Northamptonshire Burial Records

This week, I'm looking at some of Deceased Online's less-known datasets, focusing on Kettering, Corby and Rushden in the county of Northamptonshire

John Speed's map of Northamptonshire c.1676

There are a total of 12 cemeteries and 1 crematorium in Deceased Online's Northamptonshire collection. All can be searched on the website in the UK records section, under "East Midlands" in the drop-down menu. Being landlocked, Northamptonshire is an interesting region to have ancestors. Many inhabitants moved back and forth to neighbouring counties. Northamptonshire is unusual in sharing borders with nine other counties: Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, the former county of Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. The county is largely rural, although heavy industry predominated in Corby from the 1930s. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Northamptonshire as a whole was most celebrated for its manufacture of boots and shoes.

The Northamptonshire Collection comes from the borough/town councils of Kettering, Corby and Rushden and totals around 180,000 unique records.

Kettering 
Kettering had a large shoe manufacturing industry.  In 1887, it was described as, "a fairly prosperous town, with tanning and currying, mfrs. of boots and shoes, stays, brushes, agricultural implements, and some articles of clothing." [John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles]

Above is a record from Kettering's London Road Cemetery for Sophia "Sophie" Green (1881-1956). Green is celebrated in Kettering for her pioneering work in education, particularly with women. She began working for the Workers' Educational Association (WEA) while employed at Kettering Clothing Co-operative Factory. Appointed WEA tutor-organiser for Kettering and District in 1919, Green stayed in the role, predominately teaching women workers in Northampton, Kettering, Corby and Rushden.

Sophie Green (pictured on the WEA Eastern 100 Years of Learning timeline)

Deceased Online holds approximately 165,000 burial and cremation records for 9 cemeteries in the borough of Kettering dating back to 1862, as well as from Kettering Crematorium. The map below pinpoints their locations.

Broughton Cemetery, Holt Road, Broughton, Northamptonshire NN14 1ND
1,165 burials, dating from November 1900. Headstone photographs are also available for some graves.
Burton Latimer Cemetery, Church Lane, Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire NN15 5
2,633 burials, dating from December 1887.
Cransley Cemetery, Church Lane, Cransley, Northamptonshire NN14 1PX
147 burials, dating from July 1928. Headstone photographs are also available for some graves.
Desborough Cemetery, Rushton Road, Desborough, Northamptonshire NN14 2Q
2,990 burials, dating from August 1898. Headstone photographs are also available for some graves.
Kettering Crematorium, Rothwell Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN16 9XE
116,000 cremations, dating from 7th May 1940.
Kettering, Rothwell Road Cemetery, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN16 9XE
3,240 burials, dating from 7th July 1978.
Kettering, London Road Cemetery, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN15 7
32,300 burials, dating from 3rd January 1862.
Pytchley Cemetery, Orlingbury Road, Pytchley, Northamptonshire NN14 1ET
100 burials, dating from 30th July 1956. Headstone photographs are also available for some graves.
Rothwell Cemetery, Loddington Road, Rothwell, Northamptonshire NN14 1RX
3,590 burials, dating from 10th June 1903.

Corby Ironstone was discovered in Corby in the 19th century, but the parish remained a villlage until the rapid industrialization of the inter war years. As recently as 1931, Corby was a village with a population of around 1,500. It grew rapidly into a reasonably sized industrial town from 1934 after Stewart & Lloyds built an integrated ironstone and steel works on their site. During the Depression of the 1930s, so many Scots arrived to work in the steelworks that the town became known as "Little Scotland". Other migrant workers arrived from across Britain and Ireland. By 1939, the population had swelled to 12,000 and Corby was re-designated an urban district.

Corby Borough Council, Deene House, New Post Office Square, Corby, Northamptonshire, NN17 1GD.
Approximately 11,100 burial records, with associated burial register scans and Cemetery maps.
Corby Rockingham Road Cemetery and Corby Shire Lodge Cemetery, Northamptonshire.
Burial records date from 10th March 1899.

Rushden 

Besides shoemaking, Rushden is also known for lacemaking and farming. It is also home to the oldest toyshop in England. Deceased Online holds around 13,650 burial records for the town, along with associated burial register scans.

Rushden Cemetery

The burial registers for this cemetery date from 28th November 1888.

Thanks to June Wilson who commented last week that one of her ancestors, Edward Galliers, was buried in Spa Fields Burial Ground in 1795. This week we'd like to hear from anyone whose ancestors are in our Northamptonshire Collection. Do write in the Comments box below or on our Facebook and Twitter pages!

 Sources: http://www.projectkettering.org.uk/page_id__203_path__0p3p20p.aspx
http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/46582/WEA-Eastern-100-Years-of-Learning/#vars!date=1916-08-17_06:36:22!