Prehistoric and Roman periods Towcester 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 Britain,
Watling Street, now the A5 road, was built through the area and a garrison town called
Lactodurum established on the site of the present-day town. Two candidate sites for the
Battle of Watling Street, fought in 61AD, are located close to the town, these are
Church Stowe which is located to the north and
Paulerspury which is to the south. A stone female head, that mixes
Celtic and
Roman styles, was found on Watling Street outside the town and was given to the
British Museum in 1903.
Saxon period and Medieval age When the Romans
left in the 5th century, the area was settled by
Saxons. In the 9th century, Watling Street became the frontier between the kingdom of
Wessex and the
Danelaw, and thus Towcester became a frontier town.
Edward the Elder fortified Towcester in 917. In the 11th century, the
Normans built a
motte-and-bailey castle on the site.
Bury Mount is the remains of the fortification and is a scheduled
ancient monument. It was renovated in 2008 with an access ramp and explanatory plaques added.
Georgian and Victorian periods In the 18th and early 19th centuries, in the heyday of the stagecoach and the mail coach, 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; 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. Eventually, from
Towcester railway station it was possible to travel four different ways out of the town: 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 the
Second World War. The Banbury line closed to passengers in July 1951 and the rest in April 1952. Goods traffic lingered on until final axing in February 1964 as part of the
Beeching cuts. The site of Towcester railway station is now a
Tesco supermarket. Towcester might have gained a second station on a branch line of the
Great Central Railway from its main line at
Brackley to
Northampton, but this branch was never built.
20th century and beyond During the
Second World War, Towcester received many evacuees from London as the Government felt the town was far enough away from any major settlements that could be a target. The town escaped any major aerial attacks but was bombed on two occasions, firstly by a plane that dropped its last six bombs following an attack on nearby Rugby. A few months later a German bomber dropped twelve bombs on the town during a "drop and run" attack. The motor age brought new life to the town. Although now bypassed by the A43, 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 bypass with plans for expansion of the town was being planned by the
West Northamptonshire Development Corporation in 2007. A scheme to build a bypass for the A5 was submitted in 2020 and expected to cost up to £38 million. As of 2023 a relief road to the south linking the A5 to the A43 is under construction, and traffic calming measures will be implemented in the town centre while avoiding potential damage to the ancient Roman road. The population was 2,743 at the time of the
1961 Census and this had grown to 9,252 by the
2011 census – a growth rate of about 3% per year. It has since rapidly expanded and there are plans to expand still further with another 3,300 houses equating to an appx 8,250 increase in population. Improvements to the links to the A43 and Watling Street roundabout took place in the first half of 2015, including traffic light controls. ==Geography==