In 1086 the Domesday survey recorded a population of approximately 100 souls living and working in the parish named Snewelle. They were described as 18 villeins, 2 Bordars, 6 Serfs and these with their wives and children made up the population of the parish of Sywell in the years after the Battle of Hastings. The parish consisted of 4 hides of land which before the Conquest was worth twenty shillings and after William took over England it was worth six pounds.

Sywell church has examples of 13th and 14th century construction within it. One of the columns of the three supporting the tower and the tomb recess in the north chapel. It is thought that the font nearest the south door, which was rescued from the churchyard is of medieval design

The other major building in the village is Sywell Hall and it probably stands on the site of an earlier mansion occupied by William Tresham. Tresham was Attorney General to Henry V ,Speaker of the House of Commons twelve times and murdered at Thorplands in 1450 as a result of the violent infighting between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists that led to the Wars of the Roses.

In 1582 Anthony Jenkinson, merchant, explorer, ambassador to the Czar of Russia and a favourite of Elizabeth 1 was granted 200 acres of arable land and 300 acres of pasture in Sywell and a licence to build. Around this time Tresham's mansion house was replaced by Sywell Hall.

Sywell Ablaze

In the year 1809 when the whole country was celebrating George the III Jubilee with bonfires and Ox roasting,Sywell had its own fire but it was not of a celebratory one. As the Mercury for Saturday the 28th of October 1809 stated, "on Wednesday evening between 9.00 and 10.00 clock a rick in the yard of Mr Pell of Sywell Hall near this town was discovered to be on fire speedily spread to 5 other ricks, barns with corn and barley, 5 cottages, outhouses ---straw and a dung heap", the account concludes "at present no satisfactory cause of the fire has been ascertained but we are sorry to state there is reason to suspect it having been wilfully done'.

It would seem that someone in the parish had reason to be resentful of Mr Pell.

The New Sywell

When Lewis Loyd purchased the parishes of Overstone and Sywell, his son, who became Lord Overstone,but more particularly Lady Overstone , commenced the building of Sywell as we see it today. The old village with its straggle of cottages, gardens, hovels, pig sties in no apparent order was demolished and a new village with cottages aligned along the new main street with a communal bakehouse, wash houses, toilets (dry) and brand new sties were built so villagers could keep their own pig. But most importantly a school which was dedicated to be used "for the education of children and adults or children only of the labouring, manufacturing,and other poorer classes residing in or near Sywell".

It was at this stage that the block of cottages that existed in front of the church was cleared away leaving a space that became the village green.

Wartime Sywell

1914-1918

The memorial window in the church commemorates the men who died in the first World War. Out of the 32 men who left the village to serve 8 did not return and their names are inscribed on the window. This is an attrition rate of 25%. 85 years on it is impossible to tell what effect this had on the spirit of the parish.

1939-45

The remains of the 2nd World War are more substantial but less evocative. There is no memorial to the men who served in this conflict but we do have the solid evidence of the structures that were built to defend the aerodrome from attack. The concrete pill box still exists at the north of the airfield and until recently the "tin barn" that was reinforced and used as a control centre for the defence of the drome was in existence until 2002.

More personal memorials to the Second World War are the headstones in Sywell churchyard to three RAF flyers killed in accidents in 1941 and the graffiti inscribed on the wall opposite the entrance to the Lancaster Hanger. This was a check point guarded by two airman who impressed their names and service number in the wet cement capping the wall as well as a clip of303 bullets and a bayonet

We therefore know that on the night of the 10th of March 1941 R.Moore and someone with the initials G.B. were guarding Sywell Aerodrome. But apparently not very vigilantly

For a more detailed account of Sywell's history see:

SYWELL

The Parish and the People

by

Don Slater

lemma Publications 40 Ashley Lane

Moulton Northampton NN3 7TJ

Sywell A Very Brief History

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