My father (Peter Desmond Wyles)  was born in Lincolnshire (but not Duddington - but rather Louth I believe) during WWII. His father - Alfred Wyles - was born in West Bromwich (Birmingham) but was a soldier in the British Army at the time and was only temporally based in Lincolnshire. It was his father - Archibald Wyles - who had left Duddington in the early 1900s. As far as we can tell, Alfred never mentioned Duddington to his son - Peter (my father) - and my father only first heard the name "Duddington" when his wife (Diane Wyles) used the genealogical resources available on the internet - to trace the "Wyles" family. We were skeptical at the time - but after our first visits - it was obvious that the Wyles family had lived in Duddington for at least 500-years - and probably much longer. My father lived to 84-years and 1-day. He passed away one-day after his birthday (May 28th). I believe he was just two-years younger than James Wyles who lived throughout the 1700s and into the early 1800s. It is interesting to observe the genetic patterns that manifest within family lineages. My father lived for 84-years (1943-2026), his father lived to 60-years (1916-1976), whilst his father lived to 53/54 (1887-1941). Currently, I am "59-years old" - we shall see! 

We visited Tixover on Sunday 26th October, 2025 - around 1 pm. The clocks have just changed so the UK is now back on GMT. We are staying in Market Overton for five-days (25.10.2025-3010.2025) - sponsored by Diane Wyles. Tixover Lodge is a working farm with about ten houses attached. Perhaps it is a hamlet - but the road into the place - just over the bridge at the West-end of Duddington, literally runs-out into a dirt-track where St Luke in the Field Church is located. This is a church built on a field surrounded by a rectangular stone-wall. We last visited around 2009 (but we seem not to have photographed or filmed) as a small number of "Wyles" people have either lived here - or married someone from here. I think there are two adjacent places similarly named just up the road as "Tixover Grange" and *Tixover Lodge" - the former I think is a small row of houses (I have a dim memory of visiting some time ago). 

When we visited around 2009 - we had to acquire the church-key from the local farm. At that time, the church appeared to be locked. However, upon this visit in 2025, a sign on the church-door stated that the church is always open during day-light hours. Perhaps so few people visit - or when we visited - it was a time of year when few people visit. Even today - I think many might be put-off by the rather rustic nature of the dirt-track - as any approaching vehicle would require a stout suspension. The inside of the St Luke's Church is very simplistic and austere - what would be expected from a "Protestant" church following the stripping of the altars in the early 1500s. The attitude of the Anglican Church is that simplicity - free of the clutter of Papism - allows the average practitioner to commune with their "god" in a more direct manner.

Diane Wyles has acquired a beautiful (replica) map of 1610 Northants - including Duddington situated to the North - Gee has added a circled to our photograph of the map. This would date to the time of King James I of England (the 8th year of his reign). Duddington today is situated in North Northants - although the historical records for the Mill (which lies in West Duddington) is kept by the Council of West Northants. However, over the years, Duddington has been placed in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, and even Rutland, etc, although from this old map - you can see the logic behind Duddington being placed in North Northants (the Parish Council is Fineshade and Duddington). 

I was walking around Duddingyon village at 18:45 hrs on Tuesday July 29th - 2025. I had a sense it was good - and immediately sent a copy to Gee who was in the Highfield area of (North) Duddington - looking after Kai-Lin who was enjoying herself in the play-ground. This was taken with my Honor X6 mobile telephone camera - which is excellent! There were a few takes before and after - but this central effort (which I think is the best picture I have taken involving a broad interpretation of Duddington) - seems to be perfectly balanced - like a Zen painting. Perhaps we night call this picture the "Zen of Duddington" or "Duddington Zen"! Either way, this picture records St Mary's Church as being a majestic centre-piece of the village! 

We stayed in Easton-on-the-Hill for a week between Saturday July 26yj - Saturday August 2nd - 2025. This allowed boots-on-the-ground, so-to-speak, every single day! We visited Duddington once or twice a day - using our up-to-date cameras to produce superb (new) videos and photographs. We are always going over our previous work - creating layers of clarity and new discoveries. Even so, we have since discovered two lanes we have never explored - which are tucked away - and not explored by the Ordnance Survey of 1988. As this has served as the blue-print for our explorations - we did not know of these tucked away areas. Gee discovered these areas whilst accessing Google Earth when researching the Duddington Royal Observer Corps Bunker which was closed in 1991 (more on that in a later post). Interestingly, St Mary's Church was visited and listed on the 27.5.1967 - just one-week before I was born during the Summer of love!

