Thorley is a village on the Isle of Wight, from

Yarmouth Yarmouth may refer to: Places Canada *Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia **Yarmouth, Nova Scotia **Municipality of the District of Yarmouth **Yarmouth (provincial electoral district) **Yarmouth (electoral district) * Yarmouth Township, Ontario *New ...

in the northwest of the island and is west from

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

History

Thorley has a manor house called Torlei (meaning thorny lea) which was held by Earl Tostig in the time of

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

. It was originally governed by Earl Tostig during the reign of King

from the manor house. Following the

Norman Invasion of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conquer ...

, it was granted by King William the Conqueror to Richard de Redvers, (purportedly) Earl of Devon. The Earls of Devon held the land until the Isle of Wight was surrendered back to the Crown under the reign of Edward I of England. It was then granted to the Earls of Salisbury until it was confiscated by an Act of Attainder against John Montagu, 3rd Earl of Salisbury.

Henry IV of England Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...

then granted it to George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence before it was returned to the Crown following an act of attainder. In 1472, King

Edward IV of England Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

gave Thorley to Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers for six years as compensation for harm done to his family by the Duke of Clarence. Queen Elizabeth I then granted the parish out to a local farmer in exchange for annual rent, the farmer's daughter then sold it to Sir Robert Holmes, Governor of the Isle of Wight. As of 1862, Thorley was retained to follow the ownership of Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. Thorley has a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

team.

Church

In the 13th century a church, dedicated to

St Swithun Swithun (or Swithin; ang, Swīþhūn; la, Swithunus; died 863 AD) was an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester and subsequently patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. His historical importance as bishop is overshadowed by his reputation for post ...

, was built in the village and it was purportedly founded by Amicia, Countess of Devon. Later on it fell into disrepair and ruin; the remaining building and small graveyard are sited adjacent to Thorley Manor, on the B3401 road to Yarmouth . In 1871 a new church was built further east, nearer the village centre, and it remains the current parish church. In 1866 a National school was opened in the village for 60 pupils. In 1912 the parish was recorded to comprise of land.'Parishes: Thorley', in A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 5, ed. William Page (London, 1912), pp. 284-285
British History Online
Accessed 13 August 2019.

History

Church

References

See also