Charwelton

Charwelton
Holy Trinity parish church
Charwelton  Charwelton shown within Northamptonshire
Population	220 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid reference	SP5355
District	Daventry
Shire county	Northamptonshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Daventry
Postcode district	NN11
Dialling code	01327
Police	Northamptonshire
Fire	Northamptonshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Daventry
Website	Charwelton
List of places UK England Northamptonshire

Charwelton is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) south of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. Its toponym is derived from the River Cherwell beside which the village stands.

The village is where the main road between Daventry and Banbury, now the A361, crosses the river. The Jurassic Way long distance footpath between Banbury and Stamford passes through the village.

Manor

There were several small manors in the parish. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the largest as being two hides and "four-fifths of half a hide" held by one Ralf of Robert, Count of Mortain.^[2] In the 12th century this manor was recorded as two hides and four "small virgates" in the fee of Berkhamsted.^[2] (There were 10 "small virgates" to a hide.)^[2] Thorney Abbey had an estate at Charwelton: the Domesday Book records it has half a hide; in the 12th century it was recorded as four small virgates.^[2] Domesday records William de Cahagnes holding half a hide at Charwelton of the Count of Mortain; in the 12th century Hugh de Chaham held the same half hide of the fee of the Earl of Leicester.^[2] Domesday records that Hugh de Grandmesnil held one virgate at Charwelton; in the 12th century this estate was recorded as four small virgates held of the Earl of Leicester.^[2] Also in the 12th century there was an estate of four small virgates in the fee of Adam de Napton.^[2]

At the end of the 12th century William and Ralf de Cheinduit granted a manor at Charwelton to the Cistercian Biddlesden Abbey in Buckinghamshire.^[3] The Abbey retained the manor until it was forced to surrender all its properties to the Crown in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538.^[3]

Charwelton Manor House contains much early 16th century panelling, an early 17th-century fireplace and a late 17th-century staircase.^[4] It is an ironstone building of two storeys with a hipped roof.^[4] Its present façade of five bays was added probably early in the 18th century.^[4]

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of the Holy Trinity is at Church Charwelton about 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of the village. Its earliest features include the west windows of the south aisle, which are a stepped trio of lancet windows from about 1300.^[5] Holy Trinity has both a south and a north aisle, and the latter has a Decorated Gothic three-bay arcade.^[5] The west tower also is Decorated Gothic.^[5] The south porch is Perpendicular Gothic and the font may be 15th century. The chancel was largely rebuilt in 1901–04.^[5] Holy Trinity is a Grade I listed building.^[6]

Holy Trinity contains a series of monuments to the Andrewe or Andrewes family. Several family members who died late in the 15th or early in the 16th century are commemorated by monumental brasses. The largest are a pair 4 feet (1.2 m) long representing Thomas Andrewe (died 1496) and his wife.^[5] From the latter half of the 16th century are two carved stone memorials. A tomb-chest bears recumbent effigies of Sir Thomas Andrew (died 1564) and his two successive wives, while a well-carved relief in fine white stone commemorates Thomas Andrew (died 1590) and his family.^[5] The church interior also includes decoration by the artist Henry Bird of Northampton.^[7]

The church tower has a ring of five bells.^[8] Thomas I Newcombe, whose bell-foundry may have been in Leicester,^[9] cast the fourth bell in 1510.^[8] Hugh II Watts, who had foundries in Leicester and Bedford,^[9] cast the tenor bell in 1630.^[8] Abraham I Rudhall of Gloucester^[9] cast the treble bell in 1716.^[8] John Taylor & Son of Loughborough cast the current second and third bells in 1844.^[8]

Holy Trinity parish is part of the Benefice of Badby with Newnham and Charwelton with Fawsley and Preston Capes,^[10] which was formed in 1991.

Economic history

Charwelton's medieval packhorse bridge

Charwelton's earliest surviving crossing over the river is a narrow packhorse bridge,^[5] only 3 feet (0.9 m) wide between parapets.^[11] It has two arches and one cutwater,^[5] and may be 15th century.^[12] It is a Grade II* listed building.^[12]

West of the manor house are the remains of a set of Medieval fish ponds that were fed by the river. Just east of the trackbed of the former railway line is the mill mound where a windmill would have stood.

The Great Central Main Line from the north of England to London Marylebone was built through the parish in the 1890s and opened in March 1899. The line crossed the river between Charwelton and Church Charwelton. Charwelton railway station was built just east of the packhorse bridge. Just south of the village were Charwelton Watertroughs. British Railways closed Charwelton station in March 1963 and the line in September 1966.

From 1917 until 1961 the Park Gate Iron and Steel Company had a quarry at Cherwell Farm northwest of Charwelton village, on the northern boundary with the parish of Hellidon.^[13] From there it ran a 1.5-mile (2 km) mineral railway down the Cherwell valley to bring ironstone to the main line at Charwelton station.^[14] A steam locomotive called Charwelton was built for the line in 1917, worked it until 1942, and is now preserved on the Kent and East Sussex Railway.^[14]

Amenities

The Fox and Hounds in 2006, when it was still trading

Charwelton has a public house, the Fox and Hounds, but it has been closed since 2012.^[15] In September 2013 it was sold to a property company, Family Housing Ltd of Kettering, which has given villagers until the end of October to buy the pub.^[15] Villagers are raising capital to found a co-operative society to buy the Fox and Hounds and turn it into a community pub and village shop.^[16]

The parish has also a village hall.^[17]

Charwelton BT Tower is near the village.

References

The steam locomotive Charwelton pulled ironstone trains from an ironstone quarry near Hellidon to Charwelton railway station from 1917 until 1942

Sources

• Adkins, W.R.D.; Serjeantson, R.M., eds. (1902). A History of the County of Northampton. Victoria County History 1. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co. p. 370. 
• Jervoise, Edwyn (1932). The Ancient Bridges of Mid and Eastern England III. Westminster: The Architectural Press for the SPAB. p. 152. 
• Page, W.H., ed. (1905). A History of the County of Buckingham, Volume 1. Victoria County History. Archibald Constable & Co. pp. 365–369. 
• Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (1973) [1961]. Northamptonshire. The Buildings of England (revised ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 148–149. ISBN 0-14-071022-1. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charwelton.

• Map sources for Charwelton

v t 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 Hinton 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 Farndon West Haddon Westhorp Whilton Winwick Woodford Halse Yelvertoft