Ecton 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 ...

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 ...

, England. The village is just east of

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, just off the

A4500 road List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European isla ...

. It was one of the first villages in Northamptonshire to be given conservation status. The

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

is derived from the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

words ''Ecca'' and ''tun'', meaning "Ecca's farm/settlement."

Demographics

The 2011 Census recorded 466 people living in the village: 231 male, 235 female, in 211 households.

American links

Ecton is a place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

for many

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many Multi ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

's ancestors lived here for over 300 years, many generations of them being the village

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

s, on a site where now stands the Three Horseshoes Inn. There are still headstones for members of the Franklin family in the village churchyard; inside the church there is a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

plaque, provided by a group of American visitors in 1910, which has a quotation from one of Benjamin Franklin’s speeches.

Transport

Ecton is served by the A4500 which runs east-west past the top of the village. The road connects Ecton to

and

Wellingborough Wellingborough ( ) is a large market and commuter town in the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, 65 miles from London and from Northampton on the north side of the River Nen ...

, as well as a number of other villages. To the south of the village is the A45. There are no public transport services that run through the village itself, although Stagecoach United Counties provides regular bus services that stop on the A4500. Bus services run from early morning to late evening with a reduced service on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Religion

The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

of Saint

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...

is just off the High Street. It dates from the 13th century. Graves of the Sotheby family of Ecton Hall and the Franklin family are in the churchyard. The church is in the Diocese of Peterborough. Two former chapels, one off the High Street and the other in West Street, have been converted to residential properties. From about 1687 to 1703 Henry Bagley ran a

bell foundry Bellfounding is the casting and tuning of large bronze bells in a foundry for use such as in churches, clock towers and public buildings, either to signify the time or an event, or as a musical carillon or chime. Large bells are made by casting ...

in Ecton.Salzman, 1937, pages 122-127 Bagley is buried in the parish churchyard. The Bagley family also ran a bell-foundry in

Chacombe Chacombe (sometimes Chalcombe in the past) is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, about north-east of Banbury. It is bounded to the west by the River Cherwell, to the north by a tributary and to the south-east by the B ...

Public houses

Ecton has two

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s: The World's End which was refurbished and extended in 2006, and The Three Horseshoes, also refurbished in April 2011. The World's End is at the edge of the village on the A4500, and The Three Horseshoes is in the centre of the village. The Three Horseshoes offers traditional pub games including skittles, darts and

cribbage Cribbage, or crib, is a card game, traditionally for two players, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points. It can be adapted for three or four players. Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbag ...

Shops

Ecton no longer has any shops. In the past the village had a post office and numerous shops but the last post office and shop closed in 1989. The village has also been home to many different trades, including a baker, blacksmith, tailor and a

. There are many self-employed people operating in the village offering services such as hairdressing, building, and odd-job persons.

School

The village primary school educates children up to the age of 11 from the village and surrounding area.Ecton Village School Prospectus, Page 3. http://www.brandham.co.uk/ecton/prospectus%20docs/Prospectus.pdf , from the website http://www.ecton-village-school.co.uk/

Recreation

The village has a playing field which is adjacent to The World's End pub and The Shrine which has swings, a roundabout, slide and climbing equipment for young children. The village

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

club plays on a pitch located behind the village club. The pitch used to be located in a field off the A4500 until the mid-1990s when it moved to its current location.

References

External links

Ecton Parish Church

Ecton Village School

Ecton Village Website
{{authority control Villages in Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire Civil parishes in Northamptonshire