Raunds is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

North Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, and was created in 2021. The council is based in Corby, the district's la ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It had a population of 9,379 at the 2021 census.

Geography

Raunds is situated north-east 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 ...

. The town is on the southern edge of the Nene Valley and surrounded by arable farming land. Nearest civilian airports are Luton 50 miles, Birmingham International Airport 62 miles and East Midlands 65 miles. Raunds is close to Stanwick Lakes, a country park developed from gravel pits and managed by the Rockingham Forest Trust. This park is internationally recognised for its birdlife and can be reached on foot from Raunds along Meadow Lane bridleway. On 9 August 1911 Raunds recorded , then the highest temperature recorded in the UK. The town jointly held the record with

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

for 79 years, only being broken in 1990.

History

In the mid-1980s, during sand excavations in the Nene Valley, the remains of a Roman villa were discovered. Excavation of the area, near Stanwick, was delayed by several years while

archaeologists Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

studied the remains. In 2002

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

's ''

Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4, Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned in 2022 on online platforms YouTube and Patreon. Created by television produce ...

'' excavated a garden and found remains of an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

cemetery. The place-name Raunds is first attested in an Anglo-Saxon charter of c. 972–992, where it appears as ''Randan''. It appears as ''Rande'' in

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 ...

(1086); and as ''Raundes'' in a later survey of Northamptonshire. The name is the plural of the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''rand'', meaning "border". Raunds played a role in the boot and shoe industry until its decline in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1905 a dispute arose about wages to be paid to army bootmakers, which culminated in a march to London in May that year. Several factories remained into the early 1990s but all are now closed, with many being demolished and housing estates built. The Coggins boot factory was the last to go, and the site of it is now Coggins Close. The land on which the shoe factory and the original Coggins houses stood (not Coggins Close), was purchased by Robert Coggins on 25 February 1899 from the Duchy of Lancaster, for the sum of £14.10s.0d (£14.50). The houses are still there, but were sold to Charles Robinson of

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 ...

in 1934. Robert Coggins lived in the hall where his picture hangs in the meeting room, and he is buried in St Peter's Churchyard. There is no industry in the town now, although there are some industrial sites on the outskirts. Raunds once held the record for the highest temperature in Britain at , set on 10 August 1911, which stood until 1990.

Notable buildings

The Historic England website contains details of a total of 19 listed buildings and six scheduled monuments at or in the vicinity of Raunds. Amongst them are: * St Peter's Church, Church Street. * The

Manor House A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

, 2 Manor Street. St Peter's, CoE is in the Diocese of Peterborough and St Thomas More's, RC is in the Diocese of Northampton.

Demography

* In 1801 there were 800 persons * In 1831 there were 1,370 persons * In 1841 there were 1,653 persons * In 2011 there were 8,641 personsOffice for National Statistics, Census * In 2021 there were 9,379 persons

Transport

Road

Raunds is adjacent to the A45 and close to the A14 jct 13. Access to the M1 and A1 is close and the A14 runs from Britain's largest container port at

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, containe ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

to join the M6. Consequently, the area attracts distribution companies warehouses.

Bus

Bus services are limited, the X46 links the town with

, Rushden and Northampton, running hourly. There are intermittent routes to

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

and a local service termed the 'Raunds Rover'.

Rail

Connections are provided by East Midlands Railway from

and

Kettering Kettering is a market town, market and industrial town, industrial town in the North Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England, west of Cambridge, England, Cambridge, southwest of Peterborough, southeast of Leicester and north- ...

railway stations, for direct trains to London St Pancras International, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds. There was once a Raunds railway station, on the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...

's cross-country line from

, closed in September 1959, and which gave access to St Ives and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, though Raunds station was sited miles from the town. It was also planned that the Midland's

Higham Ferrers Higham Ferrers is a market town and civil parish in the Nene Valley in North Northamptonshire, England, close to the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire borders. It forms a single built-up area with Rushden to the south and had a population of 8,82 ...

branch, also closed in 1959, would continue to Raunds, but landowners prevented it. The Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (the forerunner of the Great Central), proposed a line from

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

to Raunds in an early version of its bid to build a trunk line to the capital. This line never came to fruition, and the company eventually built its London Extension via

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, Rugby and Brackley.

Waterways

Stanwick Lakes are within walking or cycling distance of Raunds, and river ways connect to the Nene Valley river section. By boat,

Oundle Oundle () is a market town and civil parish on the left bank of the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England, which had a population of 6,254 at the time of the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. It is north of London and south-wes ...

can be reached in a day. The Nene Valley river section connects to the Middle Level Navigation System, making it possible to reach

and

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

. The nearest marina is Willy Watt's in Ringstead, Northamptonshire.

