http://www.thursley-pc.gov.uk/ This watercolour is the only illustration relating to Thursley to be found in the British Museum The following was copied from the Thursley Parish Council website: Thursley is situated in the Borough of Waverley, South West Surrey, north of the Hindhead Tunnel. Thursley parish is dissected with the village centre being just west of the A3 which runs from Portsmouth to London. Its name is believed to mean the “sacred grove of Thor” referring to the Norse God of Thunder, who was worshipped by the Anglo Saxons. The relatively small population of approximately 650 people (272 households), live in a comparatively large parish of roughly eight square miles. The properties are located in four distinct areas: Thursley Village, Bowlhead Green, Pitch Place, and Warren Park. The village has evolved slowly over time, with the church of St Michael and All Angels dating back, in part, to the Saxon times but later enlarged and reordered in 1860 and 1884. The centre of the village with its many listed buildings, interspersed with 18th Century, Victorian and more modern properties, is a designated Conservation Area. The Village Hall, built in 1843 of Bargate stone was originally the village school and remained so until its closure in about 1960. Today it, along with The Three Horse Shoes public house, is very much at the centre of village life in Thursley; being used as a Nursery School in the day time and then by village organisations or to host social events in the evening or at week-ends. The centre of Bowlhead Green is also a Conservation Area. Originally an agricultural settlement, the many listed and period buildings clearly reflect this activity. Being on the “other-side” of the A3, with its narrow lanes and high banks, it can have a quite separate feeling of identity. Through the years the parish has seen various industries come and go. Woollen weaving took place during the 15th and 16th centuries, being replaced by iron smelting, which flourished in the 17th century. During the first half of the 19th century silk weaving took place; much of the raw silk was believed to have been smuggled from France. The surrounding Commons have also had a long relationship with the Military, being used extensively for training exercises and equipment trials during both World Wars. Tweedsmuir Camp at Thursley, named after Lord Tweedsmuir, Governor General of Canada, known to many as John Buchan the famous author, held Canadian troops until the end of the Second World War. Afterwards it became a Displaced Persons Camp for Polish nationals, many of whom chose to settle in the area. Within the Parish boundaries are areas appreciated locally for their unspoilt nature and intrinsic beauty, which have also been recognised for their national and international significance. Thursley Common National Nature Reserve, managed by Natural England, is one of the largest remaining heathlands in Surrey with a mixture of woodland, lowland heath and mire (bog). The mire is not only a Special Area of Conservation, but also, a RAMSAR site (a wetland of international importance) supporting diverse flora and fauna. In addition, there is Hindhead Commons (partly in our Parish) and the Devil’s Punch Bowl which is owned and maintained by the National Trust and has been recently reunited by the construction of the Hindhead Tunnel which opened in 2011. Finally, there is Hankley Common located to the north and west of Pitch Place which with its replica section of the Atlantic Wall, played a significant role in D-Day preparations, and more recently doubled as the Skyfall estate in the James Bond film of the same name. These Commons are all designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and the Parish as a whole is within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is deemed to be an Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV). The parish is unsurprisingly popular with walkers, many of who will follow the Greensand Way. Riders, both equestrian and on two wheels, also make use of the many byways that extend some 40 miles in total, through the parish. Thursley residents are proud of their village and care passionately about its environment, so while they are cautious and measured in their approach to development of the village, they seek to ensure that a vibrant and viable community is maintained and further developed where possible and appropriate. A notable example would be the efforts made by parishioners to ensure the pub re-opened, after a significant period of closure, as a community-owned venture. This article, written by Jackie Rickenberg, appeared in the Parish Magazine in February 2024 As every one of us knows, our Parish Council does a superb job of administering and governing the village and all its business. The Chairman, James, the clerk and all the councillors give of their time freely and enthusiastically to ensure this beautiful ancient village is protected and safeguarded for future generations. We probably don’t thank them enough - although I am sure they don’t do it for the self-gratification – and I’m also pretty sure they would tell you it’s a thankless task anyway! Nevertheless, as a reminder of the necessity of Parish Councils and a nod to their absolute worthiness, here is an extract from the archives dated November 1979 by C.W. Cooper: “The Local Government Act of 1894 decreed that from henceforth the ultimate link in the chain of government should take the form of Parish Councils, the membership of which should be formed by local worthies of good standing in the community. When I was asked to contribute an article on the subject, it occurred to me that it might be of interest were I to delve into the past history of our village as it was recorded in minutes from the Parish Councils of the times”. The first meeting of the Thursley Parish Council was on 2nd January 1895. The old Minute book makes quite fascinating reading – and one is struck by the similarity of some of the items dealt with then and today; the ever-jealous guardianship of public footpaths, the removal of fallen trees, common fires and the speed of motor traffic (this in 1908!) to name a few. In 1897 there was concern for the victims of famine in India and a relief fund raised £27. A tragic little piece of forgotten history is recorded in 1899. It was customary for the local bank manager to hold the post of Treasurer to the Council, and a Mr J C Collier of Capital & Counties Bank, Godalming, was so appointed at the first meeting. In the minutes for 20th April 1899 (a mere four months later) there appears this item – “Mr J.C. Collier was drowned in the wreck of the L.&S.W.R Co’s “Stella” on The Casquets, Channel Islands on or about Good Friday, 31st March 1899, and was found floating in a life-belt some days after. A.J.E”. A.J.E. was Mr A.J. Edwards, the first clerk to the council, a post he held for forty-five years until his death in 1940. In 1898 a request was made to the Post Office for Sunday letter deliveries, which was granted. One wonders what the Post Office Union would have to say to that nowadays (remember – this was written forty-five years ago!). Here are a few more intriguing items: In 1900 The Institute (now Prospect Cottage) was built as a Working Men’s Club. There was a succession of caretakers and in 1910 the current incumbent, a Miss Keen, was given one months’ notice to quit as she was unable to reach the lamps in the billiard room to clean them! 1908 saw a request to the Automobile Association for the erection of danger signals at the Red Lion corner because of the excessive speeding of motor traffic. The hot, dry summer of 1911 saw “terrible conflagrations” on the common, and Mr W K Fosberry was instructed to replace the destroyed gate to the Parish Field (gone again!). In 1912, the Clerk had occasion to travel twice to Guildford and once to Kingston, on Council business. His total fares came to 9 shillings. 1913 saw considerable concern about the dangerous bends at Dye House Hill. Nothing much changes! It now seems difficult to appreciate that the village had no refuse collection before 1929, when Hambledon Rural District Council undertook to provide a monthly service. From earliest days until then it had been customary to employ a man with a cart to collect bottles and tins to be dumped at various spots in the parish, one such being near Foldsdown. It was in 1929 too, that following a request from the Parish Council, it was agreed to construct the footpath from the village to the main (A3) road, and thence along past the bus stop to the bottom of the hill by Bowlhead Green turning (obviously written in days when we had buses!) And so, one could go on, gleaning little snippets of interesting information of bygone Thursley, but I fear I have already over-stretched the space originally allowed me. And so, to all members of the PC, carry on doing the good work on behalf of this community, you are very much appreciated.