The Following is the Ordnance Survey of St Mary's Church discovered by Diane Wyles - taken on the 23,5,1967:

St Mary’s Church 1967
 
Home: England Northamptonshire Duddington-with-Fineshade
Church of St Mary
A Grade II* Listed Building in Duddington-with-Fineshade, North Northamptonshire
Longitude: -0.5432 / 0°32'35"W
OS Eastings: 498774
OS Northings: 300884
OS Grid: SK987008
Mapcode National: GBR FWG.1JD
Mapcode Global: WHGM2.MZKM
Plus Code: 9C4XHFW4+PP
Entry Name: Church of St Mary
Listing Date: 23 May 1967
Last Amended: 31 March 1988
Grade: II*
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1040104Heritage tourism packages
English Heritage Legacy ID: 232955
Also known as: St Mary's Church, Duddington
ID on this website: 101040104
Location: St Mary's Church, Duddington, North Northamptonshire, PE9
County: North Northamptonshire
Civil Parish: Duddington-with-Fineshade
Traditional County: Northamptonshire
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Northamptonshire
Church of England Parish: Duddington St Mary
Description
DUDDINGTON CHURCH STREET
SK9800 (North side)
9/90 Church of St. Mary
23/05/67
GV II*
Church. Mid and late C12, C13, C14, chancel rebuilt, and church restored c.1844
by Bryan Browning. Regular coursed and squared coursed limestone, part rendered,
with lead and Collyweston slate roofs. Aisled nave, chancel, south parch, north
vestry and south-east tower. South elevation of chancel of 2-window range of C19
lancet windows with 2-stage buttress between; similar buttress at corner. Gabled
roof with Collyweston slates and ashlar parapet with finial. C19 three-light
east window set in a plate surround with shafts. Shallow flanking buttresses and
buttress below the window are from the original chancel. C19 quatrefoil circle
in apex of gable. North elevation of chancel of 4 bays, 3-window range of lancet
windows, all similar to south elevation. Bay to far right is blank. 2-stage
buttresses between bays. South aisle of 3 bays, 2-window range of 3- and 4-light
square head windows. 3-light window, to left, has transom with castellations.
Lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapet. The south wall of the aisle is rendered.
C14 gabled porch breaking forward from centre bay has single-chamfered outer
doorway with 2-centred arch-head and polygonal responds. Inner doorway is late
C12 with retrains of 2 orders of shafts with waterleaf capitals and 2-centred
arch-head with roll moulding. Plank door with 4 large strap hinges. Ashlar gable
parapets and 2-light square-head window on return wall. West elevation of south
aisle is blank. North aisle of 3 bays, 2-window range of 3-light square-head
windows with moulded surrounds and hood moulds. Lean-to roof with ashlar gable
parapet. C19 gabled vestry breaks forward from centre bay. Each face has
single-light windows with cusped treads. Shallow gabled roof with plain ashlar
parapets. 2-light east window has quatrefoil circle. West elevation of north
aisle is blank. West elevation of nave has large central lancet with flanking
C19 two-stage buttresses. Moulded string causes, below parapet, follows the line
of the gable end. Nave clerestory of 3-window range of 2-light square-head
windows. Those on the north side have plate surround and those on the south side
have plate surround with raised moulding and carved label stops. Shallow gabled
roof with castellated ashlar parapet. South-east tower is attached to east end
of south aisle. Late C12 base with C13 upper stages. 2-stage ashlar angle
buttresses to corners of lower 2 stages. Late C12 south doorway has chamfered
surround with semi-circular head. Single-light windows, with similar heads,
above and to lower stage of east face. Lancet window, to south face of second
stage. 2-light bell-chamber openings, to each face of upper stage, have
2-centred outer arch and central column, parts restored C19. Short, ashlar,
broach spire with 2 tiers of lucarnes; each with central shaft similar to bell
chamber openings. C17 inscribed tablets to Wyles family set in base of vestry;
similar C19 tablets alongside. Interior: 3-bay nave arcade. Centre and east bay
of north arcade are mid C12 semi-circular arches with roll moulded underside and
zig-zag decoration to both faces of outer angle. Central, circular, pier with
square scalloped abaci. Similar responds, with nook shafts, facing into the
nave. West arch is late C12/early C13. Double-chamfered semi-circular arch
with semi-circular responds. The pier between this bay and the other 2 bays is
formed from 2 responds. South arcade is also probably late C12/early C13.
Double-chamfered, semi-circular, arch with semi-circular responds. The pier
between this bay and the other 2 bays is formed from 2 responds. Soutn arcade is
also probably late C12/early C13, double-chartered arches with circular piers
and semi-circular responds. East pier and respond have waterleaf capitals.
Double-chamfered chancel arch with polygonal responds. Triple-chamfered tower
arches from south aisle and chancel. Arch into chancel has cluster shaft respond
and arch into south aisle has half bracket respond, to north, and part cluster
shaft to south. Nave and north aisle roofs have some original timbers. Other
roofs are C19. Trefoil head piscina to soutn wall of south aisle; fragment of
rood loft stair in south wall of north aisle. C13 octagonal font supported on
octagonal base with Y polygonal shafts C18 communion rail with turned
balusters. Stained glass: C19 east window. Pews to west of nave and north aisle
incorporate some C17 panelling. Other pews, with doors, are of 1844. Monuments:
William Jackson, d.1792, inscribed tablet to south wall of chancel, probably
reset. Thomes Jackson, d.1792, inscribed marble tablet to north wall of chancel.
Various C19 and C20 inscribed tablets to Goddard-Jackson family who live at
Duddington Manor
 
Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: p194;RCHM: An Inventory of
Architectural Monuments in North Northamptonshire: p44)Heritage tourism
 
Other nearby listed buildings
 
II Pair of Chest Tombs Approximately 10 Metres North of Chancel of Church of St Mary
St Mary's Church, Duddington, North Northamptonshire, PE9
 
II Chest Tomb and Headstone Approximately 5 Metres South East of South Porch of Church of St Mary
 
St Mary's Church, Duddington, North Northamptonshire, PE9
 
II Duddington War Memorial
Duddington, North Northamptonshire, PE9
 
II 2, Mill Street Duddington, North Northamptonshire, PE9
II Church Farmhouse
Duddington, North Northamptonshire, PE9
II Outbuilding Approximately 2 Metres South West of Church Fsrmhouse
Duddington, North Northamptonshire, PE9
II Riverside Cottages
Duddington, North Northamptonshire, PE9
II Dovecote Approximately 30 Metres South West of Church Farmhouse
Duddington, North

The Church of England is nothing if not practical. Although St Mary's Church is a Grade II listed building - its door is not always open. On the odd occasion in the past, after driving three to four hours to reach Duddington - we have found the Church firmly locked. Of course, we do not expect the Church - or the people of Duddington for that matter - to arrange their lives around our research schedule! Despite visiting Duddington since 2008 (around 17-years as of 20025) - we have met probably less than five people - and one of them was a Postman! The Landlord of the Royal Oak (and his Staff) have always been very kind and professional - but I am talking about the population of Duddingtion proper (around 115 to date). I believe I have spoken to three such people - all highly polite - but inward-looking - which I quite like. As for research, we are more or less on our own. Again, who else would be interested in our Wyles surname? I hope that with all the supportive evidence we are amassing - people carrying-out similar research will be able to gain something from our collective efforts. 

This is a new edition. To be fair, a number of Churches in the Northants area have installed Contactless Credit-card machines - with the usual caveat that the Church will not accept any donation less than £5 (due to charges levied by the credit card companies). Bear in mind that although once occupied by the working-class - dominated a small middle and upper-class - Duddington today is a village of millionaires who have left the city for a more sedate rural existence. To these people, £5 is like 5p, etc. Although I have exchanged copious numbers of emails with the Church Authorities over the years - I have received "zero" assistance with my research. Given that we all pay for the Church of England through our income tax whether or not we believe in its teachings - I think this is poor value for money. The Church exists to serve the people who finance it - but unfortunately, greed and selfishness is everywhere nowadays. Offers of generous donations raises interest - request for kindly assistance lowers interest and negates expectations. 