Trade

There are many small businesses and many people commute to larger centres for work. Raunds is home to a Hotpoint distribution centre, and depots for Robert Wiseman Dairies, Avery Dennison, DPD, Howdens Joinery and Dr. Martens, all located on the Warth Park estate. Raunds Co-operative Society ran a supermarket and department store and had 4,000 members until 2007 when it merged with the larger Midlands Co-operative Society. There is also an

Asda Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...

store in the town, which opened on 24 April 2017. The shops still operate. A market is held on Fridays in the square. Regular stalls include butchers, plant stockists, home-made jewellery and confectioners. Local organisations and clubs can also set up a stall.

Education

Raunds has: *a day nursery *a playgroup *an infant school *a primary school *a junior school *a secondary school,

Culture

Raunds holds an annual music festival over a weekend in early May. Events include: rock, jazz and folk concerts starring nationally and internationally known artists, performances by Raunds Community Choir and Raunds Temperance Band, song and tune sessions, dancing displays, a ceilidh and an annual youth dance competition. Raunds Music and Drama Society (MADS) holds several stage performances throughout the year. The town holds a Christmas festival in the square. Continental markets are held annually to celebrate neighbouring countries. Woodbine Working Men's Club (1901-2005) and the Conservative Club (1920 to date) have offered community and recreational facilities. For the past few years, an annual beer festival has been held at the cricket club. This features a range of local beers and ciders, as well as traditional world beverages, accompanied by local music artists.

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Television signals are received from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter. The town’s local radio stations are BBC Radio Northampton on 103.6 FM, Heart East on 96.6 FM and Smooth East Midlands (formerly Connect FM) on 97.2 FM. Local newspapers are the '' Northampton Herald & Post' and '' Northamptonshire Telegraph''.

Sport and leisure

Football

Raunds Town F.C. are at Kiln Park and play in the

United Counties League The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the ''GCE Hire Fleet Ltd. United Counties League'') is an England, English association football, football league covering an area including the English Counties of the United Kingdom, ...

. As well as the first team, they also have reserve, women's and youth teams.Raunds Tigers F.C.
focus on junior football and have several youth teams.

Cricket

Raunds Town Cricket Club have a ground in Marshalls Road. The team plays in the

Northamptonshire Cricket League The Hevey Building Supplies Northamptonshire Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in Northamptonshire, England, and since 1999 has been a designated ECB Premier League. The league headquarters is based i ...

Archery

Archers of Raunds meet at Manor School.

Mayors of Raunds

In 2005, Raunds Town Council decided to elect a Mayor rather than having a chairman of the council. Holders of the post have been: :2005-06: Lisa Costello :2006-07: Dudley Hughes :2007-08: Michelle Goring :2008-10: Peter Wathen :2010-13: Michael Clements :2013-14: Pauline Williams :2014-15: Louisa Thomas :2015-17: Helen Howell :2017-18: Nicholas Beck :2018-20: Richard Levell :2020-22: Sylvia Hughes :2022-23: Richard Levell :2023- : Paul Byrne

Town councillors

Saxon Ward

:Bill Cross :Ollie Curtis :Helen Howell :Dudley Hughes :Magdalena Levell :Lee Wilkes

Windmill Ward

:Rosalie Beattie :Paul Byrne (Mayor) :Kirk Harrison :Richard Levell :Trevor Swailes : Vacancy

Notable former residents

* Ada Salter (1866–1942), environmentalist *Elizabeth Emery (1841-1924) Born in Raunds the daughter of William Emery and Dinah WIles. She emigrated it the USA in 1850 to stay with her sister Maria as most of the rest of her family had died. Elizabeth married George Porterfield Gates on 30th September 1861 in Illinois. Their granddaughter Elizabeth Virginia Wallace">Bess_Truman.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Bess Truman">Elizabeth Virginia Wallace(usually known as Bess) was born on the 13th of February 1885 in Independence Missouri and went on the marry Harry S Truman there on the 28th June 1919. Truman was elected as vice president of the USA and became president when Roosevelt died in April 1945. Bess died on the 10th of October 1982 *Sir David Frost (1939–2013), television personality

Nearby settlements

Ringstead, Northamptonshire, Ringstead, Keyston, Stanwick, Rushden,

Thrapston Thrapston is a market town and civil parish in the North Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. It was the headquarters of the former East Northamptonshire district, and at the time of the 2021 census, had a pop ...

, Hargrave,

, Irthlingborough, Chelveston

References

External links

Raunds Town Council
{{authority control Towns in Northamptonshire Market towns in Northamptonshire Civil parishes in Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire