Thrale/Thrall history

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We know hardly anything of William; his death is shown in 1656 as 'William Thrale of No Mans Land', and his marriage apparently took place in 1632 at Redbourn to Margaret Smyth, also of Sandridge.⁵ It was in 1683 that the first Court Roll reference of Wheathampstead records the death of Ralph Thrale, and the admission of his son Ralph, and thereafter Ralph follows Ralph in the Nomansland family for seven generations.⁶ It is therefore upon the tenure of No Mans Land that the descent of William from Ralph, and Ralph from William, is thought to be true although more substantial evidence would have been desirable.

In the same way that the commencement of the No Mans Land line has a shadowy genesis, it is perhaps in keeping that it should be with this part of the family that the legendary history of the arms of the Thrale family is connected. A well-loved and honoured Vicar of Sandridge from 1872 to 1890, the antiquarian Dr. John Griffith, recorded the following:⁷ 'Copied Jan. 1879 by J. Griffith, Vicar of Sandridge from an M.S. paper in possession of Mrs. Syrett, the draper's wife of St. Albans and who was a friend of Miss White. The original ancient document was sent to the Cape of Good Hope by her husband Mr. Syrett and who was acting executor to Miss White.

Legendary History of the Arms of the Thrales of No Mans Land.
In ye last year or two of Queen Mary's reign (1556 - 1558) and during the persecution of Elizth, Elizabeth was under ye necessity of making her escape from Hatfield or Theobalds to Ashridge or from Ashridge to Hatfield or Theobalds; being pursued and nearly taken by Queen Mary's emissarys, she dismounted her palfrey or horse and escaped into the barn or house of Mr. Thrale of No Mans Land, where she was concealed for several days and escaped. As a reward, Queen Elizth, on coming to the throne, gave the Thrale family as a token of her regard amongst other things, arms, a broad arrow, etc.

The necessary steps to be taken in my opinion at the Heralds office is to take the above and search the records of the first seven years of Queen Elizabeth to see what arms were granted to the Thrale family of No Mans Land. Copied from an ancient document found with Miss White's letters'.

Although it means anticipating the events of some generations ahead, it would seem logical to finalise the provenance of this document. It was in 1920 that a researcher, Mr. W. Foster, wrote the same history verbatims.⁸ with the addition that the manuscript leaf and a portrait of a Mrs. Thrale holding a large bird with a spread wing belonged to Miss Elizabeth Pemberton White of St. Albans. He wrote further 'She was

Footnotes

5. Allen's Marriage Index of Hertfordshire.↩︎
6. Church Commissioners, Millbank, London.↩︎
7. Griffith Papers, Herts Muniment Room.↩︎
8. Notes & Queries 12th Series V.I. 272 (5th June 1920).↩︎