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The Church of All Saints at Rennington
Alnwick   Northumberland
NE66 3RT

A Brief History of Rennington Village

Rennington Parish extended much further to the West in ancient times, extending to Alnwick Moor or Aydon Forest together with land extending to Heiferlaw. Rennington and Rock were very much separate villages in times past, being in different land ownerships.
Stamford and Broxfield were considered hamlets in their own right.

In 1267 a survey of Rennington recorded several freeholds in the Township: Philip De Broxfield held 40 acres, Everard Freeman held 24 acres, Hugh De Broxfield held 120 acres and Richard De Broxfield held 48 acres.
In 1290 land near Heckley became the property of Alnwick Abbey and in 1335 the estate in Broxfield was given to the Canons of Alnwick Abbey.
Rennington and Broxfield were owned separately until shortly after 1414 when the land was transferred to the Percy family and being part of the Barony of Alnwick held by The Earl of Northumberland.
Rennington and Rock both suffered by raids from Scots and some of these depredations were recorded in 1574 and 1576.

A survey by the Earl of Northumberland Estate in 1622 records:
'the mannor and towne of Rennington is parcell of the barony of Alnwicke situated in Bamburgh ward 'in a good soyle both for corne and grasse'.

It is recorded that land was divided enclosed in 1720 and 1762 so as to improve the conditions of the tenants and allow them to practise more modern methods of farming.

Stone cross in All Saints Church Rennington Alnwick
Stone Cross in Graveyard

Henry Ogle, the Schoolmaster and Parish Clerk at Rennington, together with John Common of Denwick were considered to be the inventors of the reaping machine being extensively adopted in America and exhibited by McCormick at the Great Exhibition in 1851.

The old village school was replaced in 1894 by a new school (now the Village Hall) for 60 children and then further extended about 10 years later to accommodate the increased number of children in the Parish, then 120. The pupil roll fell slowly then rapidly when middle schools were brought into use. The school finally closed in 1982 with only 6 pupils on the roll.

Rennington School in 1933
Rennington School in 1933

In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Rennington like this:

RENNINGTON, a township-chapelry in Embleton parish, Northumberland; ¾ of a mile W by N of Little Mill r. station, and 3¾ N E by N of Alnwick. Post-town, Chathill. Acres, 1,812. Rated property, £ 1,680. Pop., 263. Houses, 51. The property belongs to the Duke of Northumberland. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Durham. Value, £ 86. Patron, the Vicar of Embleton. The church is recent; and was preceded by an ancient chapel, originally connected with Lindis-farne priory. There is a national school.

Rennington Church 2008 from the Village Green
Rennington Church 2008 from the Village Green

Reference:
The Northumberland Village Book, written by members of the Northumberland Federation of Women's Institutes and published by Countryside Books.