My mother - Diane Wyles - has been researching and gather all types of interesting historical data regarding Duddington. Although not easy to find - there a number of old and telling pictures available if some effort is put into locating and acquiring them. Sometimes, the data derives from the private collection of individuals who lived in Duddington and subsequently contacted my mother for genealogical reason. There are plenty of local historians who swap information - a type of currency - to gain access to what we know. This system works because you never can tell exactly what it is that you have got! Although some of these pictures are not labelled - it is possible to identify which building amounts to what house, etc.

Diane Wyles located the page featured below - some years ago before we had a website. It is a page from the Parish Records of "Thorpe Achurch" which is situated around 19-miles south of Duddington. We know that the Wyles was in Duddington at this time - and in other surrounding areas (such as Bourne - in 1301). Here, "Henrie Wyles" is recorded as being the "Son" (written "Sonne") of one "Robert Wyles" - during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. I believe that in this year - 1598 - there are Tax Returns recorded for the Wyles family of Duddington. 

The text reads: 

              Marriages 1598          -          Christinngs         -          Burials
                                                May 23rd  Henrie Wyles the
                                                    Sonne of Robert Wyles

This is what the Parish Records of Duddington would look like if they existed for this time period. I have been told that the 1500s, 1600s, and early 1700s Parish Records for Duddington - once stored in the St Mary's Church - were destroyed during an extensive flooding incident involving the overflowing (nearby) River Welland. There are the Bishop's Transcripts, of course, (a copy of the Parish Records for the exclusive use of the Diocese) and I have been in communication with the Peterborough Diocese regarding this matter. However, I was forwarded an interesting link from the US which states that the Church of England, in 1966, once published the Duddington Bishop's Transcripts dating from 1604. This would suggest that somewhere this data is in the public domain. Why it would only be from 1604 is a mystery at this time. If we could find this information, then we would be able to fill-out our Duddington Family Tree - and perhaps shed some light on how long our family has been living in Duddington (the early 1500s is the current records we possess - but the family looks settled even then). It is interesting to note that "Births" are not included - and neither is the name of the mother. As spelling was not yet standardised in the 1500s - we have "Chirstinngs" istead of "Christenings". 

Whilst staying for a week in Easton-on-the-Hill - we initially had no idea that "The Priest House" (Chantry) existed. It was only when accessing the internet to locate historical buildings that this "National Trust" property emerged. Furthermore, the directions suggested it was only about a ten-minute drive away. I have never heard of - or seen - a "Chantry" before. Henry VIII outlawed their use in 1544 due to their association with the Roman Catholic Church. Essentially, rich people, in order to ensure a good experience in the after-life, "paid" the Church ample amounts of money that was intended to pay for a priest or monks to say daily prayers for the individual concerned, read chapters from the Bible, and chant saintly affirmations. Indeed, so many rich people would pay for this service (decreed by the Pope) that the Church had to establish separate buildings (segregated from the places dedicated to "poor" worship) designed just for this activity!

With the "Act of Supremacy" (1534) - Henry VIII expelled the Pope and all Catholic activity from the England. This was enforced through the "Dissolution of the Monasteries" (mostly completed by 1540) - all acts of revolution that led to the "Reformation" and the foundations of the "Church of England" (headed by the monarch and the Archbishop of Canterbury). Chantry Houses carried-on until 1544 - existing in a legal grey area - but as the Pope had originally authorised this practice, Henry viewed their presence as a form of Catholicism through the back-door - and all remaining Chantry Houses were closed down in 1544. As the Easton Chantry was a) remote, and b) tucked away in the Northants countryside, its presence was ignored and it has survived into the 21st century for modern people to study and observe.

In many ways, the search for the grave of my Great Great Grandfather was the entire inspiration behind this week-long stay in the area sponsored by Diane Wyles - my mother! The irony of it all is that although we did find so much more important data - we failed to locate the grave of John Thomas! We visited Uppingham on Monday July 28th - but despite our best efforts - we could not locate the grave in either of the two graveyards attached to the Church.

I was surprised to learn that the grave of John Thomas was a) recorded as existing in the churchyard, whilst b) possessing no plot number - which is the usual requirement for a paid funeral. Indeed, in the list linked above - none of the recorded graves are given a plot number. 

