Thornton Curtis was known as Torentune in 1086 at the time of the Doomsday Book. Cameron states that the origin of Curtis within the village's name is unknown but that the Thornton section means 'the farmstead or village where thorn trees grow'.

The village of Thornton Curtis lies five miles south east of Barton and four miles south of New Holland. Just east of the village lie the ruins of the Abbey of St Mary, known as Thornton Abbey. Founded in 1139 by William le Gros, the Earl of Yorkshire, and raised to the status of Abbey in 1148 it was a house for Augustinian or black canons. These priests lived a communal life under the Rule of St Augustine but also undertook pastoral duties outside of the Abbey. Officers within the Abbey besides the abbot and prior included a cellarer, bursar, chamberlain, sacrist, kitchener