Brockhall is a

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

and village in

West Northamptonshire West Northamptonshire is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, and was created in 2021. It contains the county town of Northampton, as wel ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Brockhall, like many estate villages, is a small settlement that has developed around its eponymous hall. The village - Brocole in Old English - 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

. Brocole means "Badger hole". The name is derived from "broc" ("badger" in Old English) and "hol" ("hollow" in Old English). The population is included in the

of Norton. The parish church, St Peter & St Paul, is part of the Benefice of Heyford with Stowe IX Churches and Flore with Brockhall.

Notable buildings

Brockhall Hall was originally built by Edward Eyton. In 1625, Eyton sold the house to Thomas Thornton of Newnham. Thornton was a lawyer and also the Recorder of Daventry. In 1634 Thomas Thornton bought Newnham manor from the Knightleys of

Fawsley Fawsley is a hamlet and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England.- OS Explorer Map 207: Newport Pagnell & Northampton South (1:25 000) The population at the 2001 census was 32. At the 2011 census the population remained less than 100 and ...

who had held it jointly with

Badby Badby is a village and a rural parish of about in West Northamptonshire, England.- OS Explorer Map 207: Newport Pagnell & Northampton South (1:25 000) Location Badby is about 2 miles (3 km) south of Daventry, on the A361 Daventry to Ban ...

manor since 1542. Mr Thornton supported

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

and was later pardoned by King Charles II. Since the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, five Thorntons have held the position of High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. The first was John Thornton who assumed the post in 1672; the last was Colonel Thornton who held the position in 1946. During World War II, the hall and its grounds were used by the American Office of Strategic Studies, an early predecessor of the CIA. Saboteurs were airlifted to Europe from nearby Harrington airfield where the Carpetbagger Museum commemorates their contributions to the war effort. The Thornton family lived at Brockhall Hall until 1969 when it was sold to Peter Lee after the death of the last male heir. Brockhall Hall is now divided up into a number of residential flats. A descendant of the original owner, Thomas Reeve Thornton (d. 1862), married Susannah Fremeaux, the heiress of her grandfather James Fremeaux of

Kingsthorpe Kingsthorpe is a suburb and civil parish of Northampton, England. It is situated to the north of Northampton town centre and is served by the A508 and A5199 roads which join at Kingsthorpe's centre. The 2011 Census recorded the population of ...

(d. 1799). Fremeaux was a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

merchant who had been naturalised as a British citizen in 1752 and had through marriage acquired the Cooke estate at Kingsthorpe in 1762. The Thorntons remained at Brockhall until 1969. In 1978, upon the death of Col. Thomas Anson Thornton, the male line became extinct. The house is reputed to be haunted by a white lady - this might be an owner's wife who committed suicide in the 1780s. St Peter and St Paul church is c.1200. The chancel was rebuilt in 1874 by

Edmund Francis Law Edmund Francis Law, usually referred to as 'E. F. Law', (26 April 1810 – 14 April 1882, in Northampton) FRIBA was an English architect during the 19th century, notable for a large number of projects, particularly restorations, in the ...

. The church has several monuments to the Thorntons. The Manor House is dated 1617.

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Northamptonshire Country houses in Northamptonshire History of Northamptonshire West Northamptonshire District Civil parishes in Northamptonshire