Thorns (VTM)
Thorns is a small village outside Silchester, Hampshire in England, to the west of London. The hamlet of Thorns lies four miles southwest of Silchester. Like Silchester, Thorns stands upon the ruins of an earlier Roman settlement, in this case an outpost once linked with nearby Calleva Atrebatum. It is significant to the history of the Camarilla, which was founded with the Convention of Thorns on October 23, 1493. Smaller in size than Silchester, Thorns contained little over 300 inhabitants in 1493, when it was the site of the convention.
The town's name derives from the proliferation of thorn bushes that grow in the vicinity. Villagers harvest the thorns, which range in size from slender ones suitable for use as needles, to larger, thicker thorns capable of serving as utensils and tools. Stripped of their natural weaponry, the supple branches of the thorn bushes make excellent material for woven baskets and mats. Thus, despite its small size and its proximity to Silchester, Thorns managed to prosper without becoming assimilated into its larger neighbor.
Though named for Thorns, the meeting to decide the Convention actually took place in the Abbey of the Sacred Crown, outside the village.