Northamptonshire Archives and Heritage Service

Heritage Open Day- 7th September 2024

In our preparations for Heritage Open Day, our archive assistants have searched through our catalogues to provide our visitors with displays conveying different aspects of life of Northamptonshire. One theme chosen has been the Northampton Market Square, which location dates back to the 1200s. Many events have taken place in the Market Square, from carnivals and Christmas fairs to political demonstrations and public meetings.

To secure your place on one of our tours, taking place at 9:30am, 10:45am and 12:00pm, please email us at [email protected].

For more information, please visit https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/submission-event/northamptonshire-archives-and-heritage-service.html

Photograph Reference: NCEP/8/1133

Join us for Heritage Open Day- Saturday 7th September. Tours will start at 0930, 1045, and 1200. The service will be opening its doors to visitors with tours behind the scenes, special displays of historic documents and advice from the experts.

The Archives and Heritage Service looks after unique, historic documents from the whole of Northamptonshire. Join a tour and see behind the scenes, have a look in the storage repositories and find out how documents are preserved and repaired. There will be displays of some amazing treasures and fascinating items from the vaults. An expert family historian and professional archivists will be on hand to answer your research queries. The HER Officer will demonstrate how you can find out more about the county by using the Heritage Environment Record database.

Pre booking is required, please email us at [email protected] to confirm your place on the tour. Entry is free of charge. For more information, please visit https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/submission-event/northamptonshire-archives-and-heritage-service.html

The June Solstice marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (or the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere). This is due to the Earth’s axis being tilted closest to the sun, and so the sun takes the longest path across the sky. The day has been culturally significant since prehistoric times, and thousands still gather at Stonehenge to witness the sun rise.

Celebrations also occur every year across the country. The photograph below depicts Druids on Hunsbury Hill in 1964 , watching the sun set over Northampton.

Catalogue reference number: NCEP/10/482

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This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. This operation was a turning point for the allies in the Second World War, with more than 156,000 allied troops from 13 countries including the United Kingdom, the USA, and Canada. It continues to be the largest seaborne operation in military history. By the end of August 1944, all Northern France had been liberated by the allies.

Five codenamed beaches on the coast were to be captured by the forces in succession, which included Omaha, Utah, Gold, Sword, and Juno.

The first Northamptonshire Yeomanry Regiment landed shortly after D-Day as part of the 33rd Armoured Brigade. They saw successes attacking enemy lines at La Taille, and later the Battle of Caen. The second regiment fought as part of the 11th Armoured division, but unfortunately suffered great losses and was soon disbanded. Northamptonshire individuals also contributed as paratroopers, pilots, sailors, and tank troopers on the day of the landings.

Despite the overall success, in the initial D-Day landings over 4,400 allied men were killed, and over 10,000 casualties were recorded. Many more fell in the following Battle of Normandy. In the first and second Northamptonshire regiments, 447 men were killed or injured from D-Day to the end of the war.

Commemoration events are occurring across Northamptonshire today, to remember the sacrifices these men made for peace.

Catalogue ref.: NCEP/32/155

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On the 16th of May, Caroline Chisholm is commemorated in the Church of England Calendar of Saints.

She was born in Northampton in 1808, and married Archibald Chisholm at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 1830. She accompanied him in Madras, India in 1833, and founded the Female School of Industry for the Daughters of European Soldiers in 1834.

In 1838, due to Archibald’s ill health, the family travelled to Australia, and settled in Windsor. They became aware of problems which faced immigrants to Australia, particularly young women with no money or jobs to go to. She provided shelters for these women and found them permanent places to stay and work. In seven years, she rehomed and provided work for over 11,000 people- men, women and children.

Upon her return to England, she published some of the 600 statements she collected from immigrants in the pamphlet Comfort for the Poor – Meat Three Times a Day. She gave evidence to the House of Lords select committees and founded the Family Colonisation Loan Society in 1849 to help support passage to Australia.

She continued her philanthropic efforts until her death in 1877, and her body was taken back to her hometown of Northampton. Several educational facilities are named after her in both England and Australia, including the Caroline Chisholm School in Northampton.

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On 12th of May 1812, Prime minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated by John Bellingham in the House of Commons. He continues to be the only British Prime minister to be assassinated in history.

Perceval was the son of the 2nd Earl of Egmont and Catherine Compton (baroness Arden), who was the granddaughter of the 4th Earl of Northampton. When the 8th Earl of Northampton died, his cousin, MP Charles Compton was to take his place in the House of Lords. And so, Perceval was elected to his MP position unopposed. He became Prime Minister in 1809 and remains the only MP for Northampton to be elected to this position.

