Oliver Cromwell Slept Here After the Battle of Naseby

On June 21st, 1645, Oliver Cromwell, stayed one night in Lillington, probably at the house by the church now known as Lillington Manor, as second-in-command to Sir Thomas Fairfax, commander of the parliamentary army returning to the West Country, having won a decisive victory at Naseby in Northamptonshire the week before.

Follow the links below, for other stories of people with Lillington connections.

Squadron Leader HENRY MAUDSLAY DFC Youngest Dam Buster Pilot

Henry Maudslay, the youngest pilot to fly in the Dam Buster raid of 1943, was born at 1, Vicarage Road, Lillington.

Sydney McGregor Breeder of Horses at Lillington Stud Farm

From the mid 1920’s until 1961, horses bred by Sydney McGregor at Lillington Stud Farm won all the most famous races of Britain, Ireland and France, including the Derby, the Grand National, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand Prix de Paris. Up to a hundred horses each year were bred in Lillington and sold all over the world, to clients including the Aga Khan and the Queen Mother.

Read more about Sydney McGregor and April the Fifth, winner of the 1932 Epsom Derby.


Watch a British Pathe newsreel of the 1932 Derby.

Lt Raymond Alderson, Croix de Guerre One of many who perished not in vain, As a type of our chivalry.

Raymond Alderson spent his childhood in Kenilworth and Lillington; as a conscientious objector he joined an ambulance and hospital unit with the Free French forces, and died near Tobruk, Libya in 1942, aged twenty three.

Edward Duggins Watchmaker

Edward Duggins, watchmaker and Parish clerk, lived at 96, Cubbington Road.

Fred Hands Blacksmith shod April the Fifth

Fred Hands was blacksmith to the McGregors, and shod Sydney McGregor's famous 1932 Derby winner.

John Tew Gardener, Beekeeper and Fishmonger

John Tew, a native of Northamptonshire, married a Devon woman at Offchurch, and brought up six children at 94, Cubbington Road.

Cecilia Betham Champion Archer of Ireland

Cecilia Betham was women's champion archer of Ireland in 1864, and later lived in Lillington Road as Mrs John Corbett.

Second Lieutenant Miles Linzee Atkinson Until the Day Dawn

Miles Atkinson was born in Kenilworth. His father was Mayor of Leamington and living in Kenilworth Road when Miles died commanding a tank at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. His name is recorded on Lillington war memorial.