Harlestone is a small village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. The village had a recorded population of 445 in the 2011 census.
The village is divided into two smaller settlements: Upper Harlestone and Lower Harlestone, which are linked by road, footpaths and bridleways. Lower Harlestone lies along the A428, and Upper Harlestone is directly to the south-west. Both settlements are approximately five miles north west of the town of Northampton and south east of the neighbouring country estate of Althorp.
History
Evidence of pre-historic settlement in the area of Harlestone, including a Scheduled Ancient Monument to the east of the village, where the remains of pre-historic settlement can be seen from aerial photography.
An Iron-age site has been identified at the quarry site on the southern edge of Lower Harlestone, with possible evidence of landscape features dating from the late Bronze Age.
Evidence of Roman occupation is also prevalent, particularly to the west, where the remains of a Roman dwelling were excavated in a field named Sharoah in 1927, and a hoard of over 800 coins found. Further evidence of Romano-British ironworking has been located near to Upper Harlestone in the west.
It is highly likely that the name Harlestone stems from Anglo-Saxon or Danish origin. It is variously spelt Erlestone, Herolvestone and Herolvestune in early records, possibly from the name of a local land owner.
St Andrew’s Churchyard is a possible Saxon site, due to its rounded shape and the presence of a spring beneath its nave.
A middle-eastern gold coin was unearthed during cleaning work on the nearby stables, which implies that an individual from Harlestone took part in the crusades in the 11th century and was buried with spoils.
Harlestone may have been the subject of Viking raids in the early 11th century, and many plots are noted in the Domesday Book as being of a “waste” nature. Harlestone was partly granted to the Count of Mortain by his half-brother William the Conqueror and partly to William Peverel, including three manors. Domesday Book also notes 15 freedmen in the village, a mill and a priest.
Henry de Bray held one of the manors of Harlestone in the late 13th century and left extensive records of his works and life in estate books, which are now held in the British Museum.
He completed the construction of his manor, on the site of the current Manor Farm, including various gardens and a mill, which is quite possibly the mill whose ruins stand in Lower Harlestone.
Quarry scars in Lower Harlestone are tentatively dated to the post-medieval period, but are described by Morton in 1712 as “very ancient”. It is possible that these earthworks were produced in the construction of de Bray’s manor complex.
The second manor of Harlestone was owned by the Lumley family from the 13th century, presumably that previously belonging to the Count of Mortain, and situated in Upper Harlestone on the site of Dovecote House. It comprised a hall, stables, outbuildings and a dovecote. This dovecote still survives as part of the 15th century dovecote on the site, and is the only building left from the manorial complex. Roger Lumley is named “Lord of Harlestone” in 1316 and his descendant Robert Lumley purchased Althorp in 1364, but it was re-sold in 1414 by his son. They continued to hold the manor in Harlestone until 1500 when Thomas Andrew of Charwelton bought the land, also permitting them to stay in their accommodation.
Under Henry de Bray there was also a remodelling of St Andrews Church, creating much of the building we see today. It was mostly built between 1320 and 1325, although the tower dates back to the 12th century, with de Bray providing the stone and timber.
The third and final estate at this time was owned by the Bulmer family, whose lands were placed into the hands of trustees in 1441 by Sir Ralph de Bulmer, and not mentioned again in literature until the 18th century.
The three earliest surviving dwellings within the village are from the late 17th century, all located in Upper Harlestone. Hearth Tax Returns of the late 17th century show that the village had 115 houses, of which 95 had one hearth. Larger properties are indicated by these records, including a property owned by Thomas Andrew which had twelve hearths. Several farms are noted as having two or three hearths.