About Daventry

The market town of Daventry retains much of its historic charm. Set amongst the rolling hills of Northamptonshire uplands which are a natural extension of the Cotswolds, the town offers a rare and sought after balance of urban and rural lifestyles, whilst being projected as an important area for regeneration.

History

Daventry has a fascinating history, it is a settlement that has developed and grown over many centuries. There is evidence of a Roman settlement on Borough Hill but prior to that it had been inhabited by people from the Iron Age.

The earliest signs of habitation within the town centre itself are the roman settlements close to the old churchyard, the churchyard itself is recorded as a place of burial for over 1500 years. Interestingly, it was in the medieval period that things really began to take off and the 10th century tenures were laid out along what is now the High Street.

A cluniac order of monks liked the area so much that they decided to set up shop here in the 12th century, right next door to the parish church. They managed to aquire the church and all its lands in 1147 but by 1432 the priory appears to have outlived its usefulness and the lands reverted to the parish.

Daventry was granted a market charter in 1255 and this meant that that a two day fair could take place on the feast of St. Augustine and another on the feast of St. Matthew.

Daventry began to develop further some time in the late 15th century when the west side of Sheaf Street was built on and became known as Newlands. Whilst in some areas there was growth, a monastic survey of 1532 records that the cluniac priory had fallen into a state of disrepair. This meant that there was a lot of stone about which was an expensive building material, much of which was put to good use by the towns folk who used it to build their houses. This wasn't really a case of theft or dishonesty, more a case of early recycling policies. The adjacent parish church managed to survive until it was replaced by the church of the Holy Cross between 1752 and 1754.

The town had grown considerably by the last quarter of the 1500's and in 1576 Queen Elizabeth 1 granted Daventry a charter which gave the town borough status. This meant that the local people could continue to exercise their ancient rights and privileges, such as grazing their livestock on common land. This charter was confirmed by King James in 1606 and again by King Charles 11 in 1674, these are available to view at the Town Council Offices in New Street.

During the industrial revolution the town grew even more. Daventry's location has always played a part in its strategic importance, the roman highway of Watling Street runs close to the town linking London with the north west. During the seventeenthcenturyy the town became a major stopping point for stage coaches with a total of 26 coaches visiting each day, giving rise to the number of coaching houses and the makers of whips in the town. In a directory of 1830 by Pigot, Daventry is described as "a place of great thoroughfare possessing some fine houses and excellent inns". This was recognised and even mentioned by Shakespeare as a place of fine watering holes when he referred to the town in Act 4 scene 2 of Henry IV Part 1, which finds Sir John Falstaff on his way to the Battle of Shrewsbury. Sir John declares whilst standing on a public road near Coventry, that the shirt he is wearing "to say the truth, was stolen from my host at St Albans or the red nosed innkeeper of Daventry!" It was also this road that enabled the individuals involved in the Gun Powder Plot to escape from London and make their way back.

The 19th century was very much the age of steam and canals, but both at first passed the town by. This had a bad effect on the prosperity of the town,particularlyy the leather goods industry on which much of the towns wealth depended.

In 1925 both destiny and the BBC stepped in and suddenly the towns importance became international! The huge BBC transmission station on Borough Hill relayed radio signals via the World Service around the Empire, and many famous people including Winston Churchill had their voices shot into the ether from this site. Indeed the radio announcement of "Daventry calling" made Daventry well-known across the World.

After the second world war Daventry began to develop an industrial base, this brought improved employment prospects and led to the Birmingham overspill agreement which came to an end in 1981. Daventry's expansion hasn't stopped and the population continues to grow.

Present Day and Plans for the Future

Currently the town boasts a population of 23,000 which is expected to rise to more than 40,000 by 2025. There are plans to protect the existing historic centre while encouraging investment by new business through careful redevelopment of the available sites within the town centre, keeping retail at the heart of the town.

The location of the town remains of key importanceparticularlyy for businesses in town, positioned as it is amid the modern national motorway network and with the Daventry International RailFreightt Terminal sited just to the north of the town connecting Daventry to Europe.

Daventry is proud of its reputation as a place that promotes and protects the environment and many companies have been attracted to the area because of this. The Icon Centre which is an innovation centre for the sustainable construction industry is a prime example, providing knowledge exchange between the industry and university research.