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> [!SUMMARY]
> **Offley Place** was owned by [Sir Thomas Salusbury](https://thrale.com/sites/all/libraries/tng/getperson.php?personID=I428&tree=tree01) (Hester's uncle) and was where [[Hester Thrale née Salusbury]] grew up and was first introduced to [[Henry Thrale]].
![[offley_place_1.jpg]]
<div class="caption">Offley Place in recent times.</div>
After the death of Sir Thomas Salusbury's first wife - [Anne Maria Penrice](https://thrale.com/sites/all/libraries/tng/getperson.php?personID=I485&tree=tree01) - the estate would have been inherited by Hester as Salusbury's closest relative. However - much to Hester's disappointment, Salusbury married again to [Mrs. King](https://thrale.com/sites/all/libraries/tng/getperson.php?personID=I685&tree=tree01) who inherited instead.
<iframe width="100%" height="350" src="https://www.openstreetmap.org/export/embed.html?bbox=-0.33628195524215704%2C51.92890227429736%2C-0.3349676728248597%2C51.930250226761714&layer=mapnik&marker=51.92957625559042%2C-0.3356248140335083" style="border: 1px solid black"></iframe><br/><small><a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=51.92958&mlon=-0.33562#map=19/51.92958/-0.33562">View Larger Map</a></small>
## Offley Palace
Offley Palace is said to have been built in the eighth century by the [Saxon King Offa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offa_of_Mercia), from whom the village probably takes its name. According to local legend, Offley Palace once stood where Offley Place, currently a [training and conference centre](http://www.offleyplace.com/), now stands in the Hertfordshire village of [Great Offley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Offley).
![[offley-place-1700-sir-henry-chauncys-historical-antiquities-of-hertfordshire.jpg]]
<div class="caption">Engravings of Hertfordshire country seats from the first edition of Sir Henry Chauncy's Historical Antiquities of Hertfordshire published in 1700.</div>
![[offley_place_2.jpg]]
<div class="caption">Offley Place - date unknown.</div>
## In verse
The Great Ash Tree - much loved by Anne Maria Penrice - in Offley Park was brought down by a heavy storm in 1760. This was the subject of [[Offley Park 1761|these verses]] by [[Hester Thrale née Salusbury|Hester Thrale]].
A year later - in 1761 - Hester Thrale wrote verses called [[Offley Park 1761]].
## See also
![[hester-lynch-thrale-1741-1821🔎#^hester-lynch-thrale-infoblock]]
#history/person/SALUSBURY/hester-lynch-born-1741
#history/place/england/hertfordshire/offley
#history/person/PENRICE/anna-maria-born-1718
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