Castlethorpe
{{Short description|Civil parish in the City of Milton Keynes, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place
|static_image_name= St Simon and St Jude, Castlethorpe, Bucks - geograph.org.uk - 333074.jpg
|static_image_caption= Parish church of St Simon and St Jude
|country = England
|coordinates = {{coord|52.093|-0.840|display=inline,title}}
|official_name= Castlethorpe
|civil_parish= Castlethorpe
|unitary_england= Milton Keynes City Council
| shire_district = City of Milton Keynes
|lieutenancy_england= Buckinghamshire
|region= South East England
|constituency_westminster= Milton Keynes North
|post_town= MILTON KEYNES
|postcode_district = MK19
|postcode_area= MK
|dial_code= 01908
| population = 1,047
| population_ref = (2011 Census){{NOMIS2011|id=E04001249|title=Castlethorpe|accessdate=17 November 2019}}
|os_grid_reference= SP795445
| module = {{Infobox mapframe|stroke-width=1|zoom=11|width=240}}
}}
Castlethorpe is a village and civil parish with a population of about 1,000 in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.[http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/parishes/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=17026 Parishes in Milton Keynes] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608003948/http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/parishes/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=17026 |date=June 8, 2009 }} - Milton Keynes Council. It is about {{convert|3|mi|km|1}} north-east of Stony Stratford, {{convert|4|mi|km|1}} north-west of Newport Pagnell and {{convert|7|mi|km|0}} north of Central Milton Keynes. It is separated from the county of Northamptonshire by the River Tove.
History
{{more|Castlethorpe Castle}}
The village is relatively more recent than those around it, and it started out in life as a castle belonging to the lord of the manor of nearby Hanslope.[https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/bucks/vol4/pp348-362 'Parishes : Hanslope with Castle Thorpe'], Victoria History of the Counties of England, A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 4 (1927), pp. 348-362.
A settlement of servants and manual workers grew up around the castle and this became the village of Castlethorpe (thorpe is an Old Norse language (particularly Danish) word for homestead, and it is not unreasonable to assume that there may well have been a Danish settlement nearby as the area was, if not part of, certainly close to, the Danelaw). The castle was damaged in 1215 in a feud between Foulkes de Brent{{snd}} who had been sent by King John{{snd}} and William Mauduit, the castle's owner. Mauduit was reputedly in rebellion against the King. Although Mauduit returned to claim his seat after the King's death, the castle was demolished shortly afterward. All that is left today are the grassy mounds of the former Motte-and-Bailey castle.
Multi-dwelling fires in the village have been reported in local media, notably those of 1899 and especially 1905 (when 13 cottages were destroyed, leaving 36 people homeless).{{cite web |title=Castlethorpe Fires |website=Milton Keynes Heritage Association |url=https://www.mkheritage.org.uk/cv/docs/Fire1905/fire1905.html }}
=Listed buildings and structures=
The parish has one scheduled ancient monument,{{NHLE|desc=Castlethorpe Castle: a motte and bailey, possible ringwork and associated earthworks 200m south-east of Castlethorpe Lodge |num=1011299 }} one grade I listed building,{{NHLE |num=1115933 |desc=CHURCH OF ST SIMON AND ST JUDE }} and twenty grade II.{{cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/results/?searchType=NHLE+Simple&search=Castlethorpe%2C+Milton+Keynes&page=2 |title= Search Results for 'Castlethorpe, Milton Keynes' | publisher=Historic England |access-date=22 November 2022}}
Ecclesiastic parish
Church of St Simon and St Jude, the parish church, is dedicated to St Simon and St Jude, and possibly dates back to Anglo-Saxon times: although no evidence of a pre-Norman building survives, its existence has been conjectured from the structure of the north arcade. In 1350, the nave was widened and the chancel rebuilt. The church at Castlethorpe was originally superior to that of Hanslope but Bishop Grosteste changed the precedence in about 1250. Castlethorpe has grown up around the church and some traditional old stone cottages at the centre of the village which is designated a conservation area.
Rail and canal
File:Castlethorpe station, site geograph-3298512-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg lines on the left)]]
The West Coast Main Line runs alongside the west side of Castlethorpe, and the village had its own railway station until September 1964 when, to the outrage of the village, it was closed down.[http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/cv/docs/railway/closure.html Castlethorpe Station Closure - 6 September 1964] - Milton Keynes Heritage Association
The Grand Union Canal also runs by on the outskirts of the village, and it is a short walk along the towpath to the neighbouring village of Cosgrove in Northamptonshire.
{{clr}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Castlethorpe}}
- [http://www.castlethorpevillage.org.uk/ Parish Website for the village of Castlethorpe in Milton Keynes]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20050829020434/http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/Castlethorpe/Index.html Castlethorpe page at UK & Ireland Genealogy]
- [http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/cv/ Castlethorpe Village Historical Records & Photographs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927191247/http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/cv/ |date=27 September 2016 }}
{{Milton Keynes parishes}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Villages in Buckinghamshire