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Brackley

Coordinates:52°01′55″N1°08′49″W/ 52.032°N 1.147°W/52.032; -1.147
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For Brackley in Canada, seeBrackley, Prince Edward Islandand for Brackley in Ireland seeBrackley, Templeport

Brackley
Brackley is located in Northamptonshire
Brackley
Brackley
Location withinNorthamptonshire
Population16,195 (2021 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSP5837
•London63 miles (101 km)SE[2]
Civil parish
  • Brackley
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBRACKLEY
Postcode districtNN13
Dialling code01280
PoliceNorthamptonshire
FireNorthamptonshire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament
WebsiteBrackley Town Council
List of places
UK
England
Northamptonshire
52°01′55″N1°08′49″W/ 52.032°N 1.147°W/52.032; -1.147

Brackleyis amarket townandcivil parishinWest Northamptonshire,inNorthamptonshire,England, borderingOxfordshireandBuckinghamshire,19 miles (31 km) fromOxfordand 22 miles (35 km) fromNorthampton.Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the intersecting trade routes between London,Birmingham,theMidlands,Cambridgeand Oxford. Brackley is close toSilverstoneand home to theMercedes AMG PetronasF1 Team.In 2011 the parish had a population of 16,195.

History[edit]

The place-name 'Brackley' is first attested in theDomesday Bookof 1086, where it appears asBrachelai.It appears asBrackeleain 1173 and asBrackeleyin 1230 in thePipe Rolls.The name means 'Bracca's glade or clearing'.[3]Brackley was held in 1086 by Earl Alberic, after which it passed to theEarl of Leicester,and to the families ofDe Quincyand Roland.[4][5]

In the 11th and 12th centuries Brackley was in the Hundred of Odboldistow and in the Manor of Halse.Richard I(The Lionheart) named five official sites for jousting tournaments so that such events could not be used as local wars, and Brackley was one of these. The tournament site is believed to be to the south of the castle where the A422 now passes.

The town was the site of an important meeting between the barons and representatives of the King in 1215, the year ofMagna Carta.Magna Carta requiredKing Johnto proclaim rights, respect laws and accept that the King's wishes were subject to law. It explicitly protected certain rights of the King's subjects, whether freemen, serfs, slaves or prisoners—most notably allowing appeal against unlawful imprisonment. King John and the barons were to have signed Magna Carta at Brackley Castle, but they eventually did so atRunnymede.[citation needed]

Market day was on Sundays until 1218, when it was changed to Wednesdays.[6]It is now on Friday mornings.

The TudorantiquaryJohn Lelandvisited Brackley, where he learned 'a Lord of the Towne' named Neville had (at an uncertain point in the past) had the parish vicar murdered. This he had done by having the man buried alive. The writer Daniel Codd observed that in the grounds of St Peter's Church, a human-shaped stone effigy is sometimes pointed out as being connected with the event.[7]

In 1597 the town was incorporated byElizabeth I.It had a mayor, six aldermen and 26 burgesses.

In 1602, themetaphysical poetJohn Donnewas elected as Member of Parliament for theconstituency of Brackley.[8]

Brackley used to be known for wool and lace-making.

It had 20 houses in the 18th century.[5]In August 1882 the Brackley Lawn Tennis Club organised theBrackley LTC Tournament,as part of the Brackley Show.[9][10]

In 1901 the population of the town was 2,467.

From 1974 to 2021 it was inSouth Northamptonshiredistrict.

Brackley Poor Law Union[edit]

Brackley used the poor house atCulworthuntil 1834, when Parliament passed thePoor Law Amendment Actand as a result BrackleyPoor Law Unionwas founded.[11]Aworkhousefor 250 people was built in 1836, southwest of the town on Banbury Road. It was demolished in the 1930s.

Notable buildings[edit]

Castle[edit]

Brackley Castle was built soon after 1086. Its earthwork remains lie between Hinton Road andTesco.It comprised amotte mound10 feet (3.0 m) high and approximately 44 yards (40 m) in diameter with an outer bailey to the east. Archaeological excavation has revealed evidence of a ditch defining the perimeter of the bailey. Two fishponds originally lay outside the ditch but have subsequently been infilled – however south of St. James Lake may have formed a part of this. Brackley Castle may have gone out of use in 1147.[citation needed]It was destroyed between 1173[12](when the then lord of the manor, the Earl of Leicester, Robert le Blancmain, fell out with Henry II) and 1217 (when the Earl of Winchester, Blancmain's heir, was on the losing side against Henry III during theFirst Barons' War.[13]The site was later granted to the Hospital of SS. James and John.

