Newnham, Northamptonshire
Encyclopedia
Newnham is a village
in the Daventry district
of the county of Northamptonshire
in England
. The village is 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Daventry
, 3 miles (4.8 km) west from Weedon Bec
, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of junction 16 of the M1 motorway
and 11 miles (17.7 km) west of Northampton
. The A45 road
runs a mile northwest of the village. The nearest railway station is at Long Buckby
, 8 miles (12.9 km) northeast.
The village nestles below a large hill in the valley of the River Nene
. The village name is thought to derive from the nearby River Nene. The hill, called Newnham Hill
, is topped by an ancient disused windmill
, and has commanding views over the nearby town of Daventry. Also on the hill is a large aerial
which is part of the air traffic control
system of the British Isles
.
.jpg)
.jpg)
The parish church
, called St Michael and all Angels, is a former chapel of a parent church at Badby
. The benefice
has always been Badby-cum-Newnham, with the vicar
age of Badby. As the church is perched high on a bank, the churchyard descends steeply east and south. The chancel
, the north aisle and the present nave were built in the early 14th century, on the site of a 12th century chapel. The tower was built in the late 14th or early 15th century and, although the church has undergone many alterations, the tower still contains six bells.
and general store
that used to supply a wide range of goods and services until its closure in October 2008.
Also on the green is the Romer Arms, a public house
which was originally called the Bakers Arms. It was bought by a man named Romer Williams, who was a hunting man and a lawyer
by profession. He renamed it the Romer Arms and it is his family coat of arms
that is depicted on the sign. Translated, the Latin
inscription on the coat of arms is, 'To do and to suffer is the better way for the Roman
'.
The village had another public house called the New Inn which is now a private residence. This former pub, cafe and hand-pumped petrol station
, was on School
Hill. A former proprietor, a Mr Howard, displayed a notice that read 'You can have tea at teatime — you can have beer at beer time — you can have petrol at any time'
, Lieutenant Colonel John Walkelyne Chandos-Pole OBE
, who died in 1993.
Another fine residence is The Grove. Located in the grounds of The Grove, which was owned by the Marriott Family, is the Nuttery which is the site of a hazel
orchard. The Nuttery was planted by the Marriotts of Newnham House. Hazel nuts
are still picked, sorted in the house and then sent to Covent Garden
. Daffodils and snowdrop
s grow underneath the trees and are picked in the spring for market. The orchard is open to the public.
, a lesser-known 17th century poet
. He was born, 15 June 1605, in Newnham at the brown stone gabled house in Poets Way. He was a poet and dramatist
as well as a writer of English
and Latin verse. He was an author of six plays including The Jovial Philosopher (1630); The Jealous Lovers (1632); The Muses' Looking-Glass (1638), and Amyntas (1638). It was recorded that Randolph was one of Ben Jonson
’s cleverest disciples. Pleasant anecdotes are recorded of their relationship and one of Randolph's best poems is his, Gratulatory. Thomas Randolph died in 1634 at the age of 29.
of Margaret Thatcher
, Nigel Lawson
has a home close to the village. On 1 July 1992 he was created a life peer
as Baron Lawson of Blaby, of Newnham in the County of Northamptonshire. Lawson is the father of journalist and food writer Nigella Lawson
, Dominic Lawson
, the former editor of The Sunday Telegraph and Tom Lawson, housemaster of Chernocke House at Winchester College
.
, John Bignell. The current building dates back to the early 19th century and was three floors high. The building was in a state of disrepair until the 1980s when a group was formed to repair and reconstruct the damaged building. Keys can be obtained to view the windmill by appointment through Daventry Tourist Information Centre.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Daventry district
Daventry (district)
The Daventry district is the largest local government district of western Northamptonshire, England. The district is named after the town of Daventry which is the administrative headquarters and largest town...
of the county of Northamptonshire
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,...
in 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...
. The village is 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Daventry
Daventry
Daventry is a market town in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 22,367 .-Geography:The town is also the administrative centre of the larger Daventry district, which has a population of 71,838. The town is 77 miles north-northwest of London, 13.9 miles west of Northampton and 10.2...
, 3 miles (4.8 km) west from Weedon Bec
Weedon Bec
Weedon Bec , usually just called "Weedon", is a large village and parish in the district of Daventry, Northamptonshire, England. It lies close to the source of the River Nene.-Geography:...
, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of junction 16 of the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
and 11 miles (17.7 km) west of Northampton
Northampton
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...
. The A45 road
A45 road
The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
runs a mile northwest of the village. The nearest railway station is at Long Buckby
Long Buckby
Long Buckby is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England, midway between Northampton and Rugby. In the 2001 census the parish of Long Buckby had a population of exactly 4,000....
, 8 miles (12.9 km) northeast.
The village nestles below a large hill in the valley of the River Nene
River Nene
The River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in the county of Northamptonshire. The tidal river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about . It is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for from Northampton to The...
. The village name is thought to derive from the nearby River Nene. The hill, called Newnham Hill
Newnham Hill
Newnham Hill is a prominent hill south of the town of Daventry in the English county of Northamptonshire .-The Summit:Newnham Hill is 201 meters above sea level. The summit can be reached by taking the lane which links Daventry to the village of Newnham on the southern side of the hill.On the...
