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Castlethorpe

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"Castlethorpe, formerly a Chapelry of Hanslape, but in modern times made a distinct parish, is bounded, by Hanslape on the North; by Gayhurst and Little Linford on the East; by Haversham on the South; and by the County of Northampton on the West; from which it is separated, partly by a small stream, called the Towe, and partly by the Ouse. The soil is a loamy clay." [The History and Antiquities of the County of Buckingham, by George Lipscomb, 1847]
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Bibliography

The following reference sources have been used in the construction of this page, and may be referred to for further detail. Most if not all of these volumes are available in the Reference section of the County Library in Aylesbury.

"Buckinghamshire Contributions for Ireland 1642", Wilson J., 1983.
"Buckinghamshire Returns of the Census of Religious Worship 1851", Legg E. ed., 1991, ISBN 0 901198 27 7.
"Magna Britannia: Buckinghamshire", Lysons S. and Lysons D., 1806.
"The History and Antiquities of the County of Buckingham", Lipscomb G., 1847
"The Place-Names of Buckinghamshire", Mawer A. and Stenton F.M., 1925.
"The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Buckinghamshire", Page W. ed., 1905-1928
"War Memorials and War Graves: Newport Hundred, Volume 1", Peter Quick.

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Cemeteries

  • War memorials in Castlethorpe have been transcribed by Peter Quick, and published in a booklet entitled "War Memorials and War Graves: Newport Hundred, Volume 1", available from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.
  • War memorial details are also available online on the Roll of Honour web site.

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Census

In 1642 there were 64 people named in the tax returns for contributions for Ireland. Between them they were assessed at £4.12.0 of which sum Mrs Phil. Hocknell contributed £1.0.0

In 1798 the Posse Comitatus listed 69 men between the ages of 16 and 60 in Castlethorpe.

In the earliest government census of 1801, there were 260 inhabitants in 65 families living in 56 houses recorded in Castlethorpe.

Census Year Population of Castlethorpe
1801* 260
1811* 242
1821* 348
1831* 366
1841 365
1851 346
1861 338
1871 366
1881 329
1891 441
1901 539

* = No names were recorded in census documents from 1801 to 1831.
** = Census documents from 1911 to 2001 are only available in summary form. Names are witheld under the 100 year rule.

Microfilm copies of all census enumerators' notebooks for 1841 to 1891 are held at the Local Studies Libraries at Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, as well as centrally at the PRO. A table of 19th century census headcount by parish is printed in the VCH of Bucks, Vol.2, pp 96-101.

Availability of census transcripts and indexes.

  • 1851 - Full transcripts and indexes for Buckinghamshire are available on CD-ROM, hard copy and microfiche from the Buckinghamshire Family History Society.
  • 1861 - Available on CD-ROM with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.
  • 1881
    • Available on CD-ROM from the Church of the Latter Day Saints, as part of the National 1881 Census Index.
    • Available on CD-ROM for Buckinghamshire, with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from Drake Software.
  • 1891 - Available on CD-ROM with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.

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Church History

Details of the stained glass in the church can be found on the following web sites (the site includes many photos):

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Church Records

The original copies of the parish registers for St Simon & St Jude, Castlethorpe are still held by the parish

Copies or indexes to the parish registers are available from societies as follows:

Event
Society Library*
Dates covered
Society
Marriages
1564 - 1812
Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society

* = material held in a Society library is generally available for loan to all members either via post, or by collection at a meeting

An ecclesiastical census was carried out throughout England on 30 March 1851 to record the attendance at all places of worship. These returns are in the Buckinghamshire Record Office and have been published by the Buckinghamshire Record Society (vol 27). The returns for Castlethorpe showed the following numbers:

Church Attendance
Castlethorpe, St Simon & St Jude 150 - Morning General Congregation

300 - Afternoon General Congregation
27 - Afternoon Sunday Scholars
327 - Afternoon Total

Castlethorpe, Wesleyan Methodist
Chapel
12 - Morning General Congregation
36 - Morning Sunday Scholars
48 - Morning Total

48 - Afternoon General Congregation
35 - Afternoon Sunday Scholars
83 - Afternoon Total

45 - Evening General Congregation
45 - Evening Total

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Castlethorpe which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

Castlethorpe was described in 1806 in "Magna Britannia" as follows:

CASTLETHORPE, in the hundred and deanery of Newport, lies about three miles to the north of Stony-Stratford, on the borders of Northamptonshire. At this place was the ancient castle of the barony of Hanslape, taken and demolished in 1217, by Foulkes de Brent, when it was garrisoned against the king by its owner William Mauduit, one of the rebellious barons. It is most probable that it was never rebuilt: the site exhibits traces of very extensive buildings. The manor of Castlethorpe passed as an appendage of Hanslape, from the Mauduits to the Beauchamps and Nevilles, and eventually merged in the crown. In the reign of Charles II. it was granted to Sir Thomas Tyrrell, one of the justices of the Common Pleas, whose son procured an act of parliament in 1704, to enable him to sell this manor and other estates for the payment of his debts. Some years afterwards it was purchased either of the Tyrrells, or of some person to whom it had been sold under the above-mentioned act, by Sarah Duchess of Marlborough. It is now the property of Earl Spencer, whose grandfather became possessed of it under the will of the duchess. In the parochial chapel of Castlethorpe, Which is an appendage of Hanslape, is a handsome monument in memory of Sir Thomas Tyrrell, above mentioned, who died in 1671. The parish of Castlethorpe has been inclosed by an act of parliament, passed in 1793, when an allotment of land was assigned to the corporation of Lincoln, as impropriators of the great tithes.

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP800444 (Lat/Lon: 52.092173, -0.833707), Castlethorpe which are provided by:

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Names, Geographical

The name Castlethorpe means: 'The village (old english thorp) by the castle' of Hanslope, the head of the barony of that name.