Earls Barton is a large village in Eastern
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census...
- it has a population of about 5,353 people.
The village is famous for:
- its Saxon
Anglo-Saxons is the term usually used to describe the invading Germanic tribes in the south and east of Great Britain from the early 5th century AD, and their creation of the English nation, to the Norman conquest of 1066...
churchAfter the Danish raids on England, Medehampstede Abbey, a few miles away from Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, was rebuilt in c.970 to become Peterborough. It is generally accepted that All Saints' Church, Earls Barton was built around this period at the end of the tenth century...
- which is one of the most famous remaining examples of its type in the country - another example being at nearby BrixworthBrixworth is a large village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England. In 2001 it had a population of 5,162. The village is particularly notable for All Saints' Church, Brixworth, its historic early English church...
.
- its shoe-making heritage.
The village was the inspiration for the film
Kinky BootsKinky Boots is a Golden Globe Award-nominated British-American comedy film written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, about a traditional Northampton shoemaker, based in Earls Barton, who turns to producing fetishism footwear in order to save the failing family business and the jobs of his workers...
and part of the film was shot here. It is based on the true story of a local boot maker who turns from traditional boots to producing fetish footwear in order to save the ailing family business and the jobs of his workers.
In
The King's England: Northamptonshire, edited by
Arthur MeeArthur Mee was a British writer, journalist and educator. He is best known for The Children's Encyclopedia and The King's England. He also produced other works, usually with a patriotic tone, especially on the subjects of history or the countryside.-Biography:He was born on July 21 1875, at...
, we learn that:
PevsnerSir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture. He is best known for his 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, The Buildings of England .-Life:The son of a Jewish merchant, Pevsner was born in Leipzig,...
however, seems to disagree with this assessment and describes it as:
He goes on to argue that the castle was founded at the time of the Norman conquest and its builder ignored the then existing church, leaving it in its
baileyA motte-and-bailey is a form of castle situated on a raised earthwork and surrounded by a protective fence. Many were built in Britain, Ireland and France in the 11th and 12th centuries, favoured as a relatively cheap but effective defensive fortification that could repel most small...
, for a later demolition that never happened. Ironically the church outlived the castle!
In the villages small market square is a pharmacy run by a member of the Jeyes the chemists family, who invented and manufactured
Jeyes FluidJeyes Fluid is a brand of disinfectant fluid made in Thetford, Norfolk, England. Its is for outdoor use onlyPatented in 1877 the product was granted a Royal Warrant to the British Royal Family in 1896, and continues to supply the Royal household to this day....
and the Philadelphus Jeyes chemist chain.
History
The first Saxon settlement at Earls Barton was one of various settlements built on a spring-line on the Northern bank of the
River NeneThe 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 ninth longest river in England, and the twelfth longest in the United Kingdom. From the source...
. The site is to be found on a spur above the flood plain. Originally (i.e. before 600 AD) the Saxon village was known as
Bere-tun - which means "a place for growing Barley. Following the
NormanThe Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
invasion, the
Domesday BookThe Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror...
records the village as being called Buarton(e), with Countess Judith, the King's niece is listed as both the land and mill owner. She married Waltheof, Son of
SiwardSiward may refer to:* Siward , Bishop of St. Martins* Siward, Earl of Northumbria , Anglo-Scandinavian earl of Northumbria...
,
Earl of NorthumbriaEarl of Northumbria was a title in the Anglo-Danish, late Anglo-Saxon, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. The earldom of Northumbria was the successor of the ealdormanry of Bamburgh, itself the successor of an independent Bernicia. Under the Norse kingdom of York, there were earls of...
who in 1065 AD became
Earl of NorthamptonEarl of Northampton is a title that has been created five times.-Earls in for the Honour of Huntingdon, first Creation :*Waltheof *Maud, Countess of Huntingdon** m. Simon I de Senlis** m...
- it was from these links and with another Earl - the
Earl of HuntingdonEarl of Huntingdon is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England. The title is associated with the ruling house of Scotland, and latterly with the Hastings family....
, that gave the village its prefix "Erles" from 1261 AD.
Later, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries a major change took place in the local economy, when sheep rearing gave prominence to the manufacture of woollen cloth, which remained a major cottage industry until the shift to the newly industrialised north several centuries later. With the wool industry, we would also have found:
- Rush mat weaving,
- Basket making,
- Chair bodging and
- plastic making.
Another change took place in the thirteenth century when shoes began to be made from leather bought in nearby
NorthamptonNorthampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. It is about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, and lies on the River Nene...
. At this time the village had its own tanyard, which remained in operation until 1984. The census of 1801 shows that the population had by then grown to 729. By 1850 the population had trebled.
Between 1913 and 1921 opencast ironstone mining was undertaken locally with the ore being transferred either by locomotive or by an aerial ropeway.
