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Yorkshire Chess History |
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Thorold Ancestry |
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Historic Thorold Families of Lincolnshire
Records of Thorolds owning land in Lincolnshire date back to 1368 or before.
One important Thorold in the ancestry of the 19th-century chess-playing Thorolds was a William Thorold who died on 20/11/1569, and was buried in Marston Church. He had 4 sons and a daughter by his first wife Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Leeke of Hallom, Notts. He also had 2 sons by his second wife Margaret Hutton, who was first daughter and co-heir of Robert Hussey and Anne Say Hussey, and was the widow of Henry Sutton of Willingbre, Lincs. It seems likely Mary brought into the Thorold family her own wealth from her previous marriage.
William’s first son, Anthony Thorold of Marston, was knighted in 1585, died 26/06/1594, and is also buried in Marston church. He married Margaret, daughter of Henry Sutton of Wellingore His second son was William Thorold who married Frances, daughter of Sir Robert Tyrwhit. Their second son was another William Thorold, who was knighted in 1607 at the age of 16. He was a royalist in the civil war, raised his standard in Nottingham in 1642, and was made a baronet 2 days later!
The other five sons of the first-mentioned 15th century William, brothers and step-brothers to the Anthony who was great-grandfather of the first Baronet of Marston, are all said to have established successful gentry families.
In all, four baronetcies were bestowed on members of the Thorold clan, though only one remains in existence today: 1) The Thorold Baronetcy of Marston, Lincolnshire, was originally bestowed on William Thorold on 24 August 1642, as described above. This baronetcy is the one which remains, and is the one from which the chess-playing Thorolds were descended. 2) The Thorold Baronetcy of Hough-on-the-Hill, Lincolnshire, was originally bestowed on Robert Thorold on 14 June 1644. This baronetcy ceased in 1706 on the death of the third Baronet. 3) The Thorold Baronetcy of Harmston, Lincolnshire, was originally bestowed on George Thorold on 9 September 1709. This baronetcy ceased in 1738 on the death of the second Baronet. 4) Another Thorold Baronetcy of Harmston, Lincolnshire, was originally bestowed on Nathaniel Thorold on 14 March 1740. This baronetcy ceased in 1764 on the death of this Nathaniel, the first Baronet.
Although royalists like Anthony got fined after the civil war had been won by the parliamentarians, the baronetcy was probably a good long-term investment. In fact it is said that the 9th Baronet of Marston, Sir John Thorold (18/12/1734-1815) was offered a peerage but turned it down on the basis that he preferred “an ancient baronetcy to a new barony”.
The Thorold of Marston armorial description is “Sable, three goats salient argent”, which translates into the vernacular as “Three leaping silver/white goats on a black background”. The punning family motto, “Cervus non Servus” translates to “a stag not a slave”. Edmund Thorold’s minor branch of the family would not, or course, be entitled to use the Thorold of Marston coat of arms, which belonged to the baronet of the day.
Ancestry of the Chess-Playing Thorolds
Successive generations of Thorolds, from which the 19th-century chess-playing Thorolds were descended, would appear to be as follows:
Lincolnshire Pedigrees Vol. 52 for 1904, published by the Harleian Society, gives a family tree going further back than the above list, and indicates that certain other versions contain errors or are incomplete, and appends a caveat: “Note. - The Thorold pedigree has never been satisfactorily worked up.”
According to the above list, Edmund Thorold was a 9xgreat-grandson of Sir William Thorold, 1st Baronet of Marston, and a great-great-grandson of Sir John Thorold, 8th Baronet of Marston.
References to the Thorolds in Street Names &c.
In the rural setting of Marston, Lincs., along the road from Marston Hall, the rural seat of the senior branch of the family, is the local school called “Thorolds Charity C. of E. Primary School”. This name suggests some charitable trust set up by the Thorold family.
Numerous “Thorold” street names occur throughout Lincolnshire, with some in Nottinghamshire, and some in South Yorkshire, as follows:
Thorold Place, Kirk Sandall, (modern, north-east of Doncaster) Thorold Ave, Cranwell, Lincs (modern, near airfield in rural Lincs.) Thorold Gardens, Barkston, Lincs (modern, rural Lincs.) Thorold Road, Barrowby, Lincs (near Grantham) Thorold Street, Boston, Lincs Thorold Street, Grimsby, Lincs Thorolds Way, Castor, Lincs (rural, west of Peterborough Thorold Way, Harmston, Lincs (modern, rural, south of Lincoln) Thorold Close, Clifton (south of Nottingham).
Additionally there is an area in Grimsby, Lincs., called “Grant Thorold” which sounds rather as though the Thorolds granted a tract of land to the local authority, though there was, it seems, a person called Grant Thorold.
The writer is also convinced he’s noticed an open space somewhere called Thorold Park, or similar, but its identity has since proved elusive.
The town of Thorold in Canada is said to be named after Sir John Thorold, 9th Baronet of Marston, he who refused a peerage.
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Created 01/01/2013 |
Copyright © 2012 Stephen John Mann Census information is copyright of The National Archive, see UK Census Information |
Last Updated 01/01/2013 |