, is topped by an ancient disused windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
, and has commanding views over the nearby town of Daventry. Also on the hill is a large aerial
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
which is part of the air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
system of the British Isles
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The Parish Church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, called St Michael and all Angels, is a former chapel of a parent church at Badby
Badby
Badby is a village and a rural parish of about in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire, England.-Location:Badby is about south of Daventry, on the A361 Daventry to Banbury road. It is bisected west to east, at about above sea level, by the upper reaches of the River Nene...
. The benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
has always been Badby-cum-Newnham, with the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
age of Badby. As the church is perched high on a bank, the churchyard descends steeply east and south. The chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, the north aisle and the present nave were built in the early 14th century, on the site of a 12th century chapel. The tower was built in the late 14th or early 15th century and, although the church has undergone many alterations, the tower still contains six bells.
Other Village Amenities
On the village green can be found the post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
that used to supply a wide range of goods and services until its closure in October 2008.
Also on the green is the Romer Arms, a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
which was originally called the Bakers Arms. It was bought by a man named Romer Williams, who was a hunting man and a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
by profession. He renamed it the Romer Arms and it is his family coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
that is depicted on the sign. Translated, the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
inscription on the coat of arms is, 'To do and to suffer is the better way for the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
'.
The village had another public house called the New Inn which is now a private residence. This former pub, cafe and hand-pumped petrol station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
, was on School
Newnham Primary School
Newnham Primary School is a primary school in Newnham, Northamptonshire in England. Newnham primary school is a co-educational village school for children aged 4 to 11 years.-School Aims:...
Hill. A former proprietor, a Mr Howard, displayed a notice that read 'You can have tea at teatime — you can have beer at beer time — you can have petrol at any time'
Other Prominent Buildings
Newnham Hall dates from 1820 and is set in 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) of Northamptonshire Parkland. Newnham Hall was the home of the former Lord Lieutenant of NorthamptonshireLord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire
Below is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire. Since 1735, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Northamptonshire. The lieutenancy included the Soke of Peterborough until 1965, when the Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire became Lord Lieutenant of...
, Lieutenant Colonel John Walkelyne Chandos-Pole OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, who died in 1993.
Another fine residence is The Grove. Located in the grounds of The Grove, which was owned by the Marriott Family, is the Nuttery which is the site of a hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
orchard. The Nuttery was planted by the Marriotts of Newnham House. Hazel nuts
Common Hazel
Corylus avellana, the Common Hazel, is a species of hazel native to Europe and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Iberia, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, north to central Scandinavia, and east to the central Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, and northwestern Iran. It is an important component of...
are still picked, sorted in the house and then sent to Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. Daffodils and snowdrop
Snowdrop
Galanthus is a small genus of about 20 species of bulbous herbaceous plants in the Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae...
s grow underneath the trees and are picked in the spring for market. The orchard is open to the public.
Prominent Residents
Newnham was the home of Thomas RandolphThomas Randolph (poet)
Thomas Randolph was an English poet and dramatist. He was baptized on 18 June 1605 and was the uncle of American colonist William Randolph.-Education:...
, a lesser-known 17th century poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. He was born, 15 June 1605, in Newnham at the brown stone gabled house in Poets Way. He was a poet and dramatist
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
as well as a writer of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Latin verse. He was an author of six plays including The Jovial Philosopher (1630); The Jealous Lovers (1632); The Muses' Looking-Glass (1638), and Amyntas (1638). It was recorded that Randolph was one of Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
’s cleverest disciples. Pleasant anecdotes are recorded of their relationship and one of Randolph's best poems is his, Gratulatory. Thomas Randolph died in 1634 at the age of 29.
Nigel Lawson
The former Chancellor of the ExchequerChancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, PC , is a British Conservative politician and journalist. He was a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974–92, and served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the government of Margaret Thatcher from June 1983 to October 1989...
has a home close to the village. On 1 July 1992 he was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Lawson of Blaby, of Newnham in the County of Northamptonshire. Lawson is the father of journalist and food writer Nigella Lawson
Nigella Lawson
Nigella Lucy Lawson is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster. Lawson is the daughter of Nigel Lawson, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Vanessa Salmon, whose family owned the J. Lyons and Co. empire...
, Dominic Lawson
Dominic Lawson
Dominic Ralph Campden Lawson is a British journalist.-Background:Educated at Westminster School and then Christ Church, Oxford, he is the elder son of a former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lawson and socialite Vanessa Salmon, heir to the Lyons Corner House empire, who died of...
, the former editor of The Sunday Telegraph and Tom Lawson, housemaster of Chernocke House at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
.
Newnham Windmill
At the summit of Newnham Hill near the edge of Beggars Bank is the village's most complete and prominent reminder of the rural industries. It is believed that a windmill has stood at this location as far back as 1661, when it was first recorded in an inventory of the then millerMiller
A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world...
, John Bignell. The current building dates back to the early 19th century and was three floors high. The building was in a state of disrepair until the 1980s when a group was formed to repair and reconstruct the damaged building. Keys can be obtained to view the windmill by appointment through Daventry Tourist Information Centre.
External links
- Newnham & Everdon walks around the village
- Newnham Windmill
- Newnham Primary School