriage Register details)
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: Thanks to the Wedding Belles committee of 2007-8, we have been able to add this pdf which contains photographs of the Register of Marriages from 1910 - 2007: 1900 February 5th Thomas Wisdom & Flora Rathbone April 14th Percy Denyer & Annie Snelling April 16th Henry Miles & Alice Edwards June 4th Leon Philemon & Louise Bywill Miller November 17th Henry William Hardy & Annie Chitty December 8th Henry James Keen & Eliza Ellen Paris 1901 April 27th Alfred Vowels & Annie Elizabeth West May 25th Edward Hardy & Ellen Underwood November 9th George Court & Lucy Hayden November 30th John Sheet & Ellen Grevitt 1902 April 26th Charles Lillywhite & Elizabeth Mansell May 20th Arthur Ford & Sophia Annie Barnard July 26th Walter Wilfred Hardy & Jane Timms Mr and Mrs Alan Karn September 18th Alan Edward Karn & Mary Ann Barnard November 6th Henry Young & Rosie Jane Penfold November 18th Anthony Astley & Margaret Lily Gooch December 29th William Henry Males & Emily Court 1903 January 20th Henry Young & Ann Boxall January 24th Wilfred Lillywhite & May Amelia Winter 1904 April 18th Arthur Hill & Kate Harris April 30th John Forey Karn & Mary Ann Keen December 24th Raymond Snelling & Mary Cousall 1905 April 24th William Bowbrick & Emily Baker 1905 wedding of Edward Baker (Ted) of Upper Highfield Farm and Maria Levy of Smallbrook Farm. June 15th Edward Baker & Maria Levy October 19th Frank Gulliver & Annie Watkins October 23rd William George Pink & Elizabeth Baker 1906 February 6th Henry Boxall & Emily Mary Clarke June 6th Albert Edward Harbut & Mabel Sarah Brown 1907 March 30th George Clarke & Harriet Cunningham May 15th Alfred Court & Ellen Young June 20th Albert Elliott & Maria Baker August 4th Harry Egbert Spokes & Edith Emma Winter September 14th Percy Frost & Olive Kate Fosberry October 7th William Toone & Laura Mabel Goodall 1908 April 18th Harry Mylward & Ellen Elizabeth Boxall August 3rd William Israel Pichard & Flora Poland September 16th Herbert Glendinning & Ada Brown October 31st George Potter & Ethel Jane Carter 1909 June 5th George Warner & Edith Keen July 8th Frank Brown & Ada Jones August 2nd Charles Ward & Annie Beatrice Rowe August 9th Conrad James Reed & Alice Mary Fosberry September 22nd Walter Woodin & Lucy Baker 1910 February 19th Albert Mansbridge & Emma Ward April 12th Arthur John Levy & Sarah Baker June 1st Charles Price & Rose Nash June 29th Frederick Harold Nash & Ellen Adams August 31st Charles Barnard & Margaret Bowden 1911 April 14th Herbert Henry Cripps & Edith Pullen April 14th Robert Keen & Daisy Pullen October 2nd Frank Hunter & Alice Abigail Smithers October 26th Arthur Boxall & Margaret Edwards 1912 March 7th Sydney Doy & Alice Keen 1913 June 25th Arthur Shadrach Spooner & Clara Pullen July 16th William Coombes & Adelina Chalcraft July 23rd Ralph Marshall & Louisa Chalcraft July 29th Ernest Churchill & Mary West December 31st Maurice Wisdom & Florence Catchpole 1914 April 23rd Edward Mansey & Florence Lawes September 23rd Dennis Mann & Louisa Alice Nash 1915 August 7th George Robert Manning & Martha West August 9th James Fisher & Ellen Karn Matthews September 2nd Archibald Pitchers & Mary Tozer September 4th Frederick Budd & Daisy Hole September 25th Walter Wright & Edith Johnstone 1916 June 17th William McLeod & Lilian Phillips June 17th Henry Court & May Randall December 25th Thomas Collins & Eliza Keen 1917 April 15th William Lailey & Harriett Wheeler 1918 February 4th Angelo Astri & Agnes Pullen June 4th Ernest Wilkinson & Emma Goodchild September 16th Wesley Abe Bolton & Harriet Milton 1919 February 6th James Barrett & Alice Sharland