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First published 2012 Second edition published 2020. Produced with the help and support of Parish Council and Heritage Association. ©2020 Ann Foakes This large house in South Street is a Grade II listed building dating from the mid- 18th century. Farmer Kingston Amos built the malting barn from which the farm got its name.

A watermill has stood on the river Tove at Castlethorpe since at least Domesday (1086); it will have been altered and rebuilt many �mes over the centuries.

on the railway to the south-east of the village is of significant historical importance. It was constructed to serve “Castlethorpe Troughs”, long water troughs by the side of the track where steam trains would scoop up water at speed. The Gas Works at were responsible for the maintenance of Castlethorpe Troughs and the pump which can be seen at the base of the water tower. The troughs were refurbished in 1950 but fell into disuse with the end of steam. It is believed that there are only two such water towers remaining in the country.

Ann Foakes has had a lifelong fascination with history. She was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and was a long-time resident of Castlethorpe and one of the founders of Castlethorpe Historical Society before moving back to Northumberland with her husband John when she re�red. astlethorpe Village is situated in the northern tip of the county of where it borders . Nestling on the (‘The Holmestead’ or now ‘Holmstead House’) was an important house in the northern bank of the River Tove, the village has a population of just village though much of its grounds have been sold. It features in the parish under 1,100. The facilities in the village include a first school, pre-school and records, being sold to the tenant in the great Castlethorpe Estate Sale in 1920. nursery, a general store and post office, a village hall and also a farm shop. In addition there is a well-equipped sports ground (comprising a cricket and football pitch and a hard court area for tennis, football and basketball), an Nos 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37 and 39 (Carrington Terrace, 1893) is a row of outdoor gym and a two children’s play areas. Victorian houses retaining their original form at the front. The village also has extensive motte and bailey earthworks, a medieval church, two Victorian schools—the original Carrington School which is now the This Grade II listed cottage is one of only two houses in the village whose thatch village hall and the 1891 Board School, still in use as Castlethorpe First School. survived the Great Fire of 1905. It was built in the mid-18th century and was There are also a number of historic domestic buildings some dating from the originally two labourers’ cottages but was converted into one house in the 16th Century. 1980s. In the back garden there is an original hovel—an outbuilding used for sheltering ca�le or storing grain or tools. There is evidence of habitation in the area prior to 800 BC with the discovery of two worked flints from the Neolithic era. In 1998 a man using a metal detector Nos 40, 42, 44, 46 (Maltin Row (1899) and Nos 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 32 (Pretoria in a ploughed field near the village uncovered the remains of an early Iron Age Terrace, 1909) are fine examples of turn-of-the-century houses. dagger still in its sheath, made some- where between 800 and 400 BC – a rare Manor Farm House is a Grade II listed limestone building dating from the mid and extremely important object which is 1730s; although another source dates part of it from the mid-16th century, with the only recorded example of its sort in 18th and early 19th century additions. The last resident farmers were the Britain. It is unlikely to have been lost Markham family, the farm having been purchased by Ellen Markham, the sitting accidentally, so the most probable reason tenant, in September 1920 prior to the Estate sale. Manor Farm was sold in for its presence is ritual deposition as part 1963 in various lots. of a votive offering – meaning that it was placed, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place in order to gain Nos 39-53 is a set of Victorian semi-detached houses built in 1898. There have favour with the gods. If it was buried for been some changes to the front but they are mostly unaltered and fine religious reasons, this would mean that examples of their type. the immediate landscape could have been of notable cultural significance. It is likely that there has been a settlement here dating back to at least Roman times and possibly earlier. In 1827 Roman artefacts from the late second century AD were discovered at Burtles Hill, just outside the main village. A plough unearthed a small black urn containing silver and brass coins, a ring and a pair of bracelets. The ring and two snakehead bracelets or armillae, all made of silver, are held in the British Museum and are available to view in their on-line catalogue. Below are photographs of the items. Despite the loss of so many cottages in the Great Fire of 1905, Castlethorpe still has many historic domestic buildings which you will see as you walk around the village:

