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An excerpt from a little brochure written in 1951, sadly, author unknown, but published “in aid of Thursley Festival Funds” at price 6d (old pennies for those who don’t remember!). Thursley 1951 A Brief History of the Parish and Village. “When writing a brief history of Thursley, it is difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction: between actual events and romantic yarns, which everyone has heard from their ancestors. The generations of Thursley’s inhabitants appear to include honest hard-working labourers, hard-working smugglers and hard-working highwaymen amongst those who have created its history. A variety to please all! Many years ago, the parish boundaries of Thursley extended as far as Haslemere, but now they are greatly curtailed. They run round Thursley Common, including Warren Mere and cut across to Bowlhead Green, almost to Brook, then back past Boundless Farm to the Devil’s Punch Bowl. They then continue round the bowl to Pitch Place, down to Truxford and back on to the common again. Naturally the Portsmouth Road has always had its influence upon Thursley’s life and villains often frequented it as it was a great source of revenue to the highwaymen. There is believed to be a secret underground passage running from the back of Foldsdown to the sandy bank at the foot of the hill below Millhanger (remember this was 1951, before the A3 extension - ed), through which they made good their escape after holding up the coaches, as they toiled up the hill. It has even been hinted that the local clergy had held up coaches themselves in order to improve depleted church funds. The church is largely Saxon, although it has been enlarged and restored. There is an old Saxon oven which was used for baking the Communion wafers and for heating charcoal for incense. The font is almost certainly Saxon and the massive oak timbers supporting the steeple make a structure which is probably unique. Inside, there is an interesting 16th century oak chest, fitted with three locks. Each warden was provided with a key for one lock and by this method, their honesty was never allowed to be in doubt. Not much is known about the very early history of Thursley; a few Neolithic implements have been found, mainly axe heads and arrow heads. However, during the 15th and 16th centuries, the woollen cloth industries flourished at Godalming, and although it was illegal to weave cloth outside the cloth towns, two Surrey families, the Hooke’s and the Chitty’s carried on the industry at Thursley. In the 17th century, Thursley became a centre of the iron smelting industry. The iron mills were built near a brook on Thursley Common, which was widened in places to make the ponds, known as the Hammer Ponds. These were used for cooling the iron as it was smelted. Gradually, the iron industry with its attendant occupation of charcoal burning, died out, and by the end of the 18th century, very little iron was worked. It is generally accepted that the first four cottages in The Lane (now Back Lane) were used as workshops, connected with the industry, while the cottages above them were the dwelling houses of the workmen. Silk weaving, at the beginning of the 19th century took the place of iron smelting, and the mills were also built near the Hammer Ponds. Much raw silk was reputedly smuggled from France to the mills at Warren Mere, then onto Dye House, where it was dyed before disposal. The smuggling activities were no doubt very profitably managed, and at a later date even whiskey was supposed to have been hidden away in cellars under Upper Highfield Farm and its outbuildings. It is said that the horses used to transport the whiskey, were taken to The Forge where the shoes were turned back to front in order to fool the customs officers. After the decline of the silk weaving industry, the common was left to sheep; quite large flocks being raised on the excellent grass, which at that time, covered Thursley heath. Thursley has now almost healed the scars of the last war and is peaceful once more. How will the future compare with the past? The facts show us Thursley is as lovely and industrious as ever, its countryside unrestricted to us in almost every direction, but no doubt the imagination can still visualise a smuggler behind every door”.

