Desborough is a town in
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 ...
, England, lying in the
Ise Ise may refer to:
Places
* Ise, Mie, a city in Japan
**Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie
* Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria
*Ise, Norway, a village in Norway
*Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan
* River Ise, a tributary of th ...
Valley between
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire.
Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the adm ...
and
Kettering
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...
. It was an industrial centre for weaving and shoe-making in the 19th century and had a long association with the
Co-operative movement. Desborough today is a residential centre: new homes and industry are being developed to the north of the old town.
History
Desborough's origins lie in the Bronze Age of about 2000 BC. Urns from that period have been found in and around the town.
Many archaeological finds from the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
and the
Anglo-Saxon period have also been made. Some, such as the 1st-century Desborough Mirror and the Anglo-Saxon Desborough Necklace, are now in the possession of the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
.
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 ...
(1086) refers to Desborough as a "place of judgement". The name itself is thought to have derived from 'Disburg', which meant a sacred and fortified place. In the High Street centrepiece of what is now the Market Square stands a pillar that is called locally the Town Cross, though it is a square column topped by a stone ball. It is thought to have served as a gateway pillar from Harrington Hall.
From the 17th century, Desborough developed around the
spinning and
weaving
Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...
industries. The town's factories used local wool and flax to produce fine cloth and linen until the mid-19th century. Silk weaving then developed in a Paddock Lane factory and shoe-making also gained importance.
Transport
Desborough lies five miles (8 km) south-east of Market Harborough, north-west of Kettering, and south-west of Corby. The
A6 Rothwell–Desborough bypass opened on 14 August 2003.
Between 1857 and 1968, Desborough had a
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
, opened and operated by the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...
(later the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway and, after nationalisation,
British Rail). This was part of an extension of its network from
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
to
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
and
Hitchin, but it was closed under the
Beeching cuts
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised British Rail, railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Develop ...
.
Churches
Desborough has an
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
parish church, St Giles's, along with a Baptist church, a United Reformed Church, and the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity.
St Giles's Church (Anglican) is the oldest surviving building in the town, dating from about 1225. It is believed to stand on the site of an earlier Saxon church. Its relics from the town's history include part of an Anglo-Saxon cross carved from stone, a Tudor
rood screen, and reminders of the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
. Close by the church is the 18th-century Church House, with stuccoed Doric pillars. This became Desborough House in the 19th century and is now the Services Club.
Partnership
On 7 September 1969, an Anglican/ Methodist partnership was inaugurated in the presence of the Bishop of Peterborough and the Chairman of the Oxford District. Since then a Methodist minister has been working in partnership with the Anglican vicar. St Giles is part of the Anglican united benefice of Desborough and Brampton Ash with Braybrooke and Dingley. It has regular church festivals, including one of the United Kingdom's largest and longest-running Christmas tree festivals (over 100 trees, held since 1998). The trees are contributed by local organisations, companies, families and individuals.
The Kettering Leg of the annual
Student Cross pilgrimage to
Walsingham starts near Desborough.
The Old Manor House
The Old Manor House in Gold Street retains features of its late 17th-century origins.
Ferdinand Poulton
Ferdinand Poulton, S.J, (c. 1601 – June 5, 1641) was a Jesuit missionary in the newly founded Jesuit Mission of Maryland. He was born to a noble family in either 1601 or 1603 in Buckinghamshire, England, and was educated at the College of St. ...
, a Roman Catholic lawyer, was Lord of the Manor and reputedly one of the 1605
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sought ...
conspirators.
Government and community
Governance of Desborough lies (in descending order) with the North Northamptonshire Unitary Council (From April 2021) and the local Desborough
Town Council
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.
Republic of Ireland
Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...
.
Desborough belongs to the Charter of European Rural Communities, which links it to 27 other EU member towns and villages. It is twinned with
Neuville de Poitou in the
Vienne
Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.[France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...]
and with
Bièvre in the
Walloon region of Belgium.
