Mears Ashby is a village in the
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
of
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
, England.
It lies between the county town 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 ...
and
Wellingborough
Wellingborough ( ) is a market town in the North Northamptonshire, Unitary Authority area, England, from London and from Northampton, north of the River Nene.
Originally named "Wendelingburgh" (the stronghold of Wændel's people), the Anglo ...
and was in the West ward of
borough council of Wellingborough area which also included
Sywell prior to
local government reform in 2021. At the time of the
2011 census, it had a population of 473.
The villages name means '
Ash-tree farm/settlement' or perhaps, 'Aski's farm/settlement'. The village was held by Robert de Mares in 1242.
Mears Ashby Hall and Estate
Located to the south of the village is Mears Ashby Hall, a fine Grade II* listed Jacobean Manor House. The Hall was built in 1637 and was owned by the Stockdale family (
Stockdale Baronets), who descend from the Yorkshire landowning family of the same name. In 1859 the East Wing by
Anthony Salvin
Anthony Salvin (17 October 1799 – 17 December 1881) was an English architect. He gained a reputation as an expert on Middle Ages, medieval buildings and applied this expertise to his new buildings and his restorations, such as those of the ...
was added by Henry Stockdale. During the 1980s the Hall became known for performances of Operatic Music organised by Frederick Stockdale. The long association of the Stockdale family at Mears Ashby Hall ended when in the 1990s when the house was sold and
Hoddington House became the principal family residence. There are a number of windows in the village church commissioned by
Sir Edmund Stockdale by noted stained glass artist
Lawrence Lee which depict the family's links to the village.
Witchcraft
According to Westwood and Simpson in their book, ''The Lore of the Land'', the county in general and Mears Ashby, in particular, has a long tradition of witchcraft and accusations of
witchcraft
Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...
. In their book they recall that as late as 1785 a local inhabitant, Sarah Bradshaw, was so accused. We learn from the Northampton Mercury on 1 August 1785 that:
Thursday last, a poor woman, named Sarah Bradshaw of Mears Ashby...who was accused by some of her neighbours of being a witch, in order to prove her innocence, submitted to the ignominy of being dipped (on a ducking-stool); when she immediately sunk to the bottom of the pond; which was deemed an incontestable proof that she was no witch!
Further reading
*Northampton Mercury 1 August 1785
*The Lore of the Land - Westwood & Simpson - 2005 -
References
External links
Village websiteMears Ashby Cricket ClubMears Ashby HallMears Ashby Jackdaws Football ClubMears Ashby Parish Council
{{authority control
Villages in Northamptonshire
North Northamptonshire
Civil parishes in Northamptonshire
Witch trials in England