| Description | Manor Farm, Thorner, occupies a block of land on the NW corner of the presumed original village core. The modern farm complex includes a double aisled barn, 7 bays in length and of late medieval date a rare and important survival in the region (HB30 LBS/Images if England ni. 425469)). This farm was clearly far more substantial than the ordinary tenanted holdings in the village.
Brown states that it was the Rectory Manor and, although SMR is not aware of documentary evidence for this, the size of the curtilage and the size of the barn (tithe barn?) point towards a holding of this status; the map of 1765 is clearly deficient in marking only one building on the site; the name 'Manor Farm' is of unknown antiquity and cannot alone be taken as sufficient evidence.
Whether or not it was actually a rectory manor, this holding must certainly be regarded as of potential importantance in archaeological terms. Most of the farmyard is occupied by relatively insubstantial structures which may be surmised to have caused little damage to below ground remains. The possibility of early medieval/pre Conquest remains exists. (NB the Metham manor site is most probably that just to the SE (PRN 4674)). |