Page 12 - Oundle Life January 2023

MAKING
OUNDLE
Part Two
Oundle had been permanently settled since the Bronze Age and had been home to Romans, Anglo-Saxons, and Normans, but it was not until the Middle Ages that it really began to flourish and take shape as the town we
would recognise today.
Much of the prosperity the town enjoyed was derived from its famous market, the charter for which was renewed by King Edgar in 972. The market continues to this day.
town. In fact, a thorough survey of the town, carried out in 1565 shows that its layout has barely changed in the last four centuries.
Aside from its once highly profitable market,
One of the earliest medieval buildings
that still stands is St Peter’s Church with its 200- foot spire – the tallest in Northamptonshire. Although the church has been added to and altered over the centuries, much of the original 13th Century stonework survives intact.
And because Oundle was ‘al buildid of stone’ (as the 16th Century antiquarian John Leland described it) many of the buildings erected in the late medieval period still proliferate the
The school is now one of the most respected public schools in England and won Tattler’s ‘Public School of the Year Award’ as recently as 2018.
When nearby Fotheringhay Castle fell into ruin in the 17th Century, much of its stone was used to rebuild The Talbot Hotel, which was originally a wooden structure. Its wooden staircase was also taken from the castle where
The town was built in stone and built to last
much of the town’s prosperity can be attributed to Oundle School, which was founded in 1556 in accordance with the will of Sir William Laxton, the former Lord Mayor of London and Master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers, who was himself born and educated in Oundle.
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