This article was written by Sally Scheffers for the History of Thursley Society in 1993 (as can be seen from the dot matrix print) and now includes some Thursley wells. The full article can be downloaded from this pdf A Donkey Wheel in action As mentioned in the article, a donkey wheel can be seen working in Carisbrooke Castle: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/carisbrooke-castle/things-to-do/meet-carisbrooke-donkeys/ Thursley Wells: Patricia Coles of Upper Ridgeway Farm  believes that her well is probably both the deepest and oldest in Thursley. It would have been dug before the building of the house in 1331 as water was required for its building. In common with most wells, it was built nine feet from the exterior wall although it is now within the curtilage of the house having been absorbed by an extension. It is stone built for approximately seven feet, and then it was dug through rock. It is 100' deep to the water level and the water is 14' deep. Susan Goodridge of Pitch Place Farm discovered they had a well within their property when digging up the floor. The rebuild, approved by Waverley, consists of a new top layer of bricks but the lower brick work and pumps are original plus the cow bone, which serves as a water monitor, lies at the bottom. J ulia Cash sent this photograph of the well in the garden of Street House , Summer 2024. There is also a well within the curtilage of the property but it covered up by floorboards and a stud wall. These photographs were supplied by a previous owner. Gillian Duke of Badgers , The Lane, sent these two photographs. The well is now within the curtilage of the property but earlier plans show it the requisite nine feet from the back door. Lisa Woods of Holly Cottage, Bowlhead Green, sent these photographs of the well that is now beneath her kitchen sink! It had to be filled in by order of the Environment Agency due to an oil spill. Other wells have been reported in Hole Cottage, the garden of what was The Red Lion Inn, Boxalls (now filled in), Red Lodge (covered by a fridge!), Watts Gallery Chapel, Robin Hill (Bowlhead Green), Punch Bowl Farm, The Old Vicarage and Gnome Cottage (in the Punch Bowl). Please send details of any more to davidjohnyoung51@hotmail.com Thanks to Ian Exton, wells can be found on two maps. He wrote: I was just looking at old OS maps of the village. It seems they really liked putting the wells on the map in the 1870s. They're very clearly marked. https://maps.nls.uk/view/102347514 These show the location of wells at Emley Farm and (Upper) Ridgeway Farm Also, try the British Geological Society map as you can turn on borehole and water well data. https://mapapps2.bgs.ac.uk/geoindex/home.html With well data turned on

This article written by Jackie Rickenberg was published in the Parish Magazine in September 2021 Last month’s explanation about the origin of Emley Farms’ name, started me thinking about some of the names familiar to us, but perhaps not immediately obvious as to where their origins lie. The village sign gives a clue as to the name Thursley, which was called Thoresle in 1292. This names etymologically is difficult to interpret but it was probably derived from the Saxon God, Thunor or Thunder and may be related to the heathen temple at Peper Harrow. Read on further for another possible explanation! What about The Devil’s Punch Bowl? This is another very odd name. It seems (according to “Portrait of S.W Surrey” by Jane Brown from the early 1980’s) to have “arrived” in the district around the mid-18th century, roughly at the same time as the neighbouring Devil’s Jumps. The first recorded mention of the name is on John Rocque’s map of 1768 where the area is labelled “Hackham Bottom or Devil’s Punch Bowl”. The Devil’s Jumps also appear on this map, but it is interesting that this name also appears on an earlier map by John Senex in 1729. On that same map the site of the Devil’s Punch Bowl is simply shown as Hackham Bottom, which suggests that the Devil got the Jumps before the Punch Bowl! The name Hackham is probably derived from an ancient place name “Hegcumbe” meaning a hay-combe or meadow in a valley, a reference to the meadows that occupied the northern part of the valley before the gorse took over. There is a road map by John Ogilby dated 1675 of the London to Portsmouth Road and as this is fairly large scale it should surely show the Devil’s Punch Bowl, if it were known as such – but it does not; it only shows the name Hindhead. Why the devil the Devil suddenly came to this corner of Surrey in the mid 1700’s, it is difficult to say. An alternative origin to the name Thursley is that the name is related to “Thor’s Ley”, which dates back to the Danish occupation of Surrey in the 9th century. Thor was the Scandinavian Vikings God of war and folklore has it that Thor made war on the Devil, who had annoyed him, by jumping from hill to hill – hence the name Devil’s Jumps. One day Thor caught him in the act and bowled him over with a stone – they say you can still see the stone on the Jumps! However, the delay of nine centuries before the name stuck, is somewhat tardy, so believe what you will! The name Devil’s Punch Bowl, coupled with the wilderness of the landscape, has always conjured up vivid imagery, and Charles Dickens made use of this very cleverly in the following passage from Nicholas Nickleby: To Godalming they came at last, and here they bargained for two humble beds, and slept soundly. In the morning they were astir, though not quite so early as the sun, and again afoot; if not with all the freshness of yesterday, still with enough hope and spirit to bear them cheerily on. They walked upon the rim of the Devil’s Punch Bowl: and Smirke listened with greedy interest as Nicholas read the inscription upon the stone which reared upon that wild spot, telling of a murder committed there by night. The grass upon which they stood, had once been dyed with gore; and the blood of the murdered man had run down drop by drop into the hollow which gives the place its name. “The Devil’s Punch Bowl” thought Nicholas, as he looked into the void, “never held fitter liquor than that!” Nowadays, the Punch Bowl is a well-known walking and beauty spot but as Charles Dickens implies, it has had its share of dark and sinister times. The sailor’s murder referred to above by Dickens, is a part of Thursley’s history, but for those not familiar with it, it’s worth repeating. Next month’s subject! Incidentally, The History Society recently unearthed an old Tithe map of Thursley dated 1846, which lists all the field names around the village. It goes a long way towards explaining some of our house names. We are in the process of getting it framed and it will be on display at the upcoming VE Day exhibition on 14th November in the Village Hall. It’s interesting to note that the majority of land in Thursley was then owned by either Lord Middleton or Henry Yaldon Knowles. I don’t claim to know all the house names in the parish, but I can’t remember seeing anything known as The Rumpy, Dunghill, Upper Bottoms or indeed Lower Bottoms! I would love to stand corrected though. Remember to email if you have any queries or points of interest; thursleyhistorysociety@gmail.com. Postcard circa 1933

As the Book of Common Prayer puts it: “Rogation Days are the three days preceding Ascension Day, especially devoted to asking for God's blessing on agriculture and industry.” Revd Mathews with a parishioner These photographs courtesy Sue Ranson and dated 1973

If you have any photos of these or any other Thursley Christmas events, please send them to davidjohnyoung51@hotmail.com Christmas Eve visit by Santa and his elves (2002) Barbara McMurray (Homefields) would drive her ponies through the village delivering sweets for all the children on Christmas Eve afternoon. Her grandchildren were the elves! The photographs are of Barbara, her daughter, the grandchildren in the back with the Maclean family outside Sunset Cottage. Photos by Sonya Maclean, 24th December 2002. Nativity Service: Wheelers Farm Barn (2001) Alan and Sarah Traill used to host these and all the village children came along Hollies Nursery Nativity Play in the 1980s Hollies Nursery was in the village hall from 1984 - 2000 when it closed and was replaced by Butterflies. Christmas Eve Carols at The Three Horseshoes Every year since (when?), villagers gather outside the pub where mulled wine and sausage rolls are served, carols are sung and terrible jokes are told by Santa Claus. More photographs PLEASE! Christmas Eve 2025, with Father Christmas in full flow! Thursley Christmas tree lighting ceremony (2023) This is a very recent tradition (see separate entry) started by Thursley residents near to the Clump and is thoroughly enjoyed by the village: https://www.thursleyhistorysociety.org/post/thursley-s-christmas-tree Christmas Fair in the Village Hall This is a regular event - photos please! Men of Thursley and Women of Thursley Christmas lunches and dinners These regular fixtures in the Christmas calendar began as lunches (when?) and are now dinners: Church Christmas Services There has, of course, been services in our Church since its inception in 1030. Our hard-working vicar, Revd Hannah Moore, and her team now look after four parishes:

This is the first page of a remarkable, hand-written document compiled by the late Jill Fry. There are over 11,000 totrix moths or leafroller moths and Thursley common has its fair share. It is hoped that some photographs will be added over time. The rest of this 44 page document can be found in the pdf below:

The exhibition, entitled 'Victory Euphoria', was the brainchild of the Thursley History Society's Chairman, Sally Scheffers. She spent many months asking Thursley villagers past and present to search their memories and photograph albums for stories about their relatives' experiences during World War 2. The result was an extraordinary exhibition of over 100 entries, albums and objects of interest most of which can be accessed from this main entry. All other entries have been cross-referenced. Welcome from Sally Scheffers: The main hall consisted of stories, desriptions of events and places and objects in display boxes This farm was made by Anthony's Langdale's mother in 1942 out of orange boxes. She made it for her three sons to play with. She and her husband, Arthur, ran a farm in Sussex and there were land girls on the farm The north hall was used as a reading room The exhibition consisted of: PEOPLE Sir Malcolm Arnold Mary Bennett Air Vice Marshal Denis Breakey Russell Brockbank Admiral Sir John Bush Reg and Elsie Cottle Jean Chopping Squ Ldr P F Clayton Frank Debono Major William Arthur Kirwan Dickinson Sheila Dickinson H A L Fisher Lettice Fisher Steven Frank Bruce Austin Fraser Eddie Gale Robert Goble Wing Commander Charles W Gore Vincent Grygelis Rudolf Hess Ernest John (Jack) Hesmondhalgh   F/Sgt Robert Henry Houldey Colonel Christopher Hutt Kate Jensen Ann Levy Jeffrey Malton David Man 'Topsy' and Christopher Man   Hilda Matheson Kenneth Mathews Noelle Mendelssohn Raymond Monnery Arthur Moss Edward Osborn Tom and Grace Ranson Robbie Robinson Peter Scheffers Joyce and Tony Secrett Robert Sharland Sir Roger Stevens Jack Stimpson Jo Streatfield-James Sally Streatfield-James Carl August Hendrik Swift and Joan Betty Swift Charles James Treadwell Christina-Maria van den Toorn Paul Von Oldecop   Tim and Margaret Walsh Sergeant G R Weedon (see below in this entry) Monica Whately Michael Wyatt John and Madge Young It was hoped that by clicking on the surnames above, you would be able to connect to the individuals you wished to read about, unfortunately this proved to be difficult and so the pdf below was created. It has a contents page so that it can be both searched and navigated quite easily: Here is a sample entry: This is just one of the over 90 white plaques that Sally Scheffers made for the exhibition. Each one commemorates a person featured in the displays or stories. Sergeant G R Weedon 's war career was discovered after the exhibition: EVENTS, PLACES & THINGS 1939 Register Admiralty Signal Establishment Aircraft Recognition Journal The Camp Canadians in Thursley 'Doodlebugs' Farnham Castle Gee Radio Navigation System Hitler's Black Book Life in Thursley During World War II Life in Tweedsmuir Camp with the Lorne Scots Regiment Marriages in World War II Queen Victoria Rifles Siege of Calais Thursley Horticultural Society in WW2 Thursley's Home Guard Tweedsmuir Camp VJ-Day 15th August 2025 Voluntary Positions of Thursley's Non-Conscripted Residents Women's Land Army YMCA Like the People section above, these entries can be found a searchable pdf: Here is a sample entry: DISPLAY CASES These crocheted dolls, some fashioned over chicken wishbones, were lent by Marion O'Brien Mein Kampf in blue on the left and a Jewish Anti-Nazi novel in yellow in the middle Medals from many theatres of war The Camp was produced for POW's by the Germans Includes Jeffrey Malton's Log Books

