Naseby | |
---|---|
Naseby shown within Northamptonshire | |
Population | 687 (2011) |
OS grid reference | SP689781 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | NORTHAMPTON |
Postcode district | NN6 |
Dialling code | 01604 |
Police | Northamptonshire |
Fire | Northamptonshire |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
EU Parliament | East Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Naseby is a village in the District of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 687.
The village is 14 mi (22.5 km) north of Northampton, 13.3 mi (21.4 km) northeast of Daventry, and 7 mi (11 km) south of Market Harborough. It is 2.4 mi (3.9 km) from Junction 2 of the A14 road, giving it access to the national road system. For rail travel, the Midland Main Line can be accessed at the railway station in Market Harborough. There is a bus service between Market Harborough and Northampton that stops in Naseby, but it is very infrequent.
The village sits in a commanding position on one of the highest parts of the Northamptonshire Uplands, close to the county border with Leicestershire.
The original settlement probably owes its existence to its geography; the village lay in a strong defensive position. In the 6th century an Saxon named Hnaef established the settlement with the name of Hnaefes-Burgh ("fortified place of Hnaef"). Evidence for these origins came in the form of a 19th-century discovery of an Anglo-Saxon trefoil-headed brooch which is now in the collection of the British Museum.
In 1086 Naseby appeared in the Domesday Book, by which time Hnaefes-Burgh had evolved into Navesberie. In later records the village had been known as Navesby and Nathesby, eventually becoming Naseby. It is interesting to note that it was believed that the name derived from the Old English naefela, meaning navel, because it was thought to be the navel of England. In 1203, King John granted Naseby its market charter and the village became a flourishing market town for many years.