Clopton is a small 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 ...

located in

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 ...

, close to the

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

border. The village stretches along the north side of the B662 and was recorded 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 ...

as 'Clotone'. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 134 people. The Village Church of St Peter was built in about 1863 by Richard Armstrong. In 1395, the noblewoman

Agnes Hotot Agnes Hotot ( 1395) was an English noblewoman known for besting a man in a lance fight. According to Arthur Collins, writing in 1741, an unspecified monk recorded that Hotot took her father's place in a duel after he fell ill, disguising herself ...

married into the Dudley family at Clopton. Before her marriage, she was known for besting a man in a

lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike si ...

fight: when her ailing father was unable to meet the arranged dueling challenge, Hotot took his place, disguising herself in his armour. She knocked her opponent off his horse – and then revealed her true identity. The Dudley family later created a new crest in honour of her victory. The village is reputed to be haunted by a ghost known as Skulking Dudley, who lived in the area in the 14th century. Skulking Dudley Coppice is named after him.

References

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Villages in Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire Civil parishes in Northamptonshire {{Northamptonshire-geo-stub