[2] Thorley has a manor house called Torlei (meaning thorny lea) which was held by Earl Tostig in the time of Edward the Confessor.

[3] Following the Norman Invasion of England, it was granted by King William the Conqueror to Richard de Redvers, (purportedly) Earl of Devon.

Henry IV of England then granted it to George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence before it was returned to the Crown following an act of attainder.

[3] In 1472, King Edward IV of England gave Thorley to Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers for six years as compensation for harm done to his family by the Duke of Clarence.

Later on it fell into disrepair and ruin; the remaining building and small graveyard are sited adjacent to Thorley Manor, on the B3401 road to Yarmouth .