| Therfield | |
|---|---|
 St Mary, Therfield | |
  Therfield Location withinHertfordshire | |
| Population | 556 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TL334371 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ROYSTON |
| Postcode district | SG8 |
| Dialling code | 01763 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
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Therfield is both a small village of approximately 4,761 acres (19 km2) and acivil parish which sits upon the chalk range, three miles southwest ofRoyston, and six miles (10 km) northeast ofBaldock and within theEnglishcounty ofHertfordshire.
The name Therfield is a variation ofTharfield and ancientlyÞurreweld. It is atheophoric placename referring toThunor and means either 'Thunor's Field' or 'Thunor's High place", from the same Germanic root that gives 'veldt'. The village was inhabited long before theAnglo Saxons came: theIcknield Way runs through it, andNeolithic barrows have been found on Therfield Heath.
Today Therfield is known as a very small village that is locally famous for its church, chapel and pub. The Nature Reserve ofTherfield Heath lies a mile to the north of the village. From here on a clear day it is possible to see the Cathedral of Ely, over twenty miles to the north.
TheIcknield Way Path passes through the village on its 110-mile journey fromIvinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire toKnettishall Heath in Suffolk.
In Therfield the Church of St Mary the Virgin has stood the test of time. The most recent building was completed in 1878 and it replaced the church that had existed since the 13th Century which fell into such disrepair that it was in danger of collapsing. When it was replaced, the windows, pulpit and font were removed from the old church and built into the new structure. The tower contains six bells dating from 1597, 1608, 1626, 1656, 1689 with the most recent from 1707. For years these bells were not used and worship services were marked by the ringing of a bell dated 1862 that hung from a tree in a nearby field. The church register dates from the year 1538.Francis Turner (bishop) was buried here in the chancel in 1700. The church's originalStuart royal arms survives, and is unusual in that the inscription on theGarter is partly misspelt.[2]
Therfield Chapel was established as a congregation of Protestant dissenters (the "Independents") in 1836. The current Chapel was built subsequently, in 1854, and the Church eventually became known as Therfield Congregational Church, being affiliated to the Congregational Union who acted as trustees for the Church property. When in 1966 the Congregational Union was replaced by a body which espoused more liberal views, the Chapel seceded and became affiliated first to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC), and then to the Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches (EFCC).
In 1965, Allon Taffs was ordained as Pastor, after serving the church as Secretary/informal leader for some 10 years before. He remained until May 1993. After a period of interregnum, during which time the church was cared for and led by the elders and deacons, the Rev Mark Kingston was appointed as Pastor in August 1997. He served the church until he resigned in July 2002. Andrew Carter was appointed as Pastor in February 2006 until January 2016. In May 2016, Joshua Jones was appointed and currently serves as Pastor.
Therfield has three tiers of local government at parish, district and county level: Therfield Parish Council,North Hertfordshire District Council, andHertfordshire County Council.
Therfield is anancient parish, and it was part of thehundred ofOdsey. Therfield was included in theRoystonPoor Law Union from 1835.[3] TheLocal Government Act 1894 createdparish and district councils. Therfield Parish Council came into being on 13 December 1894, taking over the secular functions of the parishvestry, and the parish of Therfield was included inAshwell Rural District from 28 December 1894.[4] Despite the name, Ashwell Rural District Council was based in the town ofRoyston. Ashwell Rural District was abolished in 1935, becoming part ofHitchin Rural District, which in turn was abolished in 1974, becoming part ofNorth Hertfordshire.[5]
Therfield contains thescheduled ruins of a motte and bailey castle.[6] The fortification was most likely constructed in 1143-44 and wasslighted before it was finished.[7] It seems that it did or would have connected to a further embankment surrounding the original part of Therfield.[7] The Castle is owned by Tuthill Farm and it was excavated in 1958 by a team led by Martin Biddle when the owner informed theMinistry of Works that he intended to bulldoze the site.[8] The farmer was dissuaded from damaging the motte but most of the baily was levelled in 1960.[8]
Authority control databases: National |
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