Higham Ferrers
Encyclopedia
Higham Ferrers is a market town in the Nene Valley in East Northamptonshire
, England
, close to the Cambridgeshire
and Bedfordshire
borders. It forms a single urban area
with Rushden
to the south and has an estimated population of 6,086. The town centre contains many historic buildings around the Market Square and College Street.
Henry Chichele
(c. 1364 – 12 April 1443) was born in Higham Ferrers and is noted for becoming Archbishop of Canterbury and founding of All Souls College, Oxford.
The second Charter was granted in 1556 following the accession of Mary Tudor. For many years the Town provided a safe seat for a supporter of the Crown nominated by the Duchy of Lancaster, the biggest land owner. When James 1st came to the throne the opportunity was taken to obtain a confirmation and further extension of civic powers and liberties by the Charter of 1604. Again after the Restoration of Charles 2nd to the throne and the passing of the Corporations Act of 1662 the liberties were confirmed and extended.
The town was one of the rotten borough
s and sent one MP to the unreformed House of Commons
until it was stripped of its representation by the Reform Act 1832
.
After the Municipal Corporations act of 1882 the modern Charter of Queen Victoria re-organised the composition of the Corporation on modern lines to conform to the pattern of local government laid down in that act. This Charter is the only one written in English, with all other versions being in Latin.
The castle is thought to have been built not long after the Norman Conquest in 1066. However towards the end of the 15th century the castle suffered years of neglect. It was finally demolished in 1523 and the stone removed to build Kimbolton Castle. A grass bank and a pond are all that remain of the defensive earthworks and moat. In the garden of the Green Dragon Inn, formerly within the area of the outer ward of the castle, are the remains of a rectangular dove-house.
to Cambridge
, and the A6 north-south road from London to Leicester
. It was a busy junction as both were long-distance transport corridors. The A45 bypassed the town in the early 1990s with a dual-carriageway, the former route (through the narrow, but beautiful streets of Kimbolton
) becoming the B645. As the A6 carried less traffic, a bypass around Higham Ferrers and Rushden came later, opening on 14 August 2003, with the old road through both towns becoming the A5028.
Higham Ferrers
was the terminus of a short (5.25 mile) railway branch line on the Midland Railway
from Wellingborough
. There was an intermediate station at Rushden
. The station closed to passenger services in 1959 and closed completely in 1969 with the end of goods services. Nowadays, the nearest operational railway station is at Wellingborough about four miles away but there is no bus route connecting Higham Ferrers to Wellingborough Station.
However Rushden station still stands and is completely preserved and the RH&WR
plan to extend the line to the old station site and eventually to Wellingborough (making the heritage railway, one of only a few heritage lines around the UK to operate a whole branch line in its original format).
Higham Ferrers is served by the BT Rushden telephone exchange which has been enabled for local-loop unbundling. However, due to the length of telephone lines, the north of the town furthest from the exchange can only achieve around 3Mb/s as it suffers from high attenuation. BT have assigned the Rushden exchange to the FTTC (Fibre-to-the-Cabinet) upgrade program (Phase 4b) due to commence in December 2010.
Higham Ferrers Farmer's Market is held on the last Saturday of each month, except in December when it is moved to the last available day before Christmas. Higham Ferrers Farmer's Market is a Certified Farmer's Market, and is part of the FARMA organisation.
The Town Hall is on The Market Square and was built in 1808 to replace an earlier building.
The College had provision for 8 priests, 4 clerks, 6 choristers and a song and grammar master. Prayers were said for the King, the Queen, the Virgin Mary, St Thomas, St Edward, Henry Chichele’s parents and the souls of the faithful departed.
In later times the college became an inn, and then later a farm. Only ruins survive today, save for one hall now used for artistic exhibitions.
It consisted of a common open Hall. Each man had his little cubicle with its locker, divided off by a screen from his fellows, and the rest of the Hall formed a common room with a fine open fireplace, itself a relic of even older times. On the South, a sheltered garden was added by taking part of the land of the Vicarage.
In those days, no old age pensions were provided by a welfare state, but Henry Chichele provided each old man and the woman with a pension of 1d per day, at a time when the working man’s wage was little more than 5 new pence a week, and the Bedesman’s silver penny was worth more than the modern pension.
