Castle Ashby

"CASTLE ASHBY, a parish in the hundred of Wymersley, in the county of Northampton, 7 miles to the E. of Northampton, its post town. It lies near the Northampton and Peterborough railway, and a little to the S. of the river Nen. It includes the hamlet of Chadstone. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Peterborough, value £238, in the patronage of the Marquis of Northampton. The church, which stands in the park, is very ancient. It has a porch in the Norman style, a brass of the year 1401, and the monument of a crusader. It is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. Castle Ashby House is the seat of the Marquis of Northampton. The older part of the mansion, which encloses a quadrangle, was erected by Henry, Lord Compton, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The more modern parts were built under the direction of Inigo Jones. There is a good collection of pictures in the hall, including some interesting portraits; among them are two curious portraits, painted on board, of John Talbot, first Earl of Shrewsbury, and Margaret his wife; and one of the Rev. Edward Lye, antiquary, and author of an Anglo-Saxon and Gothic Dictionary (1772). The library contains some valuable old books. The approach to the hall is by a fine avenue, nearly 3 miles long. The park was planned by Brown.

"CHAD STONE, a hamlet in the parish of Castle Ashby, in the county of Northampton, 7 miles E. of Northampton."