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Hanslope

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"Hanslape, Hanslap, or Hanslope. This Parish, which is situated in the north-eastern part of the County, on the verge of Northamptonshire, (and anciently included Castlethorpe,) is about three miles and a half long, and two miles and a half in breadth. It is separated from Grafton Regis, Co. Northampton, by the little River Tove; has on its Eastern side, Stoke Goldington; Gayhurst, Little Linford, and Haversham on the South; and Cosgrove and Northamptonshire on the West; being about five miles north of Stoney-Stratford." [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

The following Monumental Inscriptions are available as publications or as part of a Society library:

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

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Census

In 1642 there were 318 people named in the tax returns for contributions for Ireland. Between them they were assessed at £36.16.3 of which sum Thos. Tyrill esq commissioner contributed £10.0.0

In 1798 the Posse Comitatus listed 266 men between the ages of 16 and 60 in Hanslope.

In the earliest government census of 1801, there were 1289 inhabitants in 291 families living in 243 houses recorded in Hanslope.

Census Year Population of Hanslope
1801* 1289
1811* 1345
1821* 1479
1831* 1623
1841 1553
1851 1604
1861 1792
1871 1726
1881 1584
1891 1489
1901 1424

* = 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.

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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 parish registers for St James the Great, Hanslope 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
1571 - 1796
1813 - 1837
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 Hanslope showed the following numbers:

Church Attendance
Hanslope,
St James the Great
300 - Morning General Congregation
130 - Morning Sunday Scholars

450 - Afternoon General Congregation
130 - Afternoon Sunday Scholars

Hanslope,
Old Baptist Chapel
35 - Morning General Congregation
35 - Morning Sunday Scholars
70 - Morning Total

47 - Afternoon General Congregation
34 - Afternoon Sunday Scholars
81 - Afternoon Total

60 - Evening General Congregation
60 - Evening Total

Hanslope,
Bethlehem Chapel
Particular Baptist
43 - Morning General Congregation
30 - Morning Sunday Scholars
73 - Morning Total
Hanslope,
Long Street Particular Baptist
73 - Morning Sunday Scholars
73 - Morning Total

42 - Afternoon General Congregation
64 - Afternoon Sunday Scholars
106 - Afternoon Total

45 - Evening General Congregation
43 - Evening Sunday Scholars
88 - Evening Total

Hanslope,
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
40 - Morning

100 - Afternoon

105 - Evening

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Hanslope which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

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

HANSLAPE, in the hundred and deanery of Newport, lies about five miles north of Stony-Stratford, on the borders of Northamptonshire: it was formerly a market-town. The market, which was on Thursdays, has been long discontinued: it was granted in 1293 to William Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, who at the same time had a grant of a fair at this place, at the festival of St. James, to continue for fifteen days. This fair also has been disused, but there is one on Holy Thursday. The Hanslapes and their representatives the Mauduits, who inherited this manor by a female heir, were of baronial rank, and had the seat of their barony at Castlethorp, formerly a hamlet of this parish. Robert Lord Mauduit being in rebellion against King John, garrisoned this castle, which was taken and demolished by Foulkes de Brent, on the 18th of December 1215. Lord Mauduit returning to his allegiance in the suceeding reign, repossessed this manor, which he had forfeited, and in 1222 made a park at Hanslape, and had a grant of does to stock it out of the king's forest of Salcey. On the death of William Mauduit, Earl of Warwick, his title and estates devolved to William Beauchamp, who had married his sister and heir: in 1291, he had the king's licence to embattle his manor-house at Hanslape. On the attainder of Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, the manor of Hanslape was granted, in 1397, to Thomas Mowbray, who about that time was created Duke of Norfolk, but being himself attained within a few months afterwards, it was granted in tail-male to Edward Duke of York, who lost his life at the battle of Agincourt; dying without issue, this manor reverted to the crown. It was occassionally granted to branches of the royal family, and formed part of Queen Elizabeth's revenue before her accession to the throne. In 1663, it was granted in fee to Sir Thomas Tyrell, one of the justices of the Common Pleas: his son having obtained an act of parliament to vest this manor in trustees for the payment of debts, it was sold about the year 1707 to George Pierrepont, who was created Lord Pierrepont of Hanslape in 1714. Dying without issue, this estate devolved to the Duke of Kingston, and was purchased of the late duke's heirs, by the guardians of the present proprietor, Edward Watts esq. who resides at Hanslape-park.

The manor of Tothall-end, in this parish, belonged anciently to the family of Tothall, and afterwards to the Lanes: it has lately been sold by Sir William Wake bart. who inherited it by female descent from the Lanes, to Mr. Watts, who possesses also by purchase from the Howes, the manors of Stoke and Singleton, which formerly belonged to the Pigot family.

A considerable estate in this parish belonged for several generations to the family of Forster, who had a seat here, which was sold in 1663, by Sir Grey Forster, to Dr. Turner, dean of Canterbury, and afterwards became the residence of William Thursby, the celebrated lawyer, who purchased it of Dr. Francis Turner, bishop of Ely: it is now a farm-house, the property of Mrs. Lowndes of Abingdon-street, Westminster.

The parish church was remarkable for its taper spire, which, together with the lofty tower on which it stood, was above 200 feet from the ground, and afforded a very conspicuous object to a large tract of country, in which spires rarely occur. Hanslape spire, which was destroyed by lightning in the month of June 1804, was built in 1409, by Thomas Knight, the rector; the stone was brought from Ketton, in Rutlandshire: it was octagonal and fluted. The chancel has some remains of Saxon architecture: in Troughton's chapel are some memorials of a family of that name. The rectory, which had been appropriated to Newark college, in Leicester, was given by King Henry VIII. in 1538, together with advowson of the vicarage, to the Corporation of the city of Lincoln. In 1803, an act of parliament passed for inclosing Salcey-Green and Stocking-Green, in this parish, when an allotment of each was given to the impropriators in lieu of tithes. The parish was inclosed by an act of parliament, passed in1778, when an allotment of land was given to the impropriator in lieu of tithes. Hanslape-park and Bosenham-field were not exonerated from tithes by this act.

Lucy Lady Pierrepont founded a school at Hanslape for four children. The benefactions given to this parish by Isabella Barnwell, William Fox, and a person now unknown, consisting of houses and lands, producing a rent of 60 l. per annum, are vested in feoffees, who distribute the amount among the poor on St. Thomas's-day.

Most of the persons in this parish are employed in the manufacture of lace, which is made here of a very fine quality.

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP803469 (Lat/Lon: 52.114601, -0.82874), Hanslope which are provided by:

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Names, Geographical

The name Hanslope consists of two parts. The first is a persons name, Hama, and the second, the old english word slæpe. Hanslope therefore means 'muddy place or slope of a man called Hama'.

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Societies

The following is a list of societies and groups specifically for this parish or village and which relate to either local, or family history.