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 are a vast number of deeds, leases and related items for properties, copy wills and probate records, manor court records for a large number of parishes, rent rolls, court cases and much documentation relating to poor law – including removals, settlement examinations and bastardy cases.
It covers not just Daventry town itself but other local parishes in the south and west of the county and parishes across the Warwickshire border. There is a card index to the collection which can be searched for name or parish making it easy to find specific documents relating to a person or place. However, names recorded in documents such as poor law accounts, manor court records, land tax lists are not individually recorded in the card index (far too many!) so you will need to order the originals. Below is a page from the Poor Law records for Daventry for 1743.
Next are some examples taken from the collection to show you the wealth of information that could potentially be found.
Clay Coton A large number of leases for the windmill in the late 1600s/early 1700s (Bollard, Clarke families and others)
Everdon A bundle of documents and petition relating to a charity school and religious instruction there
Fawsley Hundred court rolls for the Hundred (administrative area)
Manor Court records for many parishes – including presentments, orders, suitors rolls, list of jurors, constables, inhabitants and land transfers – a veritable treasure trove of names to be explored!
For Daventry, there are ale house recognizances, overseers of the poor – weekly pay books from 1819 onwards and poor law assessments, enclosure award records, highway accounts, records relating to the Toll Road (Daventry was on the London to Chester road and thus an important place for stage coach and transport).
There are some interesting miscellaneous records such as:
- notebooks for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee which lists the houses, the helpers and attendees under 10 years old and over 10 years old
- an account of the sum of £59.12s 3d given to the poor of Daventry in the deep snow in January 1776
- a printed booklet (1831) re the proposed Birmingham to London railway
- a book of 1757 listing debts for brandy, rum etc owing at the death of William Jellico of Stratford
- A list of inns and keepers in Daventry for 1806 (24)
- Sale notice of 1846 for the household furniture of W Bunting, New Inn, Buckby Locks, sold for the benefit of creditors.
Amongst the poor law records are:
- 26 Feb 1823 – Ann Newett of Guilsborough delivered of female child 3 October last, James Dawson of Guilsborough is father [also recorded as Dawes in duplicate examination]
- 1812 Settlement examination: Thomas Adams of Braunston, born Newnham, father was legally settled at Greens Norton, hired at Bugbrooke, wife Mary Ann, children Ann 2, Elizabeth 1
- 1818 Settlement examination: George Cowley, overseer of Kilsby states that Benjamin Matthews of Kilsby, labourer, has threatened to run away and leave family chargeable to Kilsby and to do him bodily injury
- 27 September1820 Settlement exam of Mary Holloway (see photo below) – born at Farthingstone where father Edward Holloway lived but his settlement was at Flore, was hired by William Meacock of Weedon Beck, served for one years, rec’d wages of £4.10s, no other settlement gained, is now of ill health and chargeable to Farthingstone.
- 1813 Settlement exam: Thomas Higgins, private 14th Regt of Foot at Weedon Beck, born Kimbolton, Hunts 1788, hired at Warboys, Hunts, served in Bedfordshire Militia 4 years then joined 14th Foot in April 1813, has wife Mary
- 1812 Elizabeth Haynes wife of Edward, believes born Charlwelton, he left her 10 years ago, she then resided with his brother at Whilton, has 4 children George 11, Millicent 9, Joseph 5 and John 18 months (so presumably the latter children are from her liaison with her brother-in-law)
Settlement examinations are so useful as they can often give details of birthplace, family and children, where employed and thus help trace the movement from parish to parish. Likewise bastardy examinations and bonds which can name the father of an illegitimate child.
There are also a number of warrants and summons such as:
- George Richards, corporal in Rifle Brigade at Weedon Beck states Walter Wareing of same, victualler did allow persons of bad character to assemble at his house. Summons to appears before Justices, convicted
- 1840 Warrant: William Hands of Staverton states John Hedge his servant has refused and neglected to thrash oats when contracted to do so, to appear before Justices
The example at the top of this post is a bill for billeting a Company of Men (soldiers) in 1760 and includes:
Straw for 2 deserters, for cleaning the jayle (sic) and for straw, for tending the High Constable at the Queen’s Head, paid 2 men for two night’s watching (possibly guard duty) and assistance by the bailiff’s order.
As you can see the collection covers a wide variety of documents – I found a relative of one of my ancestors fined for serving beer during divine service at Weedon which was interesting considering the rest of the family were non-conformist and teetotal!
So – if you’ve family in that area of the county – do explore this collection! Additionally, do check out the parish chest records for Daventry. These survive in great numbers and are particularly rich for poor law, settlements, bastardy and removal orders. Have fun!
Photographs © Northamptonshire Archives
AM Sep 2024