Wappenham
village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Wappenham is a linear village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. It is 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Towcester, north of Syresham and north-west of Silverstone and forms part of West Northamptonshire. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 266 people, increasing to 294 at the 2011 Census.
The village's name means 'homestead/village of Waeppa' or 'hemmed-in land of Waeppa'.
Buildings
Wappenham has some of the earliest architectural works by Sir George Gilbert Scott.[a]The red-brick vicarage, east of the church, built in 1833 as a home for his father Reverend Thomas Scott who was vicar of Wappenham at the time, was Gilbert Scott's first work, built while he was still an assistant architect. Pevsner describes it as "...only remarkable for being Sir George Gilbert Scott's first building". The village also contains four other houses designed by Gilbert Scott, and on the village green there is a still-functional red K6 telephone box designed by Gilbert Scott's grandson Giles Gilbert Scott.
The Manor House Wappenham west of the church is dated 1704.
The church is 13th century and dedicated to St Mary. There are several monuments located there to various individuals, including Thomas Lovett of Astwell Castle (d.1492), Thomas Lovett III (d.1542), Constance Butler (d.1499), and Sir Thomas Billing (d.1481), Chief Justice, of Biddlesden Abbey, Buckinghamshire.
The public source identifies “Wappenham” as village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Wappenham, village and civil.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Wappenham”, the useful work is to connect “village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2674275. Authority coordinates are 52.104, -1.089. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2001, 2011, 1833 and 1704.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Wappenham”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Wappenham primary sources, Wappenham archive and Wappenham research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Wappenham” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.