CASTLETHORPE

'Castlethorpe' is a village with a population of around 1000 in the Borough of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, about 3 miles north of Stony Stratford, 4 miles west of Newport Pagnell and 7 miles north of Central Milton Keynes. It is separated from the county of Northamptonshire by the River Tove.

Contents

History

Parish

Rail and canal

External links

History

The village is relatively more recent than those around it, and it started out in life as a castle belonging to the lord of the manor of nearby Hanslope. A settlement of servants and manual workers grew up around the castle and this became the village of Castlethorpe (''thorpe'' being the Old English word for a village). The castle was damaged in 1215 in a feud between Foulkes de Brent, who had been sent by the king, and William Mauduit, the castle's owner. Mauduit was reputedly in rebellion against King John of England. Although Mauduit returned to claim his seat after the king's death the castle was demolished shortly afterward. All that is left today are the grassy mounds of the former Motte-and-Bailey castle.

Parish

The parish church is dedicated to St Simon and St Jude, and dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, though the present church is of mainly Norman design. Castlethorpe has grown up around the church and some traditional old stone cottages at the centre of the village which is currently designated a conservation area. Modernly, it is the centre of a Civil Parish.

Rail and canal

The West Coast Main Line runs through Castlethorpe, and the village had its own train station until the 1960s when it was closed down. The Grand Union Canal also runs by on the outskirts of the village, and it is a short walk along the towpath to the neighbouring village of Cosgrove.

External links

★ Castlethorpe page at UK & Ireland Genealogy