Northamptonshire Record Society

PLAGUE AT HANGING HOUGHTON 1665
1665 is notorious as the year when plague struck London, causing scores of the thousands of deaths. The pestilence was not confined to towns. The hamlet of Hanging Houghton, between Lamport and Brixworth, for instance was very badly hit. You can see more details here: https://archive.org/details/plague-at-hanging-houghton-v-01

ST PETER’S and THE OLD BLACK LION
Between 15-22 July, a community archaeology project took place at the Old Black Lion site next to St Peter’s churchyard, at Marefair in the centre of Northampton.
A day-by-day account of what went on and the many curious items found can be explored on the ‘Friends of St Peter’s Church’ site.

The Community Dig | The Friends of St Peter's Church This is a collation of a series of blog posts forming the DIG DIARY for a community archaeology project at the Old Black Lion site adjacent St Peter’s churchyard took place between 15-22 July 2024.

THE LOST CHURCHES OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Over the years, at least 47 of its medieval or earlier churches have been demolished in Northamptonshire. An article by Stephen Swailes sets out in detail evidence for their existence and sometimes about when and why they disappeared. The figure of 47 does not include the 26 abbeys and priories, 18 hospitals and six colleges suppressed in the 1530s, churches totally rebuilt since or buildings that still stand but no longer used for worship.
You can discover more by downloading the article, free of charge, from this link: https://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/sources/NorthamptonshireLostChurches.pdf
The drawing of the ruins of St John the Baptist church at Boughton Green was published about 1784. Thank you to Rev Stephen Trott for supplying the image.

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STARMER AT WELFORD
On 16 May 1878, George Starmer, a servant, inscribed his mark in Welford parish register when he married Matilda Buswell. The fathers of both were recorded as labourers. No doubt, George and Matilda would be surprised that their 2x great grandson is now Prime Minister.
The picture is of Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister when it was taken - also in 1878.

WAYBACK AWAITS YOU
Have you ever tried to find a website that has disappeared or no longer shows the item you are looking for? If so, it’s likely that all is not lost.
This report discusses how the Wayback Machine preserves online records even after they are no longer available online – and makes them available for anyone in the world free of charge.

The Wayback Machine, a time machine for the web Because the web is ephemeral, the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine has made backups of websites continually since 1996, with nearly 900 billion pages preserved. But making books and music freely available has led to lawsuits by publishers and the music industry.

1611 VINTAGE MAP
John Speed’s exquisite map of Northamptonshire was first published about 1611 and is no longer subject to copyright. It features the majority of villages, with large-scale insets for Northampton and Peterborough. You can see and download the map from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Speed_Northampton.jpg
For the best results when zooming into places of particular interest, harvest the file from the link at the highest resolution.

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THE OPEN FIELDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
One of the books you can download free of charge as a PDF from the Record Society’s website is this classic study by David Hall.
It starts by explaining how the open fields came to be and showcases a wide range of evidence about their development. Transcriptions of original records and pictures of maps help to complete the picture. A 205-page gazetteer unfolds the history of the manors and fields for 209 of the 315 parishes in the county with many references to original records, books and articles. In some cases, this will help readers discover exactly where particular individuals owned or occupied land.
The extensive index helps us home in on all references to places of particular interest, whether in the gazetteer or elsewhere in the book.http://www.northamptonshirerecordsociety.org.uk/e_books/OpenFields/VolNo38-open_fields.pdf

THE HUMAN COST
The English Civil War left many troops and their families injured or bereaved. Images of a host of petitions from the victims for welfare support can now be seen online.
You can search the Civil War Petitions site by names, places, battles and other details. Full of human interest, they offer much to local and family as well as military historians.
https://www.civilwarpetitions.ac.uk/
(Image from The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, under a Creative Commons Zero licence).

