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Whittlebury is a village and civil parish in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire close to its border with Buckinghamshire. It is due south of the town of Towcester to which it is connected by main roads. At the time of the UK census of 2011, the parish's population was 589. Whittlebury is a parish now in the unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. From 1974 until April 2021 it was part of the South Northamptonshire District of Northamptonshire, England. Prior to 1866 it was a chapelry in the ancient parish of Greens Norton. Archaeology also reveals evidence of Roman, Anglo-Saxon and medieval occupation of Whittlebury; the latter period documented in historical records. Throughout the Middle Ages and up until the early 19th Century Whittlebury's development was interlinked with the Whittlewood Forest of which it was a part and also the Honour of Grafton. In 1855, the 5th Duke of Grafton sold land in Whittlebury and Silverstone to the 3rd Baron Southampton who developed Whittlebury Lodge. Whittlebury was very much a 'gentry village' and fox hunting was a significant activity. The village was associated with the Grafton Hunt, the Duke of Grafton owning the nearby Wakefield Lodge. Nearby Sholebroke Lodge was built as the residence of the Deputy Ranger of Whittlewood Forest. In the 18th Century John Wesley was a regular visitor to Whittlebury, describing the village in 1781 as, "This is still the loveliest congregation as well as the liveliest society in the circuit." Today Whittlebury is adjacent to Silverstone motor-racing circuit. [edit] Research Tips[edit] A Vision of Britain through TimeA Vision of Britain through Time describes parishes and former parishes from a gazetteer of 1871; provides an outline of the historic administration links for parishes. The OS map of 1900, the OS map of 1935, and the OS map of 1965 all show parish boundaries and settlements within parishes. These maps are all expandable to show individual parishes and are useful for inspecting changes occuring over the 20th century. [edit] Archive Centres
[edit] Northamptonshire Family History SocietyThe NFHS website describes the activities of the society. The Society is presently transcribing the deposited Marriage Registers for the period 1754 through 1837. These transcriptions may provide more details than can be found on other databases where subscriptions are charged. [edit] GENUKIThe main GENUKI page for Northamptonshire lists a number of topics for research. [edit] Victoria County History
[edit] Online DatabasesFindMyPast includes (list checked July 2018)
While Ancestry offers (list checked July 2018)
FamilySearch also has an extensive database online. It is free, but may not always provide the original images provided by the services one pays for.
Categories: Northamptonshire, England | Whittlebury, Northamptonshire, England | Greens Norton, Northamptonshire, England | Greens Norton Hundred, Northamptonshire, England | Towcester Rural, Northamptonshire, England | South Northamptonshire District, Northamptonshire, England | West Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, England |