Milton Malsor

Coordinates: 52°11′00″N 0°55′00″W / 52.183333°N 0.916667°W / 52.183333; -0.916667

Milton Malsor
Milton Malsor, Northamptonshire, England The Malsoures or Malesoures family arms: party azure and gules three crescents argent[1]
Milton Malsor  Milton Malsor shown within Northamptonshire
Population	713 (2001 Census)[2] 760 (2009 est)[3]
OS grid reference	SP734556
- London	66 miles (106 km)
Parish	Milton Malsor
District	South Northamptonshire
Shire county	Northamptonshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORTHAMPTON
Postcode district	NN7 3
Dialling code	01604
Police	Northamptonshire
Fire	Northamptonshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Current: Northampton South From next General Election: Daventry
List of places: UK • England • Northamptonshire

Milton Malsor is an English village 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Northampton, in the shire county of Northamptonshire^[4], known as "Northants". It is 2 miles (3.2 km) by road to the M1 London to Yorkshire motorway junction 15, 66 miles (106 km) north of London and 45 miles (72 km) southeast of Birmingham.

James Harrington blue plaque marking the Manor House in Rectory Lane where Harrington lived

Demographics

The 2001 census^[2] showed there were 713 people living in the village, 344 male, 369 female, with average age 45.21 years (the 2009 estimated population is 760^[3]). There were 302 dwellings, 280 of them with central heating and 218 being owner occupied. The next census, in 2011, is expected to show a 10% increase in people and houses. The surrounding South Northamptonshire district is rural and sparsely populated with just over 80,000 people in 2000^[5].

New development within the village boundary is restricted to infill development only. A new housing development of 14 houses was completed in Chestnut Close in 2008. A smaller one of 6 dwellings is proposed for the derelict Home Farm site off Malzor Lane and a further one of ca.25 houses for a site off Stockwell Way, although this is outside the village boundary. Planning details can be accessed via the Parish Council website^[6]. Possible urban extensions to Northampton were proposed in 2007 by the West Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit, a group formed by Northampton Borough Council, South Northamptonshire District Council and Daventry District Council. These proposals included extensions on land in the parish between the M1 motorway, north of the village, A43 by-pass (west), A508 trunk road (east) and the West Coast main railway line to the south. A parkway station south the village was also mentioned but trains operators do not want further stops on the line between London and Rugby via Northampton. Possible expansion of Northampton south of the M1 affecting the village have however been excluded from draft proposals published for consulation in July 2009.

Geography

Many fields around the village reflect England's history. The field known as 'the Leys' (opposite Milton House in Rectory Lane) shows clear signs of 18th century pre-enclosure and pre-British Agricultural Revolution farming in strips. The soil is predominantly sandy as one might expect since the area is the bed of an ancient river. Evidence of sand and clay extraction is all around, reflecting 19th and 20th century industrial and urban expansion. For example, the small industrial estate in Gayton Road is on an old clay quarry; the playing and football fields in Collingtree Road are on the sites of sand quarries - in the latter case mostly filled with clay spoil from the 1950s construction of the M1. The field between Towcester Road and the A43 Milton by-pass, which opened in May 1991^[7], to the west of the village was also the site of a sand quarry in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1965 the driver of a mechanical digger spotted a shiny object in a newly exposed face. It turned out to be an early Bronze Age Cinerary Urn. The field between the village and the M1 on the north side of Collingtree Road is an area designated by Northamptonshire County Council^[4] for sand extraction. The sand is stated by the county coucil to be of the 'soft sand' type suitable for mortar. The site is in Milton Malsor parish and only ca.200m from houses in the village. It was originally called the "Collingtree site" but the county council finally referred to it as the Milton site in late 2008. It has so far not been developed probably due to its triangular shape and stranded location between the motorway along one edge, the railway line another and a road unsuited to heavy lorries on the third. The site is included in the county council's mineral's and waste plan, the subject of a Public Inquiry in 2009^[8] due to resume 30 September 2009 after an adjourment.

A stream runs northwest through the village, partly in a conduit but visible from Collingtree Road and Rectory Lane as it flows north through the field known as 'The Dip' after an old sheep dip the remains of which are still visible. In Spring 1998 this flooded, causing minor damage to some houses. The stream flows north joining with others from the east and south flowing south and west around Hunsbury Hill. It then joins the River Nene at Upton, west of Northampton. The Grand Union Canal and its Northampton arm, built in 1815 passes nearby. There is a marina just off the road to Gayton. There are 17 locks on the arm, taking the canal downhill into Northampton and to join the River Nene east of the town. It takes about two hours for a boat to travel through.

Flooding in 'The Dip' in 1998

Administration and political structure

The village has a Parish Council^[6] with nine members elected every four years (next election 2011). The Parish Council area extends to include the M1 in the north between junctions 15 and 15a; to the east the A508 Northampton to Milton Keynes main road; to the south part of the West Coast Main Line and to the west the A43 Northampton-Oxford trunk road. The local district council is South Northamptonshire^[9] where Milton is in Harpole and Grange ward together with the villages of Gayton, Rothersthorpe, Harpole and Kislingbury which elects two members. The Northamptonshire County Council^[4] division has one member (Conservative).