This article written by Jackie Rickenberg appeared in the Parish Magazine in March 2024 Warren Park Surely the smallest of the parish’s hamlets must be Warren Park. The archives contain little to no history about it, but potentially someone may know more? “In 1618, Sir Robert More of Loseley and Henry Bell of Witley, set up a rabbit warren on what is now Thursley Common. At this time, artificial warrens were built to house rabbits, which were farmed for their fur and meat during the medieval and post medieval periods. A collection of these warrens was called pillow mounds and a licence was required from the King which gave the “Right of Free Warren”. The people who looked after these pillow mounds were called warreners. A house for said warrener was built on this site. Over three centuries later, in 1939, long after this practice had been discontinued, a military camp for Canadian soldiers, similar to the one at Tweedsmuir, was constructed on the site. At the end of the war, after the Canadians had returned home, displaced Polish troops who fought with the British Army in North Africa and Central Europe, were temporarily housed in the now empty camp”. Thank you to John Luff for this summary. Loseley House As is often the way when researching these articles, for several hours I have been down the proverbial rabbit hole, indeed a positive pillow mound of rabbit warrens! The reason the name of our society was changed from The History of Thursley Society to The Thursley History Society was exactly for this reason. It allows us to include tenuous historical links to areas outside of the village’s parameters – in this case we travel to Loseley House, near Guildford. Sir Robert More piqued my interest and it transpires setting up a pillow mound of rabbit warrens in Thursley was perhaps one of his lesser celebrated achievements. Born in 1581 at Loseley House, Robert was the first son of Sir George More and his wife Anne. He came down from Corpus Christi, Oxford with a BA in 1598, making him seventeen years old at graduation. It was said he lived in the shadow of his father, one of the most prominent parliamentarians of this period. Sir Robert (he was knighted at the grand old age of twenty-two) entered Parliament, becoming MP for Guildford whilst still a minor. He became joint keeper, along with his father, Sir George, and his grandfather, Sir William, of Farnham Little Park and Joint Constable of Farnham Castle. Until his death in 1626 at the age of forty-four, he served as a JP for Surrey and an MP for Surrey or Guildford no less than six times. He left a wife and eleven children, all residing in “The Old House” at Loseley Park. Some of his more memorable (to me at least) committee seats were to prevent unlawful games, to consider recusant wives (wives who refused to submit to their husbands), better observance of the Sabbath and the naturalisation of the daughters of Sir Horace Vere (falling again down that warren!). Upon his death, More was buried in the Loseley Chapel in St Nicholas’, Guildford. His eldest son, Poynings More, succeeded him as an MP, serving Haslemere. His last remaining sister, Margaret, who had married Thomas Molyneux of Lancashire, inherited the estate. The present family of More-Molyneux are descended from this couple. So there. We now have a better understanding of the man, Sir Robert More, his political career and his many public responsibilities. However, we also know that he had a passion/hobby for raising rabbits in the quiet surroundings of Thursley and whenceforth the origin of Warren Park’s name. Any filling in of the blanks between 1618 and 1939 would be most appreciated!

This article written by Jackie Rickenberg was published in the Thursley Parish Magazine November 2023 Article: Memorial Service booklet:

This article written by Jackie Rickenberg was published in the Parish Magazine in February and March 2021 After our recent articles celebrating the works of various past illustrious male residents of Thursley, including an architect, a composer and an artist, it is high time we turned our attention to one of the most distinguished ladies that has had the pleasure of calling Thursley home. This month and next, we delve into the imaginary world of children’s author and naturalist, Monica Edwards. Part 1 is about her early life and how she arrived in Thursley. Part 2, next month, will be focusing on her career and latter years. Monica Edwards (née Monica le Doux Newton; 8 November 1912 – 18 January 1998) was an children's writer of the mid-twentieth century, best known for her Romney Marsh and Punchbowl Farm series of children's novels. She was born in Belper, Derbyshire, the third of four children born to the Reverend Harry and Beryl Newton. In 1927, when Monica was 15, the family moved to Rye Harbour in Romney Marsh, Sussex, where Harry Newton remained as vicar until 1936. Her formal education was fragmented and she spent a lot of her time on the Marsh, observing fishing boats, sheep shearing, sailing with fishermen and riding shepherd’s ponies. In later years she was able to use this experience to good effect when writing her “Marsh” and “Punchbowl Farm” books. Among the people Monica met at about this time was Bill Edwards, a young man some ten years her senior. He lived principally in Rye, but spent most of his summers in a fishing hut on Camber Sands. Amongst other things, he and Monica shared a surprising interest in, and aptitude for, gymnastics! They appeared performing a balancing act in festivals in Hastings and Battle, and even appeared on picture postcards. Perhaps this was at the root of parental disapproval of the liaison. Certainly, there was a point at which her father forbade her to see Bill again until she was twenty-one. Monica accepted the dictum, but on her twenty first birthday, she returned to the precise spot on Camber Sands where she and Bill had parted, to find him waiting for him. Parental opposition was duly removed, and they married two days later. They remained married for over fifty years until Bill’s death in 1990. How wonderfully romantic! By 1947, Bill and Monica were living in Send and now had two children, Shelley and Sean. Monica, by this point, had had a couple of books published and this allowed them to think about buying a larger family home. Various properties were looked at and rejected, and eventually Monica attended the auction of Pitlands Farm, Thursley, more in a spirit of idle curiosity than with any serious intent to buy. She put in a single bid, because the price seemed so pitiably low, and, to her astonishment, found that she had bought it! Thus, began the family’s life in Thursley. This photograph, from the Estate of Monica Edwards, is a view of the farm before they moved there. It is very similar to that shown in Whittam's drawing below. When they arrived, the house had no electricity, no mains water, no sewage. Water was wound up from the well, a privy was placed at a discrete distance from the house and baths were taken courtesy of a friend. The house dates from 1332. The Edwards’ changed the name of the farm and many of you will recognise this early photo of it as Punchbowl Farm, at the top of Highfield Lane, now the home of the Scheffers family. In older Ordinance Survey maps, the farm still retains its original name. Its location is shown in Geoffrey Whittam's illustration from Monica’s book, “Black Hunting Whip ” . Here the farm is being approached from the village down the sunken lane. Behind the farm is the barn and beyond, Barn Field rises to the left to meet the other sunken lane. This later picture, taken by Monica Edwards in 1953, shows the approach to the house from the farm gate (Bill is on the right). By this time the chimney on the right-hand part of the house, visible in the earlier photograph, had been dismantled by Bill. This was the kitchen chimney in the oldest part of the house and it was in a precarious state. For some years, until it was rebuilt, the smoke from the range exited through a pipe in the roof. Just visible in the end wall of the older wing, where a part of the house has long since fallen, is the window put in for the bathroom. The bathroom was created partly from chimney space and in part a 'Priest's Hole'. From the Surrey Daily Advertiser, May 31st - June 1st, 1974 Anyone lucky enough to have read “The Unsought Farm” will be familiar with the absorbing story of how the Edwards family gradually renovated the house and land, and took to farming. It was in a terrible state when they bought it. The land was derelict and the house scarcely less so. Plainly, the land was not going to generate much income for some time to come, and this was the necessary spur to start Monica’s literary career. Her first two books, “Wish for a Pony “and “No Mistaking Corker”, were published before their arrival in Thursley. And so, for the next twenty-five years she continued to write steadily, publishing one, and sometimes, two books a year. To be continued…………. Acknowledgements: Thank you to V K Lindley for the account of Monica’s life in Thursley. The Monica Edwards website http://www.monicaedwards.co.uk/ Sean Edwards, son and Thursley resident. Monica Edwards at work at her desk in Punch Bowl Farm

Boxalls and Vine Cottage were originally a single three bay building with a central open hall.  The heavily sooted roof structure supports this.  There are some interesting features, notably a bespoke oak hook installed in the stair case void which the heritage consultants believe was used to hang/dry meat.  Boxalls was later extended to create a cross-wing (now Vine Cottage), and extended again to the rear in the late 19th / early 20th century and split into two cottages to form Boxalls and Vine Cottage as they are today. Historic maps also indicate that the original plot of Boxalls comprised the existing plots of Vine Cottage (to the south) and Wheelwrights (to the north).  The current owners wish that was still the case and they weren’t ‘boxed’ in by the two adjacent properties as they are today.  Perhaps it’s how Boxalls got its name or more likely it was named after a local family (it was actually called Tudor Cottage until around 1960). Below is the 1977 Report by the Surrey Domestic Buildings Research Group Note: They date the house 1600 but Manorwood, the heritage consultant we used for planning, dated it much earlier circa. 1525. Bob and Nancy Swanson, 1977

Photographs from a display board created by the History of Thursley Society See also The Fosberry Family Tree entry