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, close to the Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
and Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
borders. It forms a single urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
with Rushden
Rushden
Rushden is a town and civil parish in the county of Northamptonshire, England.The parish of Rushden covers an area of some and is part of the district of East Northamptonshire. The population of Rushden was estimated at around 28,368, making it the fifth largest town in the county...
to the south and has an estimated population of 6,086. The town centre contains many historic buildings around the Market Square and College Street.
History
The first Charter of 1251 was the result of a deliberate act of a far sighted Lord of the Manor, William de Ferrers, who created the Borough in order to promote prosperous community at the gates of his castle, where people had begun to settle in numbers and to trade in the ancient market.Henry Chichele
Henry Chichele
Henry Chichele , English archbishop, founder of All Souls College, Oxford, was born at Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, in 1363 or 1364...
(c. 1364 – 12 April 1443) was born in Higham Ferrers and is noted for becoming Archbishop of Canterbury and founding of All Souls College, Oxford.
The second Charter was granted in 1556 following the accession of Mary Tudor. For many years the Town provided a safe seat for a supporter of the Crown nominated by the Duchy of Lancaster, the biggest land owner. When James 1st came to the throne the opportunity was taken to obtain a confirmation and further extension of civic powers and liberties by the Charter of 1604. Again after the Restoration of Charles 2nd to the throne and the passing of the Corporations Act of 1662 the liberties were confirmed and extended.
The town was one of the rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
s and sent one MP to the unreformed House of Commons
Unreformed House of Commons
The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act 1832.Until the Act of Union of 1707 joining the Kingdoms of Scotland and England , Scotland had its own Parliament, and the term refers to the House of Commons of England...
until it was stripped of its representation by the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
.
After the Municipal Corporations act of 1882 the modern Charter of Queen Victoria re-organised the composition of the Corporation on modern lines to conform to the pattern of local government laid down in that act. This Charter is the only one written in English, with all other versions being in Latin.
The castle is thought to have been built not long after the Norman Conquest in 1066. However towards the end of the 15th century the castle suffered years of neglect. It was finally demolished in 1523 and the stone removed to build Kimbolton Castle. A grass bank and a pond are all that remain of the defensive earthworks and moat. In the garden of the Green Dragon Inn, formerly within the area of the outer ward of the castle, are the remains of a rectangular dove-house.
Transport and Communication
Historically, the town was at the crossroads of the A45 east-west route from NorthamptonNorthampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
to Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, and the A6 north-south road from London to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
. It was a busy junction as both were long-distance transport corridors. The A45 bypassed the town in the early 1990s with a dual-carriageway, the former route (through the narrow, but beautiful streets of Kimbolton
Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire
Kimbolton is a large village in Cambridgeshire, England. It is approximately east of Higham Ferrers, west of St Neots and west of Cambridge, north of Bedford and south of Peterborough.-Castle:...
) becoming the B645. As the A6 carried less traffic, a bypass around Higham Ferrers and Rushden came later, opening on 14 August 2003, with the old road through both towns becoming the A5028.
Higham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers railway station
See also Irthlingborough Northampton and Peterborough Railway station.Higham Ferrers is a former railway station on a Midland Railway branch line from Wellingborough. It served the market town of Higham Ferrers....
was the terminus of a short (5.25 mile) railway branch line on the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
from Wellingborough
Wellingborough railway station
Wellingborough railway station is located the market town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line, it is from London St. Pancras...
. There was an intermediate station at Rushden
Rushden railway station
Rushden railway station is a railway station that once served the town of Rushden in Northamptonshire, England. It is now a heritage station at the end of a short running line....
. The station closed to passenger services in 1959 and closed completely in 1969 with the end of goods services. Nowadays, the nearest operational railway station is at Wellingborough about four miles away but there is no bus route connecting Higham Ferrers to Wellingborough Station.
However Rushden station still stands and is completely preserved and the RH&WR
Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway
The Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway is a heritage railway operated by the Rushden Historical Transport Society in the United Kingdom. The aim is to re-open the ex-Midland Railway branch line from Wellingborough to Higham Ferrers, which had been closed completely in November 1969. At...
plan to extend the line to the old station site and eventually to Wellingborough (making the heritage railway, one of only a few heritage lines around the UK to operate a whole branch line in its original format).
