Monument record 2005 - Overstone Park

{1} Shows how progress was made to transform the village.

{2} Shows how progress was made to transform the village.

{3} Overston Park - Lord Brownlow. (Also shown on 2nd edition of 1791). The map shows a semi-circular feature about half way along the southern boundary of the parkland. At this time the park appears to occupy the north-east quadrant of the modern parkland (which would also have included the area of the medieval deer park and its adjacent warren.

{6} In 1672 the manor and village passed to Edward Stratford and at that time a total of thirty houses are listed in an indenture. A contemporary map shows the village as it then existed, with its houses scattered widely over a considerable area, and a number of empty plots suggesting earlier shrinkage. The Hearth Tax returns of 1674 give a total of 42 families for the village. Edward Stratford demolished the old manor house and erected a new one, described as ‘good’ by Bridges in the early C18th. At some time, probably before 1737, the whole village, except for the medieval church and the rectory which lay immediately west of the hall, was removed and rebuilt along the present road on the north edge of the park. The exact date of this removal is uncertain, but it was probably undertaken by Henry Stratford sometime after the enclosure of the parish in 1728. It had certainly taken place by 1775, when a map of the county shows only the church, rectory and hall standing within a small park. In 1737 Henry Stratford sold Overstone to Thomas Drury, who intended to pull down the old church. Drury died however before doing so, and the estate passed first to the Brownlow family and then in 1791 to John Kipling. In 1799 the existing ruins of the old parsonage and some closes of glebe land were sold to Kipling and in 1803 the church was finally pulled down and a new one built some distanceaway at the north end of the park near to the new village of Overstone. The whole area was finally emparked in the early C19th.

{7} The present Lord of The Manor Henry Stratford, Esq. purchased the manor and is the owner of the whole town except a single farm, from the Fitz-Walter family. "He hath here a good manor house".

{8} A park of nearly 800 acres of which 200 are in Sywell parish. John Kipling bought the estate in 1791 from Lord Brownlow, he owns 1670 acres of the 1800 acres enclosed in 1727. It is belted round, with thriving plantations. Mr. Webb introduced an extensive sheet of water in front of the house. Kipling erected a new church in the park in 1807, the old church was taken down in 1803.

{9} The village was deserted after c.1700. Inclosure took place in 1727 and in 1820 John Kipling enlarged the park, destroying the mill beside the mansion, making the lake and rebuilding the church and rectory outside the park. Houses were rebuilt on the main road.

{10} A C17th map suggests that a fresh park (after the medieval deer park was disparked in 1550, HER Mon 2004), was laid out to the east of the mansion, which is shown as enclosed and studded with trees. Eyre's map, published in 1779, shows that the park had been extended to the north so as to double its size, but the area to the south and west of the house was presumably farm land. It was after this map had been drawn that the huge existing park was laid out and the purchase by Sir Thomas Drury of Sywell enabled a portion of that parish to be included in it as well. But the creation of the present large park was not completed until the early C19th. The Glebe Closes and Parson's Wood were taken into the park in 1799. The mill was still in existence in 1791, but was covered by a lake shortly before Baker wrote his description, which speaks enthusiastically of the "judicious embellishments" of Mr Webb and of additions made to the park by the present owner, John Kipling.

{11} Overstone c.1672 indenture (NRO Y2 5303) describes the mansion house gardens. It was sold to Edward Stratford. The old manor house was demolished and the erection of new one took place. Edward Stratford died in 1701. At enclosure in 1727 Stratford held the whole manor except the Rector's land. In 1737 Stratford sold Overstone to Sir Thomas Drury, and the estate then passed to Brownlow. In 1791 Lord Brownlow sold Overstone to John Kipling. Valuation of estates in 1791. 1799 the Rector sold his extra land to Kipling.
The C17th map suggests that a fresh park had been laid out in an area immediately to the east of the mansion, which is shown as enclosed and studded with trees; that it was formerly agricultural land is shown by the ridge and furrow on it. The Eyre map published in 1779 shows that the park had been extended to the north so as to double its size, but the area to the south and west of the house was still presumably farm land. It was after this map had been drawn that the huge existing park was laid out, and the purchase by Sir Thomas Drury of Sywell enabled a portion of that parish to be included as well. But the creation of the present large park was not completed until the early C19th. The glebe closes and parson’s wood were taken into the park in 1799; the mill, still in existence in 1791, was covered by a lake shortly before Baker wrote his description, which speaks enthusiastically of the “judicious embellishments” of Mr Webb and of additions made to the park by the present owner, John Kipling.

Edis, J., 2018, Heritage Impact Assessment: Overstone Hall, Northamptonshire, March 2018 (Report). SNN111569.

<1> Map of Overstone (NRO Map 3760), (unchecked) (Map). SNN48682.

<2> Map of Overstone (NRO Map 3914), (unchecked) (Map). SNN108784.

<3> Eyre T. (Revised by Jefferys T.), 1779, Map of the County of Northamptonshire, (checked) (Map). SNN1852.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1950, Ordnance Survey 1950s Mapping Series (SP86), (unchecked) (Map). SNN59987.

<6> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.121-22 Site 6+7 (checked) (Series). SNN77380.

<7> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.459 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<8> Baker G., 1822-36, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.53 (unchecked) (Book). SNN10400.

<9> Allison K.J.; Beresford M.W.; Hurst J.G. et al, 1966, The Deserted Villages of Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Report). SNN39628.

<10> 1671 (circa), Map of Overstone (NRO Map 564), (unchecked) (Map). SNN75714.

<11> Brown A.E.; Taylor C.C., 1975, Four Deserted Settlements in Northamptonshire, p.192-8 (part checked) (Article). SNN75848.

<12> Edis, J., 2018, Statement of Heritage Significance: Overstone Hall and Park, Northamptonshire, March 2018 (Report). SNN111568.

Record last edited

Jul 25 2019 2:17PM