Heritage trails: Thornes in England

The children of the British Sarah Wade and Peter Thorne family must have been raised with religious curiosity around the turn of the eighteenth century, because three of the nine children and four of their grandchildren joined the LDS church in the mid-1800s and emigrated to Utah. Although Sarah and Peter had died by then (they passed away 1835-36), their legacy was an important background to the lives of their daughter Jane and granddaughter (Gawain's great-grandmother) Annie Thorne Wells.

thrilling to see the town name on a sign after years of seeing it on pedigree charts and in parish records!

We were excited to return to their hometown recently, about a half hour outside of Oxford, and visit the church where the Thornes were married in Chinnor (OX39 4PG), and the church in Aston Rowant (OX49 5SW) where the next generations (Jane and Annie) attended. (Those British postal codes are invaluable for the SatNav directions!)

I had found it promising that the current pastor of the Aston Rowant church shares the surname of Thorne; however, our email communication did not uncover any relationship and she was out of town that day (as it turns out, the churchwarden who was scheduled to let us in, was also inexplicably absent). It was helpful to be in advance contact, though, since they were able to rule out any family headstones and we didn't need to spend our time searching those.

Driving in to the area through a mountain pass of Aston Hill, you are surrounded by a nearby nature preserve. The medieval churchyard of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Aston Rowant is rich in birdsong and cats. A nearby clock chimes the hour as you walk up past the old vicarage and down a shaded path through mossy overgrown headstones to the blue door. The building is made of Sussex flint stones, a common material for the era and location.

Ironically, we couldn't enter the church, which was locked--and felt a connection with ancestors Jane and Annie who may themselves have felt barred from the building: Jane gave birth illegitimately to Annie and would have suffered religious and social consequences.

Annie Thorne Wells, home in Aston Rowant once more

with her Wells descendants

not allowed in

the mossy headstones

building with clock tower across from church, probably there during Jane and Annie's time

the old vicarage next door to the church--were the people there kind to our ancestors?
Perhaps not, which may be why they sought out a new faith 

Just a short drive down the road to the next town over, we had sunshine in Chinnor at St Andrew's church where Peter and Sarah (Jane's parents and Annie's grandparents) were married on November 29, 1789 (almost exactly 228 years ago and possibly this same kind of day and weather--cold and bright until sunset around 4 pm).

Stained glass windows light this larger building, and a painting of Peter raising the keys may have been an influence on this couple who raised pioneers seeking apostolic key holders. A fenced large graveyard holds many headstones but none of our own ancestors (the family didn't settle/die in Chinnor).

the doorway where bridal couple Sarah and Peter once entered

It is such a privilege to retrace the steps of our pioneers who left this land and came to Utah, imagining how they felt to settle in Dixie after this lush green land, or perhaps how freeing and peaceful it was to leave the constraints of their past (Jane made herself several years younger on Utah records; Annie acquired a fictional father) and move forward in the gospel light.

Perhaps Annie's son St George is named not only for the town of his birth, but as the son of British parents it could be in honor of his English heritage and the patron saint of England, Saint George. Being in their very place (even if we can't travel through to their time) was inspiring and brought new insights.