The Desborough Community Development Trust campaigns for improvements to the town.
Co-operative movement
With the intention of preventing exploitation of workers by agents and employers, local men founded the Desborough Co-operative Society in 1863. Starting with local shops and then a corset and lingerie factory, the Desborough Co-op once had a department store, a bank, a supermarket, a travel agents, a ladies' shoe and clothing shop and a number of corner stores.
After several mergers, the town is now served by the Central England Co-op. Over the years, a number of its functions have ceased, including the bank branch and the ladies' shoe and clothing shop. However, a Co-operative
undertakers has opened in one of the former corner shops.
The former Co-op Corset Factory, now owned by Wacoal Eveden Ltd
[Eveden](_blank)
/ref> makes lingerie and swimwear. The site includes the original Victorian factory, and immediately opposite, Eveden's warehousing and UK factory shop. The former Co-operative Society Sports Ground with a football field and tennis courts is now covered by a housing development, Desbeau Park – Desbeau being the name of a range of lingerie made at the Corset Factory.
Sport and leisure
Desborough has a Non-League football team, Desborough Town F.C.
Desborough Town Football Club is a association football, football club based in Desborough, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Waterworks Field.
History
The club was established in 1896 and joined Divisio ...
, which plays at Waterworks Field.
The town's leisure complex was built in the later months of 2012. It holds a gym, a café, a football court, a basketball court and an outside skate park.
Targetcraft Archers club meets at nearby West Lodge Rural Centre. Desborough Green Space Junior park run takes place there every Sunday morning at the Leisure Centre. Local residents organize a free 2-km run aimed at increasing physical activity and volunteering within the community.
Education
The town has a primary school-cum-infant/junior school, consisting of Loatlands Primary and combined Havelock Infant and Junior schools. Secondary education takes place outside the town.
Notable residents
In birth order:
*John Reynolds (fl. 1600s), a tinker known as "Captain Pouch" and a leader of the 1607 anti-enclosure
Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or " common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...
Midland Revolt, was said to be from Desborough.
*Jane West
Jane West (born Iliffe, 1758–1852), was an English novelist who published as Prudentia Homespun and Mrs. West. She also wrote conduct literature, poetry and educational tracts.
Life
Jane West was born to Jane and John Iliffe in London, but th ...
(1758–1852), novelist, poet and writer of conduct literature, was brought up in Desborough.
* Lewis Cave (1832–1897), a Queen's Bench judge, was born in Desborough.
*Lawrence Holland
Lawrence Holland is an American video game designer and founder of the now defunct Totally Games. He is best known for the ''Star Wars: X-Wing'' series published by LucasArts.
Early life
His interest in computer programming started when his co ...
(1887–1956), played for 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 ...
and died in Desborough.
* F. R. G. Heaf (1894–1973), professor of medicine and tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
researcher, was born in the town.
*Cecil Kilborn
Cecil Kilborn (18 March 1902 – 7 June 1983) was an English footballer who played inside left for Bradford City.
Kilborn was born in Desborough and played for Desborough Town until December 1919 when he was signed for Division One side Bradf ...
, a Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
...
footballer in 1919–1924, was born in Desborough in 1902.
*Reggie Meen
Reginald Meen (20 November 1907 – 1984) was a British boxer, who won the British heavyweight title in 1931.
Career
Reggie Meen was born in Warwickshire in 1907 and grew up in Desborough in Northamptonshire, where he was originally a bootmake ...
(1907–1984), heavyweight boxer, won the British title in 1931.
* Andy Sawford (born 1976), Labour Party politician and Corby
Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 Census, the built-up area had a population of 5 ...
MP, was born in Desborough.
References
External links
Desborough Town Council website
Desborough Flickr group – pictures of Desborough
{{authority control
Towns in Northamptonshire
Civil parishes in Northamptonshire
North Northamptonshire