Hanslope

The name of the village has evolved over the centuries. In the 11th century, it was variously spelt Hammescle, Hanslepe or Anslepe.[2] In the 13th century, it was Hameslepe or Hamslape, and the latter form continued in use into the 14th century.[2] It was Hanslopp in the 15th century and Hanslap or Anslope in the 16th century. Anslap, Anslapp and Hanslapp were used early in the 18th century[3][4] and Hanslape was used in the 19th century.[2] The toponym's etymology is from the Old English for a muddy place or slope belonging to a man called Hama.

Hanslope was included in the grant of land to the Norman Maudit family by William the Conqueror following the Norman Conquest and the family's seat was Hanslope Castle, which later became Castlethorpe.[5] In the Domesday Book of 1086, the manor was assessed 10 hides and held by Winemar.[5] On 28 November 1215, the castle was captured after William Maudit had started a rebellion against King John and was defeated in battle by the king's men, who were led by Falkes de Breauté.[5] The castle building has been lost but the grassy mounds of the motte and bailey earthworks survive. After King John's death, Maudit reclaimed his seat and founded a great park in the parish, remnants of which still survive in Hanslope. Isabel Mauduit was the mother of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick (1237–98).[5] From 1293 the Earl was chartered to have a weekly market in Hanslope on Thursdays and a three-day annual market on the eve, day and morrow of the feast of St. James the Great (24, 25 and 26 July).[2][5]

In 1316, Crown official and judge Adam de Harvington was given the living of Hanslope. He would go on to become England's Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1327.

In the middle ages the parish was part of Salcey Forest[6] and Hanslope Park was originally a medieval deer park.[7] Much later, the park was landscaped by Humphry Repton before 1794.[8]

In 1697 the distinguished clockmaker Joseph Knibb (1640–1711) retired from London to Hanslope,[9] acquiring Green End Farm with a total of about 230 acres (93 ha) of land.[10] Despite his retirement, he continued at Hanslope to make clocks, some of which survive.[9] His will, proved in 1712 left his Hanslope property to his younger brother John Knibb[3] (1650–1722),[11] who was a notable clockmaker in Oxford.[12] However, John kept his business in Oxford and only one clock marked "John Knibb Hanslapp" is known.[4]

In 1714, Gervase Pierrepont, 1st Baron Pierrepont was made Baron Pierrepont of Hanslope in the County of Buckingham, in the Peerage of Great Britain, with this creation giving him an automatic seat in the House of Lords. On his death on 22 May 1715, the barony became extinct,[5] but the title Baron Pierrepont has been used twice since in other parts of the country.

Green End Farmhouse predated the Knibbs' ownership of the farm and was a scheduled monument under the Town and Country Planning Act 1947.[10] Despite this protection its last owner demolished the historic house in 1954.[10]

Hanslope was a centre of Buckinghamshire lacemaking in the 19th century. Early in the 19th century, Hanslope lace was noted as being particularly fine, and in 1862 about 500 women and children in the parish were employed making pillow lace.[2]

Walter Drawbridge Crick was born in Hanslope on 15 December 1857. He was an English businessman (shoemaker), amateur geologist and palaeontologist who published with Charles Darwin.[13][14][15] He was the grandfather of Francis Crick, the molecular geneticist.[16]

Milton Keynes' wards before (top) and after (bottom) 2014: Hanslope is the ward with the borough's most westerly point in both configurations.

Although Hanslope remains in the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, it has since 1997 been part of the unitary authority area of the Borough of Milton Keynes.[17] This gives Milton Keynes Council the responsibility for the provision of all local government services. Voters registered in Hanslope are represented on MK Council, which has (since 2014) been divided into 19 wards each carrying 3 councillors with Hanslope being part of the Newport Pagnell North and Hanslope ward.[18][19] Between 2002 and 2014, the ward of Hanslope had a single representative that was voted in every four years and always returned a Conservative councillor.

For the purposes of representation in the House of Commons, Hanslope was part of the Milton Keynes North East constituency from 1992 until its abolition in 2010 and Hanslope has since sat within the Milton Keynes North constituency.

Hanslope is conveniently close to quarries for Great Oolite limestone,[20] which has been used in the parish's traditional vernacular architecture.

The four-track West Coast Main Line passes about 1 mile (1.6 km) south-west of the village, northwest-/southeast-bound. To the north of Hanslope, just north of the former Roade railway station, the line divides. Two tracks go directly to Rugby and the other two form the Northampton Loop Line to Northampton. Most fast [intercity] trains are on the Rugby route and can continue without changing tracks; the same is true of slower commuter trains taking the Northampton route.

Hanslope Junction (at 52.1183°N 0.86028°W / 52.1183; -0.86028, roughly midway between Roade and Castlethorpe) is the point where trains may cross between the mainline and the loop tracks, under signal control. In the chainage notation traditionally used on the railway, its location on the line is 56 miles 65 chains (56.81 mi; 91.43 km) from Euston.[30]

• Beeson, C.F.C. (1989) [1962]. Simcock, A.V (ed.). Clockmaking in Oxfordshire 1400–1850 (3rd ed.). Oxford: Museum of the History of Science. pp. 8, 118, 120, 122–125, 184–186. ISBN 0-903364-06-9.
• Page, W.H., ed. (1927). A History of the County of Buckingham, Volume 4. Victoria County History. pp. 346–362.
• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1960). Buckinghamshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 155–156. ISBN 0-14-071019-1.
• Reed, Michael (1979). Hoskins, W.G.; Millward, Roy (eds.). The Buckinghamshire Landscape. The Making of the English Landscape. London: Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 125, 130, 136, 159, 190. ISBN 0-340-19044-2.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hanslope.

• Hanslope & District Historical Society web site History, census data, old photographs etc.
• Hanslope Methodist Chapel History and recent events
• Hanslope Cricket Club, Hanslope Village Cricket Club
• Hanslope Gospel Hall History and photographs