Thornton, Buckinghamshire
Encyclopedia
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 Aylesbury Vale
district of Buckinghamshire
.
The toponym
is derived from the Old English for "thorn tree by a farm". The Domesday Book
of 1086 records the village as Ternitone.
The earliest record of the Church of England
Church of Saint Michael and All Angels
dates from 1219. The present building is 14th-century, but was drastically restored between 1770 and 1800 and largely rebuilt by the Gothic Revival architect
John Tarring
in 1850. The restorers retained a number of mediaeval features, including the 14th-century belltower, chancel
arch and clerestory
and 15th century clerestory windows.
The Tudor Revival Thornton House was also built to John Tarring's designs in 1850. It incorporates parts of a mediaeval house that was modernised in the 18th century.
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-east of Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
in the Aylesbury Vale
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
district of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
The toponym
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
is derived from the Old English for "thorn tree by a farm". The Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 records the village as Ternitone.
The earliest record of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Church of Saint Michael and All Angels
St Michael and All Angels' Church, Thornton
St Michael and All Angels' Church, Thornton, is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Thornton, Buckinghamshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...
dates from 1219. The present building is 14th-century, but was drastically restored between 1770 and 1800 and largely rebuilt by the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
John Tarring
John Tarring
John Tarring, F.R.I.B.A., was an English Victorian ecclesiastical architect active in the mid-nineteenth century in London, Middlesex, Kent, and Devon, England...
in 1850. The restorers retained a number of mediaeval features, including the 14th-century belltower, chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch and clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
and 15th century clerestory windows.
The Tudor Revival Thornton House was also built to John Tarring's designs in 1850. It incorporates parts of a mediaeval house that was modernised in the 18th century.