The Wars of the Roses were a set of civil conflicts between two rival factions of the Plantagenet Dynasty, the Yorkists and Lancastrians. Both believed they had… Read more “The Wars of the Roses and Northamptonshire”
Author: Jack Preston
GARDEN GNOMES are NORTHANTS’ FAULT
On this website, I have claimed and will claim that many things originated in Northamptonshire. I see our county as the primordial soup, from which EVERYTHING emerged.… Read more “GARDEN GNOMES are NORTHANTS’ FAULT”
The Forgotten History of Kettering Grammar School
The story of Kettering Grammar School, as it is usually told, starts in 1577. This is when Queen Elizabeth I granted the lands for the use of… Read more “The Forgotten History of Kettering Grammar School”
The Car Park in the Centre of England
Stand in the right spot in Northampton, somewhere between Marefair, Gregory Street, and Free School Street, and you’ll find… a car park. Nothing remarkable. A stretch of… Read more “The Car Park in the Centre of England”
Magna Carta and the First Barons’ War – Northamptonshire
The Magna Carta was signed and sealed Runnymede by King John in 1215. But the story didn’t begin in Surrey. It began here, in Northamptonshire. From Brackley… Read more “Magna Carta and the First Barons’ War – Northamptonshire”
Northamptonshire and the Anarchy – England’s First Civil War
Long before “the” English Civil War of the 1640s, England had already torn itself apart in a number of other brutal internal conflicts. The first of these… Read more “Northamptonshire and the Anarchy – England’s First Civil War”
How Northampton Caused the Norman Conquest
People tend to think the Norman Conquest began in 1066, on a battlefield. But the fuse was lit a decade earlier, and rather closer to home. It… Read more “How Northampton Caused the Norman Conquest”
Jury Trials – Made in Northamptonshire
The English justice system is built on timeless traditions: barristers in powdered wigs, robes stolen from Dracula’s laundry basket, and twelve exhausted people trying to get home… Read more “Jury Trials – Made in Northamptonshire”
The Petrifying Spring of Boughton
During his travels across Britain, writer Daniel Defoe stopped by Boughton House. His hosts showed him a spring which they insisted would “petrify” anything left within its… Read more “The Petrifying Spring of Boughton”
When Medieval Monarchs Spent Christmas in Northamptonshire
1164 Northampton Castle During the Autumn and Winter of 1164, Northampton stood at the centre of royal drama. King Henry II was at Northampton Castle for one… Read more “When Medieval Monarchs Spent Christmas in Northamptonshire”
