Everything about Rothwell Northamptonshire totally explained
Rothwell is a
Market town in
Northamptonshire. It is near to the town of
Desborough and the larger town of
Kettering. It is twinned with the French town of
Droué.
Rothwell - "the place of the red well"
The ridge on which present day Rothwell stands, overlooking the gentle Ise Valley, has witnessed the comings and goings of successive generations. Four thousand years ago Bronze Age mourners buried their dead alongside offerings of food in vessels.
The Romano-British people two thousand years later built a settlement in what is now
Rothwell.
Dark Age invaders came next and founded the Danish settlement of "Rodewell" or "place of the red well", presumably called so called because of the area's many freshwater springs coloured red by iron minerals.
By the early Middle Ages Rothwell, or "Rowell" as it's known locally, was already a town of some importance, dominating the then smaller settlement of Kettering (a state of affairs which persisted until the arrival of the railway at the latter). A charter, granted by King John in AD 1204 permitting a weekly market and annual fair, confirmed the trade. Both a market and a fair are still held. The market every Monday, the fair, called "
Rowell Fair", takes place on Market Hill during the week following Trinity Sunday.
The town has a rich history and possesses a large parish church, the longest in the county, complete with
bone-crypt and the Market House built by
Thomas Tresham in 1578. Rothwell was once one of the three largest towns in
Northamptonshire, the other two being
Northampton and
Stamford (which is now in
Lincolnshire).
Rowell Fair
In
1204 King John issued a royal charter granting Rothwell the right to hold a market every Monday:
John, by the grace of God King, be it known that we've granted, and by this our present charter do confirm to our beloved and faithful Richard - Earl of Clare and his heirs that they may have their market of Rowell on Monday, with all the liberties and free customs to that market belonging as it was formerly [held] on Sunday, so that nevertheless it be not the hurt of neighbouring markets. Besides which we grant and by this our charter we've confirmed to the same Earl Richard and his heirs, that they may have yearly, a fair at Rowell at the feast of the Holy Trinity for and during the five days, that's to say on the eve of the Holy Trinity and on that day and on three following days, so nevertheless that such fair won't be to the hurt of neighbouring fairs. Wherefore we'll and firmly declare that the aforesaid Earl Richard and his heirs may and hold the aforesaid market and the aforesaid fair of us and our heirs in perpetuity well and in peace, freely and quietly, rightly, fully and with honour, with all the liberties and free customs as aforesaid.
Witness the Lord H. Archbishop of Canterbury, J Norwich and W. London Bishops etc.
Given at Westminster the 26th day of January, in the fifth year
The granting of the charter is celebrated annually by the week-long
Rowell Fair. The fair is opened on the first Monday after
Trinity Sunday each year by the Proclamation. Starting at 6am at the west door of Holy Trinity church, the bailiff of the
Lord of the Manor rides through the town accompanied by a guard of halberdiers and the Rowell Fair Society Band. At each public house he pauses to read aloud the charter. At the conclusion of each reading the crowd cheers "God save the Queen and the Lord of the Manor" and the band plays the
National Anthem. The proprietor of the public house then serves the bailiff and his guards with drinks including the traditional
Rowell Fair rum and milk. The local townspeople then attempt to disarm the halberdiers before the party moves on to the next public house. The pubs traditionally remain open after the proclamation, so much merriment is to be had all through the morning.
The Market House
Situated on Market Hill, designed by William Grumbold for the somewhat eccentric
Thomas Tresham (1545-1605) who was also known as "Thomas the Builder" because of his passion for strange and unusual buildings. As a Catholic at a time of religious persecution, he was to spend long periods in prison for his beliefs. Unable to openly practice his faith, he encoded symbols of it into his buildings. The
Rushton Triangular Lodge reflects the
trinity and Market House is cross shaped. Tresham gifted the Market House to the town, of which he was Lord of the Manor, but although work started in 1577 it would be 300 years before it was finished by local architect
J A Gotch.
The United Reformed Church
Built in 1735, has a simple facade but the interior is in a stunningly sophisticated classical style. The history of Non-Conformity in Rothwell goes back to 1655, making it the birthplace of the movement in the Midlands.
Other Notable Amenities
Rothwell is home to
Montsaye Community College
Close to the site of Montsaye, just off Desborough Road, is a new health centre that was reacently completed in early
2008
The nearby
A6 Rothwell-
Desborough Bypass opened on
August 14,
2003.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Rothwell Northamptonshire'.
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