Parish church[edit]

St. Peter's Church in 2023

The oldest part of theChurch of England parish churchofSaint Peterat the eastern end of the town centre is an 11th-centuryNormansouth doorway.[14]Both the four-bayarcadeof the southaisle[15]and the west tower with its niches containing seated statues[14]were added in the 13th century. Next thechancelwas rebuilt, probably late in the 13th century.[15]The north arcade and the windows in both the north and south aisles were probably added early in the 14th century, about the same time as theDecorated Gothicchapel was added to the chancel.[15]

Medieval hospitals[edit]

In about 1150Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicesterfounded the Hospital of St. James andSt. John.[16]Its master was a priest, assisted by a number of religious brothers. Its duties included providing accommodation and care for poor travellers.[16]In the 15th century there were complaints that successive masters were absentees, holding otherlivingsat the same time as being in charge of the hospital.[16]The hospital was closed in 1423 for maladministration but re-established in 1425.[16]In 1449 a master was appointed who seems to have continued the practice of non-residence while holding parish livings elsewhere.[16]In 1484 the patron,Viscount Lovellgranted control of the hospital toWilliam Waynflete,Bishop of Winchester,citing its failure to give hospitality and alms.[16]

Waynflete had foundedMagdalen College, Oxfordin 1458 andMagdalen College School, Oxfordin 1480. He made the former hospital part of their property and by 1548 it wasMagdalen College School, Brackley.St James' chapel became the school chapel, in which use it remains today. It is the oldest building in Great Britain in continuous use by a school. The oldest part of the chapel is the west doorway, which is late Norman.[15]Most of its windows are slightly later, beingEarly English Gothiclancet windows.[12]The trio of stepped lancets above the west doorway are late 13th century.[15]TheGothic Revival architectCharles Buckeridgerestored the chapel in 1869–70.[15]

The Hospital ofSt. Leonardwas a smaller institution, founded to care forlepers.[17]It was1⁄2mile (800 m) from SS. James and John, apparently on the northern edge of Brackley.[17]It was in existence by 1280. After 1417 it shared the same master as SS. James and John and thereafter there is no separate record of St. Leonard's, so the larger hospital may have taken it over.[17]No buildings of St. Leonard's hospital have survived.

Secular buildings[edit]

The junction with Buckingham Road and High Street, Brackley in 2004

Thealmshouseswere founded in 1633 by SirThomas Creweof Steane.[12]They have one storey plus atticdormers.[12]They were originally six houses but by 1973 they had been converted into four apartments.[12]

BrackleyManor Housewas also a 17th-centuryJacobeanbuilding that also originally had one storey plus attic dormers.[12]In 1875–78 theEarl of Ellesmerehad it rebuilt on a larger scale, in the same style but retaining only the doorway and one window of the original building.[12]It is now Winchester House School,[18]a coeducationalpreparatory schoolfor children aged from 3–13. It used to be aWoodard School.[12]

Brackley Town HallisGeorgian,built in 1706 by the4th Earl of Bridgewater.[12]The ground floor was originally open but has since been enclosed.[12]Market Place and Bridge Street feature number of other early 18th-century houses and inns, mostly of brick and in several cases combining red and blue bricks in a chequer pattern.[12]

The town park belongs to theNational Trustand hosts the Folk in the Park[19]festival.

Transport[edit]

Roads and buses[edit]

Brackley is close to theA43 road,which bypasses the town and links it toTowcesterandNorthamptonto the north-east and theM40 motorwayto the west. TheA422links it toBanburyandBuckingham.

The town has numerous bus services and is connected to other towns and cities includingBanbury(499, 500),Bicester(505),Buckingham,Towcester,OxfordandNorthampton(88).

Railways[edit]

Approximate route of the London-Birmingham section of HS2 based on the official description.[20]It would pass just south and west ofSouthamand through Brackley.

There are no railways stations in Brackley - the nearest stations are atKings Sutton,about 6 miles (10 km) west of the town and Banbury, around 8 miles (13 km) away. A bus service links Brackley town centre to Banbury station.[21]Brackley had two railway stations but these were closed in the 1960s.

Brackley's first station, known in its latter years asBrackley Town,opened in May 1850 as part of theBuckinghamshire Railway'sBuckingham and Brackley Junction linebetweenVerney JunctionandBanbury Merton StreetviaBuckingham.TheLondon and North Western Railwayoperated the line from the beginning and absorbed the Buckinghamshire Railway Company in 1879.British Railwayswithdrew passenger trains from the line through Brackley Town station in January 1961 and closed the line to freight in 1966.

Brackley's second station wasBrackley Central,opened in March 1899 on theGreat Central Main Line,which was the last main line to be built between northern England and London. The GC Main Line includedBrackley Viaductacross theOuse Valleysoutheast of the town, which was 255 yards (233 m) in length, 62 feet (19 m) high, had 20 brick arches and two girder spans. British Railways withdrew passenger trains from the line through Brackley Central in September 1966. Brackley Viaduct was demolished in sections early in 1978.

