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Oakthorpe

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OAKTHORPE, a township and hamlet in the parishes of Stretton-en-le-Field, Measham, and Church-Gresley, hundred of Repton, county Derby, 3 miles S.W. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, its post town, and 10 N. of Atherstone. The village, which is small, is situated on the canal. There is a coal mine; also a steam mill, which gives employment to part of the inhabitants. The Primitive Methodists and the Wesleyans have each a place of worship. There is a National school.”

from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

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Archives & Libraries

The National Archives has the Parish Register for 1838-2002.

The County Mobile Library, Route C-5, makes five stops in the parish every second Monday of each month.

The Swadlincote Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

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Cemeteries

The cemetery was opened here with 1½ acres of ground in 1875.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Hartshorn sub-district of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1861R.G. 9 / 2268
1871R.G. 10 / 3244
1891R.G. 12 / 2509
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint John and is located in Donisthorpe.
     
  • The church was built in 1838.
     
  • The church seats 500.
     
  • Philip JEFFREY has a photograph of St John's Church on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2014.
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Church Records

  • The church was in the rural deanery of Repton.
     
  • Brett PAYNE has some South Derbyshire Genealogical Pages, including some parish registers, which should help you.
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel here by 1857.
     
  • The Primitive Methodists had a chapel here by 1857, also.
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Hartshorn sub-district of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Registration District.
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Description & Travel

"DONISTHORPE and OAKTHORPE, are two hamlets adjacent to each other, about four miles from Ashby-de-la-Zouch; they are both partly in the parish of Church-Gresley, Donisthorpe extending into that of Nether Seal, county of Leicester; and Oakthorpe stretching into Measham parish, and also into that of Stretten-en-le-Fields. They contained together, in 1831, 757 inhabitants."

[Description from Pigot and Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire, 1835]

Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of Measham Road in Oakthorpe on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2008.

The High Speed Rail Line (HS2) from and to London stops at nearby Donington Park station.

You can see pictures of Oakthorpe which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

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History

  • Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the Shoulder of Mutton public house on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2008.
     
  • Oakthorpe has a "Parish Fun Day', typically in August each year in association with the Oakthorpe Youth Club. There are activities and booths for all ages.
     
  • These are the names associated with the Shoulder of Mutton Inn in various directories:
Year Proprietor
1835George PIPES
1891William TALBOT
1895Harry WHETTON
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK329132 (Lat/Lon: 52.715706, -1.515138), Oakthorpe which are provided by:

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Military History

Donisthorpe and Oakthorpe share a War Memorial outside the Donisthorpe Cemetery. Cris SLOAN has a photograph of the Memorial Gates outside the cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2007.

Jenny A. Wright, "Donisthorpe at War", publ: David Dover, 2004, 130 pages; ISBN: unknown.

Cris SLOAN has a photograph of Seals Road on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2007. Seals Road was bombed in World War II by a lone plane aiming for the nearby colliery.

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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient township and Chapelry in Derbyshire and became a modern Civil Parish in December, 1866.
     
  • This parish was partially in the ancient Repton and Gresley Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • This parish was also partially in the ancient West Goscote Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • This Civil Parish was enlarged in March, 1884, amalgamating parts of Measham, Seal and Stretton en le Field Civil Parishes.
     
  • In 1897, this Civil Parish was deemed a part of Leicestershire.
     
  • In April, 1936, this Civil Parish gained 2 acres from the Abolishment of Willesley Civil Parish.
     
  • You may contact the Joint Oakthorpe, Donisthorpe & Acresford Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT staffed to help you with family history searches.
     
  • District governance is provided by the North West Leicestershire District Council.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

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Population

YearInhabitants
1831757
18711,313
19012,048
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Schools

A National School (mixed) was opened in 1830 to hold 66 children.

A Wesleyan Methodist School (mixed) was built here in 1875 to hold up to 108 children.