Photographs printed by kind permission of the Bri�sh Museum The earliest recorded ownership of Castle House is the Tyrrell family from the Medieval times until the 18th century. During the Tyrrell’s ownership, the period around 1700 was the peak of the house’s development and this was the time The village, being part of the Hanslope estate held by Winemar the Fleming, is when the house was at its greatest size. Castlethorpe House may have been not listed separately in the Domesday Book of 1086. However, the mill built on remains of the Castle kitchens or stables and the present cellars described there is likely to be on or near to the site of the current old water mill probably date back to that �me. building on the River Tove in Castlethorpe. This stone-built cottage dates to the 17th century when it was probably a single Winemar holds Hanslope. It answers for 10 hides. Land for 26 ploughs; in story thatched farmhouse. lordship 5 hides and besides them 5 carucates of land; 2 ploughs there; a further 4 possible.36 villagers with 11 smallholders have 18 ploughs; a further 2 ploughs Three cottages in School Lane were originally one 15th century medieval open possible.8 slaves;1 mill at 12s; meadow for 11 ploughs; woodland, 1000 hall farmhouse, probably belonging to a freeman. Some of the original cruck pigs.Total value £24; when aquired £20. Before 1066 £24, Haldene, one of King beams are still visible inside numbers 9 and 11 and concealed within the Edward's Guards, held this manor. dividing wall between numbers 7 and 9. The original thatched roof was removed during the Great Fire in 1905 in order to save the buildings. The precise dating of these earthworks is uncertain and it is possible that they pre-date the Norman conquest as there is evidence of a Saxon floor in the This early-18th century cottage was probably modernised in 1763 when a church (indicating that there was a Saxon Church built within the ancient second chimney and a rear wing (dairy) were added. A blocked doorway earthworks, no doubt for protec�on). suggests that the original building was entered from one end into a heated hall. The inner room (parlour) lay behind a timber partition and had a small chamber (bedroom) over it. It has had several more additions and alterations since 1763.

Number 43 North Street is a lovely example of a mid-18th century house with gable chimney stacks and a central hall. It has not been spoilt by new windows. Illustra�on from: William Page (ed. ) The large outbuilding (butcher's shop mid-20th century) suggests that it was The Victoria History of the originally a farmhouse. County of .(Archibald Constable & Company, 1908) The Motte is clearly defined close to the church, there are two baileys or enclosures, one of which consists of a double rampart. A Norman castle was raised on the site by William Mauduit in the 12th century as a manorial stronghold. In 1215 the castle was sacked and destroyed by Fawkes de Breauté one of King John’s henchmen, and the manor was granted to him the following year but the castle was never rebuilt. Today there is no evidence that a stone tower ever existed here. However recent research suggests that large amounts of stone were removed from Castlethorpe to nearby Gra�on Regis when Henry Vlll constructed a bowling alley there. In 1292 William Beauchamp obtained a licence to make a wall of stone and lime around a garden court within his dwelling house and embattle it. This fortified house and garden probably stood near the rectangular earthworks to the south-west of the castle mound. This site is now divided by the London to Birmingham railway. The mansion house occupied by Sir Peter Tyrell in 1703 adjoined the castle yard, but the greater part of this had been taken down and the remainder converted into a farmhouse before 1799. This building, now known as Castle House, dates mainly from the early 17th century. It was at one time converted into tenements but is now once more a private home. Many of the fields adjoining the earthworks still show signs of the ridge and furrow medieval strip farming system.

