Monument record 4015 - Corby Village

In 1086 Corby was a Royal manor, granted to Robert Braybrooke by the early 13th century. By the late 16th century the manor was in the possession of Sir Christopher Hatton and later passed to the Brudenell family of Deene. In 1950 Corby was designated a New Town and the Corby Development Corporation was formed.

{1} The settlement is extensively developed and would seem to have a low archaeological potential. It may be important to study archaeologically for evidence of the medieval and possibly late Saxon ironworking industry, which is mentioned in 1086 as being attached to Corby, but it would not appear to have significant potential for the study of the origin, character and demise of marketing in Northamptonshire villages.

{4} Domesday Book records Corby as Corbei, having, amongst other things, ironworkings before 1066 but not after. At the time of the survey 18 furlongs of woodland were included in the manor, which was held by the king. Corby is thought to derive its place-name from a Swedish personal name, Kori, with the -by element referring to a settlement. From the latter part of the 17th century, handloom weaving became an important and successful industry in Corby until the advent of the automated looms in the 19th century. However, following the opening of the Midland Main Line railway in 1879, brick making and ironstone mining became Corby's mainstay and the population grew massively due to the influx of workers. Ironstone mining led to steel production in 1910, followed by seamless tube production in 1933.

{5} Corby was probably a dependent, pre-conquest sub-division of the Weldon township, with the by suffix indicating a subsidiary township probably established during or after the late 9th century, subsequent to the Danish conquest. In 1086 Corby was a Royal manor, granted to Robert Braybrooke by the early 13th century. By the late 16th century the manor was in the possession of Sir Christopher Hatton and later passed to the Brudenell family of Deene.
In 1950 Corby was designated a New Town and the Corby Development Corporation was formed.

{7}{8} Corby was just a village when blast furnaces first opened in 1910. It was not until 1930 that Corby began to grow, when the site was taken over by Stewarts and Lloyds and the iron and steel-making complex developed rapidly. In its heyday it was the largest industrial site in the county employing more than 6000 local people. Twice nationalised it was suddenly closed in 1979 and virtually all was swept away. Apart from the Tubeworks there is little visible evidence, the area being covered by a retail park and industrial estates.

<1> Taylor J.; Foard G.; Ballinger J., 2002, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Overview, Appendix 2 (checked) (Report). SNN103118.

<2> Barrow G.; Early R.; Lindsay-Gale L., 2005, Corby's Heritage, (unchecked) (Paper/s). SNN105635.

<3> Ortenberg, V., 2008, Corby Past and Present, (unchecked) (Book). SNN106315.

<4> Pullen, R. & Rosenberg, N., 1999, An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of The Nags Head, Corby, Northamptonshire, p.7-8 (checked) (Report). SNN63208.

<5> Walker, C., 2013, Archaeological Desk-Based Heritage Assessment of Land at Forest Gate, Corby, Northamptonshire, p.7 (checked) (Report). SNN108523.

<6> Charles, M., 2006, Kingswood School, Corby: An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment, (checked) (Report). SNN108803.

<7> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 2001, A Guide To The Industrial Heritage Of Northamptonshire, (checked) (Gazetteer). SNN104759.

<8> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 2011, A Guide To The Industrial Heritage of Northamptonshire (2nd Edition), (checked) (Gazetteer). SNN107622.

<9> Foard G.; Hall D.;Britnell T., 2004, The Historic Landscape of Rockingham Forest, p.86-8 (unchecked) (Article). SNN109359.

<10> Page, M and Bristow, M, 2013, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: A History of the County of Northampton: Corby and Great Oakley, p. 17-71 (Book). SNN115418.

Record last edited

Sep 4 2023 9:02AM