Lower Catesby is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
in the
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 ...
of
Catesby, Northamptonshire
Catesby is a civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. There are two hamlets, Lower Catesby and Upper Catesby, each of which is a shrunken village. The site of the abandoned village of Newbold is also in the parish. The 2001 Census rec ...
, about southwest of
Daventry
Daventry ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, Daventry had a populati ...
. Lower Catesby is beside the nascent
River Leam
The River Leam () is a river in England which rises at Hellidon Hill in Northamptonshire then flows through Warwickshire, including the town of Leamington Spa, named after it. It then flows into the River Avon near Warwick, which flows into ...
, which rises about to the south in the parish of
Hellidon
Hellidon is a village and civil parish about south-west of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. The parish area is about . It lies – above sea level on the north face of an ironstone ridge, its highest point, at Windmill Hill, being so ...
. The
Jurassic Way
The Jurassic Way is a designated and signed long-distance footpath that connects the Oxfordshire town of Banbury with the Lincolnshire town of Stamford in England. It largely follows an ancient ridgeway traversing Britain; most of its route i ...
long-distance footpath
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway (landscape), greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking (wilderness), backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-co ...
passes through Lower Catesby. The population of the hamlet is included in the civil parish of
Hellidon
Hellidon is a village and civil parish about south-west of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. The parish area is about . It lies – above sea level on the north face of an ironstone ridge, its highest point, at Windmill Hill, being so ...
.
The hamlets name means 'Katr's/Kati's farm/settlement'.
Archaeology
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 ...
coins of the Empress
Faustina I
Annia Galeria Faustina the Elder, sometimes referred to as Faustina I or Faustina Major ( 100 – late October 140), was a Roman empress and wife of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius. The emperor Marcus Aurelius was her nephew and later became he ...
(early 2nd century) and Emperor
Maximian
Maximian (; ), nicknamed Herculius, was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was ''Caesar (title), Caesar'' from 285 to 286, then ''Augustus (title), Augustus'' from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior, Diocleti ...
(late 3rd century) are said to have been found in Catesby Park near Lower Catesby before 1720.
Manor
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 ...
of 1086 records a
manor of four
hides at Catesby, and that one Sasfrid held it of William Peveral.
[ The same four hides held of William Peverel ''(sic)'' is recorded again in the 12th century. In about 1175 it was held by Sasfrid's grandson Robert de Esseby][ (''i.e.'' "Ashby", referring to Robert's '']caput
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may not ...
'' at Canons Ashby
Canons Ashby is a small village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. The population of the village is included in the civil parish of Preston Capes.
Its most notable building is Canons Ashby House, a National Trust property. ...
).
Priory
Robert de Esseby founded a priory
A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...
of Cistercian
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
nuns at Lower Catesby in about 1175. In the 1230s Edmund Rich
Edmund of Abingdon (also known as Edmund Rich, St Edmund of Canterbury, Edmund of Pontigny, French: St Edme; c. 11741240) was an Catholic Church in England and Wales, English Catholic prelate who served as List of archbishops of Canterbury, Ar ...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
, committed his sisters Margaret and Alice to be nuns at the priory.[ Edmund was ]canonized
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...
in 1247, Margaret was elected prioress in 1245 and she served until her death in 1257.[ In 1267 ]William Maudit, 8th Earl of Warwick
William Mauduit, 8th Earl of Warwick or William Maudit ( – 8 January 1268) was an English nobleman and participant in the Second Barons' War.
He was the son of Lady Alice de Newburgh (daughter of 4th Earl of Warwick from his second wife, Alice ...
died and his heart was buried at Catesby Priory.[
In 1535 ]Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
passed the Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535
The Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535 (27 Hen. 8. c. 28),The citation of this Act by this short title was authorised by section 5 of, and Schedule 2 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1948. Owing to the repeal of those provisions, it is ...
. Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell (; – 28 July 1540) was an English statesman and lawyer who served as List of English chief ministers, chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false cha ...
's commissioners inspected the priory in September 1535 and May 1536, and reported that the prioress and her nine nuns were of good faith and blameless character.[ ]Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
nonetheless ordered the commissioners to suppress the priory, which they did before the end of 1536.[ The last prioress was pensioned off, her nuns and dependents were evicted, all the priory's furnishings were seized, its hand-bells were scrapped, and the lead from the roofs of the priory church and buildings was taken and sold for scrap.][
]
Catesby House and parish church
In 1537 the Crown
The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
sold the remains of the priory to John Onley, who had at least part of the building turned into his family mansion. Early in the 17th century it passed from the Onley family to a family called Parkhurst.[ Also in the 17th century a church was built or rebuilt in Lower Catesby.] An engraving made in about 1720 and drawings made in 1844 suggest a 16th-century house arranged around a central courtyard and a symmetrical west front rebuilt about 1700, with a very formal garden around the house and extending to the east of it.[ The central courtyard could have been derived from the priory courtyard.][
In Catesby churchyard is the tomb of John Parkhurst (1701–65).] One of his sons was the Revd. John Parkhurst
John Parkhurst (c. 1512 – 2 February 1575) was an English Marian exile and from 1560 the Bishop of Norwich.
Early life
Born about 1512, he was son of George Parkhurst of Guildford, Surrey. He initially attended the Royal Grammar School, Gu ...
(1728–97), who was a biblical lexicographer
Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines:
* Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries.
* The ...
.
In 1861 the 17th-century church was demolished and replaced by the present 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 SS Edmund
Edmund is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector".
Persons named Edmund include:
People Kings and nobles
*Ed ...
and Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religion
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
, which was designed by Gillet of Leicester and completed in 1862. The present church includes a Decorated Gothic
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...
sedilia
In church architecture, sedilia (plural of Latin ''sedīle'', "seat") are seats, typically made of stone, located on the liturgical south side of the altar—often within the chancel—intended for use by the officiating priest, deacon, an ...
and piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Lutherans and Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a pisci ...
dating from about 1300,[ almost certainly carved for the priory church when it was rebuilt in about 1301.][ The present church also includes Jacobean woodwork from its 17th-century predecessor: a communion rail with barley-twist ]baluster
A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...
s,[ and a pulpit and tester.][
In 1863 the Catesby House was demolished and a new one was built] above lower Catesby, about half-way up the hill to Upper Catesby
Upper Catesby is a hamlet in the civil parish of Catesby, Northamptonshire, about southwest of Daventry. The hamlet is about above sea level, at the top of a northwest-facing escarpment. The population is included in the civil parish of Hell ...
. The new Catesby House is Jacobethan
The Jacobethan ( ) architectural style, also known as Jacobean Revival, is the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the Engli ...
and incorporates items from previous buildings at Lower Catesby: 16th-century linenfold
Linenfold (or linen fold) is a simple style of relief carving used to decorate wood panelling with a design "imitating window tracery", "imitating folded linen" or "stiffly imitating folded material". Originally from Flanders, the style became ...
panelling said to come from the priory,[ and 17th-century panelling,][ doorcases and a stair with barley-sugar balusters,][ all from the old Catesby House.][
In 1894 Catesby House was enlarged][ and a ]vestry
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...
and west porch were added to the church.[
A long, rectangular formal pond survives from the gardens of the old Catesby House.][ There are earthworks, many of them rectilinear, indicating house or priory walls and further formal ponds.][ It is not entirely clear which walls are from the house and which are from the priory.][
]
Village
The hamlet of Lower Catesby is a shrunken village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages have been deserted for a variety of causes. Abandonment of villages is often related to epidemic, ...
.[ The modern hamlet has only a handful of houses, all of which are 17th-century or later. It is surrounded by numerous earthen features showing where cottages and the main village street had been.][ Most of the fields around the former village still have clear ]ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow is an Archaeology, archaeological pattern of ridges (Medieval Latin: ''sliones'') and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages, typical of the open field system, open-field system. It is a ...
marks[ from the ploughing of the medieval arable farming with an ]open field system
The open-field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe during the Middle Ages and lasted into the 20th century in Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Each manor or village had two or three large fields, usually several hundred acr ...
divided into narrow strips.
Just north of the church is a row of four early 17th-century cottages. Pevsner and Cherry commented that the row ''"looks as if it were built as almshouse
An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...
s"''.[
Stone House in Upper Catesby, about east of the ruins of Upper Catesby church, is early 18th-century.] Its porch incorporates a 13th-century Early English Gothic
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...
arch said to be from the priory.[
]
References
Sources
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External links
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{{authority control
Hamlets in Northamptonshire
West Northamptonshire District