Castle House in the early 20th century No sooner had the nearby navigation of the been cut and established than it was to be replaced by the coming of the railway. Robert Until the coming of the railway Castlethorpe was a typical rural agricultural Stevenson completed the London and Birmingham Railway in 1838. The original village, the majority of men employed in farming and associated trades with the chosen route should have taken the line to the west, but the Duke of women involved in lace making. Because of the nature of agricultural Buckingham refused to allow the new-fangled monster to cross his lands. employment the family budget was supplemented by women working at home. A more difficult alternate route was chosen, which brought the line through If we compare the details from the census 1841 to 1901 there is a noticeable Castlethorpe, cutting through the ancient earthworks. Castlethorpe was change in the occupations listed for the residents. In 1841 and 1851 many of the considered too insignificant at this time to be given a station. However there men are described as agricultural/farm labourers, some blacksmiths and was a change of heart and one was built in 1882. carpenters, but by 1861 they are obviously employed in the railway works in Wolverton. For the women, too, there is a marked change, with 51 pillow lace makers in 1851, declining to 10 by 1861 and eventually only 1 in 1901.

North Buckinghamshire is famous for its lace making, the origins of which may date back to Flemish migrants coming to the area in the 16th century, and subsequent French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution in the 17th century. Whatever its origins, lace making became a thriving trade and a source of income for many families. In Castlethorpe there are lace merchants listed beginning in the 17th century down to the 19th century. Girls, and some boys, as young as 6 or 7, were taught the craft in Lace schools. Whether there was one in Castlethorpe we don’t know but there was certainly one in Hanslope and the children spent long hours being taught under strict discipline . Women carried on the craft at home selling their product via the lace merchants. It is likely that each woman had her own pattern that she repeated “On Tuesday last this quiet little village presented a gay and festive appearance, over and over, this would enable her to the occasion being the opening of the new station for Castlethorpe in produce items much more quickly as connec�on with the London and North-Western Railway. she would work almost automatically “The day was made a general holiday, and various devices were resorted to for without having to refer to a pa�ern. the purpose of celebrating the inauguration. A tea was provided in a large Sadly with the coming of machine marquee to which about 400 sat down. A variety of articles were provided to be lace in the mid 19th century the craft contended for, including print dresses, stockings, caps etc. and much became uneconomical and began to die amusement was created by several events, especially that of climbing the out. Happily in recent years there has greasy pole for a ham. been a resurgence of interest in all hand “The holiday was a fitting recognition of such an important event, whereby a crafts. Pillow lace making is alive and service of trains to the Metropolis and other great centres has been arranged, well, not only in the local area but and which will be of considerable utility to the inhabitants of Castlethorpe and na�onwide. the surrounding neighbourhood.” Ann Harris, Castlethorpe lace maker A local character called Farmer Amos described the events in his own inimitable way – The First School celebrated its 120th birthday in 2011, the year I began work on this project...not bad for a school that has survived three attempts at closure by ‘Mr. Dunkley built the station and his Foreman was a local boy, John Rooker various county councils! Rainbow. Mr. Rainbow got the Station Master to stop the 8.30am Platform 1 down fast line and took all his men and I for a ride to Roade Station, treated The last big fight came in 1991 when, with only 19 children on role, them all the Pub, I as well, and then returned back. By then all Thrupp and Buckinghamshire County Council once again took it upon themselves to try Village have come round for their first ride. They was surprised to see John again. They came up against a well-organised team of Governors and Villagers Rainbow’s party get out of the train, All Merry. That was No.4 Platform – up who were not going to let them succeed. slow. So it was that on Saturday 9th October 1993 the nephew of the original 1891 “All jump off at Wolverton then the Porters had baskets of cake and buns to Lord Carrington, the then Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington, performed the give the children before they return back to Castlethorpe. Farmers from all official reopening following a £100,000 refurbishment of the building and round were there with Women and Family, Waggons all Painted up Harness playground. At the �me the numbers had risen to 24 children. Smart. The Horses Look as if They are part of the family. The Band Played and “According to our Ofsted report our children are happy and confident in their all Waggon put up in the yard, Horses in the Stable. They all tried a drop of school and the teaching staff work hard to make sure their experience is both Amos Beer and Popp off home Happy ready for work the next day.” happy and informative with as many different experiences as possible to In its heyday Castlethorpe Station would have been a hive of activity. A enhance their learning. special train ran every morning taking men from the village and Hanslope to “Things have obviously moved on, learning takes place in a somewhat less Wolverton Works. The fare was one shilling for the week, the single ticket being scary atmosphere. Computers are very much part of the modern classroom and clipped every day at Wolverton, so by Saturday there wasn’t much of it le�! children’s views are welcomed and encouraged, hence our School Council. We The station sidings comprised a cattle dock and storage for timber, sugar beet have special ’Activity Days’ when the children join together for real ’hands on’ and coal, with a shunting neck leading from the slow lines. The wagons were tasks. shunted by the station’s best remembered train, the Castlethorpe Milk, which “We are constantly looking for new interesting places to visit and topics which ran before and during the Second World War. will grab the children’s imagination...our recent Victorian topic is one such Early every morning a locomotive would leave Shed with its example. wagons, detaching some in the bay at Wolverton before “As is the norm these days there are targets to be attained and standards to arriving at Castlethorpe. Here the two “roads” were shunted before the train strive for. Happily our children never cease to amaze us! was loaded with milk churns brought in by local farmers and headed south “Castlethorpe School in 2011 is, thankfully, a very different place from its 1891 again, with stops at Wolverton for the Newport milk van and Loughton siding beginnings and it holds dear the children who are the future of our village. (now the site of Milton Keynes Central Sta�on) for more milk. “Our school is fantastic because we do art in the afternoon...sometimes we do Back at Bletchley the vans were joined with others coming in on the branches work!” from Oxford, Banbury and Cambridge to form the London Train – putting fresh milk on the capital’s tables that day. – Contributed by the staff and pupils of Castlethorpe School, May 2011 The station buildings, shunting yard and signal box are long gone. When the last passenger train left Castlethorpe one Sunday evening in 1964, one of those present to see it off was Farmer Amos. When he passed away after a long hard- working life, he was buried, at his own request, with his boots on. Lincolnshire making an offer of the Carrington Hall to the Parish Council for the use of the Parish, stating that if the Council accept his Lordship's gift the lot We can only imagine what the village would have looked like had it not been for would be withdrawn from the sale. The Council accepted the Marquis' gift and the disastrous fire that occurred on 4th August 1905 when a spark from a requested that the clerk write back and tender their best thanks on behalf of the passing train set light to co�ages and barns in the centre of the village. Parish. The fire started at about 2:20pm; a village resident spotted flames in a barn The building, now much extended and modernised, is the Village Hall. opposite Back Street (now South Street). The stone cottages in the centre of the village had thatched roofs and with the prevailing high wind the fire soon took hold. Although the fire started in Back Street it soon spread through the passage towards Front Street (North Street) destroying a total of 13 houses, Lacks Yard and Varneys Yard; making 36 people homeless who because of the speed and intensity of the fire saved very few of their possessions.