Chiltern Railwaysis said to want to restore services betweenLondon MaryleboneandRugbyalong the formerGreat Central Main Line.[22]This would haveBrackley Central railway stationreopen with direct services to London,Aylesburyand Rugby. However, theDepartment for Transporthas chosen part of the former Great Central route north-west of Brackley as part of the newHigh Speed 2line between London and Birmingham.[23]A station at Brackley is not currently proposed.[24]

Industry[edit]

Brackley is near theSilverstonemotor racing circuit, and has some industry related toFormula Oneracing, notablyMercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team(formerlyBrawn GP,Honda,British American RacingandTyrrell) which is based in the town, and theAston Martin F1team which operates awind tunnelon the former site of the north railway station yard. On the east outskirts of the town wasH. Bronnley & Co.,makers of hand-made soaps who holdRoyal Warrants of Appointmentfor supplyingQueen Elizabeth IIandKing Charles III.

Further information:KW Motorsport LtdandReynard Motorsport

Schools[edit]

Brackley has fourprimary schools:Bracken Leas,[25]Southfield Primary Academy,[26]The Radstone Primary School and Brackley Junior School. The town also has Waynflete Infants' School,[27]most of whose pupils progress to BrackleyChurch of EnglandJunior School.[28]There is a private pre-prep/prep school for 3- to 13-year-olds, Winchester House.[29]Magdalen College School, Brackleyis thecomprehensivesecondary schoolfor the town and surrounding villages.

Media[edit]

Local news and television programmes is provided byBBC SouthandITV Meridian.Television signals in the town are received from theOxfordTV transmitter. The town is served by bothBBC Radio OxfordandBBC Radio Northampton.Other radio stations includingHeart Thames Valley,Capital Midlandsand 3Bs radio that broadcasts fromBuckingham.Local newspapers areBanbury GuardianandNorthampton Chronicle.

Morris dancing[edit]

The Brackley Morris Men are one of only seven 'traditional Cotswold' sides remaining in England, and the only one to survive in Northamptonshire.[30]Their history dates back to the 1600s when a solid silver communion plate was given to the parish. The plate which is still in the possession of St Peter's Church is dated 1623, and is inscribed with the names of seven men, whom local folklore believes to have been the Morris dancers.[31]In 1725 the men were paid half a guinea to dance at the Whitsun Ale at Aynho House.[32]In 1766 their 'Squire' was arrested in Oxford for his insolence and committed to Bridewell as a vagrant.[33]In 1866 an article in theOxford Chroniclereported on their performance in Banbury, describing their 'many coloured ribbons and other gaudy finery', and the 'witless buffoonery' of their 'fool'.[34]The side still performs today.[35]

Sports and leisure[edit]

Brackley cricket Club run 2 Saturday Teams and a Midweek Team as well as a Kwik Cricket and Junior Teams. They play in the Cherwell Cricket League and play atBrackley Cricket Club Ground.

Brackley Town Football Club,[36]known as the Saints, play inNational League North.Its finest season was in 2013–14 when it reached theFA CupSecond Round having beaten League One sideGillingham1–0 in a First round replay following a 1–1 draw. Brackley Town's ground is St James Park. They won the FA Trophy in 2018, this being the first time in the club's history.

Brackley Rugby Union Football Club[37]currently plays in theEnglish Rugby Union Midland Division'sCounties 2 Midlands East (South)League. It hosts two senior sides and a number of teams in the junior section.

Brackley Sports Football Club first team plays in theNorth Bucks and District LeaguePremier Division and its reserve team plays in the North Bucks and District League Intermediate Division. It also has a ladies' team that plays in the Northants Women's League.[38]

Brackley Athletic Football Club[39]is a junior football club affiliated with the Northamptonshire Football Association. It plays in three leagues: the under 7s – 10s are in the Milton Keynes & District Junior Sevens League, the under 11s – 16s are in the Milton Keynes & Border Counties League and the girls' team is in the Oxford Girls' Football League.