Photographs from a display board created by the History of Thursley Society, See also The South African (Boer) War entry on the Fosberry windows in St Michael and All Angels. William Karn Fosberry, born 1816, died 1883 aged 67 Charles, Albert and Alice

The Village Hall was open from 10am to 4pm for visitors to view the fascinating memorabilia, read the villagers' stories and remember the lives of all who lived through the war years at home and overseas. Later there was a dinner in the Village Hall (photographs courtesy Valérie Ferris)

Article written by Jackie Rickenberg for the Thursley Parish Magazine, September 2023, about Joan Pearl Wolfe, 19, known as the 'Wigwam Girl' which inspired the name of the case Joan Pearl Wolfe at 19 This month there is a very long overdue memorial service taking place in the churchyard. At the same time a memorial stone will be erected, identifying the currently unmarked grave of Joan Pearl Wolfe, murdered on Hankley Common on 7th October 1942 at the age of 19 years old. Joan’s relatives will be attending as well as members of Thursley History Society and other interested villagers are invited to attend. Joan’s story is a complex and complicated one but it is summarised below: Joan was not local to Surrey. She grew up in Tunbridge Wells and attended Mark Cross Convent School, paid for by a wealthy aunt. She had a troubled upbringing, her father committed suicide when she was 7, her mother soon remarried and then Joan found her stepfather dead on the kitchen floor, again her mother remarried shortly afterwards. She ran away from home when she was 16 and lived a nomadic life, occasionally staying with a Thursley resident, Kate Hayter, whom she had befriended. At this point in the war, Canadian troops were based nearby and Joan met a French-Canadian soldier named August Sangret, a year older than Joan. He also, had had a troubled past. Throughout the 1930’s, August accrued an extensive criminal record, which included violent assault, threatening to shoot a woman and numerous convictions for vagrancy and theft. He was regularly unemployed before he enlisted to serve in the Battleford Light Infantry in 1935. Joan and August first met in a pub in Godalming on 17th July 1942. The pair had a dysfunctional relationship over the next two months. Joan had nowhere to live, so after their second meeting, they returned to Houndown Woods near Thursley and near August’s barracks, where he built her a wigwam shelter for Joan. This hideout led to the naming of the eventual crime.  After the destruction of a second shelter by the army, August broke into the Thursley cricket pavilion, where Joan lived for a few nights before disappearing on 14th September. August had a partial alibi for that night and made half-hearted attempts to investigate her disappearance. He had, after all, promised to marry her and gone as far as applying for permission to wed from his commanding officer. Joan’s writing on the wall of the cricket pavilion – “Somewhere in Canada with you” On 7th October, two marines patrolling the wood noticed what appeared to be a hand protruding from a mound. They informed the authorities who excavated Joan’s body. Primarily based on evidence from the known relationship between Joan and August, he was eventually arrested and tried for her murder. Fifty-three witnesses were called for the prosecution (including many well-known Thursley characters including Kate Hayter aka “The Witch of Thursley”, who lived in The Bungalow at Pitch Place and William Featherby, who lived in The Bungalow, Thursley and was known as Mr Thursley), whereas August was the sole witness for his defence. Hardly surprisingly, the jury found him guilty under the circumstances, but they urged the judge to show leniency in sentencing. Mr Justice Macnaghten ignored this request, put on the black cap and condemned August to hang. Joan Wolfe was buried on 8th January 1943 in the churchyard in an unmarked grave by the Rev. H. Gordon French, vicar. August was hanged on 24th April 1943, despite an appeal and the jury’s refused request for leniency being reported to the Home Secretary, who choose to uphold the judge’s sentence. He was buried in a mass grave at Wandsworth prison. Brookwood Military Cemetery records his name on their wall of honour, as having died in service- the Canadian Army had not discharged him before his execution, so officially, he was one of their war dead. The memorial makes no mention of the circumstances in which he died. These passages were taken from “Tales from a Country Churchyard” by Guy J. Singer, available directly from him on www.GuyJ.Singer.com or from Amazon. Guy published his book in 2022 and it’s a fascinating record and insight into the graves and memorials in the churchyard and the sometimes-lost stories of the people at rest there. I would thoroughly recommend it and in it you can read the story of Joan and August in much more detail than I am able to reproduce here. So, there you have it. A sad tale of two vulnerable people and the strange twists of fate that led them both to spend the last few months of their lives together in Thursley. As mentioned above, until now, Joan’s remains have lain in an unmarked grave. Her family and the church wanted to put that right and as a result, generous donations have paid for a headstone for her, which will be erected and celebrated at a service in the churchyard on 28th September 2023. From Surrey Live, 27th December 2022: https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/nostalgia/surrey-wigwam-murder-unique-british-25778274 There is also an extensive entry on August Sangret in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Sangret And a book by M J Trow:

