Thornton, Buckinghamshire

Unitary authorityCeremonial countyRegionCountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townMilton KeynesPostcode districtMK17Dialling code01280PoliceThames ValleyFireBuckinghamshireAmbulanceSouth Central UK Parliament 51°59′49″N 0°55′05″W / 51.997°N 0.918°W / 51.997; -0.918

Thornton is a village and civil parish on the River Great Ouse about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-east of Buckingham in the unitary authority area of Buckinghamshire.

History

The toponym is derived from the Old English for "thorn tree by a farm". The Domesday Book of 1086 records the village as Ternitone.^[2]

It was formerly thought that the "lost" Domesday manor of Hasley formed part of Thornton^[3] but it is now established that this was incorrect and that Hasley was part of Radclive.^[4]

Church

The earliest record of the Church of England Church of Saint Michael and All Angels dates from 1219.^[2] The present building is 14th-century, but was dramatically restored between 1770 and 1800^[2] and largely rebuilt by the Gothic Revival architect John Tarring in 1850.^[5] The restorers retained mediaeval features including the 14th-century belltower, chancel arch and clerestory and 15th century clerestory windows.^[2]

Thornton Hall

The Tudor Revival Thornton Hall (now Thornton College) was also built to John Tarring's designs in 1850.^[5] It incorporates parts of a medieval house modernised in the 18th century.^[5] The manor was home to Richard Cavendish (1794–1876)^[6][7]

Thornton College

Thornton College, an independent day and boarding school for girls, occupies the former Manor House Thornton Hall. The school educates girls aged 4 – 18 and has a nursery for boys and girls aged 2½ to 4. Since the Sisters of Jesus and Mary (a Catholic religious order), purchased the site in 1917, there have been a significant number of new developments at the school, most recently an award-winning Science and Prep Classroom wing (AVDC Outstanding Design Award). A new Sixth Form department opened in 2016. The school now has over 400 pupils.^[8]

References

Sources

• Page, William, ed. (1927). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Buckingham, Volume 4. pp. 243–249., available online
• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1973) [1960]. The Buildings of England: Buckinghamshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 268. ISBN 0-14-071019-1.

External links

• Thornton, Buckinghamshire at UK Genealogy Archive
• Thorton College boarding school official website
• Thornton Parish and College at Wolverton & District Archaeological & Historical Society

Media related to Thornton, Buckinghamshire at Wikimedia Commons