The Member of Parliament is currently Mr Brian Binley, Conservative, for the Northampton South Parliamentary Constituency. However, for the next (2009 or 10) General Election there are boundary changes. The Boundary Commission originally put the village in the new parliamentary constituency of South Northamptonshire. However, as this seems to be inconvenient for election administration purposes, the Boundary Commission have now confirmed that Milton will now join fellow ward villages in South Northants Council's "Harpole and Grange"^[9] ward in Daventry Parliamentary Constituency. Mr Tim Boswell is the current MP for Daventry but it is understood he will be standing down at the next General Election. Both Daventry and South Northamptonshire constituencies are considered 'safe' Conservative seats^[10].

History

The first recorded mention of the village is in the days of William the Conqueror and the Domesday Book. This records that there were two manors and two men held lands at Milton as part of their Baronies. These were William Peverel and Goisfrid Alselin.

Further details of the history of the village are covered by the Historical Society's site and various references quoted below and need not be repeated here. These include references for the name of the village, derived from the Malsoures family. Only significant recent history will be noted here.

Milton postbox with the insignia of Queen Elizabeth II

Present day

Facilities

Churches

There is a church, dedicated to the Holy Cross in Collingtree Road which has its own Parochial Church Council and is part of the Church of England's Peterborough Diocese. The church is part of the "Three Parishes Group"^[11] together with the churches in the nearby villages of Collingtree and Courteenhall. There is also a Baptist Chapel in Green Street. A joint church newsletter is delivered monthly^[11].

Schools

Milton Parochial Primary School in Green Street had 110 pupils in 2007, a large proportion of which were from the southern area of Northampton such as Hunsbury^[12] The village is in the catchment area of Campion Secondary School at Bugbrooke, about 6 miles (10 km) away by road with the children bussed daily.

Public houses

There are two pubs: "The Greyhound"^[13] in Towcester Road, which has a large restaurant, and "The Compass" in Green Street, a more traditional village pub also offering bar food. The Greyhound is adjacent to the Village Hall and was refurbished in December 2008. It attracts large crowds from Northampton's southern suburbs in summer as it has a large garden area. Both establishments serve good quality real ale with periodic guest bitters.

Other

It has a retirement care home for the elderly in Green Street called Holly House. Sheltered housing for older people in the form of 26 flats and bungalows is also provided in the village by South Northants Homes Ltd^[14]. The area is centred around Raynsford House which offers a lounge, dining room, laundry, guest facilities and a community alarm service for sheltered housing residents.

A shop and former post office and the modern village hall are both in the High Street opposite the green and War Memorial. The Northampton Hilton Hotel is approximately 1½ miles distant on Watering Lane in the neighbouring village of Collingtree, just off the A45 trunk road. There are several other hotels in the area along the A45 trunk road.

The village has two small industrial estates; the larger on Gayton Road is adjacent, but with no access, to the A43. This is referred to locally as 'Gallifords' reflecting its ownership. The smaller is adjacent to the M1 bridge along Collingtree Road and known as 'Maple Farm' alluding to its history. There is an architect's office in the old Rectory and additional modern offices on Towcester Road in the converted Hope Brewery and out buildings.

Children playing in the field in front of the church during snow on 29 January 2004

A mobile library visits the village every two weeks; the nearest local library is at Hunsbury, about a mile north, next to a large Tesco 'Xtra' supermarket and petrol station.

There are three working farms in the parish including a free-range egg farm.

Village groups and societies

The village has an active number of social and other groups including a Women's Institute which meets monthly; a village football club, Milton FC^[15] with its own village team which takes an active part in the Travis Perkins Northamptonshire Combination; indoor bowls and badminton groups both meet regularly in the village hall; village historical society with regular meetings about local matters of esoteric and general interest; an art club meets at the village hall during school term time. The village has a Scouts group, 1st Collingtree and Milton Malsor Scouts which meets at the village hall during school term time.

Notable buildings

Much of the village is in a conservation area which is shown on a map on the Parish Council website^[6] and has many traditional Northamptonshire stone cottages, a large number of which have thatched or pantiled roofs. There are around 30 listed buildings in the village, most, but not all, in the conservation area. Particular buildings of note, mostly listed by their street locations, are as follows.

• Rectory Lane, formerly Pluck's Lane
  • Milton House, 1777, has a doorway with Tuscan columns^[16][a]
  • Mortimers^[a], earlier than Milton House^[16], which was named after a family who lived there and originally owned by the Hospital of St John at the bottom of Bridge Street in Northampton. For more history see the book by Revd Evans mentioned below;
  • Milton Malsor Manor^[17] James Harrington, the author of the controversial book "The Commonwealth of Oceana", published 1656, was a former occupant ^[18] and the building has a blue plaque in recognition, installed on 4 October 2008
  • The Old Rectory^[b], now used as architects offices;
    

    

    War Memorial and Village Hall (behind) in snow on 29 January 2004
    

    