February 19th John Keen & Lilian Fosberry March 27th Oliver Hewton & Alice Karn Matthews April 23rd Walter Cullen & Alice Howard May 31st John Forey Karn & Barbara Williams August 2nd Edwin Burmingham & Emily Hayden December 22nd Leonard Felix Rapley & Florence Nash 1920 February 28th Stephen Norman & Lily Nash April 3rd William Goodeve & Esther West May 5th William Ferrer & Aileen Chalcraft November 10th Gerard Staveley Gordon & Marjorie Worsley Smith December 4th Alfred Chuter & Ellen Hayden December 16th Charles Vesey & Mary Dorothea Loring 1921 June 13th Ernest Croft & Gladys Powell June 15th John Lamboll & Edith Jacobsen June 18th Charles Crane & Ethel Milton October 10th Frederick Fosberry & Mabel Warn October 15th Mark Ellis & Ethel Little November 19th Thomas Karn & Florence West 1922 February 22nd George Fry & Angelina Ware April 15th Walter Norman & Caroline Nash July 18th Henry Sharland & Charlotte Lillywhite November 4th Thomas Upfold & Mary Raggett 1923 September 20th Vernon Rapley & Margaret Walters October 3rd Alfred Hayden & Annie Baker December 8th Maurice White & Ada Rice 1924 January 12th Alfred Court & Harriet Snelling June 9th William Pullen & Eva Chalcraft June 15th Leonard Fisher & Ada Dora Simmons September 23RD Tom Bishop & Edith Mary Sharland 1925 January 31st Arthur Charles Winter & Maude James May18th Benjamin Wonham & Eva Brockhurst September 26th Sidney Osman & Mona King 1926 February 1st Charles Boxall & Florence Colvill May 1st William Norell & Ivy Grace Beaven September 29th William Snelling & Gertrude Harrod October 23rd Richard Gillard & Louisa Mary Wisdom November 27th Harry Court & Ada Maud Rose 1927 April 30th Alfred Pullen & Emily Kate Ridout October 15th Frank Walters & Doris Minnie Hamm December 26th William Boxall & Elsie May Roberts 1928 June 16th John Baker & Matilda Alice Price auust 11th Ernest Ware & Dorothy Alice Christian August 25th Frederick Monk & Minnie Worsfold December 8th Frederick Miles & Dorothy Karn Matthews 1929 April 13th Ernest Greenagh & Ruth Leah Gregory June 17th Harold Lewis Barrington & Gertrude Richardson June 21st Richard Henry Anstruther Morris-Marsham & Iris Rose Sophia Locking December 28th William Gilbert Messenger & Maggie Booty 1930 June 7th Charles Sole & Annie Boxall June 10th Alan Wilkinson & Evelyn Birch Reynardson July 19th Eric Wynn & Emily Wade 1931 April 18th Robert Collard & Hilda Grace Snelling June 1st Ernest Watts & Annie Wonham October 10th Arthur Herbert Williams & Ellen Keen October 13th Henry Hounsley & Frances Richardson December 26th Leonard Harris & Emily Lucy Court 1932 April 26th Arthur Cecil Stuart & Dorothy Bateson June 11th Edward Winchester & Agnes Poultney 1933 January 7th Albert Hammond & Bertha West September 30th Harold Hibbin & Beatrice Nelly Court October 28th Henry John Nash & Gladys Amelia Wood November 4th Walter Thompson & Anita Carton de Wiart Major-General Carton de Wiart, VC 1934 March 7th Stanley Horne Gale & Ethel Mary Boxall March 24th Harold Parsons & Frances Kate West March 31st Alfred Cottrell & Emily Evelyn West 1935 March 30th Walter Hobbs & Margaret Boxall August 5th Bertram Holden & Violet Grace Smith September 12th William Penfold Grey & Alice West September 21st Frederick Howard & Miriam Leggett December 21st William Good & Lucy Winifred Karn 1936 January 25th Royston Bartlett & Kathleen Rose West August 31st Reginald Messenger & Dorothy Warner 1937 July 17th Digby Dent & Barbara Henty July 24th Horace Fullbrook & Emily Rose Boxall September 11th Ernest Holmes & Mary Chapman October 2nd Reginald Cyril Parr & Jessie Wilson December 23rd Henry Baden Keen & Phyllis Joan Trott December 27th Eric George Adams & May Giles 1938 June 2nd Herbert Smyth & Peggy Warren Meade 1939 September 9th Edwin Hall & Norah Kathleen Robinson September 19th Harry Howard & Minnie Madge West October 27th Julius Norman Gems & Olive Dewhurst December 9th John Edgerley & Anne Parker 1940 March 11th Owen John Reddick & Doris Keen March 16th Frederick Albert Miller & Pansy Taylor March 23rd Leonard Raggett & Elizabeth Keen July 18th John Constable Jackson & Irene Stainer July 27th Ronald Francis & Florence Lavender Mr and Mrs Ronald Francis August 16th Clifford Gibbs & Gwendoline Burrows August 17th Alan Priestman & Marjorie Kennersley September 5th Charles Jones & Patience George September 6th Frederick Sugden & Lillian Clode September 21st Harold Swatton & Doreen Hughes October 17th Maurice Clifford & Dorothy Blythe October 22nd Walter Martin & Zillah Alice Cole October 26th Alan Paice & Joan Curtis November 12th Basil Millar & Lorna Nichols December 7th Cuthbert Norris & Cicely Hurcomb December 26th Ray Hall & Marjorie Warner 1941 January 4th John Wonham & Gwendolen Nicholls April 2nd Albert Ayres & Unis Symes April 19th Charles Weeden & Elizabeth Maria Baker August 16th Thomas Brown & Alice Rose Miller September 30th George Hasler & June Russell October 1st Lawrence Pink & Evelyn Hayter 1942 January 4th William Zuschlag & Lilian Marshall April 25th Sidney Budd & Hilda Mary West May 2nd Leonard Cousens & Gladys Page August 15th Harold Whittle & Anna Gaeser August 15th Frank Dovey & Gladys Ida West 1943 August 17th Charles Campbell Graham & Helen Elizabeth Keen October 9th John Grant & Hazel Avril Jones 1944 February 26th Deryck MacDonald & Brenda Pitts March 25th Ernest Yates & Olive Winter March 28th William Wesbowsky & Florence Rapp April 27th William Brown & Lily May Price June 30th John Ellison & Rosemary Tephi Pitts Cecily Ida (Sammy) Warner was born in Thursley, Surrey, England on August 9, 1922 to George and Edith Warner. Sammy and Bill (William Avery Tiner) met in Britain during WWII - Bill a member of the Royal Canadian Navy and Sammy a member of the Royal Air Force. Bill and Sammy were married on July 2, 1944 at St. Michael's and All Angels. July 2nd William Avery Tiner & Cecily Ida Warner August 19th Frank Day & Sylvia Mary Brown December 14th David Bridger Austin & Diana Bush 1945 April 17th Peckles Crawford Greer & Caroline Talbot September 15th George Kenefick Rae & Mary Pitts December 8th Peter Barrington & Joan Warren Meade 1946 June 8th Robert Morgan & Edna Hall December 26th James Kelly & Phyllis New 1947 April 5th Albert Jack Merrifield & Barbara Joan Hall 1948 April 10th Norman Graffham & Betty Lee June 19th Leonard Linegar & Annie Simmonds July 24th Wladyslaw Wozniak & Jane Mary Davidson 1949 November 26th Mieczskaw Kalinowski & Mary Fosberry 1950 April 27th Reginald Crook & Nan Tavender Wilton June 17th John Olive & Betty Mary Keen August 5th Robert Seville & Elizabeth Gibb September 16th Richard Partington & Peggy Sayers Dick and Peggy Partington 16th September, 2025 - 75 years to the day later, Richard and Peggy returned to St Michael & All Angels. They lived in Heath View (now Acorns) for five years immediately after their marriage. They are photographed with their daughter (next to Richard), daughter-in-law Sheila (next to Peggy) and friends Paul and Sandra Cheeseman from Elstead. 