St James the
Great, Thorley
Rectors
The following list of Rectors with their dates
of Institution is that in Canon
Procter's Church Guide, which was published in the 1920s and references
Newcourt's
Repertorium and Cussan's History of Hertfordshire, extended to
include more recent incumbents using information from other sources.
The names of the incumbents before 1327 are not known.
There are links from this page to a number
of biographies. Those written for this website have sought to use New
Style dates, in which the year has been adjusted as though it commenced
on 1 January prior to 1752. The date styles in those from other sources are
as of the cited references. The biographies written for this website attempt
to resolve inconsistencies in and between the sources on which they are based.
Such inconsistencies naturally remain in those from other sources.
Name of Rector Date of Institution Patron
William Vigerons 13th April 1327† Bishop of London
Stephen de Scatldeford 6th May 1329† "
William-at-Water 6th May 1333† "
Thomas Thorpe 24th Sept. 1393 "
John Berton 18th April 1401 "
John Gray - "
William Seton 2nd Sept. 1431 "
John Chicheley 17th April 1433 "
William Northwold 31st July 1434 "
Robert Coventry 7th June 1443 "
John Gaytcliffe 11th Sept. 1470 "
Henry Thomas Aug. 1474 "
Robert Wylly 8th Oct. 1474 "
Thomas, Bishop of Pavia 22nd Oct. 1493 "
Robert Glowceter - "
Ralph Wakefield 14th Feb. 1502 "
Thomas Chamber(O) 10th April 1528 "
Edmund Brygate(C,O) 22nd Oct. 1545 "
John Atherton (C,B) 28th Sept. 1562 "
Christopher Taten(C) 20th April 1573 "
Francis Burley(1)(C) 5th July 1594 Queen Elizabeth,the
See of London being
vacant.
John Mountford(C) 3rd May 1619 Bishop of London
Robert Pory (2)(C,O) Nov. 1640 "
Benjamin Some(C) 1662 "
Thomas Turner(3)(C,O) 4th Nov. 1680 "
Thomas Beaumont(C,O) 20th Jan. 1689 "
John Reynolds(C) 27th Jan. 1710 "
Thomas Ely 27th May 1728 "
William Gibson(C,O) 27th Nov. 1742 "
John Horsley 18th March 1745 "
Thomas Henry Louth (O) 5th Jan. 1778 "
Stephen Eaton (O,B) 6th July 1778 "
Samuel Horsley(4,C,O) 11th Dec. 1779 "
Joseph Warton(5,O) 20th April 1782 "
William Browne(C) 14th Jan. 1784 "
Thomas Pennington(C) 7th Feb. 1798 "
Frederick Vander-Meulen(6,C) 13th Jan. 1853 "
John Mathias Procter(7,O,B) 22nd Jan. 1883 Bishop of St Albans
John Edward Ingleby Procter(8,O,B) 8th Sept. 1909 "
Norman Ashby 1938 "
George Harding Wood 1940 "
Sydney E.F. Robinson(9) 1946 "
Alan John Cole 20th Oct. 1980 Queen Elizabeth II, the
See of St Albans being
vacant.
Clive P. Slaughter 11th June 1987 Bishop of St Albans
Robert H.V. Payne 11th Sept. 2002 "
Christopher Malcolm Orme 4th Feb. 2015 "
Gareth Paul Tracey 29th Jul. 2020 "
† The day and month recorded for the Institution of each of the first three
Rectors would appear to be in error. Although these are as published in
Cussan's History of Hertfordshire, the Institution of William Vigerons is
recorded in Newcourt's Repertorium as taking place on 13. Kal. Apr., that
is thirteen days before the Kalends of April (1 April) counting inclusively,
corresponding to 20 March. The Institutions of both Stephen de Scatldeford
and William-at-Water are given as occuring on 6. Id. Maii. in their respective
years, that is six days before the Ides of May (15 May) counting inclusively,
or 10 May.
1. One of the Revisers of the Authorised Version of the Bible issued in 1611.
2. Following the outbreak of the Civil War in 1642, Robert Pory was, in 1643, deprived
of the living of Thorley, but was reinstated as Rector at the Restoration in 1660.
3. Founder of the Apprenticing Charity.
4. Successively Bishop of St Davids, Rochester and St Asaph.
5. Head Master of Winchester College, 1766-1793.
6. The Patron for this institution would seem to have been the Bishop of London,
even though Thorley was in the diocese of Rochester at the time.
7. Hon. Canon of St Albans.
8. Hon. Canon of St Albans.
9. Hon. Canon of St Albans.
C. Alumni Cantabrigienses Biographies
O. Alumni Oxonienses Biographies
B. Other Biographies