Nortoft was once a distinct

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

between the

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

village of

Guilsborough Guilsborough is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire in England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 882 people, reducing to 692 at the 2011 Census. It is at the centre of an area of rural villages betwe ...

and the main road connecting Leicester and

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

(now the A5199) in the

English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the In ...

. However, due to Guilsborough's expansion the two communities are now merged. Nortoft was originally a Saxon hamlet and was separate from Guilsborough through medieval times. Its Saxon origins have been recorded and it was built along the spring line in the fields below Nortoft Cottage. Here lies evidence of possible tofts in the form of building platforms, with a possible watercourse servicing a pond. Nortoft Cottage is built around a very old cob cottage, possibly medieval, and the location may well have been part of the Saxon village settlement, and so is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, house in the village. In Guilsborough village there is recorded evidence of a large Iron Age fortified settlement, and remains of a small fortified

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 ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

settlement can still be seen as a raised bank below the church, at the corner of the High Street and the Coton Road.

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

camped at Guilsborough the night before the

Battle of Naseby The Battle of Naseby took place on 14 June 1645 during the First English Civil War, near the village of Naseby in Northamptonshire. The Parliamentarian New Model Army, commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, destroyed the mai ...

(14 June 1645) and so would have marched through Nortoft on the way to battle.

External links

* Hamlets in Northamptonshire West Northamptonshire District {{Northamptonshire-geo-stub