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Wollaston 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 authorit ...
in
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...
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 ...
, England, about south of the market town of
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 ...
. The 2011 census recorded the population of the parish, including Strixton, as 3,491. Wollaston is from above sea level on hills east of the Nene valley. The soil is clay over subsoil and is on the old Wellingborough to London road. Summer Leys Local Nature reserve is nearby. 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 records 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 ...
as ''Wilavestone''. In a document written in 1190 it is spelt ''Wullaueston''. The name comes from
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 settlers in the mid-5th ...
and is believed to mean the farmstead or village of a man named Wulfaf.


History

Wollaston was developed as a linear settlement starting at what is now Cobbs Lane moving past Bell End, Rotten Row, St Michaels' Lane and down towards
Strixton Strixton is a small village in eastern Northamptonshire that borders the main A509 road between Wellingborough and Milton Keynes. The population of the village remained less than 100 at the 2011 Census and is included in the civil Parish of W ...
.


Romano-British

Settlement and activity in the area are known to date from at least Roman times. Remains of an
Romano-British The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, ...
vineyard are known in Wollaston, and are some of the first such sites confirmed in Britain. The course of a
Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
passes roughly east–west just south of the modern part of Wollaston. The course of another Roman road passes north–south to the east.


Anglo-Saxon

There is strong evidence of an
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...
settlement and activity, including the discovery of the Anglo-Saxon
Pioneer helmet The Pioneer Helmet (also known as the Wollaston Helmet or Northamptonshire Helmet) is an Anglo-Saxon boar-crested helmet from the late seventh century found in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom. It was discovered during a March 199 ...
in a warrior's grave dating from about AD 700.


High Middle Ages

The oldest visible part of Wollaston is known as Beacon Hill, an ancient castle earthwork or burial mound which once belonged to Bury Manor. The mound was once surrounded by a great ditch which dates back to the 12th century. A wall plaque records that this was the site of a Norman
motte-and-bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy t ...
. In 1260 William de Bray secured a charter from Henry III to hold an annual
Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, a ...
fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...
and a weekly market to be held on a Tuesday. In 1282 Margery de Wolaston was elected Abbess of Delapré Abbey in Northampton. She died circa 1296.


18th century

In 1788 Wollaston's open fields and
common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person who has ...
s were enclosed by Act of Parliament. At the time David Hennell, a lace dealer from Wollaston wrote ''"I lament that this field is now agoing to be enclosed. Some that have large quantities of land are set upon it, and pay no regard to the many little ones that may be injured, and I fear many ruined."'' The enclosure reduced the number of landowners in the village from 108 to just 18.


19th century

Wollaston's first school opened in 1842 and was located in a building next to what is now the Indian restaurant (formerly The Cuckoo pub), opposite Bell End. The school was private and was run by a curate, the Reverend JJ Scott, from his own funds. The school did not come under government control until 1873. The school has moved several times, finally being established on College Street in a building dating from May 1894. In this period significant industry came to Wollaston in the form of shoe-making. In 1885 one of the shoe factories was established as a workers' co-operative of local cobblers, which survived until the 21st century as
Northamptonshire Productive Society 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 remains a shoe factory as NPS (Shoes) Ltd, making shoes under the George Cox,
Tredair Tredair is a brand of British-made footwear first produced by White & Co., a shoe factory and then a shoe design and procurement business in Northamptonshire. History The family ran factories from 1890 to 2003 making classic men's footwear an ...
,
Solovair Solovair (Pronounced like "Sole of air") is a brand of British-made boots and footwear, produced by NPS Shoes Ltd., which was established in 1881. The NPS factory is based in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, an area known for its shoe industry.
and NPS brands among others. The Wollaston Vulcanising Co-Operative was another local business.


20th century

Shoe-making, and the mechanisation of this work, continued in the early 20th century with a number of nationally known shoe-making companies establishing themselves in Wollaston and surrounding area. In 1940 Scott Bader moved manufacturing to Wollaston from London; the move became permanent and the company is now an integral part of the local community. The company founders, Ernest Bader and Dora Scott, established the Scott Bader Commonwealth in the 1950s, gifting the whole company to its employees for all time. The company now functions as a co-operative with profits divided between investment in the company, bonus for employees and charitable donations. From the early 1970s to the late 1990s LSM Engineering, a manufacturer of model steam engines, was based in Wollaston.


21st Century

In common with the rest of Northamptonshire, Wollaston is noted for its shoe industry. The
Solovair Solovair (Pronounced like "Sole of air") is a brand of British-made boots and footwear, produced by NPS Shoes Ltd., which was established in 1881. The NPS factory is based in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, an area known for its shoe industry.
brand of British-made boots and footwear is produced by NPS Shoes Ltd. NPS has been in operation in the village since 1881 and now has a factory shop. Until 2003,
Dr. Martens Dr. Martens, also commonly known as Doc Martens, Docs or DMs, is a German-founded British footwear and clothing brand, headquartered in Wollaston in the Wellingborough district of Northamptonshire, England. Although famous for its footwear, D ...
boots were made in Wollaston. In 2007, manufacture of the "Made in England" line of Dr. Martens footwear was resumed in the Cobbs Lane Factory in Wollaston. Wollaston also has the head office of an international chemical company, founded by the
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...
Ernest Bader Ernest Bader (24 November 1890 – 5 February 1982) and his wife, Dora Scott, founded a chemical company, Scott Bader, and gave it to the employees under terms of Common ownership, forming the Scott Bader Commonwealth in 1951. Scott Bader Ltd. wa ...
(1890–1982), which is now a common ownership factory, the Scott Bader Commonwealth, making advanced resins and composite materials.


Notable Buildings

Wollaston has both a primary and a secondary school ( Wollaston School), local shops, post office, library and public houses. The village has four churches:
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...
,
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...
,
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
and a
Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...
Citadel. Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries the
benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
of St Mary's parish church was held by Delapré Abbey in Northampton. The oldest parts of the building are 13th-century. It is a
Grade II* listed building 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 Ir ...
. At the north end of the High Street there is a village museum.


Transportation

The village is connected by the
W8 Wellingborough–Bozeat Service W8 is a bus service which operates between Wellingborough and Bozeat via Wollaston. History The bus route was operated by Stagecoach in the past prior to being taken over by Centrebus. Following a decision by Northamptonshire County C ...
bus route. It is bypassed to the west by the A509.


Notable people

* Ernest Bader and Dora Scott founded Scott Bader and gifted the company to its employees. * Henry Keep was born in Wollaston and emigrated to Australia in the 1890s, later becoming a member of the
Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House, Perth, Parliament House in the Western Australian capi ...
*
Cyril Perkins George Cyril Perkins (4 June 1911 – 21 November 2013) was an English cricketer. Perkins was a right-handed batsman who bowled both slow left-arm orthodox and left-arm medium pace. He was born in Wollaston, Northamptonshire. On 4 June 2011 he ...
(1911 – 21 November 2013), was the oldest living first-class cricketer. He played for Northamptonshire and Suffolk.


References

# # #
Dr Martens factories close
BBC News, 23 March 2003 (accessed 12 January 2011). #

Octane magazine, January 2011 (accessed 12 January 2011). # #
Scott Bader Company website
(accessed 24 February 2008). # A history of the compan

(accessed 21 August 2014). # For a full history see: # # From http://www.wollastonvillage.org.uk/index.html # # # From http://www.wollastonvillage.org.uk/page6.html # From http://www.wollastonvillage.org.uk/page6.html # # and http://www.wollastonvillage.org.uk/page6.html # # From Wollaston Blog for information about the latest events in Wollaston http://www.thecommunityblog.co.uk/wollaston/


Further reading

* * *


External links


Wollaston Parish Council

St Mary's Church
{{authority control Civil parishes in Northamptonshire Villages in Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire