Abthorpe
Encyclopedia
Abthorpe is a village and civil parish in the valley of the River Tove
in South Northamptonshire
, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Towcester
, 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Silverstone
and about midway between London and Birmingham
.
The 2001 census
recorded 285 people living in the village: 144 male, 141 female in 123 dwellings with a further 3 homes empty and further 3 second or holiday homes.
, mostly on the south side of the River Tove
, but the southern part of the parish is on the north side of Silverstone Brook, a tributary of the Tove, which it joins in Towcester. The lowest point in the parish is about 308 feet (93.9 m) above sea level, and the highest point is at 486 feet (148.1 m) at the divide between the Tove and the River Great Ouse
.
The neighbouring parishes are Wappenham
, Towcester, Silverstone, Slapton
and Bradden
, and the boundary
is about 9.75 miles (15.7 km) around, enclosing 1964 acres (794.8 ha) of land.
The main village area itself makes up less than 1% of the parish, and all buildings included still adds up to less than 2%. The majority of fields are grass, covering around 54%, used mainly for sheep and cows, but horses are also kept. Wheat and to a lesser extent barley make up about 21% of the land usage, woodland covers atnothe 20%. This is almost all Bucknell Wood which covers the elevated part of the parish, and is part of the Whittlewood Forest
.
parish of Towcester and had a chapel of ease
from at least the 14th century. Abthorpe was made a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1737, after which the parish church was restored. In 1869 it was demolished and the present Church of England parish church
of Saint John the Baptist
, designed by Ewan Christian
, was built in 1869-71. It is now a member of the Whittlewood
Parishes, a Church of England Benefice that includes also the parishes of Paulerspury
, Silverstone
, Slapton
and Whittlebury
.
Abthorpe had a medieval deer park
. This is likely to have been Bucknell Wood, which has the rounded outline characteristic of such a park. On 20 December 1537 Sir William Parr
reported to Thomas Cromwell
that:
The next day Parr updated Cromwell:
The oldest part of the village school was built in 1642 during the English Civil War
. It is now the village hall
.
Abthorpe was part of the Grafton Estate
. Charlock Farmhouse, Foscote House and Hill House were all built for the estate in about 1840.
, the New Inn, controlled by the Hook Norton Brewery
.
River Tove
The River Tove is a river in England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. Rising in Northamptonshire, it flows for around 15 miles past the town of Towcester before meeting the Ouse near Milton Keynes. Its final 5 miles form part of the border between Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, running...
in South Northamptonshire
South Northamptonshire
South Northamptonshire is a local government district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council is based in Towcester.The district is rural and sparsely populated with just over 79,293 people in 2000 and 91,000 in 2008, a 14.8% increase. The largest town in the district is Brackley, which has a...
, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Towcester
Towcester
Towcester , the Roman town of Lactodorum, is a small town in south Northamptonshire, England.-Etymology:Towcester comes from the Old English Tófe-ceaster. Tófe refers to the River Tove; Bosworth and Toller compare it to the "Scandinavian proper names" Tófi and Tófa...
, 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Silverstone
Silverstone
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and Banbury...
and about midway between London and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
The 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
recorded 285 people living in the village: 144 male, 141 female in 123 dwellings with a further 3 homes empty and further 3 second or holiday homes.
Geography
Abthorpe Parish is on a rolling rural landscape, typical of South NorthamptonshireSouth Northamptonshire
South Northamptonshire is a local government district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council is based in Towcester.The district is rural and sparsely populated with just over 79,293 people in 2000 and 91,000 in 2008, a 14.8% increase. The largest town in the district is Brackley, which has a...
, mostly on the south side of the River Tove
River Tove
The River Tove is a river in England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. Rising in Northamptonshire, it flows for around 15 miles past the town of Towcester before meeting the Ouse near Milton Keynes. Its final 5 miles form part of the border between Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, running...
, but the southern part of the parish is on the north side of Silverstone Brook, a tributary of the Tove, which it joins in Towcester. The lowest point in the parish is about 308 feet (93.9 m) above sea level, and the highest point is at 486 feet (148.1 m) at the divide between the Tove and the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
.
The neighbouring parishes are Wappenham
Wappenham
Wappenham is a linear village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is south-west of Towcester, north of Syresham and north-west of Silverstone and forms part of the district of South Northamptonshire...
, Towcester, Silverstone, Slapton
Slapton, Northamptonshire
Slapton is a small village in South Northamptonshire, England, about from Towcester and the same from Silverstone. It is close to the A43 road which links the M40 motorway junction 10 with the M1 junction 15A at Northampton...
and Bradden
Bradden
Bradden is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England, about west of Towcester. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 179 .-Buildings:...
, and the boundary
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
is about 9.75 miles (15.7 km) around, enclosing 1964 acres (794.8 ha) of land.
The main village area itself makes up less than 1% of the parish, and all buildings included still adds up to less than 2%. The majority of fields are grass, covering around 54%, used mainly for sheep and cows, but horses are also kept. Wheat and to a lesser extent barley make up about 21% of the land usage, woodland covers atnothe 20%. This is almost all Bucknell Wood which covers the elevated part of the parish, and is part of the Whittlewood Forest
Whittlewood Forest
Whittlewood Forest is a former medieval hunting forest in the south of the county of Northamptonshire in England. There are tracts of ancient woodland within the forest, and old ditch boundaries can be found at the edges of several of the individual woods...
.
History
Abthorpe was part of the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish of Towcester and had a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
from at least the 14th century. Abthorpe was made a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1737, after which the parish church was restored. In 1869 it was demolished and the present Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, designed by Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian was a British architect. He is most notable for the restoration of Carlisle Cathedral, the alterations to Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1866, and the extension to the National Gallery that created the National Portrait Gallery. He was architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners...
, was built in 1869-71. It is now a member of the Whittlewood
Whittlewood Forest
Whittlewood Forest is a former medieval hunting forest in the south of the county of Northamptonshire in England. There are tracts of ancient woodland within the forest, and old ditch boundaries can be found at the edges of several of the individual woods...
Parishes, a Church of England Benefice that includes also the parishes of Paulerspury
Paulerspury
Paulerspury is a civil parish and small village in South Northamptonshire, England. It is approximately south of Towcester and north of Milton Keynes along the A5 road...
, Silverstone
Silverstone
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and Banbury...
, Slapton
Slapton, Northamptonshire
Slapton is a small village in South Northamptonshire, England, about from Towcester and the same from Silverstone. It is close to the A43 road which links the M40 motorway junction 10 with the M1 junction 15A at Northampton...
and Whittlebury
Whittlebury
Whittlebury is a village and civil parish in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire close to its border with Buckinghamshire. It is due south of the town of Towcester to which it is connected by main roads. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 586 people.Little...
.
Abthorpe had a medieval deer park
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
. This is likely to have been Bucknell Wood, which has the rounded outline characteristic of such a park. On 20 December 1537 Sir William Parr
William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton
William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, 1st Earl of Essex and 1st Baron Parr, KG was the son of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife, Maud Green, daughter of Sir Thomas Green, of Broughton and Greens Norton...
reported to Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, , was an English statesman who served as chief minister of King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540....
that:
On Monday night last about 30 persons, 20 of whom were well horsed, came to Lord Mountjoy'sCharles Blount, 5th Baron MountjoyCharles Blount, fifth Baron Mountjoy was an English courtier and patron of learning.-Life:Charles Blount was born on 28 June 1516 in Tournai, where his father, William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy, was governor. Charles Blount's mother was William 's second wife, Alice, daughter of Henry Keble, Lord...
park at Abthorpe, killed almost all the deer and took and bound one of Ric. Cecile'sRichard Cecil (courtier)Richard Cecil was a resident and Master of Burghley in the parish of Stamford Baron, Northamptonshire. His father David Cecil, of Welsh ancestry, rose in favour under King Henry VIII of England, becoming High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1532 and 1533, and died in 1541.Richard too was a courtier...
servants dwelling in Abthorpe. As Abthorpe is 24 miles from Parre's house, Sir Humfrey Stafford, who sent him word of it, caused his son to follow them. Such a thing was never done in these parts since he knew them. In his opinion it deserves great punishment. Asks whether he shall search in the adjoining shires for the procurers.
The next day Parr updated Cromwell:
According to his letter, dated 21st inst., has endeavoured to find out the persons who made the spoil in Lord Mountjoy's park at Abthorpe. Can get no perfect knowledge but that Sir John St. John, Sir John Parkar, and Sir Robt. Kirkham are suspected. Sends the confession of one Thos. Bright, who was sent to gaol at Northampton on St. Thomas day before Christmas.
The oldest part of the village school was built in 1642 during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. It is now the village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
.
Abthorpe was part of the Grafton Estate
Honour of Grafton
The Honour of Grafton is a collection of manors in the south east of Northamptonshire, England. The Honour is historic, dating back at least as far as 1542 when a bill for its management was before parliament....
. Charlock Farmhouse, Foscote House and Hill House were all built for the estate in about 1840.
Amenities
The village has a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the New Inn, controlled by the Hook Norton Brewery
Hook Norton Brewery
Hook Norton Brewery is a regional brewery in Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, England, founded in 1849. The brewing plant is a traditional Victorian "tower" brewery in which all the stages of the brewing process flow logically from floor to floor; mashing at the top, boiling in the middle, fermentation...
.