1951 July 7th Patrick McEvoy & Peggy Kimbrey 1952 July 10th Ramon John Beesley & Anne Collins October 11th Clifford Fausset & Barbara Wilton 1953 March 21st John Graham Stewart & Pearl Annette Gems October 15th James Gray & Patricia Holford 1954 March 20th Keith Garland & Jeanne Hawkes April 3rd Derek Sharland & Marjorie Baker Mary Williams & Bert Williams on Mary's wedding day April 24th Cecil Arthur Rapley & Mary Williams October 2nd Derek Rosser & Nina Hoare 1955 February 19th John Welland & Olive Morland February 26th John Wheeler & Kathleen Clay November 19th Martin Fausset & Eva May Smith 1956 March 10th Edward John Baker & Maureen Meanwell June 2nd Robert Cowan & Sheila Ann Watts September 1st Bertram Webb & Joan Good 1957 April 20th Lindsay Pibworth & Patricia Reed July 13th Frank Miller & Dorothy Grove 1958 August 30th Roland Moss & Elsie Allwright September 20th Roland Palmer & Joan Sharland 1959 April 4th John Heard & Mary Middleton June 27th Eric Walters & Sheila Ware September 12th Douglas Sheehan & Ann Sharland 1960 January 23rd Jim Ellis & Christine Wordsworth April 2nd Robert Watt & Rosemary Rapley July 16th Ralph Cusack & Barbara Jobson September 10th Victor Moseley & Monica Reed September 17th Patrick Harvey & Tamzin James 1961 April 3rd David Williams & Pamela Ware August 16th Stephen Waters & Maureen Cottle September 30th Robert Latter & Susan Scott 1962 July 21st Richard Kent & Hazel Keen 1963 August 31st Peter Darlow & Paula Brooker 1964 March 28th Michael Reffold & Linda May July 18th Martin Auger & Elizabeth Holt August 22nd Malcolm Gee & Ruth Loarridge October 10th Patrick Gray & Jane Mary Barrow 1965 July 3rd Peter Mead & Susan Villiers Susan Brockbank and her father, Russell Brockbank, on their way to her wedding. Brockbank was working on a commission for Rolls Royce and they lent his this rare 1906 Silver Ghost for the occasion. September 4th Christopher Ellis & Susan Brockbank 1966 March 26th Rowland Bloomfield & Wendy Darlow March 26th Keith Tipping & Marilyn Joan Cooper April 23rd Richard Timberlake & Patricia Jobson September 3rd William Good & Penelope Darlow December 24th Anthony Walker & Hazel Deverall 1967 June 3rd Robert Banks & Diana Payne Crawfurd September 2nd Martin Pritchard & Caroline Lawson 1968 September 21st David Hepburn & Jane Slater September 21st Sydney James & Stephanie Morrison September 28th Brian Taylor-Jones & Rosemary-Anne Barnard September 28th Malcolm Reece & Brenda Francis 1969 July 19th R R & Fiona Payne Crawfurd September 13th Robert Ranson & Susan Thomas September 20th John Beamont & Sandra Hallam 1970 April 11th Bryan Shelley & Shirley May Drake July 11th John Lodder & Barbara Ann Good August 25th Graham Ramsey & Rosemary Holt 1971 August 14th Nigel Miller & Janet Holt August 28th Gerald Fox & Norma Ruth Gems September 3rd Robert Morris & Dianne King September 11th Geoffrey Redwood & Judith Goddard 1972 Anthony Langdale & Susanna 'Sukey' Man January 29th Anthony Langdale & Susanna Man May 18th Rolf Unwin & Amy Rowe July 22nd Kenneth Lawson & June Lawson September 25th Alan Wisely & Anita Aveline 1973 April 28th Stuart Aldridge & Carol Ann Hard John Gunner & Kay Cottle with the legendary Reg Cottle and his wife Elsie next to Kay September 26th John Gunner & Kay Sonia Cottle 1974 July 6th Andrew Constable & Mary Lintott August 24th Duncan Beal & Margaret Ranson 1975 July 26th Stephen Loveday Jupe & Jane Petherbridge August 30th David Hoare & Janet Shorter September 20th Michael Stead & Josephine Karn 1976 April 14th John Brown & Victoria Seymour-Sloan May 29th Robert McNeilly & Philippa Jane Watson September 18th Kenneth Smith & Brenda Rees September 25th David Corbett & Peggy James 1978 April 29th Malcolm Graham & Diane Louise Smith 1979 April 7th Anthony Hawkes & Jennifer Anne Collins May 5th Stuart Millichamp & Wendy Effer 1980 May 3rd Graham Keen & Jacqueline Hill July 12th Geoffrey Smith & Christine Butt 1981 October 17th Peter John Goble & Teresa Ellen Boxall 1982 June 5th Peter Davis & Rebecca McCreath June 5th