Village sign on a traffic island at Meadow Lane and Russell Hill, Thornhaugh.
The sign shows St Andrew's church, and a figure of Sir William Russell.
"Thornhaugh is a civil parish and village in the city of Peterborough unitary authority, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. For electoral purposes it forms part of Glinton and Wittering ward in North West Cambridgeshire constituency.
Thornhaugh (or Thornhaw) is derived from the Anglo Saxon and means a thorn enclosed low-lying meadow beside a stream. There is evidence of a settlement here as far back as the 12th century, but probably has earlier origins. For many centuries the population would have consisted of land owners, farmers, clergymen, millers and workers on the land in the woods and quarries. Although the village of Thornhaugh itself is quite small, the area within the parish is one of the largest in the county of Cambridgeshire. The village was declared a conservation area in 1979.
The road that runs through the village is Russell Hill, named after Sir William Russell, Baron Russell of Thornhaugh (
visit link) who lived here. The Russell family are also associated with the area in Central London known as Bloomsbury where you will find Thornhaugh Street and of course Russell Square."
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"The Gentleman
Sir William Russell (c1557 – 1613), 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh.
This representation was taken from a painting of William Russell attributed to Marcus Gheeraerts and is currently hanging in Woburn Abbey
He was the 4th son of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford.
Knighted 1580.
Married Elizabeth Long on 13th February 1584/5.
Governor of Flushing 1587–94 (Flushing is the English name for Vlissingen, Netherlands when held by England under an agreement with the Dutch).
Lord Deputy of Ireland 1594-7 under Elizabeth 1st.
Created Baron Russell of Thornhaugh 21st July 1603.
He is buried in the church, where he had already built his tomb.
The title of 17th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh is currently held (along with other titles) by Andrew Russell, the15th Duke of Bedford.
The Coat of Arms
This is the combined coat of arms that can be found on the monument in the church above the head of Sir William Russell.
The left side is the coat of arms of the Russell family.
The right side is that of the Long family.
The Church
The village church of St. Andrew.
Red Kite
A bird on the edge of extinction in the 1970s, but now a familiar sight; gracefully circling above the village with its distinctive whistling cry.
Thornhaw
There appear to be three recorded spellings of Thornhaugh.
The earliest account (I can find) is Thornhaw in 1146 that appears in Bridges History of Northamptonshire. There is no mention of the village in the Domesday Book.
The same history also cites a spelling of Thornhawe and Thornhaugh.
John Speed’s map of Northamptonshire dated 1611 refers to Thornhaw, however in the text on the reverse it is spelt Thornhawe.
Waterwheel
This is the 18’ diameter waterwheel at the mill built in 1750 at Sacrewell Farm. Sacrewell Mill has now been awarded lottery funding to undertake vital restoration work."
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