Thundridge
Encyclopedia
Thundridge is a village and civil parish
in the East Hertfordshire
District, in the county of Hertfordshire
.
(the county town of Hertfordshire
)
and Tonwell
, and the hamlets of Cold Christmas
and High Cross.
and Ware railway station
nearby. Thundridge is on Ermine Street
, which is a Roman road, and it was on the A10 road
until it was by-passed in 2005, returning it to a quiet village.
with land being held by the Bishop of Bayeaux and tenanted by Hugh de Grentmesnil, with the record indicating that there was a drop in the value of the land from 100 shillings to 40 shillings. There had however been civilised habitation in the area earlier than that, with both Roman and Saxon remains being found in the adjacent estate known as "Youngsbury" just a few hundred yards away from the old Thundridge location.
With the 1826 improvement of the London to Cambridge road that runs on the west side of the current Thundridge village location - formerly it had run a more crooked path through "Ermine" or "Back Street" in the village - there was an increased populus migration to the "new" location of Thundridge, adjacent to the main road. All that now remain of the old Thundridge location are the 15th century church tower of the "Thundridge Old Church" of All Hallows and Little Saint Mary, and a few bricks from the chimney stack of the Manorial home of Thundridgebury. Thundridgebury was built during the reign of Henry VIII, possibly by Henry Gardiner - the Gardiners being a family that became prominent in later years giving name to the nearby wood "Gardiner's Spring". The last inhabitants of Thundridgebury were the Hollingsworth family, they having bought it from Daniel Giles, who had in turn purchased it from the Gardiners. The house was dismantled in the early 19th century, as was subsequently the church in 1854, with only the chimney stack and tower remaining respectively. According to local legend, the chimney stack was left standing in order to allow the owners to continue to collect rent, but a later local legend (which was correct) was that it's presence allowed the owners to maintain a pew in the new Thundridge church - built in the "new" Thundridge location in 1851 and consecrated in 1854 - as technically the manorial land which had been absorbed into the Youngsbury estate when purchased by the Giles, now fell under the parish of Standon - the church for which was some 5 miles distant. So long as the chimney stack remained however, the pew in the Thundridge church was kept available for the owners of the (now combined) property of Youngsbury.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the East Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England. Its council has offices in Bishop's Stortford and Hertford ....
District, in the county of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
Location
It is about two miles away from the town of Ware and about seven miles away from the large town of HertfordHertford
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...
(the county town of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
)
Nearby settlements
Nearby villages include WadesmillWadesmill
Wadesmill is a hamlet in Hertfordshire, England, located on the north side of the River Rib with an estimated population of 264. Running through the center of Wadesmill is the road formerly known as the A10 - the main London to King's Lynn road - but now that the A10 by-pass has been built,...
and Tonwell
Tonwell
Tonwell is a small village in Bengeo Rural parish, Hertfordshire.The village is situated just off the A602 , having been bypassed in 1987 - making the A10 and therefore London and Cambridge easily accessible by road....
, and the hamlets of Cold Christmas
Cold Christmas
Cold Christmas is a hamlet in the East Hertfordshire District, in the county of Hertfordshire.- Location :It is about 3 miles away from the town of Ware and the large town of Hertford .- Nearby villages :...
and High Cross.
Transport
For transport there is the A10 roadA10 road
The A10 is a major road in England. Its southern end is at London Bridge in the City of London, and its northern end is the Norfolk port town of King's Lynn...
and Ware railway station
Ware railway station
Ware railway station is in Ware in Hertfordshire, England. It is on the Hertford East Branch Line, and train services are provided by National Express East Anglia, who also manage the station...
nearby. Thundridge is on Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
, which is a Roman road, and it was on the A10 road
A10 road
The A10 is a major road in England. Its southern end is at London Bridge in the City of London, and its northern end is the Norfolk port town of King's Lynn...
until it was by-passed in 2005, returning it to a quiet village.
Amenities
Thundridge has a primary school, a Church, a popular village hall and a pub. It also has a school playing field, allotments and football and cricket pitches. The village shop closed in 2010 but is set to re-open.History
The village of Thundridge was originally located about one-half mile to the east of the current Thundridge location, also adjacent to the River Rib. There are references to "Tonrich" in the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
with land being held by the Bishop of Bayeaux and tenanted by Hugh de Grentmesnil, with the record indicating that there was a drop in the value of the land from 100 shillings to 40 shillings. There had however been civilised habitation in the area earlier than that, with both Roman and Saxon remains being found in the adjacent estate known as "Youngsbury" just a few hundred yards away from the old Thundridge location.
With the 1826 improvement of the London to Cambridge road that runs on the west side of the current Thundridge village location - formerly it had run a more crooked path through "Ermine" or "Back Street" in the village - there was an increased populus migration to the "new" location of Thundridge, adjacent to the main road. All that now remain of the old Thundridge location are the 15th century church tower of the "Thundridge Old Church" of All Hallows and Little Saint Mary, and a few bricks from the chimney stack of the Manorial home of Thundridgebury. Thundridgebury was built during the reign of Henry VIII, possibly by Henry Gardiner - the Gardiners being a family that became prominent in later years giving name to the nearby wood "Gardiner's Spring". The last inhabitants of Thundridgebury were the Hollingsworth family, they having bought it from Daniel Giles, who had in turn purchased it from the Gardiners. The house was dismantled in the early 19th century, as was subsequently the church in 1854, with only the chimney stack and tower remaining respectively. According to local legend, the chimney stack was left standing in order to allow the owners to continue to collect rent, but a later local legend (which was correct) was that it's presence allowed the owners to maintain a pew in the new Thundridge church - built in the "new" Thundridge location in 1851 and consecrated in 1854 - as technically the manorial land which had been absorbed into the Youngsbury estate when purchased by the Giles, now fell under the parish of Standon - the church for which was some 5 miles distant. So long as the chimney stack remained however, the pew in the Thundridge church was kept available for the owners of the (now combined) property of Youngsbury.