Old Stratford has at different times been part of the parish of Cosgrove, and has been administered from that village. Old Stratford historical records are therefore often inextricably linked with those of Cosgrove. We have therefore created links to the Cosgrove history website and you will be transferred automatically to the right pages when you search for Old Stratford information. When you want to return to your original Old Stratford page it is important that you use the back button rather than the Home link, which would take you to the Cosgrove home page. Within the Old Stratford site itself the Home link will get you back to the Old Stratford home page.
 
 

The boundaries of Old Stratford
The village of Old Stratford developed on both sides of the old Roman road of Watling Street, near to where it crosses over the River Ouse. The name probably comes from its neighbour Stony Stratford, but the “Old” part of the name does not mean it is the older village. For a while, in the 17th century, it was called “Old Stow”.

Watling Street marks the boundary between the parishes of Passenham to the south and Cosgrove to the north, so that Old Stratford homes belonged to one of these two parishes in the past. At the west end of Old Stratford there was a piece of land belonging to Furtho, and another belonging to Potterspury, both pieces of land eventually being added to Cosgrove village.

In 1951 a proper civil parish of Old Stratford was created, which consolidated “orphaned pieces of land from Deanshanger, Cosgrove and Furtho, but lost land belonging to the Arnold estate, which went to Potterspury instead.

When reading Old Stratford records, it is therefore important to realise that these may be included under the names of these other villages and to check the situation as it existed at the date of the record you are reading. Many register entries for Old Stratford families, for instance, are only to be found within Cosgrove Church records. Cosgrove census records include Old Stratford homes up to Watling Street – these may be in their own sections or mixed with Cosgrove homes as the enumerator walked his round.