This article by Rosemary Stockdale was published in the Parish Magazine When war broke out on 1st September 1939 life changed overnight for Poland and all her people. One such person was Janina Macsimowich (later Kot). The first 2 ½ years were spend avoiding working for the Germans but in March 1942 she was called up and sent to work in a fish processing factory in Cuxhaven where conditions were extremely hard. In summer of 1943 she was snet to work on a farm outside Cuxhaven due to shortage of fish. After the Summer she returned to the fish factory a cycle repeated in 1944 and was there in May 1945 when Cusxhaven was relieved by the British. Her husband to be J Kot was 20 when the Germans invaded Poland on 1st September 1939 which was followed, 2 weeks later, by Russian Red Army invading from the East. A few months later 13th April 1940 the family was forced out of their home and boarded a Kattle wagon, classified as a ‘Dangerous Element’ on a journey east that took nearly a month, part on the transsiberian railway, to reach their destination of Kustanay from where lorries took 25 families including children and elderly to state farms, in isolated villages on Russian steppes, about 50 miles away called Worobiowka. The local villagers, deported from Ukraine in 1935 welcomed them and they started in their new hard rural life. In summer of 1941 the Germans invaded the Soviet Republic and all young and not so young men were conscripted into the Soviet Republic army to work for victory. In winter of 1941 the , US entered the war, alarming Stalin and negotiations started to via Polish diplomats to release Polish people from prisons and camps to create a polish army. However Russians did not have arms, tenrs or food so after the amnesty Brisitsh and Americans agreed with Russia to take Polish people from Russia to Middle East. In January 1942 they were conscripted by Russia to join the Polish army and eventually arrived in Pah-Levi in Persia (Iran) in April 1942 and then Tehran and then onto a training camp near Bagdad and onto Palestine in May ’42 and Suez Canal. With situation improving in North Africa the army decided to send some 15,000 soldiers to South Africa to recuperate. The ’Mauretania’ transported Kot, in great comfort, to Durban and by train to Natal where they were pampered with food and drink for 3 months. Then the US and British armies started to prepare for the invasion of Europe and after months at sea Kot arrived in Grenock, Scotland. From there he was sent to Berwick and joined the newly created 1st Polish Armed Division in Light Anti Aircraft Artillery. After a brief holiday touring the Highlands, he was sent with his division and their guns to defend Tilbury Docks. After successful Normandy landings he then went by boat to Normandy and fought his way through France, Belgium and Holland where they spend the winter of 1944 – 45 waiting for the US armies to successfully cross the Rhine and start their push across Germany. In March 45 Kot entered Germany with no passport and successfully occupied the Nestfollen Zone for 2 full years until 1947. The Geneva Convention prevented them from repaying their enemies for the atrocities Kot and his country men had suffered under them. In April 1947 Kot sailed to the Uk and joined Polish Resettlement Corps (P.R.C.) and was snet to Tweedsmuir camp in May 1947. He had met his future wife Janina previously in a Displaced Persons Camp who after the war was then sent to work in the Cotton Mills. In 1948 they were married in Bury Lancs and then returned to Tweedsmuir Camp, Thursley to start their married life. When their children were born Kot went to London to find work and for next 30 years worked night shifts at Heinz. On retirement, following a partial stroke, he came back to live in Thursley, the village he had fallen in love with, to enjoy life with his wife, children and grandchildren.