John Bellingham acted alone in his assassination. He was taking revenge on parliament, as he was wrongfully imprisoned in Russia and demanded compensation from the government, but his petitions were all rejected. On the 15th of May 1812, he was found guilty of murder and was publicly hanged three days later.

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Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day, commemorates the Allies’ formal acceptance of Germany’s unconditional surrender in 1945. This was officially the end of the Second World War for Europe and the Eastern Front, however for Japan and America it did not end until 2nd September 1945. Celebrations began Europe-wide, and continues to be celebrated to this day.

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We hope that everybody is looking forward to the Bank Holiday on Monday!
A longstanding tradition of May Day is the crowning of the May Queen, who symbolises purity and innocence, and the coming of Spring. Dating back to Medieval times, a lord and lady would be chosen from ordinary people of the community to rule over the festivities. Eventually, the attention entirely focused on the “May Queen”, who became of high importance in the May Days of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. A young girl would be chosen, with other children as her court, and the next year she would crown her successor. The tradition is still maintained in the United Kingdom in the present day.

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Don't forget to visit us at the Heritage Fair Northants North in Wicksteed Park this Sunday, 28th of April!

Northamptonshire Archives and Heritage Service staff will be offering advice on how to do historical research, the documents and resources available at the archive and how to look after your own precious heirlooms.

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The 23rd of April marks Saint Georges’ Day, the patron saint of England and many other countries, regions and cities. Very little is known for certain about his life and achievements, but it is widely believed that he was a Roman soldier and was tortured and beheaded during Diocletian’s persecution of Christians in 303AD. His body was taken back to Lydda (now Lod, Israel), and a church was built in his name. He was known in England by the eighth century, and became the patron saint of England under Edward III in 1327.

In the Medieval period, he was often pictured as a warrior-saint. The famous story of St. George and the Dragon did not appear until the 11th century in Georgia, which spread across Europe and was often cited in Medieval romances. But despite the work of fiction, the dragon continues to be a popular emblem of Saint George.

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What are Asylum Records? 📜

Historically, there were two major psychiatric (or ‘lunatic’) asylums in Northamptonshire. St. Andrew’s (which is still open today), and St. Crispin’s’ (previously known as Berrywood Asylum and the Northampton County Lunatic Asylum), which closed in 1995. The Archives Service holds records for both these institutions, and they are marvellous sources for family, social and medical history.

There have been some notable people who were admitted to St Andrew’s and St. Crispin’s. For example, John Clare the “peasant poet” spent the last few years of his life at St. Andrew’s.

Prior to the reign of Queen Victoria, the care of paupers with mental health problems fell under poor, vagrancy, or criminal laws. Wealthy patients may have been admitted to private asylums by their families. The County Asylum Act and Lunacy Act of 1845 saw the compulsory building of county asylums, with a commission established to regulate them.

In addition to medical records such as patient case books and registers of admissions, records of the management committee and staffing can also be found. If you know of someone who was in one of these institutions, you may be able to find their dates of admission and discharge with a summary of their status on arrival (single, married, pauper etc.) and condition. Or if you are lucky, you may additionally find more detailed case notes giving regular updates on a patient during their period in hospital and details of treatments tried.

Please note that records which are under 100 years old are subject to restricted access under the General Data Protection Regulations. For information to be extracted from the records by a staff member, a charge may be incurred. If you are researching an individual who was a patient at St. Crispin’s or St. Andrew’s Hospital, please email us at [email protected].

We hope that you found this information useful, and if there were any kinds of records you would like to be featured, please let us know.
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World Health Day 🌏

World Health Day is celebrated every April 7th to champion access to health services as a human right, and to work to the eradication of diseases. Established in 1950, the WHO (World Health Organisation) is now celebrating over seventy years of operation.

Pictured here is Ward 5 in the War Hospital in Duston (1917). Originally Northampton County Lunatic (Berrywood) Asylum, it was one of 24 asylums in the United Kingdom to be requisitioned for the war effort. Asylum patients were relocated to other close by hospitals, such as Derby and Worcester. In 1919, the hospital returned to its original purpose and continued operation until 1995.

Happy April Fools’ Day!!

We have found a particularly amusing joke prescription for curing love, written by the Norris sisters. They were daughters of Randall Norris of Widford (Hertfordshire), and they both went on to marry the sons of Charles Tween. Also, of Hertfordshire. One of Charles’ daughters, Julia, married Edward Towndrow of Kettering. And so, our Towndrow (Geddington) collection holds records representing all three families. Perhaps they needed a stronger prescription, don’t you think?