CIVIL WAR CONFERENCE – 1645
If you fancy a day out at Newark, Saturday 27 April is your opportunity to discover more about the campaign that led up to the battle of Naseby and its impact on Northamptonshire.
A time to listen to expert speakers and mingle with a like-minded audience.
More details at this link:
https://www.battlefieldstrust.com/event.asp?EventID=1393

WHERE TO FIND CHURCHWARDENS’ ACCOUNTS
Churchwardens’ accounts can be rich sources for the history not only of churches but also about local residents, rich and poor. Some accounts have been transcribed and published (see the picture).
They do not survive for all places, so the first step is to find out whether any exist for your parishes of interest. Fortunately, there are free lists, sorted by county, which flag up the periods for which such records survive for each parish in England & Wales. The link to discover and download more is:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/myparish/projects/cwa/

GREGORY PALMER – A 17TH-CENTURY VICAR
Gregory Palmer was vicar of West Haddon for over 50 years. His altar tomb still stands in the churchyard. You can download a 28-page account of his life and times from this link (at no charge):
https://archive.org/details/gregory-palmer-of-west-haddon-v-01/mode/2up

NASEBY IN 1792
John Mastin, the vicar of Naseby from 1783 to 1829, was the first person to write a history of the village itself. His book ‘The History and Antiquities of Naseby’ was published in 1792, with many details of its residents at that time and their ways of life.
Printed copies of the book are hard to track down, but you can read and download a digitised copy free of charge from Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/historyandantiq00mastgoog/page/n10/mode/2up

THE GREAT FIRE OF NORTHAMPTON
This talk looks interesting – it’s open to all and free.
Book your place by email to [email protected]

DESTRUCTION OF ORIGINAL WILLS?
To save storage costs, the Government is considering the possibility of destroying most of the original documents for wills that were proved from 1858 until 20 years ago. The many millions of wills involved would first be digitised.
A public consultation on the subject is being held until 23 February 2024.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/storage-and-retention-of-original-will-documents
As well as taking part in the formal consultation, individuals may wish to make their views on the subject known to their local MP.

THE GARDENING VICAR OF BRIXWORTH
Charles Marshall was vicar of Brixworth from 1779 until he expired in 1818. Evidently a keen gardener, his ‘Introduction to the Knowledge and Practice of Gardening’ extends to over 400 pages. The book was in such demand that by 1800 a third edition was necessary. A first American edition was printed at Boston in 1799.
You can see and download an PDF of the whole book free of charge by following this link:
https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_introduction-to-the-kno_marshall-charles-vicar_1800/mode/2up
Marshall’s interests were wide-ranging, as can be seen in his ‘Practical Introduction to Arithmetic’, which had reached its 12th edition by 1820.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bS_0FmRB5N4C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0 =onepage&q&f=false

FROM FAXTON TO THE V&A
When the ancient church at Faxton, some 11 miles north of the centre of Northampton, was demolished in 1958, all was not lost. Its most notable monuments were donated to the Victoria & Albert Museum at Kensington, London, where they can still be seen.
This one, crafted by John Hunt of Northampton, commemorates John Niccols Raynsford. The inscription reminds us that early death was then common, even amongst the well-to-do.

THE CARRIERS’ COSMOGRAPHY
How did people and their possessions travel long distances in the 1600s? Clues can be found in ‘The Carriers’ Cosmography’ by John Taylor which was launched in 1637. It appears to be the earliest directory of those offering to carry goods and passengers between London and a large range of places in England, Wales & Scotland and even further afield.
Places reached from London are arranged in alphabetical order, with details of the London inns and the days of the week involved. The destinations in Northamptonshire mentioned include Brackley, Coleashby (Cold Ashby), Daintree (Daventry), Northampton and Torcester (Towcester). The contents have been transcribed as a table by Alan Rosevear which can be seen here:
http://www.turnpikes.org.uk/intell%201637.htm

The original text of the ‘Carriers’ Cosmography’ is reproduced as pages 223-246 in volume 1 of ‘An English Garner’ – an enormous anthology of 16th and 17th-century works that was published by Edward Arber in 1877. You can see and download it free of charge from Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/anenglishgarneri01arbeuoft/page/222/mode/2up

WEB ACCESS TO THE BRITISH LIBRARY
At the end of October, a cyberattack led to a shutdown of most of the web-based services at the British Library. Normal service has still not resumed, but a post on the Blog of the Royal Historical Society provides links which may help readers work around the problem.
Visit this link to find out more:

WEB ACCESS TO BRITISH LIBRARY DATABASES: WORKAROUNDS for historians | Historical Transactions On 28 October 2023, the British Library was subject to a major cyberattack, entailing a near complete shutdown of the Library’s web-based services. Staff at the British Library are continuing to work extremely hard to restore services that are vital for teaching as well as research, on site and re...

BEST WISHES TO ALL FOR A HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

SPRATTON PRIMARY SCHOOL HISTORY
The latest publication from Spratton Local History Society showcases the 200-year history of the village school. The author, Enid Jarvis, has brought together a wide variety of sources, including numerous historical and more recent photographs in which many of those appearing are identified.
Of enormous interest to who lives in or near Spratton or with family origins in the area, the book is also an inspiring model for anyone thinking of writing an account of the history of another school.
You can find out more and buy your own copy by following this link:
https://www.sprattonhistory.org/publications.php

THE WICKES FAMILY AT WELFORD
From 1573 until the middle of the 18th century, members of the Wickes family lived at Welford, with branches at many other places in the county.
A detailed account of their history, with a range of original records helping to build up a picture of family relationships, can be seen and downloaded free of charge from the Internet Archive site:
https://archive.org/details/the-wickes-family-at-welford-v02

FIND YOUR FALLEN NEIGHBOURS
‘A Street Near You’ contains records for over one million men and women who died whilst serving in the First World War.
The picture is of Private Albert Franklin (1884-1914) of 22 Adelaide Street, Northampton, who lost his life less than two months after the start of the War. In the previous year, he had married Ethel Birch. Their daughter, Violet, was born a few months before her father died.
https://astreetnearyou.org/ #=undefined&lat=52.24608131240182&lon=-0.8971506357192994&zoom=17
By zooming in and out on the map you can find which local people did not come home to particular places throughout the British Isles and sometimes beyond. You can also search by address or postcode.
Please share this post with any people or groups you think may be interested.

BEDFORDSHIRE ARCHIVES
The annual report from the Record Office of this neighbouring county is a mine of information and a model of clarity. Its nine upbeat pages feature a notable array of recent additions to its collections. Progress in cataloguing, conservation, outreach and digitisation are also showcased.
With so many good news stories, it is no surprise that Bedfordshire is an Accredited Archive Service.
You can download your own copy of the report from:https://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/PDFs/2022-23-annual-report.pdf

ONLINE TALK – Saturday 25 November (2.30pm)
This is your opportunity to hear our member Mikesh Mistry’s talk based on his widely acclaimed book, ‘Northamptonshire in the First World War’.

Drawing on a mixture of original sources and the extensive wartime coverage in local newspapers at the time, the book follows the Northamptonshire Regiment in its various engagements throughout the war and the social impact on the home front.

The illustrated talk will begin at 2.30pm. The Zoom link is:
https://zoom.us/j/95295246378?pwd=OHEvYkhOemZyY09NV1ZVaEdJQkh4UT09
Please share the zoom link with your friends.

WORKSHOP ON HISTORY WRITING FOR PUBLICATION - Saturday 2 December (10.00 am)

Are you one of the many people who do historical research relating to the county?

We have arranged a free Workshop where local history enthusiasts can discuss the best ways to write up their discoveries. This can be a big step on the road to getting some of your work published, for instance in ‘Northamptonshire Past and Present’.

Representatives from the University of Northampton and the Record Society will share tips on best practice.

When? – Saturday 2 December from 10 am to 12 noon.
Where? – Record Society Library, Wootton Hall Park, Northampton NN4 8BQ.

Please email the office for more information or to book your place.
[email protected]

JOB OPPORTUNITY – General Secretary (part-time)

Northamptonshire Record Society is an educational charity with about 450 members. You can read about what we do by visiting our website:
www.northamptonshirerecordsociety.org.uk

We are looking for an energetic person to provide administrative support and work with the trustees in driving the Society forward. A background in governance and charity issues will be most helpful, as will experience of a members’ organisation. An interest in local history would be welcome but is not a requirement.

The workload will vary over the course of a year but is likely to be an average of about seven hours per week. Some of the work will be at our office at Wootton Hall Park, Northampton, NN4 8BQ, but there will also be scope for home working.

We envisage that the General Secretary will be an employee, but we are willing to consider different contractual arrangements if they are appropriate.

Interested? Please contact us by email for a detailed Job Description:
[email protected]

Closing date for applications: Sunday 19th November 2023