Northamptonshire Archives and Heritage Service

[𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 | 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱]

📍 All Saints Church, Brixworth

All Saints Church, Brixworth was built between about AD 670 and 720 and is thought to have been a minster serving the early Christian communities of the area. Its original plan was an aisled basilica of four bays leading into a square presbytery with an apse, making it one of the most significant early churches in Northamptonshire.
No trace of the original aisles survives today, but the central west porch remains and later supported a medieval tower. A small circular tower on the west side dates to the 10th century. Alterations were made in the 12th, 13th and 15th centuries, and a major restoration took place in the mid 19th century.
Excavations from the 1950s to the 1980s revealed important early features. These included Romano British carved masonry reused in the foundations, a Romano British coin of Constantine, early Saxon walling and the foundations of the nave, porticus and narthex. Evidence for a single primary construction phase and reused building materials provides insight into how the church was built and developed.
All Saints Church remains a rare survival of early medieval architecture, preserving elements of its original basilican plan and demonstrating the long continuity of worship and building adaptation on the site.

Find out more:
https://her.northamptonshire.gov.uk/Monument/MNN20620

This Saturday, 6th of June marks the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings. Stewarts and Lloyds, also known as Corby Steelworks, provided significant contributions to the war effort.

Over 80 miles of tubing were produced as part of the HAMEL project within Operation Pluto (Pipe Line Under The Ocean), which were wound around large drums. The tubing was welded together at the Tilbury Dockyards. These pipes were laid on the seabed to provide water, oil and petrol to the front lines in France. PLUTO was made up of two separate projects, HAMEL and HAIG, which provided approximately 120 gallons of fuel to the Allied Forces between 1944-1945. 15,000 miles of tube were also produced for the construction of beach defences. Although it was a target for bombing, work still had to be carried out during blackout hours and so smoke screens were set up in the town.

Over 4000 men were employed at the Works during the war, and only knew PLUTO as “Project 99”. Today, we remember their efforts contributing to such significant projects.

Reference: Sismey box 25

[𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 | 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱]

📍 Delapré Abbey

Delapré Abbey is the site of a medieval Cluniac nunnery founded around 1145 by Simon de Senlis II. The community was never large and remained modest throughout its history, with records showing only eleven nuns in 1530. It was dissolved in 1538 and the property was sold soon after.
Parts of the medieval complex may still survive within the present house, particularly on the north and east sides. Excavation and renovation work carried out between 2015 and 2018 revealed the demolished ranges of earlier buildings to the west and east, helping to clarify the abbey’s original layout.
Evidence of medieval burials has also been recorded on the site. At least one stone coffin and other burials were found during seventeenth century rebuilding, with one coffin rediscovered and reburied in 1940. These remains offer rare insight into the nuns’ choir and burial practices within the monastic precinct.
Delapré Abbey stands today as an important reminder of Northamptonshire’s monastic past, preserving elements of its medieval church plan and claustral range within later architectural phases.

🔗 Find out more:
https://her.northamptonshire.gov.uk/Monument/MNN12933

[𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 | 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱]

📍 Monument Spotlight: Saxon Mortar Mixers, St Peter’s Street, Northampton
Excavations around St Peter’s Street and St Peter’s Gardens in Northampton have revealed a series of Middle Saxon mortar mixers dating to the 8th century. These features provide rare evidence for the preparation of building materials within an important early medieval centre.

At St Peter’s Street, three mortar mixers were identified alongside a timber building and a boundary feature. Each mixer comprised a large circular basin, around 2-3 metres in diameter, cut into natural ironstone and lined with wattle. Lime and sand were mixed within these bowls using paddles suspended from a rotating beam fixed to a central post. Associated finds, including slag and furnace debris, indicate activity connected with construction or industry at the site.
Nearby, at St Peter’s Gardens, two further mortar mixers were discovered to the north-west of a 9th-century stone hall. These were similarly constructed as circular bowls, with evidence for multiple phases of use preserved in the deposits and paddle marks visible in the mixed mortar. Radiocarbon dating suggests they were in use during the early 8th century and were likely directly associated with the construction of the adjacent stone building.

Mortar mixers are uncommon, with only a small number of examples recorded in Britain and across continental Europe. Where identified, they may further be associated with substantial ecclesiastical sites.

Find out more:
https://her.northamptonshire.gov.uk/Monument/MNN30771

https://her.northamptonshire.gov.uk/Monument/MNN30714

{Reconstruction of one of the mortar mixes – taken from J.H.Williams, 1982, Saxon and Medieval Northampton, p16]

Some well-studied records here at the Archives Service are the writings of Lady Mildmay, who was a diarist and medical practitioner in a time when women could not formally study medicine.

Born c.1552, Grace, Lady Mildmay (née Sharington/Sherington) married Sir Anthony Mildmay of Aprethorpe Hall in 1567, and it is there where she spent much of her time. She was raised by Mistress Hamblyn, who taught Puritan values and a little on the subject of medicine. Her mother also influenced her to take daily spiritual meditation. Her autobiography is one of the earliest written in English by a woman which is still in existence.

Mildmay’s writings included over 2000 loose sheets of paper containing her extensive collection of cures, which were collated and transcribed by her daughter Mary. In the second photograph, we see a note written by Mary, stating that these writings are “the treasure of my worthy mother’s minde coming to my handes”.

The second photograph are two cures for melancholy, one of which was approved by Mr. Langham.

Catalogue reference: W(A) misc. vols./32

[𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 | 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱]

📍 Monument Spotlight: Church of St Peter, Mare Fair

St Peter’s Church is one of Northampton’s most architecturally significant historic buildings. Mainly Norman in date and built around 1160, the church stands on earlier Saxon foundations, preserving a long sequence of settlement and worship on the site. Its stone construction includes a chancel, north and south chapels, nave and aisles arranged beneath a continuous eight bay arcade.

The church is renowned for its elaborate ornamentation: carved capitals, banded columns, moulded bases, decorated arches and blind arcading that define its rich Romanesque character. The western tower, rebuilt in the early 17th century, adds another layer to its architectural story.

Inside, features such as the 15th century font and crypt, together with finely carved 18th and 19th century wall monuments, illustrate centuries of artistic craftsmanship and commemoration. The east end was restored in 1850 by George Gilbert Scott, whose work helped safeguard the building’s distinctive Norman fabric. St Peter’s remains one of Northampton’s finest historic churches, reflecting its Saxon origins, Norman rebuilding and continued importance into the post medieval period.

🔗 Read the full record:
https://her.northamptonshire.gov.uk/Monument/MNN106532

*Images used are taken from https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/visit/our-churches/nhm *

We have had some very interesting items in our search room this week! The actor in each of these photographs is Sir Gyles Isham of Lamport (1903-1976). Between the years 1929-1938 he was an actor, performing in several Shakespeare plays in Stratford-Upon-Avon, London, and elsewhere. He also appeared in films, including Anna Karenina and Secret Lives.

However, during the Second World War he enlisted in the British Army. Initially serving as an officer in Libya under the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, he rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel by 1943. He was Deputy Liuetenant of Northamptonshire in 1952, served the Northamptonshire County Council 1955-1964, and served as High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1958.

He was also a founding member of the Northamptonshire Record Society. Following the war, the county’s archives were kept at his home, Lamport Hall before their transfer to Delapré Abbey. The county’s heritage was one of his many interests, and his efforts are still shown through the restoration of Lamport Hall.

Document references: ZB/600/2,6 + 8

[𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 | 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱]

Record ID: NARC-0BDEB8 - MEDIEVAL hook - Medieval/Post-Med Zoomorphic Hook

This copper alloy hooked strap fitting, dating from around AD 1400-1600, is a beautifully cast example of late Medieval to early Post Medieval metalwork from Northamptonshire. Complete and finely detailed, it features a zoomorphic terminal showing a beast’s head with an open mouth, rounded muzzle, ovate eyes and small rounded ears in relief.

Beneath the head, an elongated neck tapers into a forward curving hook, D shaped in cross section. Its smooth dark brown patina reflects long burial and good preservation. Measuring just over 62mm in length, the fitting would originally have been part of a belt or strap system, securing equipment or clothing.
This example comes from Yarwell and adds to the growing body of decorated fittings that illustrate how everyday items were often designed with striking artistic flair in the late medieval period.

🔗 View the full PAS record:
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1241151

Extra storage space is marking a new chapter for the incredible Northamptonshire Archives.

Our partnership work continues to preserve history in our Archives - find out more about the Northamptonshire Archives which contain fascinating records from the 12th century to the present day:

https://ow.ly/qnUI50YVYlP