We hope that everyone has a restful Easter Weekend, from all of us at the Archives Service 💐

Rabbits and hares have long been associated with the coming of Spring, even before the rise of Christianity. This colourful character was drawn by the Reverend W.H. Fear is on a letter to his wife. He moved to Northamptonshire in 1926, and was reverend in Wilton and later Ashby St Ledgers.

World Poetry Day 🖋

World Poetry Day was first declared in 1999 by UNESCO. It is dedicated to widening the audience of poetry and supporting artists. It also encourages linguistic diversity and foster relations between poetry and other art forms.

We hold many examples of local poetry here at the archives. The first poem pictured was written by the Northamptonshire poet Digby Mackworth Dolben (1848-1867) of Finedon Hall, son of Sir Digby Mackworth, the 3rd Baronet and Frances Dolben.

The second was written as a dedication to Mary Bouverie, who was the last in the direct line of the Bouveries of Delapre Abbey. Although the poem is not signed, it was likely to be written by William Ervine.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the 17th of March to mark what is believed to be the death date of the primary patron saint of Ireland. It is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland but is celebrated worldwide.

It is believed that he was born into a Romano-British family in the 5th century and became a Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland after he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and found God during his life as a slave. He spent several years converting thousands of Irish pagans to Christianity, which was eventually became the allegory that he “drove the snakes” from Ireland.

During his travels, Sir Henry Dryden had visited Ireland on several occasions in the mid 1800s, where he created several beautiful artworks of the many churches and ruins in the country. Here are just some examples.

Happy Mothers’ Day!

In the United Kingdom, Mothering Sunday (or Mothers’ Day), is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It has been celebrated since the Middle Ages, and traditionally those who left home for work would be allowed to return on this day to visit their “mother church” where they were baptised. The tradition was reestablished in 1913 to honour the mother church, the Virgin Mary and Mother Nature. It has since become a secular holiday to appreciate mothers and mother figures.

International Women's' Day

This day celebrates the progress made towards gender equality, and raises awareness about ongoing discrimination worldwide. The theme this year is , encouraging the creation of spaces where women and girls feel valued and respected, and challenges stereotypes.

From 1941, women could be conscripted to join the war effort. They could choose between working in industry or joining one of the auxiliary forces. The Women’s Land Army was first created in 1917 to help farmers cope with the lack of male workers. It was reformed in 1939 prior to Germany’s invasion of Poland. Despite the name, it was not a part of the military. But the Land Army played a critical role in increasing the country’s food supplies.

By 1944, over 80,000 women were working for the WLA, and many were sent from towns and cities. Sites in Northamptonshire included Northamptonshire School of Agriculture, now known as Moulton College.

Although they were to work through all weathers, could be directed to anywhere in the country, and their wage was less than their male counterparts as a standard, these women proved sceptics wrong that the labour that they carried out could only be done by men.

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Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!

The 1st of March is the celebration of St. Davids Day, commemorating the death of the patron saint of Wales in 589AD. He was born in Pembrokeshire, Mid-Wales to, (as is traditionally believed), Non and Ceredig ap Cunedda, king of Ceredigion.
He was believed to have performed several miracles, and was a renowned preacher. He later founded St. David’s Cathedral in the valley of Glyn Rhosyn in the county. In 1120, he was canonised by Pope Callactus II as the patron saint of Wales.- Hari, Collections Officer (They/Them)

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The 29th of February marks the birthday of Joan Wake (1884-1974). She was born to Sir Hereward Wake, 12th Baronet, and his wife Catherine in Courteenhall.

In 1920, she was one of the founders of the Northamptonshire Record Society which sought to preserve the historical records of Northamptonshire.

In the 1950s, Delapré Abbey was unused and owned by the Northampton Corporation. It was at risk of being demolished for additional housing in Northampton. However, Wake and the Record Society, through fundraising and lobbying, saved the building from demolition and created the Northamptonshire Record Office, as it was officially opened in 1959.

She was also a highly prolific writer, having written over 80 publications, largely regarding the history of Northamptonshire.

In 1991, our archives were moved to their current location, a purpose-built building with three environment-controlled repositories. Although many aspects of archive management have changed since the time of Joan Wake, the work which she and her colleagues produced is still alive in our indexes, catalogues, and repositories. - Hari, Collections Officer (They/Them)

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On this day in 1173, Pope Alexander III canonised Thomas a Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Prior to his murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, he was summoned to trial at Northampton Castle by King Henry II on 8 October 1164 for allegations of contempt of royal authority. This was a final attempt by the king to make Becket submit to the crown. However, on the 14th of October with aid from the monks of St. Andrew’s priory, he fled to France from Northampton. There he remained in exile until 1170.

