Whittlebury is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the south of the English county of

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, close to its border with Buckinghamshire.

History

It is due south of the town of

Towcester Towcester ( ) is an affluent market town in Northamptonshire, England. It currently lies in West Northamptonshire but was the former administrative headquarters of the South Northamptonshire district council. Towcester is one of the olde ...

, to which it is connected by main roads. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 586 people, increasing slightly to 589 at the 2011 census. The Fox and Hounds, Whittlebury - geograph

The Fox and Hounds, Whittlebury - geograph

The village's name means 'fortification of Witla'. Little is known of Whittlebury's prehistoric past. However, in May 2000, an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

hillfort was discovered in the vicinity of St Mary's church and churchyard. 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 Whittlewood Forest is a former medieval hunting forest east of Silverstone in Northamptonshire in England. It is managed by the Forestry England. There are tracts of ancient woodland within it and old ditches can be found at the edges of severa ...

of which it was a part and 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 hunting was a significant activity. The village was associated with the Grafton Hunt, the

Duke of Grafton Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke ...

having a seat at 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."

Whittlebury Park

Today Whittlebury has a 213-bed hotel located next to a 36-hole England Golf Championship venue golf course called Whittlebury Park, adjacent to Silverstone Circuit. The hotel had been owned & operated by financial specialists Zolfo Cooper from 2011 after the business had been placed into administration. It was purchased in 2016 by the Sargeant family, owners of the golf course, combining the businesses into Whittlebury Park on the 300-acre site.

References

External links

Whittlebury website
{{authority control Villages in Northamptonshire Civil parishes in Northamptonshire West Northamptonshire District