Huntingdonshire
Contents
Nearby Places
Nearby churches
Molesworde (xi cent.), Mulesworth, Mullesworthe (xii cent.).
Molesworth occupies a long narrow strip of land about four and a half miles in length from north to south, and varies in width from little over a mile to half a mile or less. For a short distance, its northern boundary touches Northamptonshire. The parish is comprised of clay land, the greater part of which was pasture and is now occupied by an airfield. A brook flows from west to east through the middle of the parish and the land, which is undulating, rises from it to about 255 ft. above sea-level to the north and south.
The village is in the middle of the parish on the southern slope of a hill leading down to the brook. It stands a little to the north of the main road from Huntingdon towards Thrapston, and along a branch road to Oundle which at the north end of the village has a return back to the main road. The church is at the west end of the village with the Rectory house to the south of it and Yew Tree Farm, a 17th century timbered-frame house with modern additions, to the north-east. The Manor House is on the west side of the road to Oundle, and other farms are located in the village.
In 1935 the civil parish was abolished to help create the Brington & Molesworth civil parish.
Monumental Inscriptions from the Parish Churchyard (approximately 125 entries) are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
Census information for this parish (1841 - 1891) is held in the Huntingdon Records Office.
The full 1841 Census of Molesworth Parish is available as fiche set C102.
The full 1851 Census of Molesworth Parish is available as fiche set C52.
A surname index of the 1881 Census of the Thrapston Registration District of Northamptonshire, in which Molesworth was enumerated (RG11/1583, Folios 19a - 23b), and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as fiche set C1.
A full transcription of the 1891 Census of the Huntingdonshire (Miscellaneous Parishes) Registration District in which Molesworth was enumerated, and which took place on 5th April 1891, is available as fiche set C16.
All the above mentioned fiche are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
OS Grid Square TL 070758.
The church of St. Peter consists of a chancel, nave, west
tower and late-19th century south porch. The walls are of
rubble, partly coursed and mixed with large stones, and with
stone dressings. The roofs are covered with tiles and lead.
The church is not mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086.
Several 12th century stones preserved in the church seem to
indicate a stone church of this period, but the earliest work,
in-situ, is the chancel which was built about 1275. The
nave was rebuilt towards the end of the 15th century, and the
tower was added early in the next century.
The church was
restored in 1884-5 when it was said that the chancel was taken
down and rebuilt because its orientation differed from that of
the nave. The south porch was rebuilt in 1890, and the tower and
west wall of the nave were under-pinned in 1931.
Baptisms: 1564-1669, 1682-1706, 1707-1748, 1748-1812,
1813-1992.
Banns: 1754-1815, 1857-1858.
Marriages:
1564-1706, 1707-1748, 1748-1753, 1813-1837,
1838-1954.
Burials: 1564-1663, 1682-17-6, 1707-1748,
1748-1812, 1813-1991.
Bishop's Transcripts: 1604-5, 1608-10,
1612, 1617-19, 1627, 1661-1676/1677-8, 1680, 1683-8, 1691, 1695,
1699, 1700, 1702, 1704-11, 1714-42, 1744-6,
1748/1749-1813/1813-24/1825-58.
These are available in the Huntingdon Records Office.
The Huntingdonshire Marriage Indexes include marriages from this parish. These are, at present, issued in alphabetical listings in two series: 1601-1700, and 1701-1754, and are available in fiche format from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
Molesworth Parish Registers (Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1564 - 1900), are available as fiche set D-51 from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
The parish of Molesworth was originally in the Thrapston Registration District of Northamptonshire from 1st July 1837, and was subsequently transferred to the Raunds sub-District of Northamptonshire. In 1935, the parish was transferred to the Spaldwick sub-District of Huntingdonshire. It is now part of the Huntingdon Registration District.
An old map of the parish of Molesworth in the 19th century is available.
The war memorial with detailed information about those who fell is available on the Roll of Honour site for Huntingdonshire.
Population in 1801 - 160.
Population in 1851 -
245.
Population in 1901 - 114.
Population in 1931 -
114.
Population figures after 1935 are included under
Brington.
The parish of Molesworth was in the Thrapston Union of Northamptonshire for Poor Law administration.
The parish of Molesworth occupies 1787 acres of land.
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