Dodford, Northamptonshire
Encyclopedia
Dodford is a village
in the county of Northamptonshire
, England
, within the Weedon
Ward of Daventry District
. The village is just north of the A45 road 1½ miles west of Weedon. It is 3½ miles east of Daventry and ten miles west of Northampton
. It is also close to junction 16 of the M1 motorway
. The parish consists of some 560 hectares and is bounded on the east by the A5 trunk road which is the old Roman road
of Watling Street
. Most of the village and parish sits astride the valley of an east-flowing stream which is a tributary of the River Nene
.
as a manor of three hides belonging to Robert, Count of Mortain
(who was the half-brother of William the Conqueror), with a recorded population of 22 including a priest. In 1222 the manor of Dodford was acquired by William de Keynes
who enclosed much of the land including a deer park
which lay to the south of the village between it and what is now the A45
between Daventry and Weedon
. In 1673 it is recorded that 39 people paid Hearth Tax. By the early part of the 18th century there were 21 dwellings in the village and a map dated 1742 shows the layout of the village much as it is today. In 1801 the village is recorded as having 205 residents.
in 1066, rebuilt by Ralph de Keynes
in 1100, and the tower and north chapel were added by William de Keynes in 1221. St Mary's has a nave with a north aisle and a clerestory
on the north side only. The arcade, of four bays, is 14th century. The south wall of the nave has two plain 12th-century splayed windows, of which the west one is now blocked, and part of the plain arch of a doorway; on the exterior there is much herringbone masonry. The south porch is of two storeys. The chancel
was rebuilt in the 19th century. The church contains an elaborately-carved 12th-century font
.
Dodford church has the distinction of being the first church that the antiquary Elias Ashmole (founder of the Ashmolean Museum) is known to have visited with the aim of recording its inscriptions, armorial bearings etc. Ashmole visited Dodford church on 15 April 1657, and his handwritten notes are now in the Bodleian Library.
There is a tall 13th-century west tower which was structurally crumbling until major repairs in the late 20th century. It contains a ring of six bells, each of which was cast in a different year between 1614 and 1907. The bells hang in a timber frame placed diagonally in the tower. This is a weak layout and the bells remained neglected and unringable for several decades until essential frame strengthening was carried out in 2007.
Dodford has one of the longest drive-through fords in the county but speeding drivers risk causing erosion of its banks.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the county of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, within the Weedon
Weedon
-Places:In England:*Weedon, Buckinghamshire*Weedon, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire*Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire*Weedon Lois, NorthamptonshireIn Canada:*Weedon, QuebecIn the United States:*Weedon Island, St. Petersburg, Florida-People:...
Ward of Daventry District
Daventry (district)
The Daventry district is the largest local government district of western Northamptonshire, England. The district is named after the town of Daventry which is the administrative headquarters and largest town...
. The village is just north of the A45 road 1½ miles west of Weedon. It is 3½ miles east of Daventry and ten miles west of Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
. It is also close to junction 16 of the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
. The parish consists of some 560 hectares and is bounded on the east by the A5 trunk road which is the old Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
of Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
. Most of the village and parish sits astride the valley of an east-flowing stream which is a tributary of the River Nene
River Nene
The River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in the county of Northamptonshire. The tidal river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about . It is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for from Northampton to The...
.
Medieval history and later
There are considerable earthworks around the village on the northern side of the stream, which indicate that Dodford was a larger settlement than it is today. Unfortunately many of these earthworks have been ploughed out in recent years, but the evidence has been recorded of their existence. These earthworks suggest that there was a large scale de-population or a considerable movement of the village. Dodford is mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 944. The village is recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as a manor of three hides belonging to Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st Earl of Cornwall was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother of William I of England. Robert was the son of Herluin de Conteville and Herleva of Falaise and was full brother to Odo of Bayeux. The exact year of Robert's birth is unknown Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st...
(who was the half-brother of William the Conqueror), with a recorded population of 22 including a priest. In 1222 the manor of Dodford was acquired by William de Keynes
Keynes family
The Keynes family is a prominent English family that has included notable economists, writers, and actors.The descendants of Geoffrey Keynes , are also related to the Darwin — Wedgwood family.-Family tree of modern Keynes family:-History:...
who enclosed much of the land including a deer park
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
which lay to the south of the village between it and what is now the A45
A45 road
The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
between Daventry and Weedon
Weedon
-Places:In England:*Weedon, Buckinghamshire*Weedon, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire*Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire*Weedon Lois, NorthamptonshireIn Canada:*Weedon, QuebecIn the United States:*Weedon Island, St. Petersburg, Florida-People:...
. In 1673 it is recorded that 39 people paid Hearth Tax. By the early part of the 18th century there were 21 dwellings in the village and a map dated 1742 shows the layout of the village much as it is today. In 1801 the village is recorded as having 205 residents.
St Mary the Virgin church
Dodford has a Grade I listed parish church, called St Mary the Virgin. It was founded by the NormansNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
in 1066, rebuilt by Ralph de Keynes
Keynes family
The Keynes family is a prominent English family that has included notable economists, writers, and actors.The descendants of Geoffrey Keynes , are also related to the Darwin — Wedgwood family.-Family tree of modern Keynes family:-History:...
in 1100, and the tower and north chapel were added by William de Keynes in 1221. St Mary's has a nave with a north aisle and a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
on the north side only. The arcade, of four bays, is 14th century. The south wall of the nave has two plain 12th-century splayed windows, of which the west one is now blocked, and part of the plain arch of a doorway; on the exterior there is much herringbone masonry. The south porch is of two storeys. The chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was rebuilt in the 19th century. The church contains an elaborately-carved 12th-century font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
.
Dodford church has the distinction of being the first church that the antiquary Elias Ashmole (founder of the Ashmolean Museum) is known to have visited with the aim of recording its inscriptions, armorial bearings etc. Ashmole visited Dodford church on 15 April 1657, and his handwritten notes are now in the Bodleian Library.
There is a tall 13th-century west tower which was structurally crumbling until major repairs in the late 20th century. It contains a ring of six bells, each of which was cast in a different year between 1614 and 1907. The bells hang in a timber frame placed diagonally in the tower. This is a weak layout and the bells remained neglected and unringable for several decades until essential frame strengthening was carried out in 2007.
Dodford has one of the longest drive-through fords in the county but speeding drivers risk causing erosion of its banks.