Origins

Brackley is a town rich in heritage. There are many claims as to the origins of its name, but the most accepted one relates to a Saxon Chieftain Bracca. It is thought he lived between AD 550 and 650 and owned a clearing or ‘ley’ and went on to found a village there. It was thus known as ‘Braccaley.’ It is also said that ‘ley’ means a clearing in a forest and so became known as Bracken Ley.”

Medieval Brackley

By 1066 life in the town centred around St Peter’s Church. The green, thatched cottages and St Rumbold’s Well formed the focus of the settlement.

By 1100 the Normans had arrived and a motte and bailey castle with a moat was constructed. Built at the crossing of the Great River Ouse, the castle was built to help the Normans suppress the English. It didn’t last too long and was destroyed around 1173.

In 119 Richard I granted five new jousting sites across the country. One of which was between Brackley and Mixbury. It is thought the tournaments took place south of the river Ouse around Evenley. These were regarded as rowdy and often out of control.

The town almost achieved international fame in 1215 with the sealing of the Magna Carta. It is believed that the document itself was based upon earlier drafts produced in Brackley. Brackley had been the location agreed upon to have the Magna Carta sealed and approved, however, fearing a hostile reception in a part of the country that had conspired against him, the King only agreed to meet in Runnymede. This decision, long overlooked by history, robbed Brackley of a moment of international acclaim!

Brackley went on to significance becoming the second richest town after Northampton around 1300, thanks to its wool trade.

Elizabethan and Jacobean period

Brackley’s fortunes fluctuated in the years that followed and by the 16th Century it had lost its standing and prosperity. Indeed in 1539 it was described as a ‘por towne’ with ‘divers rows of housing about the quarters of the castle, now clean down’ by John Leland, chaplain to Henry VIII whilst visiting the town to take a list of all ecclesiastic buildings.

To make matters worse, in 1649 Brackley Town Centre was severely damaged when a large fire devastated the town. Starting at the rear of The Crown Inn, it destroyed 14 apartments at the back of the building. It spread through the High Street destroying many buildings as it went. When it reached the chandler’s shop on Halls Lane, it ignited a fair amount of tallow, which exploded. There was a resulting fireball, which injured many people.

The town was repaired and rebuilt and by the early 1700s the town received one of its most significant buildings with the construction of the Town Hall. Commissioned in 1704 by the Egerton family (4th Earl of Bridgewater) for the princely sum of £000. Originally, the ground floor was open to allow markets to take place. At the time, lace, wool and corn were popular trades and regular markets and meetings would take place beneath the enclosed upstairs. The upstairs room was used as a place of law with a jury room and also for council business, elections, political events and social events such as balls, much as it is used today!

Eighteenth Century

As the 18th Century progressed Brackley’s prospects improved. Due primarily to its proximity to Oxford and Northampton, it became a major coaching town offering daily coach services to London. It also boasted around 30 pubs to entertain visitors and locals alike.

Nineteenth Century

The 19th Century was less charitable to the town and poverty returned. In 1836 the Brackley Workhouse was built to house 250 people. However, by 1850 things had started to look up with the arrival of the railways. The trains brought the prospect of prosperity and users of Brackley’s services – notably its schools.

Although not mentioned specifically, it is widely thought that Brackley was one of the inspirations behind Flora Thompson’s Lark Rise to Candleford. Born in 1876 in nearby Juniper Hill, Flora would have known Brackley well as her father worked in the town.

Modern Brackley

Having originally been granted permission for a market in 1217, Brackley still entertains a weekly market on the Market Place – some 800 years later. With its Market Town identity and charm, Brackley today offers a high quality of life for all of its residents. Often voted in the ‘Best Places to Live’ in the UK it offers residents and visitors alike the modern facilities with the charm of a deeply historic town.

Although fairly free from industry, it is home to a few notable industries. Having sported a marmalade factory, breweries, a sawmill and a cosmetics factory today it is home to the world-famous Formula 1 Racing team Mercedes.

The town’s fortunes improved considerably in recent years. Today Brackley is growing in size, with the arrival of new homes, businesses and opportunities. With its renovated Town Hall and market place, the town has enormous pride in its rich heritage, yet with a keen focus on its bright and exciting future.