The availability of employment at the railway works in Wolverton led to an increase in the village population; as a consequence the Carrington school was found to be quite unable to provide the accommodation required, and many of Because of the time of day there were few village men available to fight the the children had to go to Hanslope, fire as most were at work, either in the fields or at Wolverton Works. fire brigade were the first to arrive on the scene. They could do little to It was found necessary to build a new school in Castlethorpe. This was save the 13 cottages that were well ablaze, but with the help of a thousand foot situated almost in the centre of the village, and remains one of the most hose and a local pond further disaster was averted. prominent buildings. The site was about £240 and the buildings, together with the Schoolmaster’s house, cost about £2,000. The estimated cost of the damage caused was £3,000 – the equivalent of almost £400,000 today. Although no tenants of Lord Carrington were affected The school was built of brick, with Bath stone dressing, the roof being covered by the disaster, a meeting was arranged by the chairman of the Parish Council, with Brisley tiles. Over the principal entrance is a small tower, in which a bell was Mr Masterman, with the Rev. Davies and Mr Marshall, Lord Carrington’s agent placed, and in the lower-front of which there is a clock. Accommodation was in order to see what could be done for the homeless. provided for about 150 children. Outdoor exercise was not forgotten – at the rear of the school there was provided a spacious playground, In addition to the school there was also a well-arranged residence for the Schoolmaster and mistress (now 1 School Lane, a private residence). The Board School was opened by Lord Carrington on 15th October 1891. with free tickets for the poor. Ten years after the 1870 Act education became compulsory, but it was not until the passing of the 1891 Education Act that elementary educa�on became free. Education was available in Castlethorpe from very early in the 19th or even late 18th century. The will of one Joseph Addison (d. 1845), schoolmaster of Castlethorpe, states that he owned property in the village. A resident of Haversham, John Albert Greaves (b. 1829) reportedly went “to a large school at Castle Thorpe at the first house on the right from Haversham”.

