Ravensthorpe Village
Ravensthorpe is a village and civil parish located in West Northamptonshire, England. It lies approximately midway between Northampton and Rugby, with the M1 motorway situated six miles to the west. The village has a small population of 646, as recorded in the 2011 census.
History
The name Ravensthorpe means "outlying farm/settlement of Hrafn," with "Hrafn" referring to a personal name that also means "raven." Archaeological findings, including Iron Age and Roman pottery, suggest that the area has been inhabited for centuries. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, indicating its historical significance.
The parish church, St. Denys, was built in the 13th century and is believed to be on a site used since the time of William the Conqueror. Notably, the village is linked to the Northamptonshire Witch Trials, where a local figure, Mother Rhodes, was accused of witchcraft.
Local Amenities
Ravensthorpe offers several amenities, including a shop, the Chequers pub, a playing field, and a small park. The village also features a woodland area maintained by the Woodland Trust.
Nearby Attractions
The civil parish includes the nearby hamlet of Coton. Local attractions include Coton Manor Garden, Althorp House, and Holdenby House, making Ravensthorpe a quaint destination for visitors interested in history and nature.
In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Ravensthorpe like this:
RAVENSTHORPE, a village and a parish in Brixworth district, Northampton. The village stands 4½ miles W of Brixworth r. station, and 8 N E of Daventry; and has a post-office under Northampton. The parish contains also the hamlets of Coton and Teeton. Acres, 2, 871. Real property, £5,693. Pop., 701. Houses, 155. The property is subdivided. The manor belongs to Lord Willoughby de Broke. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £300.* Patron, Christ Church, Oxford. The church consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with porch and tower; and has very fine arches, of horse-shoe form, separating the nave from the aisles. There are a Baptist chapel, a national school, and 33 acres of land for the benefit of the "honest and industrious poor."
In the picture are brothers Albert, John, Sid, Jim and Bill Faulkner.
Also in the photograph are his uncle Jim who was the village milkman and Mr Ron Mold.
Do you know the names of any of the others?
We are also happy to publish any old photos of people and places around the village - just drop a line to editor@ravensthorpe.me.uk.
We are indebted to Carole Holiday from Bournemouth for sending in the photo and the following information:
"The Head (and only teacher) initially was Susannah Hollowell a Northamptonshire girl from Braefield-on-the Green. She was the Ravensthorpe schoolmistress from 1860 to 1902 and married a tailor, Henry Billing in 1878. The older girl on the right of the picture is their daughter, Elsie May, who joined her mother at the school as Pupil Teacher when she was 16 in 1900, when the picture was taken.
Henry Billing worked as a tailor in Ravensthorpe and was the census taker for the village in the 1891 and 1901 census, which involved going from house to house and writing the details down. Susannah and Henry are buried together in the churchyard at Ravensthorpe, Susannah in 1924 and Henry in 1928. Susannah and Henry were my Great-Grandparents and Elsie May my Grandmother on my Mother's side."
If you have some old photos and their back stories please drop us a line (editor@ravensthorpe.me.uk).
