Thornton, Buckinghamshire

Thornton
River Ouse, Thornton, 2008
Thornton
Location within Buckinghamshire
Population194 (2011 Census including Foscott)[1]
OS grid referenceSP7536
Civil parish
  • Thornton
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMilton Keynes
Postcode districtMK17
Dialling code01280
PoliceThames Valley
FireBuckinghamshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament

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.[3]

It was formerly thought that the "lost" Domesday manor of Hasley formed part of Thornton[4] but it is now established that it was part of Radclive.[5]

Church

The earliest record of the Church of England Church of Saint Michael and All Angels dates from 1219.[3] The present building is 14th-century, but was dramatically restored between 1770 and 1800[3] and largely rebuilt by the Gothic Revival architect John Tarring in 1850.[6] The restorers retained mediaeval features including the 14th-century belltower, chancel arch and clerestory and 15th century clerestory windows.[3]

Thornton Hall

The Tudor Revival Thornton Hall (now Thornton College) was also built to John Tarring's designs in 1850.[6] It incorporates parts of a medieval house modernised in the 18th century.[6] The manor was home to Richard Cavendish.[7][8]

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. The Sisters of Jesus and Mary (a Catholic religious order) purchased the site in 1917. Recent developments include the opening of a Science and Prep Classroom wing (AVDC Outstanding Design Award) in 2010, and a new Sixth Form department in 2016. The school now has over 400 pupils.[9]

References

  1. ^ Neighbourhood Statistics 2011 Census, Accessed 3 February 2013
  2. ^ "Parliamentary 2024 Constituency Map for Buckingham and Bletchley". streetguide.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Page, 1927, pages 243-249
  4. ^ *Page, William, ed. (1927). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Buckingham, Volume 4. pp. 243–249., available online
  5. ^ A H J Baines, "Hasley: A Domesday Manor Restored" in Records of Bucks publ. Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society, vol. 22, 1980
  6. ^ a b c Pevsner, 1973, page 268
  7. ^ "History and Topography of Buckinghamshire, comprising a general survey of the county, preceded by an epitome of the early history of Great Britain". 1862.
  8. ^ Blain, Rev. Michael (2007). The Canterbury Association (1848–1852): A Study of Its Members' Connections (PDF). Christchurch: Project Canterbury. pp. 18–19. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  9. ^ History of Thornton – Thornton College

Sources

Media related to Thornton, Buckinghamshire at Wikimedia Commons