The church
The famous
churchAfter the Danish raids on England, Medehampstede Abbey, a few miles away from Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, was rebuilt in c.970 to become Peterborough. It is generally accepted that All Saints' Church, Earls Barton was built around this period at the end of the tenth century...
of
All Saints has been a feature of the town for many centuries; its famous
Saxon towerAfter the Danish raids on England, Medehampstede Abbey, a few miles away from Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, was rebuilt in c.970 to become Peterborough. It is generally accepted that All Saints' Church, Earls Barton was built around this period at the end of the tenth century...
dates to 970 AD;
PevsnerPevsner is a surname, and may refer to:* Antoine Pevsner , a Russian sculptor* Sir Nikolaus Pevsner , a German-born British scholar of the history of architecture;** ....
says that the church tower as built was not originally followed by a
naveIn Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, but a
chancelIn architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse....
. He also describes the tower's bell openings as being very unusual - having five narrow arches each on turned balastrades.
The church was enlarged by the
NormansThe Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
in two phases - one at either end of the twelfth century.
Other notable features include:
- A Norman or Saxon door and arcading on the western end of the building - this was the original entrance to the church,
- Medieval rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate screen, constructed of wood, stone or wrought iron; which would originally have been surmounted by a rood loft carrying the Great Rood, a sculptural representation of the Crucifixion...
,
- Victorian font and pews,
- A modern 20th century inner porch and windows
Apart from the Saxon tower, the church is principally built from
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census...
ironstoneIronstone is a fine-grained, heavy and compact sedimentary rock. Its main components are the carbonate or oxide of iron, clay and/or sand. It can be thought of as a concretionary form of siderite. Ironstone also contains clay, and sometimes calcite and quartz.-Appearance:Freshly cleaved ironstone...
and
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geologic record...
, whilst the tower was constructed from Barnack stone and infilled with local
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geologic record...
.
Another interesting feature is that every century from the tenth century onwards is represented in either the fabric or the fittings of the church building.
There are three other churches in Earls Barton including the Methodist, Baptist and Catholic.
Local sport
The village has a cricket team. The exact date that this club was established is unknown however there has been cricket in Earls Barton since the late 1800s. The club at present has three teams that play in the Northamptonshire Cricket League on Saturdays and a friendly team that plays on Sundays. It also boasts Kwik Cricket, U11's, U13's, U15 & U17's teams.
The local football team, Earls Barton FC was formed in the late 1800s - with the exact date now lost in the mists of time. When
Northampton Town FCNorthampton Town Football Club is a football club based in Northampton. The nickname of the club is The Cobblers. In the 2008-09 season they played in Football League One, the third level of English football, after promotion in 2005-06, but were relegated to Football League Two on the final day of...
(The Cobblers) was first formed in 1897, their first game was against Earls Barton United (EBU) on 18 September 1897. The final score Cobblers 4 - EBU 1.
A speedway training track operated at Earls Barton in the early 1950s.
Community projects & facilities etc.
- Earls Barton Fire Station
- Earls Barton Parish Council
- Earls Barton Junior School
- Earls Barton Youth Club
- Earls Barton Library
- Earls Barton Historical Society
- Earls Barton Music
- Badminton Club
- 1st Earls Barton Boys Brigade
- Under The Tower - Drama Group
- Earls Barton Museum of Village Life
- The newly refurbished Co-op
- Earls Barton Tennis Club
- Starfruit Youth Theatre Company
- Earls Barton Police Station.
- Barton Today is the free community magazine delivered every month to every single home in Earls Barton in colour. It has won a number of awards nationally and claims to be "more than just a village magazine".
This Youth Theatre Group are renowned for their outstanding acting abilities and charisma. They have performed at a number of prestigious theatres including: The Globe, Noel Coward, Sydney Opera House and at the Colosseum. Starfruit have received numerous awards the most recent being the award for the Best Youth Theatre Group in Great Britain.
Sporting link: Earls Barton was the home to one of Britain's greatest stock-car racers and builders, Aubrey Leighton, who won the World Championship in 1957. "Earls Barton Motors" still stands on the Wellingborough Road. Aubrey was a master designer and builder, and even after his retirement at the end of 1964, his car saw success in others' hands.
Aubrey's son Keith went on to international motor sport via Cosworth Racing Engines, and was mechanic for Grand Prix World Champion Ronnie Petersen, as well as in the Indy series in the USA.
A website devoted to the history of this rough-and-tumble sport is www.oldstox.com The people who built and raced stock-cars were a special breed back then: no-nonsense do-it-yourselfers, hard rivals on the track and generous comrades in between times.
Barely 8 miles from Earls Barton is the great race track of Brafield Stadium ("Northampton International Raceway"), a fast 1/4 mile oval. Speedway was staged at Brafield Stadium in the late 1950s and again in the late 1960s. The 1950s team were known as the Flying Foxes and the 1960s team were known as the Badgers
The local Brigades
Earls Barton for many years have had the Boys and Girls Brigade at Earls Barton Methodist Church. In 2005 the Girls Brigade had to close due to not many gils coming to the weekly club.
The Boys Brigade has grown in size now having over 30 boys from 4 - 16 years of age. Now that the Boys Brigade has grown larger than before the Brigade has spilt into two nights. 4-13 on a Monday and 13-18 on a Tuesday. The Brigade captain is Mr John Thompson.
External links