Kelly's Directory 1887 The National School was built and presented by Lord Carrington in 1867, for 70 children; average a�endance, 56. The school was subsequently supported by subscrip�on. Croydon’s Weekly Standard 10th May 1879 EVENING SCHOOL. The following is the report of Mr. H. Martin, Her Majesty’s assistant inspector for district, April, 1879; “This little school is an excellent one. The order and discipline are admirable, and the results of the examinations are highly creditable”. The above must be equally pleasing to the teacher, Mrs Town, and to the members of the evening school. The latter have shown their gratitude for the exertions on their behalf, by the presentation of a handsome writing desk, which bears the inscription, “From the Castlethorpe evening scholars, to Mrs. F. Town, April 18th, 1879”. The school continued to function until it was thought that the facilities that it offered were inadequate and the new Board School was built. On August 18th 1920 the Parish Council received a letter from the Marquis of Photographs from old postcards John and Charles Wesley, who preached throughout the country, had a particular influence in Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire. John Wesley visited Stony Stratford on at least five occasions and the Wesley Elm under which he preached stood in the southwest corner of the Market Square. Time and Dutch elm disease took its toll, however, and the tree remains were removed and replaced with an oak tree in 2007.

The Church stands in an elevated position in the centre of the village within the confines of the castle. It is comparatively small in size, measuring 14 metres north to south and 24 metres east to west. Within the church there is a large memorial to the Tyrell family as well as the gravestone of Sir Francis Drake's grandson. The Church is dedicated to the apostles Simon and Jude, but there is evidence from early wills that the original dedication was to St Mary. For instance, the will The Wesleyan chapel in Castlethorpe was opened in 1811. It was enlarged in Christopher Rawlyns, dated 1536, states: “My body to be buryed in the church 1888 and a commemorative foundation stone laid on 11th July 1888 by Mr W. yard of our ladie in Castlethorpe” . This seems to have changed in the late 19th Grimes “the founder of Methodism in this village”, who had witnessed the century. opening of the original chapel 77 years before,. The completed new extended When the floor of the nave was replaced in 1976 traces were found of Anglo- chapel was opened in October 1888. Saxon beginnings to the building which were then replaced by Norman over- Sadly with declining congregations the chapel eventually closed with the last building. The oldest surviving part of the church is the north arcade with its service being held there on 20th May 1979. The chapel was subsequently sold circular column dating from the 12th century. As it is now the church is largely and used as a domestic residence for a time until it became the Acorn Nursery as it was rebuilt in around 1350 when both the nave and chancel were enlarged. in 1989. Those with an eye for such things might note that while the church building is of rubble construction with stone dressing, the tower is of ashlah. The reason is Most people in the 19th century were illiterate but the foundations of the that the original tower fell down on 22nd December 1729, “the rain having been education system as we know it were beginning to be laid. As early as 1807 two suffered to destroy the timbers of the roof”. The story goes that when the years elementary education for all children between the ages of 7 and 14 was rebuilding reached its present height later in the 18th century the money ran suggested as a way to reduce ‘”pauperism and crime”. However it was not until out. 1870 that an Education Act was passed that led to the establishment of The present tower at a height of 40 feet is thus 31 feet lower than its elementary schools nationwide, these did not replace or duplicate existing predecessor, and houses a single bell—the others having been sold off to pay for schools. the tower. School Boards were elected and could charge a weekly fee of up to 9 pence,