Norton, Northamptonshire

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Norton
The village of Norton
Norton shown within Northamptonshire
Population	363 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SP602638
Parish	Norton
District	Daventry
Shire county	Northamptonshire
Region	East Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DAVENTRY
Postcode district	NN11
Dialling code	01327
Police	Northamptonshire
Fire	Northamptonshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
European Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Daventry
List of places: UK • England • Northamptonshire

Coordinates: 52°16′09″N 1°07′01″W / 52.269108, -1.116969

Norton is a village in the district of Daventry in the English County of Northamptonshire. The village is 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Daventry, 10.7 miles (17.2 km) west of Northampton, Junction 16 of the M1 motorway is 6.6 miles (10.6 km) south-east and the nearest railway station is at Long Buckby 3 miles (4.8 km) to the east. Near the village, on Watling Street, is the Roman settlement of Bannaventa.

Contents 1 History 2 Possible association with Saint Patrick 3 The Domesday Book 4 Village amenities 5 Gallery 6 External links

[edit] History

Some of the earliest residents of the village were the Romans, who built the Roman settlement of Bannaventa, a Romano-British fortified town on the eastern outskirts of the village located on the Roman road of Watling Street (A5 London to Holyhead road). Material representing the remains of the Roman settlement of Bannaventa has been recovered from a strip around 200 metres wide on either side of a two kilometre length of Watling Street, in agricultural land north-west of the village, at Whilton Lodge. The settlement's defences were in the form of a trapezium, not aligned with Watling Street, and the enclosure was deeper on the east side of the street than it was on the west. The four sides of the enclosure were 190 m, 200 m, 250 m and 250 m, measured clockwise from north, and enclosed an area of about 55,000 square metres. The defences were built in two - possibly three - phases. First: a large ditch 7.6 m wide and 3.1 m deep backed by a clay and turf rampart was constructed after the end of the first century; second: the primary ditch was filled in with gravel early in the fourth century to provide a firm base for a stone wall with foundations 3.7 m wide and fronted by two newly-cut, parallel ditches; the inner 5.2 m wide and 2.4 m deep and the outer 4.3 m wide and 1.8 m deep; and thirdly: The inner ditch was filled with gravel shortly after the second phase was completed, perhaps intended as the firm base for external towers, though none have been discovered. The outer ditch was allowed to silt up by the end of the fourth century. Occupation of the site, which may have begun before the Roman conquest, continued into the fourth century.

[edit] Possible association with Saint Patrick

It is possible, but unsubstantiated, that Bannaventa was the birthplace of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. In his Confessio, Patrick writes:

“

I had as my father the deacon Calpornius, son of the late Potitus, a priest, who belonged to the small town of Bannavem Taberniae; he had a small estate nearby, and it was there I was taken captive.

”

This could possibly be an alternative name for Bannaventa. In around 405 AD when he was aged 16 he was kidnapped by "pirates" who were raiding the imperial highways, and taken to Ireland as a slave. This view is backed by the fact that the Watling Street ran indirectly to north Wales and thus offered easy passage to Ireland.

[edit] The Domesday Book

Norton appears in the Domesday Book and some of the people mentioned in its entry are as follows: Aghmund; Alric; Alvred; Azur; Bisceop; Count Alan; Durand; Edwin; Fredegis; Fulcher; Gilbert; Godwine; Ingelrann; King William as landholder; Leofnoth; Leofric; Leofwine; Lokki; Martin; Nigel; Ordmaer; Osmund; Ralph; Ralph the steward; Robert; Robert, Count of Meulan; Robert, Count of Mortain; Sawata; Scotel; Segrim; Siward; Stenkil; Thorbiorn; Thorir; Walter; William; Wulfmaer.

[edit] Village amenities

The village hall is situated near the Parish Church of All Saints. The village has one public house, The White Horse. To the west of the village is a shopping complex in a converted set of farm buildings trading as 'The Heart of the Shires Shopping Village'.

[edit] Gallery

The main road looking west

The White Horse pub

The Heart of the Shires shopping village

[edit] External links

• District Council

v • d • e Places in Daventry District Althorp – Arthingworth – Ashby St Ledgers – Badby – Barby – Barby Nortoft – Boughton – Braunston – Brixworth – Brockhall – Byfield – Canons Ashby – Chapel Brampton – Charwelton – Church Brampton – Church Stowe – Clay Coton – Clipston – Cold Ashby – Coton – Cottesbrooke – Creaton – Crick – Daventry – Dodford – Draughton – East Farndon – East Haddon – Elkington – Everdon – Farthingstone – Fawsley – Flore – Great Brington – Great Oxendon – Guilsborough – Hanging Houghton – Hannington – Harlestone – Haselbech – Hellidon – Holcot – Holdenby – Hollowell – Kelmarsh – Kilsby – Lamport – Lilbourne – Little Brington – Little Everdon – Long Buckby – Lower Catesby – Maidwell – Marston Trussell – Moulton – Naseby – Newnham – Nobottle – Nortoft – Norton – Old – Overstone – Pitsford – Preston Capes – Ravensthorpe – Scaldwell – Sibbertoft – Snorscombe – Spratton – Stanford-on-Avon – Staverton – Sulby – Teeton – Thornby – Upper Catesby – Upper Stowe – Walgrave – Watford – Weedon Bec – Welford – Welton – West Haddon – Westhorp - Whilton – Winwick – Woodford Halse – Yelvertoft