Monument record 2878 - Desborough

Desborough may have been associated with the royal manor of Rothwell during the Anglo-Saxon period. At Domesday, in 1086, there were four holdings and it was a moderately-sized settlement. By the mid 18th century it operated as a large village with a significant industrial focus, specifically the textile industry. Significant development of the boot and shoe industry occurred in the later 19th century.

{1} The settlement of Desborough developed into an industrialised village during the 18th and 19th centuries. The initial industry in the settlement was the textile trade with particular emphasis on weaving in the 18th century and silk mixture fabrics and lace in the early 19th century. There was a small boot and shoe industry in the mid-19th century, which developed considerably in the last two decades of the century. There was also a substantial ironstone quarrying industry in the parish.

The Co-operative movement had a major impact on the settlement in the 19th century. The Desborough Industrial and Provident Society developed major interests in all the key elements of the town including agriculture, industry, retail and housing and were major landowners in the parish.

{3} A copy of the OS Third Edition map with the area of land owned by the Co-Operative Society in 1911 transcribed on it.

{4} Desborough may have been associated with the royal manor of Rothwell during the Anglo-Saxon period; it is one of a series of settlements with a ‘burh’ place name situated adjacent to a major, often royal, estate centre. During the early or middle Saxon period it is thought that it may have been a royal (or princely) residence attached to the respective estate centre. The presence of high status burials within the township supports this view.

{8} Maps and plan, also drawings and tracings of items found in Vicarage garden;

<1> Ballinger, J, 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Desborough (Industrial), p. 5 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN100502.

<2> Ballinger J., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Industrial Period, (unchecked) (Digital archive). SNN4.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1900, OS Third Edition map of Desborough, (unchecked) (Map). SNN109230.

<4> Walker C., 2012, Archaeological Desk-Based Heritage Assessment of Land at Harrington Road, Desborough, Northamptonshire, p.7 (checked) (Report). SNN109267.

<5> Foard, G.; Hall, D. & Partida, T., 2009, Rockingham Forest: An atlas of the medieval and early-modern landscape, (unchecked) (Book). SNN106598.

<7> Ballinger, J, 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Desborough, (unchecked) (Report). SNN103121.

<8> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/89/1,6-8 (Archive). SNN115.

Record last edited

Jul 21 2026 9:29AM