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

North Northamptonshire North 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. The council is based in Corby, the district's la ...

, England. The village is just east of

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

, just off the A4500 road. It was one of the first villages in Northamptonshire to be given conservation status. The

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, 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 ...

is derived from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), 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 developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

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 travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

for many Americans.

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

'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 metalloid ...

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 market town in the North Northamptonshire, Unitary Authority area, England, from London and from Northampton, north of the River Nene. Originally named "Wendelingburgh" (the stronghold of Wændel's people), the Anglo ...

, 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 ...

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 cr ...

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 stained glass in the east window of St Mary Magdalene's Church is dedicated to the memory of Major General Frederick Edward Sotheby of Ecton Hall. It depicts The offering of

King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

at the Cave of Adullam, and was executed in 1912 by Percy Bacon & Brothers. 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 in Ecton.Salzman, 1937, pages 122-127 Bagley is buried in the parish churchyard. The Bagley family also ran a bell-foundry in Chacombe.

Public houses

Ecton has two

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

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 cribbage ...

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 bell foundry. 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 games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

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