The Times by Richard Pohle Surrey Live https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/gallery/thursley-common-fire-one-year-20712130 These photographs by Philip Traill:

Photographs only of this Grade II listed building (28th October, 1986) Hedge Farm Cottage was sold in 1952 as part of the break-up of the Cosford Estate: Mrs John Baker and daughters Joan and Marjorie From the Register of Electors, 1936 Surnames of previous owners include: Guyatt Snr; J Guyatt; Rickenberg Hedge Farm in 2002 Photograph by Sean Edwards The current owner has expanded and renovated the property since 2002. It enjoys this spectacular view: Photographs taken in 2024:

An article from The Surrey Advertiser, 4th August 2006, about this unique building that is in Thursley Churchyard. Thursley Dame School was replaced by the Thursley School in 1852. Pupils paid one penny per week and another penny for "manners". From a postcard published in the 1920's The Dame School was an implement shed in the 1980s Large scale plans are in the archive From The Surrey Advertiser: A LANDMARK building in Thursley has been restored as part of a major project to improve the facilities at the parish church.  The village has one of the few surviving dame schools in the area. Dating from the turn of the 19th-century, it was built in the churchyard of St Michael & All Angels.   The small oak-framed building with a fireplace and leaded windows was in very dilapidated but has taken on a new lease of life, thanks to a £120,000 church improvement scheme.   “It was a ruin,” said villager John Walshe, who led the project. “The dame school was put up for the children of the Thursley. They paid a penny a week and an extra penny to be taught manners. “We had advice from Jo Thompson, an expert carpenter from the Weald and Downland Museum, and an expert surveyor, Bill Percy. The builders, Crozon, have also done us proud.” Original features, such as the windows, hearth and part of the lath and plaster have been preserved. Mr Walshe hopes to include an information board tracing the building’s history. “We’ve been able to put it to good use, and we will use it as a vital storeroom for the church,” he said. The Dame School today, 30th April 2024 FromWikepedia.org : A  Dame school  was a private  elementary school  in English-speaking countries. The children were usually taught by women. The schools were most common from the 17th century to the 19th century. Most of these schools were in  Britain , the  United States , and  Australia .  The  Statistical Society of London  found almost half of all children in Dame schools surveyed were only taught spelling. Few were taught mathematics and grammar. Dame schools became less common in Britain after the introduction of  compulsory education  in 1870.  The Dame School prior to restoration These photographs show the beautiful leaded light windows, some with stained glass. It was too expensive to restore them but they still remain behind the new oak cladding The Restoration Project: A Report on the Structural Timbers and Joinery of the Dame School at St Michael and All Angels Church, Thursley, Godalming, Surrey for Thursley Parochial Church Council by Joseph Thompson, Dip Surv , Sussex Oak and Iron, The Downland Gridshell, Weald and Downland Open Air museum, Singleton, West Sussex, PO18 0EU, February 2005

This Grade II listed building (9th March, 1960) was once an extension to Boxalls to which it remains attached. Vine Cottage, The Street, c1925 Harry and Mary Seaford, 1977

By Sean Edwards The following notes result from a meeting, on Thursday 13th November with Capt. Streatfield-James to review the Churchyard trees. Subsequently a further visit was made with Mr Ray Herbert to identify some of the conifers and the churchyard has been surveyed to show tree positions. The Churchyard has an open character, with fine views to the north which it may be thought are worth retaining. The existing tree content is seen as complementing this character and some caution is recommended in the siting of any new planting which might change this situation. All of the trees seen are presently in fair to good health and not seen to be dangerous. The following comments on the species present may be helpful in planning future work.