Hanslope
Encyclopedia
Hanslope is a village
in the Borough of Milton Keynes
and is the centre of a Civil Parish
of the same name. It is about 4 miles (6 km) WNW of Newport Pagnell
, about 4 miles (6 km) north of Stony Stratford
, about 8 miles (11 km) north of Central Milton Keynes
and just south of Northamptonshire
. For ceremonial purposes
, it is in Buckinghamshire
. The West Coast Main Line
from London Euston
to Glasgow
runs close to the village on the southwest side.
in 1086 right through to the Victorian era
, it refers in Old English
to a muddy place or slope belonging to a man called Hama.
There was once a castle
in the parish
(that later became Castlethorpe
), that was the seat of the Maudit family. In 1215 William Maudit had started a rebellion against King John of England
and was defeated in battle by the king's men. Following King John's death however, Maudit reclaimed his seat and founded a grand park in the parish, remnants of which can still be found in Hanslope today. The castle building has long since disappeared, though the grassy mounds of the motte-and-bailey groundworks can still be clearly seen.
In the medieval period it was a market town
, granted in 1293.
In the Victorian period, most of the inhabitants of the village were employed in the manufacture of lace
. This was a common trade in Buckinghamshire, and Hanslope lace was renowned for being a particularly fine example.
, it could be seen from London
" seems fanciful. The church has an open day in the summer when the tower is open to the public.
One notable incumbent was James Mayne MA
who was rector from 1841 to 1851, previously curate of St Matthew's, Bethnal Green
. In series 5 of the Who Do You Think You Are? television programme, Patsy Kensit
discovered that he was an ancestor and was shown his burial place during a visit to the church.
estate of the village, it is now owned by the UK
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
, and home to HMGCC
(Her Majesty's Government Communications Centre). This researches, designs, develops and produces communications systems, equipment and related hardware and software. During the 2nd World War, the Radio Security Service was based here. The great mathematician and cryptologist Alan Turing
worked here during the latter part of the war developing ideas that led to his design of the Automatic Computing Engine, one of the world's first detailed computer designs.
and the other two form the Northampton Loop Line (the tracks actually diverge a few miles further north, at Roade
).
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Borough of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes (borough)
The Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and borough in south central England, at the northern tip of the South East England Region. For ceremonial purposes, it is in the county of Buckinghamshire...
and is the centre of a Civil Parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of the same name. It is about 4 miles (6 km) WNW of Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell is a town in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is separated by the M1 motorway from Milton Keynes itself, though part of the same urban area...
, about 4 miles (6 km) north of Stony Stratford
Stony Stratford
Stony Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes and is a civil parish with a town council within the Borough of Milton Keynes. It is in the north west corner of Milton Keynes, bordering Northamptonshire and separated from it by the River Great Ouse...
, about 8 miles (11 km) north of Central Milton Keynes
Central Milton Keynes
Central Milton Keynes is the central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a civil parish in its own right.The district is approximately 2.5 km long by 1 km wide and occupies some of the highest land in Milton Keynes...
and just south of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. For ceremonial purposes
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
, it is in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
from London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
runs close to the village on the southwest side.
History
Previously called Hanslape from the time of the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086 right through to the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, it refers in Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
to a muddy place or slope belonging to a man called Hama.
There was once a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
(that later became Castlethorpe
Castlethorpe
Castlethorpe is a village and civil parish with a population of about 1000 in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is about north-east of Stony Stratford, north-west of Newport Pagnell and north of Central Milton Keynes...
), that was the seat of the Maudit family. In 1215 William Maudit had started a rebellion against King John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
and was defeated in battle by the king's men. Following King John's death however, Maudit reclaimed his seat and founded a grand park in the parish, remnants of which can still be found in Hanslope today. The castle building has long since disappeared, though the grassy mounds of the motte-and-bailey groundworks can still be clearly seen.
In the medieval period it was a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
, granted in 1293.
In the Victorian period, most of the inhabitants of the village were employed in the manufacture of lace
Lace
Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was...
. This was a common trade in Buckinghamshire, and Hanslope lace was renowned for being a particularly fine example.
Parish church: Hanslope Spire
A prominent feature of the village is the parish church, St James the Great. The church spire is exceptionally high 180 feet (54.9 m) and, because the village is already on a ridge, it can be seen from a very wide radius. The claim that "before air pollutionAir pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
, it could be seen from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
" seems fanciful. The church has an open day in the summer when the tower is open to the public.
One notable incumbent was James Mayne MA
Lambeth degree
A Lambeth degree is an academic degree conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 as successor of the papal legate in England...
who was rector from 1841 to 1851, previously curate of St Matthew's, Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
. In series 5 of the Who Do You Think You Are? television programme, Patsy Kensit
Patsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...
discovered that he was an ancestor and was shown his burial place during a visit to the church.
Hanslope Park
About half a mile south-east of the village is Hanslope Park. Once the manorialManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
estate of the village, it is now owned by the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
, and home to HMGCC
HMGCC
Her Majesty's Government Communications Centre is a small group tasked to provide electronics and software to support the communication needs of the British Government. It is closely linked with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the British intelligence community.-History:It used to have a...
(Her Majesty's Government Communications Centre). This researches, designs, develops and produces communications systems, equipment and related hardware and software. During the 2nd World War, the Radio Security Service was based here. The great mathematician and cryptologist Alan Turing
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
worked here during the latter part of the war developing ideas that led to his design of the Automatic Computing Engine, one of the world's first detailed computer designs.
Hanslope Junction
The West Coast Main Line runs a short distance to the south-west the village and, at Hanslope Junction, it divides. Two tracks take the direct line to RugbyRugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
and the other two form the Northampton Loop Line (the tracks actually diverge a few miles further north, at Roade
Roade
Roade is a village in Northamptonshire, England and in the area of the South Northamptonshire District Council where it is in the two-member Blisworth and Roade ward.-Location:...
).
External links
- Hanslope & District Historical Society web site History, census data, old photographs etc.
- Hanslope Methodist Chapel History and recent events
- Hanslope Cricket Club, Hanslope Village Cricket Club
- Hanslope Gospel Hall History and photographs
- http://www.hanslope.org.uk/index.htm Village website