Anglo-Saxon stair turret (geograph 2552975)

Brigstock is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. Administratively it is part of

North Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire is one of two local authority areas in Northamptonshire, England. It is a unitary authority area forming about one half of the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire. It was created in 2021. Its notable towns are Ketterin ...

. From 2001 to 2011, the parish population increased from 1,329 to 1,357.

Toponymy

The villages name origin is uncertain. 'Bridge outlying farm/settlement' or perhaps, '

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

-tree outlying farm/settlement'. Alternatively, 'birch-tree stump'.

History

The village is surrounded by the remnants of the

royal forest of Rockingham Rockingham Forest is a former royal hunting forest in the county of Northamptonshire, England. It is an area of some lying between the River Welland and River Nene and the towns of Stamford and Kettering. It has a rich and varied landscape, wit ...

. Brigstock is an ancient settlement, dating back to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

or Saxon period. Several properties in the village appear in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086, in which Brigstock is referred to as "Brigstoc", and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

relics have been found in and around the village. The village cross, found in the heart of the old village, was erected as a monument after

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

passed through the village. The parish church of St Andrew shows remnants of a tower which is probably 10th-century. The Saxon west end of St Andrew

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, Brigstock was an administrative hub for the Rockingham Forest, and was granted a market charter in 1426. The

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Manor House was built as a hunting lodge in a clearing of the Royal forest of Rockingham; in 1890 the house was remodelled by the Victorian architect

John Alfred Gotch John Alfred Gotch (28 September 1852, Kettering, Northamptonshire – 17 January 1942, Kettering, Northamptonshire) was a noted English architect and architectural historian. His brother was the Pre-Raphaelite painter and illustrator Thomas Coo ...

. There was unrest in Brigstock over new deer parks at the house and the royal forest in May 1603. The villagers led by Simon Montague and Mr Chany tried to stop labourers cutting timber in the park. Next the village women protested at workmen clearing trees and brush in the park. Chany went to London to argue that Simon Montague ought to be keeper of the King's deer. The protestors let the deer out of the parks at Brigstock into Farming Wood in Rockingham Forest and Geddington Woods.''HMC Salisbury Hatfield'', vol. 23 (London, 1974), pp. 106-8:

Mary Anne Everett Green Mary Anne Everett Green ( Wood; 19 July 1818 – 1 November 1895) was an English historian. After establishing a reputation for scholarship with two multi-volume books on royal ladies and noblewomen, she was invited to assist in preparing calen ...

, ''Calendar State Papers Domestic, Addenda 1580-1625'' (London, 1872), p. 316-7: Philip Petit, 'Royal Forests of Northamptonshire', ''Northants Record Society'', 23, pp. 172-4. The first school in the village was endowed in the 17th century, and whilst that building no longer stands, the historic centre of the village contains buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. There are 49 listed properties in the village. Brigstock is one of the largest villages in the region. The tomb of

Robert Vernon, 1st Baron Lyveden Robert Vernon, 1st Baron Lyveden (23 February 1800 – 10 November 1873), known as Robert Vernon Smith until 1859, was a British Liberal Party politician. Background and education Vernon was the son of Robert Percy Smith, of 20 Savile Row, Lo ...

(1800-1873), a Liberal Party politician, is located within the church of St Andrew. Much of the village has been owned by the Solesbury family since the mid-1800s and is said to be the location of the famous family vault. Today the Solesbury family still maintain a presence in the village but since the early 2000s have shifted their business interests into grocery retail throughout East Northamptonshire.

References

External links

Brigstock parish council village website
{{authority control Villages in Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire Civil parishes in Northamptonshire