Brackley has a tennis club,[40]a leisure centre and swimming pool,[41]a martial arts academy and a badminton club.[42]

South of the town is St. James lake, abalancing lakeof almost 3 acres (1 ha) created in 1977.[43]Fishing in the lake is managed by a local angling club.[43]The lake is in a 5 acres (2 ha) wildlife park that is open to the public.[43]

Brackley is also the home of F1 teamMercedes AMG Petronashaving hadBrawn GP,who were bought out byMercedes-Benzin 2009.Honda F1andBAR,who were bought out byHondain 2006 were previously based in Brackley.[44]

Closest cities, towns and villages[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Brackley".City population.Retrieved25 October2022.
  2. ^Brackley to Charing Cross by shortest routeGoogle Maps
  3. ^Eilert Ekwall,The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names,p.57.
  4. ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Brackley".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 368–369.
  5. ^ab"Brackley - British History Online".www.british-history.ac.uk.
  6. ^"Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs to 1516: Northamptonshire".History.ac.uk.18 June 2003.Retrieved31 October2018.
  7. ^Codd, Daniel (2009).Mysterious Northamptonshire.Mysterious Counties. Breedon Books Publishing. pp. 16–17.ISBN978-1-85983-681-1.
  8. ^Colclough, "Donne, John (1572–1631)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, October 2007 oxforddnb.com. Retrieved 18 May 2010
  9. ^"Brackley Show: Tho following are particulars the semi-finals of the lawn tennis tournament held yesterday: — Ladies' and Gentlemen's Doubles: Mr. E.V.E. Bryan. and Miss A. Barlow beat Mr. R.P. Phipps and Miss A. Meredith and Rev. J. W. Boyd and Miss M. Blencowe beat Mr. W. Blencowe, and Miss. Bullen".Northampton Mercury.Northampton, Northamptonshire, England: British Newspaper Archive. 5 August 1882. p. 7.
  10. ^Routledge's Sporting Annual (1883) Lawn Tennis Tournaments of 1882. George Routledge and Sons. London. England. p.116.
  11. ^Brackley Poor Law Union and Workhouse 1835 onwardsArchived8 October 2007 at theWayback Machine
  12. ^abcdefghijkPevsner & Cherry 1973,p. 117
  13. ^Clarke, John (1987).The Book of Brackley.Barracuda Books.ISBN0-86023-285-9.
  14. ^abPevsner & Cherry 1973,p. 115
  15. ^abcdefPevsner & Cherry 1973,p. 116
  16. ^abcdefSerjeantson & Adkins 1906,pp. 151–153
  17. ^abcSerjeantson & Adkins 1906,pp. 153–154
  18. ^"Winchester House School - Private Co-Educational Nursery, Pre-Prep & Prep School".www.winchester-house.org.
  19. ^"Festivals – Brackley Market Town".www.brackleymarkettown.uk.
  20. ^"Official description".Department of Transport. Archived fromthe originalon 17 March 2010.
  21. ^"Bus route".
  22. ^"Chiltern Train Route".April 2009.
  23. ^"Adonis Publishes Plans for 540 km Y-Shaped High Speed Network".Railnews.11 March 2010.Retrieved7 October2016.
  24. ^"Station Name: Brackley".Disused Stations Site Record.Subterranea Britannica.
  25. ^"Bracken Leas Primary School".www.brackenleasschool.co.uk.Retrieved31 October2018.
  26. ^"Southfield Primary Academy - Brackley".Southfield Primary Academy.
  27. ^"Waynflete Infants School".18 August 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 18 August 2004.
  28. ^"Brackley CE Junior School".
  29. ^"Overview of Winchester House School | Leading Prep-Prep & Preparatory School in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Northamptonshire borders".www.winchester-house.org.Retrieved16 December2019.
  30. ^"Morris Ring Member and Associate Side Formation Dates - The Morris Ring".www.themorrisring.org.17 June 2021.
  31. ^Baker, George (1822).History and Antiquities of the County of Northampton.London: John Bowyer Nichols and John Rodwell.[page needed]
  32. ^Northamptonshire Record Office, Cartwright papers, Josh Burton 1722–35
  33. ^"Journal entry".Jackson’s Oxford Journal.31 May 1766. p. 3.
  34. ^"Chronicle entry".The Oxford Chronicle.25 May 1866. p. 7.
  35. ^"The Brackley Morris Men".www.thebrackleymorrismen.org.uk.
  36. ^Brackley Town Football Club
  37. ^"Brackley RUFC".Archived fromthe originalon 24 April 2006.Retrieved23 April2006.
  38. ^"IIS7".www.intheteam.com.[permanent dead link]
  39. ^Brackley AFCArchived24 April 2006 at theWayback Machine
  40. ^"Brackley Tennis Club".www.brackleytennisclub.co.uk.
  41. ^"Brackleyleisure.com".www.brackleyleisure.com.
  42. ^"bfmaa.co.uk - Crazy Domains".www.bfmaa.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 23 April 2006.Retrieved23 April2006.
  43. ^abc"St. James Lake".Brackley Town Council Official Guide.Brackley Town Council. Archived fromthe originalon 24 May 2005.Retrieved24 June2010.
  44. ^The Brackley App

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toBrackley, Northamptonshire.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide forBrackley.
Wikisourcehas the text of the1911Encyclopædia Britannicaarticle "Brackley".
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