Place:Geddington, Northamptonshire, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Geddington is a village and civil parish on the A4300, previously A43, in north-east Northamptonshire between Kettering and Corby. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,503, virtually unchanged from 1,504 at the 2001 census.

The village contains what is thought to be the best surviving Eleanor cross. The monument dates from 1294, when the crosses were raised as a memorial by Edward I (1239–1307) to his late wife, Eleanor of Castile (1241–1290). There were originally 12 monuments, one in each resting place of the funeral procession as they travelled to Westminster Abbey. The Geddington cross is one of only three Eleanor crosses still standing; the other two being in Hardingstone (near Northampton) and Waltham Cross, although remnants and reconstructions of the lost ones can also be seen at other sites.

The village was also formerly home to a Royal hunting lodge which was used as a base by monarchs for hunting within the Royal forest of Rockingham. The building has subsequently been lost; however, the "King's Door" within the church of St Mary Magdalene, Geddington in the village remains – it was the entrance through which the King could enter the building while staying at the lodge.

The old main road runs through the village and crosses the River Ise by a spectacular mediaeval bridge. The bridge, built in 1250, has five arches and three pedestrian refuges. A more recent ford also runs alongside the bridge. The village is famous for its annual boxing day squirt in which a barrel attached to a rope across the river is squirted from one side of the ford to the other by competing fire crews from Geddington and Kettering.

Geddington has two public houses: The Star situated opposite the Eleanor cross and the White Hart situated in West Street. The former White Lion pub is now permanently closed. The village has no proper shop but retains a small post office/ newsagents in Queen Street open on a part time basis that also sells a few essential food items. The village has a hairdressing salon in Queen Street and a mobile fish and chip van that visits the village hall car park every Thursday. With the closure of the White Hart there is no longer a hotel in the village with the nearest hotels in Kettering and Corby.

Research Tips

• From this Findmypast page you can browse the Northamptonshire parishes which have parish register transcripts online.
• From this Ancestry page you can browse the Northamptonshire parishes which have parish register transcripts online.
• For both of the above sites, a subscription is charged. Transcriptions of these records may also be available free of charge on the FamilySearch website.
• A further collection of online source references will be found on the county page for Northamptonshire.