Place Information
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Towcester ("toaster"), the Roman town of Lactodorum, is a small town in south Northamptonshire, England. The English name is derived from the Latin for "Camp on the (river) Tove".
History
Prehistoric and Roman periodsTowcester lays claim to being the oldest town in Northamptonshire and possibly, because of the antiquity of recent Iron Age finds in the town, to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the country. There is evidence that it was settled by humans since the Mesolithic era (middle stone age). There is also evidence of Iron Age burials in the area. In Roman times, the Watling Street road (now the A5) was built through the area and a garrison town called Lactodurum was established on the site of the present day town. Some say the Battle of Watling Street was fought in 61 at a site two miles to the south-east of Towcester, in that small strange dip in Watling Street, or the A5 as it is now, in that corner of Northamptonshire known as Cuttle Mill. Lactodurum was encompassed by a wall that was strengthened at several points by brick towers. Substantial remains of one of these towers could be seen until the 1960s, when it was demolished to make way for a telephone exchange. The wall was also surrounded by a ditch part of which became the Mill Leat on the east side of the town.
It is also thought that a Roman pillar is in the garden of one of the houses along Watling Street. The Saxon period and Medieval ageWhen the Romans left in the 5th century, the area was settled by Saxons. In the 8th century, the Watling Street became the frontier between the kingdom of Wessex and Danelaw, and thus Towcester became a frontier town. Edward the Elder fortified Towcester in 914. In the 11th century, the Normans built a motte and bailey castle on the site. Bury Mount is what is left of the Norman fortification consisting of a Motte and Bailey is a scheduled Ancient Monument. It is currently (from 2008) undergoing repair and renovation. Georgian and Victorian periodsIn the 18th and early 19th centuries, in the heyday of the stagecoach, the Watling Street became a major coaching road between London and Holyhead, and Towcester flourished, becoming a major stopping point. Many coaching inns and stabling facilities were provided for travellers in Towcester, many of which remain. The coaching trade came to an abrupt halt in September 1838 when the London and Birmingham Railway was opened, which bypassed Towcester and passed through Blisworth, barely four miles away but enough to result in Towcester quickly reverting to being a quiet market town. By 1866 however, Towcester was linked to the national rail network by the first of several routes which came together to form the Stratford and Midland Junction Railway, known as the "SMJ", . Eventually it was possible to travel four different ways out of Towcester: to Blisworth (opened May 1866); to Banbury (opened June 1872); to Stratford-upon-Avon (opened July 1873); and finally Olney (for access to Bedford, opened December 1892). The latter line however was an early casualty, closing to passengers in March 1893 although it continued to be used by race specials up until the outbreak of World War II. The Banbury line closed to passengers in July 1951 and the rest in April 1952. Goods traffic lingered on until final axing in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts. The site of Towcester railway station is now the Tesco supermarket. 20th century and beyondThe motor age brought new life to the town. Although the A43 now by-passes the town, the A5 trunk traffic still passes directly through the historic market town centre causing traffic jams at some times of the day. The resulting pollution has led to the town centre being designated an Air Quality Management Area. An A5 north-south by-pass is likely with plans for expansion of the town being planned by the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation. Research Tips
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