Higham Ferrers is served by the BT Rushden telephone exchange which has been enabled for local-loop unbundling. However, due to the length of telephone lines, the north of the town furthest from the exchange can only achieve around 3Mb/s as it suffers from high attenuation. BT have assigned the Rushden exchange to the FTTC (Fibre-to-the-Cabinet) upgrade program (Phase 4b) due to commence in December 2010.
Commerce
The town is unusual in the UK if not Europe in having been a centre of short-run footwear production along with its neighbours of Rushden and Northampton. This trade was much reduced in the 1980s-2000s by a high exchange rate, but specialised firms and individual trades people remain in the area.Higham Ferrers Farmer's Market is held on the last Saturday of each month, except in December when it is moved to the last available day before Christmas. Higham Ferrers Farmer's Market is a Certified Farmer's Market, and is part of the FARMA organisation.
Sports
- Rushden & Higham RUFC was founded in 1951 and is currently based on the Bedford Road in Rushden with a 1st-XV, 2nd-XV, 3rd-XV and Colts-XV.
- Rushden and Higham United Football Club, the successor to both Higham Town and Rushden Rangers clubs, are members of the Hereward Teamwear United Counties League and have their ground at Hayden Road.
- Higham Ferrers Town Cricket Club, based at the recreation grounds on Vinehill Drive, was established in 1881 and has a 1st-XI and 2nd-XI as well as an under 17's-XI and under 15's-XI.
- Higham Ferrers Town Bowls Club was founded in 1946 and is also at the recreation grounds on Vinehill Drive.
- The town is also near the 'Blue Square Bet Premier Division' Rushden and Diamonds football club (founded in 1992 by the merger of Rushden Town F C and Irthlingborough Diamonds), whose ground is on the A6 just north the A45 in Irthlingborough.
Education
- Alpha Pre-School on Westfield Terrace is a committee run community school and has been running for over 40 years providing part-time nursery places for children.
- Higham Ferrers Nursery and Infant School on Wharf Road has a Nursery unit with 52 part-time places for pre-school children and 3 classes of about 25 pupils per year group for Reception and Years 1 & 2 (roughly ages 3 to 7). This is a feeder infant school for Higham Ferrers Junior School.
- Higham Ferrers Junior School on the corner of Wharf Road and Saffron Road has classes for Years 3 to 6 (roughly ages 7 to 11).
- Henry Chichele Primary School is on the new estate to the north of the town on School Lane and has a single class per year for Reception, and Years 1 to 6 (roughly ages 4 to 7). This school is heavily over-subscribed due to government policy giving pupils from outside the development priority over pupils who live next to the school.
- The Ferrers Specialist Arts College is on Queensway and caters for Years 7 to 13 (ages 11 to 18).
Civic Buildings
Higham Ferrers Public Library is on Midland Road.The Town Hall is on The Market Square and was built in 1808 to replace an earlier building.
Chichele College
Chichele College, in Higham Ferrers, was founded by Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1422 as a college for secular canons.The College had provision for 8 priests, 4 clerks, 6 choristers and a song and grammar master. Prayers were said for the King, the Queen, the Virgin Mary, St Thomas, St Edward, Henry Chichele’s parents and the souls of the faithful departed.
In later times the college became an inn, and then later a farm. Only ruins survive today, save for one hall now used for artistic exhibitions.
The Bede House
About the year 1422, when planning his College at Higham Ferrers, Archbishop Henry Chichele founded "In a place adjoining the Vicarage and the Churchyard", his Bede House or Hospital to be a dwelling place for 12 men over 50 years old to live "in close company" with one woman to look after them.It consisted of a common open Hall. Each man had his little cubicle with its locker, divided off by a screen from his fellows, and the rest of the Hall formed a common room with a fine open fireplace, itself a relic of even older times. On the South, a sheltered garden was added by taking part of the land of the Vicarage.
In those days, no old age pensions were provided by a welfare state, but Henry Chichele provided each old man and the woman with a pension of 1d per day, at a time when the working man’s wage was little more than 5 new pence a week, and the Bedesman’s silver penny was worth more than the modern pension.