Eric Warren & Sandra Valerie Platfoot June 12th Vladimir Bojoric & Annabel Clery November 20th Paul Davis & Sharon Piggott 1983 July 30th Keith Conrad Moseley & Anne Palmer August 20th David Grimes & Petronella Matthews October 8th David Brazier & Judith Keen 1984 May 19th Grantley Pearson-Wright & Caroline Wilson August 4th Robert Brown & Emma Frances Bevan 1985 August 24th Michael Walker & Nicola Jane Watt September 21st Nigel Lelend & Elizabeth Norman 1986 February 15th Martin Simpson & Maureen Andrew March 15th John Giddens & Marie-Louise Clayton 1987 May 2nd Michael Huntley & Alison Jane Phipps May 16th Michael Stuart Arnold & Sandra Macleod June 27th Russell Segalov & Melissa Bristow July 25th David Redwood & Penelope Briscoe September 26th Harry Sutherland-Hawes & Catriona McLean 1988 January 6th Carlos Manuel Garcia Hiraldo & Lynn Ann Pearson-Wright June 4th Richard Foster & Shan Suzanne Davies July 23rd Stephen Riedlinger & Sula McKinnon September 3rd Andrew Keen & Sharon Selmes October 1st Christopher Wallis & Amanda Drayson 1989 May 20th Kim Clive Platfoot & Anne Bulley July 29th Emile Pinco & Nicola Susan Mann September 23rd Hugh Latimer & Tracey Hammond 1990 June 2nd Stuart Chapman & Bryndis Forberg September 28th Paul Redden & Charlotte Cordy-Simpson 1991 April 20th Louis Cotterell & Yanine Hughes June 1st Christopher Holuj & Kirsten Hamilton June 29th Piers Germain Van-Mol & Helen Price June 29th Neil Randolph & Robyn Morley August 3rd Spencer Hutchings & Caroline Clark 1992 March 14th David Gregory & Gillian Briscoe May 30th Nigel Jones & Katy Jane Middleton June 6th Robert Ellerby & Rachel Royall July 17th Gary Fannin & Zena Khan August 8th Timothy Metherell & Philippa Sprinks 1993 22nd May Michael Spencer & Debbie Myerscough July 31st David Andrew Storey & Jillian Bird September 11th Philip Traill & Angela Bury 1994 January 9th Charles Malcolm Coles & Sarah Dwyer May 14th Paul Howling & Joanna French September 3rd James Thoden van Velzen & Amanda Gadd 1995 May 13th Julian Watt & Kirten Cawsey September 9th Christopher Leyshon & Sally-Ann James 1996 June 29th Edward Lear & Annabel Palmes September 14th Stuart Wilkinson & Catriona Wilson 1997 August 23rd Anthony Wybrott & Wendy Faulkener September 20th Christopher Simson & Rosalind Taylor 1998 February 7th Steven Moffat & Susan Vertue March 21st William Westbroek & Carolyn Venner
- Thursley Cricket Club
Photos only. For further information: https://www.facebook.com/ThursleyCricketClub/ Minutes of the AGM held on May 1st, 1865 Taken from 'The Trial of August Sangret' edited by Macdonald Critchley Bert Williams, groundsman and umpire, 1947 to 1980. Photo by Allan Woodger, 1958 The article above was published in Thursley Today, 1965 (see separate entry) The pavilion referred to above. I'anson Cup Winners 1970. Back Row: J Reffold, P Baldwin, D Hardy, P Pietrusiewicz, A Tilson, A Davidson. Front Row: A Staves, D Piper (Vice Captain), B Karn (Captain), G Pilbeam (Vice Captain), R Linegar, D Williams A Thursley Cricket Match in 1992, Thursley Gentlemen v Gentlemen of Thursley Back row from right to left : Robert Ranson; Richard Leet-Cook; Alan Traill; Malcolm Coles; Mike Spencer; unknown; Paul Gubby; Barry Rapley; unknown; Alan Staves; John Puttock; Julian Watt; Tony Tilson; Aubrey Karn; Alan Wells, Tony Cheeseman and Brian Karn Front row from left to right : two unknowns; Peter Goble; Peter Anderson; Anthony Langdale; Ant Hodges; unknown; Simon Treadwell; unknown; Tim Wakeley RA colour photograph of the same event. L to R: Sir Alan Traill; Richard Leet-Cook; Robert Ranson; Tim Wakeley; Philip Traill; Sue Ranson; Anne-Marie Emersic; Joyce Hall; Peter Scheffers











