Along with the expected births, marriages and burial entries, the Incumbents often added various comments. These could be about their parishioners, the causes of death, parish events or other snippets. Here is a round up on some interesting ones. BULWICKIn the year...

From the London Illustrated News 24 July 1847 The Annual Meeting of this great and truly national society commenced on Tuesday morning at Northampton The newspaper report continues:“The Exhibition has surpassed all preceding ones in extent. The railway companies led...

Northamptonshire Record Office holds the records of the Northampton County Lunatic Asylum, otherwise known as Berrywood, and later called St Crispin Hospital. History Previously, pauper lunatics had been taken in by the Northampton General Lunatic Asylum, close to...

When a couple wish to marry then can do so by banns or licence. Banns are called in the church in which a couple are to marry on the three Sundays before the wedding takes place. If one of the partners is from a different parish then banns should also have been called...

THE DAVENTRY COLLECTION If you’ve ancestors from Daventry and the surrounding area, then this collection at Northamptonshire Archives is worth investigating! The collection is formed of documents rescued from a solicitor’s office and comprises over 14,000 items. There...

Travel, Trade and Horsepower A business letter dated 12 May 1679, from John Payne, Bailiff to Sir James Langham, Kt & Bart, of Cottesbrooke, to Mr Peter Clayton at Sir Robert Clayton’s House in the Old Jury, London, probably took no longer to deliver then, as it...

Barratt & Co, Footshape Works, Northampton World War Two Bulletins Northamptonshire Archives has a collection of monthly bulletins sent out to employees of W Barratt & Co, Footshape Works, Barrack Road, Northampton who were serving in the forces, both at home...

But don’t try these at home! You know how it is – you see an interesting reference in a catalogue at the Record Office, order it and then be amazed at what you find. The following recipes were found in ‘A Book of Cures’ c.1843 NRO ref ZB1421 An Excellent Purging...

Boot and Shoe Making in Northants The history of shoemaking in the county is long and as such this article can only give a much summarised account. (The image above is of Hand Clicking in Kettering). Shoemaking pre-1770sEven by the 16th century the county was well...

MAPS The usefulness of maps to the family and local historian should not be overlooked. They can help us try to visualise what a parish looked like at various times, the changes to it, perhaps a canal or railway coming through and bisecting the village, as at Stoke...