Place:Kingsthorpe, Northamptonshire, England


TypeUrban district, Suburb
Coordinates52.25°N 0.9°W
Located inNorthamptonshire, England
source: Family History Library Catalog

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

Kingsthorpe was once a Northamptonshire country village, but is now an affluent suburb to the north-west of the county town of Northampton, England. Kingsthorpe became part of the borough of Northampton in 1900. A tributary of the River Nene known as the Naseby Source or Brampton Nene flows through the area to the west from north to south, joining the main river west of the Carslberg Brewery near the south bridge. The suburb's facilities are centred on the main A508 and A5199 roads between Northampton town centre and leading to Market Harborough and Leicester respectively. The original village green still maintains a rural character, away from the major roads, overlooked by the church and picturesque vernacular cottages. Kingsthorpe originally had three water mills, some evidence of which can be found in the countryside around the suburb.

The name comes from the Danish word 'torp' which means small settlement, and a manor belonging to the king.

The church of St John the Baptist was begun in the 11th century and includes some features which date from that time. The tower and spire are 14th century. There is a monument to Edward Reynolds, died 1698. The William Hone Year Book of 1832 suggested that there "was not a prettier village near Northampton than Kingsthorpe."

Joan Hickson, who played Miss Marple in the television series of the same name, was born in the village.

The Northampton & Lamport Railway will shortly construct a terminus just outside Kingsthorpe at the old Boughton crossing on the A5199.

The University of Northampton has a campus in Kingsthorpe.

In 1645 part of the battle of Naseby was fought in Kingsthorpe in the area that is now between the A508 and Eastern Avenue South in which several hundred were killed and buried.

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