When we arrived at the Church (we parked a short distance away in a small car-park) I had the feeling that we may have visited this place perhaps around 2008-2009 - and despite being in a sizable small group of about five five fit people - none of us were able to locate any Wyles graves. In those days, we were not photographing and videoing as we do today - or at least no to the extent or depth we now do. One of our then group ("Liz") used to keep a note-book and pen handy - and would write down everything. Even today, this note-book remains the primary foundation of our Wyles genealogical research - despite most of its content now being digitalised and available online. Still, hope springs eternal! No doubt, we will visit again, and given the instructions obtained from the Church Warden - we may yet emerge successful and John Thomas will be united with his caring family! 

What I find difficult to understand is given that large numbers of Wyles people migrated to Uppingham, worked there, and passed away there - where are their graves? Why is John Thomas on his own? We know he had a wife and children - and that his brother - Jeremiah Wyles (and his wife and children) all lived and died in Uppingham. Either the above list of burials is incomplete, or the other Wyles people were buried elsewhere - providing they did not all leave the area for some reason. Whatever the case, the two Wyles brothers were born in Duddington and we know that neither they or their families are buried in that place. 

We got up early on Saturday August 2nd - as it was the last day of our holiday. We had to pack-up, clean, and clear the area for the required departure of 10:00 am. Having achieved this, we said good-bye to our holiday cottage (situated in Easton-on-the-Hill) and heeded up the road to the village of Ketton. As we ended-up driving the long-wat around - I was surprised how big the place actually is - and wondered if it is still a villlage? Still, we had briefly visited probabky around 2009, and found the Church locked - whilst today it was open! 

Outside, is an elongated stone-cross - originally constructed just after WWI - with inscriptions added after WWII. As with many places containing old War Memorials - "The Great War" (1914-1918) is usually presented as the major confrontation of the 20th century - with WWII being an unfinished consequence of it. However, as the post-war education system consolidated and a new set of political imperatives became dominate - the idea of WWII being more important was slowly but surely propagated. 

Interestingly, we have digitalised all the names on this monument and uploaded this data elsewhere on this site. Within the entrance of the Church are two Rolls of Honour which record the names of the men (and women) who fought in both World Wars - with Ketton seeming to supply about a hundred recruits for both conflicts (women fighting is recorded quite extensively in the Northants area - although it is interesting that there are no "Home Guard" Memorials despite that unit being very well staffed according to the history books. 

Whilst reading the names of the Ketton-people who served in WWII we located the name of "GH Wyles". This person turns-out to be the son of Jeremiah and Eliza Wyles of Uppingham. Jeremiah is the brother of John Thomas Wyles - both born in Duddington. John Thomas Wyles is my Great Great Grandfather - and father of Archibald Brittain Wyles (my Great Grandfather). We have discovered that John Thomas Wyles is buried in the graveyard of St Pete & St Paul Church in Uppingham (although we have not yet located the exact grave) - but according to the same Church Records - there are no other Wyles people buried there - despite a substantial population. We have not been able to ascertain what exactly was the connection between "Gerald Henry Wyles" and Ketton. 

Bisbrook (sometimes spelt "Bysbrook") is situated seven-miles to the West of Duddington - not far from Uppingham. We visited on the way back from visiting Rockingham Castle on July 29th, 2025. This is the place that one "Daringold Crowe" (b. 1605) and her family originated. Daringold married Robert Wyles of Duddington on June 12, 1623 - when she was aged eighteen-years old. Daringold lived into her 63rd year - dying in 1668. ​

Bisbrook is situated in the Oakley area - with a "Leicester" postcode. The village is small and picturesque. The Crowe family was certainly recorded as living in Bisbrook during the 1600s. As we could not find any visible graves - we will have to access the Parish Records for the village and see what is available. Whatever the case, Robert Crowe - the father of Daringold - had to provide a dowry for his daughter in her marriage to Robert Wyles - which consisted of a parcel of local land. Owning land was everything in those days and was a marker of status and social stability.

Hopefully, if we visited Bisbrook again in the future, perhaps we can arrange for the Church to be open. Indeed, this was the only Church that was locked-shut. It is shame as the Church is old and beautiful! As matters stand, this visit was vitally important for the research into our family history. No stone must lay unturned, so-to-speak. Everything is useful and we must physically visit as many places as possible to add depth to this genealogical prefect. Every experience adds knowledge to the real life of the Wyles family and everyone who was associated with it. Somewhere in this graveyard - perhaps recorded in the above photographs - the Crowe family is buried. One day, we will find them!