Contents Buckinghamshire  Nearby Places Turville "In ancient records the name of this place is variously spelt Therfield, Tyrefield, and Tyrefold. The parish lies on the verge of Oxfordshire, and extends over an area of 2315 acres, of the rateable value of £1456. The number of the population at present is 437. Many Roman copper coins, chiefly of the middle Empire were found here in 1772. The Village is distant 6 miles W.S.W. from High Wycombe, 7 miles N. from Henley-on-Thames, and 8 miles N.W. from Great Marlow. The greater part of the houses of the parish are at the Heath, North End, and South End, two to four miles from the parish church." [History and Topography of Buckinghamshire, by James Joseph Sheahan, 1862]

Bibliography

The following reference sources have been used in the construction of this page, and may be referred to for further detail. Most if not all of these volumes are available in the Reference section of the County Library in Aylesbury.

"Buckinghamshire Returns of the Census of Religious Worship 1851", Legg E. ed., 1991, ISBN 0 901198 27 7.
"Dictionary of English Place-Names", A.D. Mills, Oxford University Press, 1997, ISBN 0 19 28131 3
"History and Topography of Buckinghamshire", Sheahan, James Joseph, 1862
"Magna Britannia: Buckinghamshire", Lysons S. and Lysons D., 1806.
"The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Buckinghamshire", Page W. ed., 1905-1928
"War Memorials and War Graves: High Wycombe and area, Volume 11", Peter Quick.

Return to top of page

Cemeteries

The following Monumental Inscriptions are available as publications or as part of a Society library:

• Monumental Inscriptions for St Mary's church are in the library* of the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.
• War memorials in Turville have been transcribed by Peter Quick and published by the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.

* = material held in a Society library is generally available for loan to all members either via post, or by collection at a meeting

Return to top of page

Census

In 1798 the Posse Comitatus listed 74 men between the ages of 16 and 60 in Turville.

In the earliest government census of 1801, there were 376 inhabitants in 72 families living in 72 houses recorded in Turville.

* = No names were recorded in census documents from 1801 to 1831.
** = Census documents from 1911 to 2001 are only available in summary form. Names are witheld under the 100 year rule.

Microfilm copies of all census enumerators' notebooks for 1841 to 1891 are held at the Local Studies Libraries at Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, as well as centrally at the PRO. A table of 19th century census headcount by parish is printed in the VCH of Bucks, Vol.2, pp 96-101.

Availability of census transcripts and indexes.

• 1851 - Full transcripts and indexes for Buckinghamshire are available on CD-ROM, hard copy and microfiche from the Buckinghamshire Family History Society.
• 1861 - Available on CD-ROM with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.
• 1881
  • Available on CD-ROM from the Church of the Latter Day Saints, as part of the National 1881 Census Index.
  • Available on CD-ROM for Buckinghamshire, with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from Drake Software.
• 1891 - Available on CD-ROM with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.

Return to top of page

Church History

• Vicars of the Parish Church of St Mary

Details of the stained glass in the church can be found on the following web sites (the site includes many photos):

• Buckinghamshire Stained Glass

Return to top of page

Church Records

The original copies of the parish registers for St Mary, Turville have been deposited in the Buckinghamshire Record Office in Aylesbury, and they hold the following years:

Copies or indexes to the parish registers are available from societies as follows:

* = material held in a Society library is generally available for loan to all members either via post, or by collection at a meeting

An ecclesiastical census was carried out throughout England on 30 March 1851 to record the attendance at all places of worship. These returns are in the Buckinghamshire Record Office and have been published by the Buckinghamshire Record Society (vol 27). The returns for Turville showed the following numbers:

Return to top of page

History & Descriptions

Turville was described in 1806 in "Magna Britannia" as follows:

TURVILLE, in the hundred of Desborough and deanery of Wycombe, lies on the borders of Oxfordshire, about eight miles west of Wycombe, about seven miles north-west of Marlow, and about the same distance from Henley. There are two manors in this parish, one of which was in the family of Morteyne, from the reign of Edward I. till about the year 1406, when it passed by female heir to the Botilers. In 1546, it was purchased by Sir John Williams, and soon afterwards passed to the ancient family of Doyley, and from them about the year 1703, by marriage to the Pocockes. In 1753, it was purchased of Mrs. Pococke, a widow lady, by John Osborne, the celebrated bookseller, whose son is the present proprietor.

The other manor belonged to the abbey of St. Alban's, and was granted by King Henry VIII. to Edward Chamberleyne, who conveyed it to the Dormer family. In 1653, John Ovey esq. bought the whole, or a part of this estate of Mr. West, who had not long before purchased it of the Dormers. From Mr. Ovey's family it passed by marriage to the Perrys. Mr. Perry, who married one of the coheiresses of the Sidneys, Earls of Leicester, built a fine seat at Turville park, and was sheriff of the county in 1741. Turville park is now the property and seat of Thomas Butlin esq. who purchased it of Mr. Shelly, son-in-law, and in right of his wife, heir of Mr. Perry.

In the church are some memorials of the families of Doyley, Pococke, and Perry. The rectory, which was appropriated to the abbey of St. Alban's, is now in severalties, together with the advowson of the vicarage.

Return to top of page

Names, Geographical

The name of Turville derives from the old english words thyrre + feld, and means 'dry open land'.

Return to top of page

Photographs

• Buckinghamshire Church Photos by Kevin Quick.
• Buckinghamshire Village Photos by Kevin Quick.
• Buckinghamshire Records and Local Studies Service - large collection of old photos of Buckinghamshire

Return to top of page

[Last updated: 19th January 2003 - Kevin Quick]