    The Old Rectory from the rear garden with permission 18 July 2007
• Collingtree Road
  • Church of the Holy Cross, Church of England, 12th century origins but most late 13th to mid 14th century,^[16]. The church has a crenellated tower, and later battlements and pinnacles. There are monuments to Mrs Sapcotes Harington, d.1619, and Richard Dodwell, d.1726;
  • The Grange^[c]
• Green Street
  • Baptist Chapel, 1827;
  • Milton Parochial Primary School;
  • Welstead Farm House;
  • The Old Bakehouse;
  • The Compass Public House;
• Malzor Lane
  • Milton Manor House^[c]not to be confused with The Manor in Rectory Lane. Nick Raynsford, Labour Party MP for Greenwich was brought up here^[19]. The house has a notable 17th century staircase with acanthus scrolls similar to work at Lamport Hall and Castle Ashby^[16].
• High Street
  • Old Primitive Methodist Chapel, 1865^[16], now used as a private residence;
  • War Memorial, ca 1920 on the Village green;
  • Stockwell Farm House, ca.1653^[c];
  • Village Pound marked with a plaque stating in existence since at least 1686;
• Towcester Road
  • The Greyhound Public House;
  • The former Hope Brewery, now converted to offices;
  • The Counties Crematorium, erroneously referred to as being in Milton, is now actually outside the parish about a mile north of the village beyond the M1 in West Hunsbury, Northampton.

Notes

^a  There are good views from the public footpath across the field known as "The Leys" in Rectory Lane.

^b Private property - view of rear garden shown with permission

^c Private property - not open to the public

Public footpaths in the village are clearly marked by green fingerposts. Dog fouling throughout the parish, including footpaths, is strictly prohibited with heavy fines for infringement.

Transport

The county of Northants is at a north-south and east-west rail, motorway and fast road transport network. The Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line carries trains from Northampton to London Euston and runs through the parish just east of the village, with the main line about a mile south. The nearest convenient stations are at Northampton (4 miles north), Milton Keynes Central (14 miles south) and also Wellingborough (12 miles east) on the Midland Main Line with links to Sheffield, Leicester and St Pancras International.

Typical travel times in minutes by road (peak times in italics) are: central London 75 (110), Birmingham 45 (60), Manchester 120 (175), Leicester 50 (65), Oxford 50 (60), Cambridge 85 (130), Milton Keynes 20 (30). Travel times (peak) by rail (from April 2008) by Govia London Midland - formerly Silverlink County - as well as Virgin Trains services in minutes are: from Northampton to Central London 65, to Birmingham 65; from Milton Keynes to Central London 40 and Manchester 120. Airports at Heathrow, Gatwick, and London Stansted as well as Birmingham Airport, Luton Airport and East Midlands are all within easy reach. The village has a bus service to Northampton, Towcester and Milton Keynes, though this is poor on Sundays and weekday evenings.

1967 Railway Accident

On Tuesday, 18 April 1967 at about 2.31pm, a wagon on a goods train of 69 empty mineral wagons, travelling on the down line to Northampton, derailed just south of the village. The train travelled a further 1½ miles before more wagons derailed, a little distance north of the village playing field. Some of the wagons went towards the up line from Northampton to London and were hit by a four-coach passenger train at about 70 mph. Although the brakes of the passenger train had been fully applied, two coaches were derailed with one falling onto its side. All 45 passengers and train crew were evacuated fairly promptly. Of these, 21 were injured but only two were detained at Northampton General Hospital. The driver of the passenger train was seriously injured but both he and the passenger detained overnight made a good recovery.

The inspector's report^[20] on the incident states that "...assistance was given by the residents of the nearby village of Milton Malsor and I am informed that members of the Women's Institute of this village were quick to organise refreshment for those involved in the accident and their rescuers". The Inspector concluded that the accident resulted from a broken spring on the goods train.

References

Footnotes

Other

• "The Story of Milton Malzor" (sic), Revd B Edward Evans, MA, Rector, ISBN 1 85598 026 6, first published 1924 as a subscribers edition by Wells Gardner, Darton & Co Ltd, 3 & 4 Paternoster Bldgs, London EC4 (destroyed in the Blitz). Facsimile reprint 1997 by MCB University Press Ltd, 60-62 Toller Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD8 9BY as a subscribers edition of 500 copies. The external link to the Manor in Rectory Lane has an electronic copy.
• "Swim Ginger", Revd Malcolm Deacon, ISBN 0 9523188 2 2, recollections, 1940-2005, of a resident and United Reformed Church Minister.
• "Milton Malsor - History Revisited", Alan Digby, an extensive pictorial history of the village in the 20th century by a resident born and bred in the village. Includes sections on World Wars I and II including some curious archives of the village Home Guard during 1939-1945. Also contains a picture of the Milton Bronze Age Cinerary Urn recovered in 1965 and referred to above.
• Sundry papers referred to and published by the Historical Society - see reference above. Some of the publications referred to above are available from the society.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Milton Malsor

• Milton Malsor Historical Society
• The late Rev George Hubbard, Rector in the late 1950's, early 1960's Old pictures of the village including church and Rectory from his old family photo album
• Pictures of a 'Living Nativity' Event held in the village in December 2003 and broadcast live on BBC Radio Northampton