Norton is a 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 ...

. The population including Brokhall and Norton at the 2011 census was 434. The village is about east of Daventry, west 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 ...

. Junction 16 of the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...

is about south-east and the nearest railway station is at

Long Buckby Long Buckby is a large village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the parish of Long Buckby, which includes the hamlet of Long Buckby Wharf, was recorded ...

to the east. Near the village, on

Watling Street Watling Street is a historic route in England, running from Dover and London in the southeast, via St Albans to Wroxeter. The road crosses the River Thames at London and was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the M ...

, is the Roman settlement of

Bannaventa Bannaventa or Benaventa was a Romano-British fortified town which was on the Roman road later called Watling Street, which today is here, as in most places, the A5 road. Bannaventa straddles the boundaries of Norton and Whilton, Northamptonsh ...

History

The villages name means 'North farm/settlement'. Some of the earliest residents of the village were the Romans, who built the Roman settlement of

, a Romano-British fortified town on the eastern outskirts of the village located on the Roman road of

( A5 London to

Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...

road). Material representing the remains of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

settlement of Bannaventa has been recovered from a strip around wide on either side of a length of Watling Street, in agricultural land north-west of the village, at Whilton Lodge. The settlement's defences were in the form of a trapezium, not aligned with Watling Street, and the enclosure was deeper on the east side of the street than it was on the west. The four sides of the enclosure were , measured clockwise from north, and enclosed an area of about . The defences were built in two – possibly three – phases. First: a large ditch 7.6 metres wide and 3.1 metres deep () backed by a clay and turf rampart was constructed after the end of the first century; second: the primary ditch was filled in with gravel early in the fourth century to provide a firm base for a stone wall with foundations wide and fronted by two newly-cut, parallel ditches; the inner 5.2 metres wide and 2.4 metres deep () and the outer 4.3 metres wide and 1.8 metres deep (); and thirdly: The inner ditch was filled with gravel shortly after the second phase was completed, perhaps intended as the firm base for external towers, though none have been discovered. The outer ditch was allowed to silt up by the end of the fourth century. Occupation of the site, which may have begun before the Roman conquest, continued into the fourth century. There is a Roman villa site at the nearby village of Nether Heyford to the south east.

Possible association with Saint Patrick

It is possible, but unsubstantiated, that Bannaventa was the birthplace of

St Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints being Brigid of Kildare and Columba ...

, the patron saint of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. In his '' Confessio'', Patrick writes: This could possibly be an alternative name for Bannaventa. In around 405 AD when he was aged 16 he was kidnapped by "pirates" who were raiding the imperial highways, and taken to Ireland as a slave. This view is backed by the fact that Watling Street ran indirectly to

north Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

and thus offered easy passage to Ireland.

The Domesday Book

Norton appears 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 ...

and some of the people mentioned in its entry are as follows: Aghmund; Alric; Alvred; Azur; Bisceop; Count Alan; Durand; Edwin; Fredegis; Fulcher; Gilbert; Godwine; Ingelrann; King William as landholder; Leofnoth; Leofric; Leofwine; Lokki; Martin; Nigel; Ordmaer; Osmund; Ralph; Ralph the steward; Robert; Robert, Count of Meulan; Robert, Count of Mortain; Sawata; Scotel; Segrim; Siward; Stenkil; Thorbiorn; Thorir; Walter; William; Wulfmaer.

Village amenities

The village hall is situated near the Parish Church of All Saints. The village has one public house, ''The White Horse''. To the east of the village is a shopping complex in a converted set of farm buildings trading as 'The Heart of the Shires Shopping Village'.

Gallery

File:The Village Of Norton 15,04,2007 (1).JPG, The main road looking west File:The Village Of Norton 15,04,2007 (4).JPG, The White Horse pub File:Heart of the shires shopping village Norton 22,04,2007.JPG, The Heart of the Shires shopping village

References

External links

District CouncilHeart of the Shires
{{authority control Villages in Northamptonshire West Northamptonshire District Civil parishes in Northamptonshire