Before its gradual destruction following the English Civil War, Northampton Castle was a highly important royal construction, and was a focal point for several historical events. - Hari, Collections Officer (They/Them).

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Today is National Love your Pet Day! Here we have pictured "Miss Dryden's Cat, Huie", curled up by a window indoors. The photograph is undated, however the "Miss Dryden" mentioned was Alice Dryden of Canons Ashby (1866-1956), the only child of Henry and Frances Dryden. Photography was one of her main interests (particularly in the 1890s), in addition to writing and history.- Hari, Collections Officer (They/Them).

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What are Settlement and Removal Records? 📜

Settlement and removal records were created as a result of the 1601 Poor Law Act. From the 1662 Settlement Act poor relief needed only to be paid to settled residents of an individual parish, gained principally through birth, marriage,
or apprenticeship. Much like the apprenticeship indenture papers, these documents usually survive in our parish collections.

Settlement certificates were issued from 1697, and enabled paupers to travel between parishes. They stated where an individual or family was legally settled and that the churchwardens and overseers of that parish would reimburse
any other parish if they (the individual or family) became unable to support themselves.

Settlement examinations were conducted before two magistrates to determine which parish was responsible for supporting a pauper in the cases where responsibility for paying poor relief was disputed. In these records, brief biographical
details regarding the pauper are given.

Removal orders were issued by the magistrates to remove paupers back to their parish of origin. Information includes the pauper’s name, and the parishes they were sent between.

As with any parish records, holdings vary between parishes. For some we may have a vast array of these papers, and for others very little. The best starting points are our settlement indexes which are located in our search room,
and our parish collection catalogues which are available online and in analogue format.

We hope that you found this post informative, and if you would like a post about a certain type of archival material, please let us know! - Hari, Collections Officer (They/Them)

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Recent Activity Day 📜

We hope that everyone has been enjoying the ongoing Six Nations Championship!
Rugby in Northamptonshire has a long and very rich history, and our East Midlands Rugby Union collection truly highlights this. Recently, a group of volunteers from the Union have very kindly helped to box list the collection, and deposit with us their most recent records. In addition to domestic games, the Union have also played matches with teams from across the world.
See also a postcard of a game played by the Northampton Saints, in the early 1900s. According to our researcher, photographs of gameplay are relatively rare for this period. – Hari, Collections Officer (They/Them).

Happy Valentine’s Day from us at the archives service, and apologies for the hiatus!

These small pressed flower arrangements were beautifully preserved in the letters they were originally sent in, and have been placed into Melinex sleeves for future conservation.

The letters were sent in 1884 by George Wilson Beattie, who became the twice-mayor of Northampton, at the beginning of his courtship with his wife, Mary Ann ‘Polly’ Musk. They were later married in the August of 1886.- Hari, Collections Officer (They/Them)

The HER (Historical Environment Record) library in our search room has successfully been sorted and tidied 📜

This is the first time our HER Officer and assistant have been involved in our project week. The HER is a service which provides details on archeological sites, landscapes and historic buildings in Northamptonshire, which is regularly updated in the online database: https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/gateway/chr/herdetail.aspx?crit=&ctid=94&id=4755 -Hari, Collections Officer (They/Them)

Today, we have been repackaging some of our Daventry Poor Law Union collection, led by Liz, our Conservation Officer 📜

As posted previously, the poor law records are very popular records for our researchers. And so, it is vitally important that they are packaged well to ensure that they can be viewed for many years to come. Metal such as staples and paper clips have been removed, bundles have been tied into archival paper for protection, and folders have been made for larger documents.

Our project week for 2024 is officially underway! 📜

We have several large projects to work on together as a team, including the repackaging and listing of the Dryden collection, sorting and repackaging Poor Law Union papers, digitising the ZB/291 collection, and a spruce up of the HER library and box listing local authority files. This week is a fantastic opportunity for us to work on our larger collections, and make them more accessible for our researchers.- Hari, Collections Officer (They/Them)

Break a leg to anyone attempting this year!
Pictured here is a recipe for elderflower cordial, written Mrs Coales of Aldwincle Lodge, south of Wadenhoe in 1900. Let us know if you attempt the recipe 🍹- Hari, Collections Officer (They/Them)