Cobbett was an English radical pamphleteer, journalist, author, politician and farmer born in Farnham. This article is from the Parish Magazine, October 2023, where Jackie Rickenberg reveals the author's 'slight obsession with turnips'! The following piece is from an article headlined “Delights on Thursley History”, date, author and origin unknown . William Cobbett at Thursley One of the best-known writers who have visited Thursley was William Cobbett, the author of “Rural Rides”. Cobbett was born in 1762 at The Jolly Farmer in Farnham, and this was, therefore, more or less his home county. He spent some time in America and on his return wrote many political and other pamphlets. He was an ardent reformer, and never hesitated to say exactly what he thought. Any cause he took up he championed with his whole soul. At the beginning of the last century a mighty controversy was raging in farming circles as to whether seeds should be sown, broadcast (a method of seeding that involves scattering seed over a relatively large area) or drilled. Cobbett believed in drilling and recommended this method as he went up and down the country. In the course of his rides, he frequently came to Thursley, where he stayed with his friend Mr Knowles (at Heath Hall). He always mentions Thursley as “this beautiful village” and he describes the land as “some of the very best barley-land in the kingdom………finer barley and turnip land it is impossible to see”. But Thursley farmers would broadcast their turnips. On August 7th 1823, he writes “The turnips cannot fail to be good in such a season and on such land; yet the farmers are most dreadfully tormented with the weeds, and with the super-abundant turnips. They have sown their fields broadcast; they have no means of destroying the weeds by the plough”. Two days later he contrasts the crops here with those in Reigate, where they followed his advice and drilled their turnips. “At Thursley I left the turnip-hoers poking and pulling and mudding about the weeds, and wholly incapable, after all, of putting the turnips in anything like the state in which they ought to be…… In leaving Reigate this morning I saw a field of Swedish turnips, drilled upon ridges at about four feet distance, the whole field as clean as the cleanest of garden ground. A crop twice as large as any in the parish of Thursley. It seems strange, that men are not to be convinced of the advantage of the row-culture for turnips”. Cobbett was also an enthusiastic admirer of the locust or acacia tree, and introduced it from America. This is a very hard wood and was valuable for making pins for ship building. He persuaded Mr Knowles to plant some, and he himself planted those which still stand opposite the Post Office at Thursley. Although Cobbett brought in these trees for patriotic reasons, they were never required, for iron had replaced wood for ship building before they were mature. The William Cobbett pub in Farnham, Surrey Wiilliam Cobbett's portrait in the National Portrait Gallery Brochure produced by The William Cobbett Society: Brochure produced by The Museum of Farnham in association with the William Cobbett Society:

