Up until the seventeenth century, Harborough ceded first
place to Great Bowden. The latter had grown up as a natural rural community, on
the main route from Northampton to Leicester. Unlike Bowden, Harborough is not
mentioned in Domesday Book, but was a small part of the Royal Manor of Great
Bowden and was established as a ‘new town’ in the 12th century. It did not
simply evolve but was the result of a concerted and deliberate action to
increase trade. The first reference to Harborough occurs in 1153, where it is
recorded as Hauerberg (meaning Oat Hill). Evidence of a market is found in the
Pipe Rolls of 1203, whilst information from the 1381 tax returns suggests a
population of at least 270 with a poll tax of £7 14s, compared with Great
Bowden’s over 330 and £10 7s. By now it was apparent that Great Bowden remained
a farming community whilst Harborough was developing trade and commercial
occupations.
Some seventy pages and ten chapters deal with Harborough in
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It only overtook Great Bowden as the
main settlement in the Tudor period. Reference is made to the effect of John
Wycliffe and the later Reformation; to the muted continuance of Roman
Catholicism in the area; to the emergence of Harborough parish and the local
administrators, such as churchwardens, constables and overseers of the highways
and the poor; to the effects of enclosure – such as rioting in protest – and
other agricultural changes. Meanwhile trade steadily increased, encouraged by
markets and fairs. Cutlers, fishmongers, ironmongers, grocers, haberdashers,
flaxmen and shoe-makers are all recorded as having attended. The Civil War
affected the town, particularly in the prelude to the Battle of Naseby, when a
temporary Royalist H.Q. was established at the King’s Head Inn. After the
battle, Cromwell stayed a night at The Bell Inn.
Chapter Fourteen rightly pinpoints the mid-18th century as a
key turning point for the town. ‘The story of Harborough particularly from the
middle of the 18th century is the story of a road…it was the improvements to
this road (the old A6) by means of turnpikes that enabled Harborough to grow
from a small provincial community into a thriving coaching town with its
attendant trades’. Harborough became an important thoroughfare due to the
string of market towns between it and Northampton. The following chapter
details those vital improvements – the rebuilding of bridges, the lucrative
mail service; the importance of the coaching inns in the town, such as the
Angel, Three Swans, King’s Head and others. From an estimated population of 720
in 1670, the first national census in 1801 recorded a population of 1716. A
further stimulus occurred in 1810, with the coming of the canal, even if it was
merely an arm of the main Grand Union. Increasing affluence saw brick, stone
and slate gradually replacing the old wooden edifices. A spate of fine Georgian
buildings were erected, such as The Manor House, Welland House and Brooke
House. The Old Town Hall, built by the Lord of the Manor, dates from 1788. The
18th century also saw the nonconformist churches joining the mainstream of the
town’s life, particularly the Baptists and Wesleyan Methodists. John Wesley
visited Harborough on several occasions.
A major key to the success of this publication can surely be
seen in the List of Contributors. This contains individuals who are keen local
historians and researchers who not only ‘know’ the immediate area but are able
to place it in the context of the county of Leicestershire and beyond. This has
led to a collection of fascinating and well-researched chapters on subjects
such as the archaeology of the area, where field walking and excavation
continues to inform understanding; there is plenty of evidence of both Iron Age
and Roman settlement, but minimal Anglo-Saxon. There is little archaeological
evidence from the centre of Harborough itself. The chapter on the later
medieval period gives useful information on shires and their personnel and
manors. There are some individualistic chapters – Agnes Bowker’s Cat and
Witchcraft; Anthony Jenkinson, Tudor merchant Explorer; prominent people in the
18th century, such as the Moore and Allen families, Samuel and Rowland Rouse
and Stephen Addington – which add to the narrative. A particularly interesting
account is given of the Old Grammar School which, as Bob Hakewill writes, has
come to symbolise Harborough’s heritage and history.
Each chapter is well supported by a list of books etc. for
those wishing for further study. A very useful Time Line and detailed
Bibliography are found at the end of the book. There are some excellent colour
and black and white photographs, clear plans and maps which are all enhanced by
a clean, very readable text (in 11pt Palatino font). The printing and binding
by Biddles of King’s Lynn is first-rate. A considerable part of the research
was carried out during the Covid 19 pandemic, which either denied, or severely
restricted, access to archives held at the various Country Record Offices and
even to Harborough’s own Museum. Thus, the Market Harborough Historical Society
should be rightly proud of their achievement; the town should be equally proud
of their Historical Society. It is important to note the funding support of the
Howard Watson Symington Memorial Charity and the Market Harborough and the
Bowdens Charity. Local publications depend on such largesse. I have only
visited Market Harborough twice. Reading this book has made me want to go there
again. I also look forward to the second volume.
No comments:
Post a Comment