GAYHURST ARCHIVES

The village of Gayhurst has been closely linked with Stoke Goldington since  1265 , and the occupants of Gayhurst Manor were in possession of both villages for many centuries.

This arrangement came to an end with the Great Stoke Goldington Sale of 1912, when Sir William Walter Carlile gave the villagers the chance to purchase their own properties,

We were fortunate to receive a large amount of Gayhurst historical documentation from the late Lady Carlile and several accounts from those who worked in the House or on the Estate

A great deal of research work has been carried out in the past few years to uncover and describe the history of  Gayhurst House and village

The Gayhurst Project – Acknowledgments

1. Janet Jack – whose 1993 dissertation: Gayhurst – A Study of the Park and Gardens and recommendations for Conservation, provided much of the material for this project.
2. The Executors of the late Lady Elisabeth Carlile – for providing The Carlile Papers and The Gayhurst Photograph Collection.
3. Beverley Looker – for collecting and collating ‘The Gayhurst Archive’.
4. The Gunpowder Plot Society – for use of their feature ‘Sir Everard Digby’ written by Jennifer O’Brien.
5. Brian Oldham – for his features on St Peter’s Church, Gayhurst, Bishop Odo of Bayeux
6. Andy Stewart – for his feature on The Bronze Age Barrow Cemetery at Gayhurst.
7. Ann Burroughs – who provided material on Sir Kenelm Digby.
8. Esther Wesley – for her memoirs ‘Life below Stairs’.
9. Pam Matthews – who transcribed ‘The 1884 Tragedy’. (with later update)
10. The Heritage Lottery Fund – whose grant funded the training.
11. Milton Keynes Heritage Association – who set up the training programme.
12. Jane Turner and colleagues – who ran the training programme and who provided the vision, drive, enthusiasm and technical expertise which made the project possible.
13. Derek George – who co-ordinated the project