Photographs of the original Vicarage The Vicarage suffered a terrible fire in 1930 as the photographs below show. The Reverend A J Wheeler lived there. He saved his pet spaniel from the fire by lowering the dog from a window in a quilt. His wife and daughter had to make their own way out. Unfortunately some church records were destroyed in the blaze as the vicar had taken them home having removed them from the church safe. Revd Wheeler was responsible for uncovering the 12th Century sedile ( a group of stone seats for clergy in the south chancel wall of a church, usually three in number and often canopied and decorated, OED ) in the church and for discovering in 1927 the Saxon windows in the chancel. After the fire, the Revd Wheeler bought the Haybarn field at Smallbrook Farm and converted a yard and barn used for the cattle and known as "The Hovel" into a bungalow, which then got rebuilt by Paul Wedge. Sadly, the Revd Wheeler could not stay due to his asthma induced by the cattle. He had to sell and move away. He and his wife divorced and he left the ministry. Mary Bennett said that he ran off with his ward. He was vicar of Thursley from 1925 - 1932. The lower end of the fire damage. The Vicarage building was nearly identical to the school building.

Photographs and news report From Surrey Live: https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-smouldered-1976-heathland-fires-11314109

D-Day training sites were created in Britain in order to practice for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Northern France by allied forces in 1944. In 1943, in an area of Hankley Common known as the Lion’s Mouth, Canadian troops constructed a replica of a section of the Atlantic Wall. It is constructed from reinforced concrete and was used as a major training aid to develop and practise techniques to breach the defences of the French coast prior to the D-Day landings. (The above and following description from Surreyhills.org/places-to-see/atlantic-wall ) The wall is about 100 m (330 ft) long, 3 m (9.8 ft) high by 3.5 m (11 ft) wide. It is divided into two sections between which there were originally steel gates. Nearby are other obstacles such as dragon’s teeth, reinforced concrete blocks and lengths of railway track set in concrete and with wire entanglements. Many of the relics show signs of live weapons training and the main wall has two breaches caused by demolition devices. The preservation of the Wall is managed by Army Training Estates with the assistance of the MOD Hankley Conservation Group. From Chris.shepheard@chrispics.co.uk who writes: The ones titled Hankley Vehicles are quite interesting: If you look closely [at the aeriel photograph] you will see lots of small light rectangles across part of the common. They were taken post-war when the area was used to store vehicles returned from Europe - each rectangle is a vehicle. I believe they either sold or scrapped eventually but not before the locals had helped themselves to anything usable! Apparently there was no shortage of petrol in Elstead or Thursley after the war. Chris.shepheard@chrispics.co.uk Further information from SurreyLive: https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/nostalgia/intriguing-history-once-formidable-atlantic-19596566 An undated magazine article from our archives:

Photographs taken by Sean Edwards Church Hill Cylindrical Tombs Garden of Remembrance Denyer Family Gravestones The Coffin Path Blacksmith's Tombstone Sailor's Tombstone The Chestnut Tree The Fallen Chestnut Tree with Audrey Ayres and Otto Jaenicke, November 1977 (photographer unknown) Weather Vane George Lambden's Tomb Other tombstones Tozer; Nevinson; Harbutt; Wilson The Bossom Memorial Churchyard Working Party in 2021 Saxon Window Glass Vestry Screen, 2009 Polish Lutheran Brass Plaque The Church in Winter Millenium Gate

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