Stanwick is referred to in the Domesday Book as Stanwige or Stanwica, which may mean stone farm or stone village. In 1086 the manor of Stanwick was held by Peterborough Abbey but by 1284 there appear to have been two manors.

A spring called Hollywell was once well known in the village and may have been the centre of a heathen cult, which was later Christianised.

The Parish Church, shown in the photo, dates mainly from the 13th and 14th centuries: Stanwick Hall has 17 Century origins and the Old rectory was built in 1717. In addition to these three buildings there are four others in Stanwick on the list of buildings of architectural or historic interest.

In 1901 there were 214 houses in the Parish: in 1981 there were 530, and over the same period the population increased from 901 to 1,343.

The 1991 Census shows a population of 1,481 in 575 houses: the mid 1995 estimate is for 1,505 and 585.

Stanwick has the largest village population in the district and services which include shops, the Stanwick Club, a public house, a post office and a school.

There is also a wide range of recreational facilities to the west of Aris Lane.

The village is near to Raunds with its wider range of facilities and there are bus services to Raunds, Rushden, Wellingborough and Northampton.

Stanwick Parish Council, established in April 2000 following several years of campaigning by local residents, was formerly a Ward of Raunds Urban District Council and subsequently Raunds Town Council.

The Parish Council comprises of 7 members and Council meetings are held bi-monthly, on Thursdays, in the Old School Rooms, High Street at 7.00 p.m.

Additional meetings are held during the year to consider planning applications and other urgent or special business. These meetings are advertised on the Parish notice board, attached to the Old School Rooms.

The public and press are welcome to attend Council meetings and the agenda always includes the opportunity for public speaking time, when it is possible to address councillors on any subject. further details can be obtained from the Clerk.

There was a Roman settlement in Stanwick and the site of a villa was pinpointed in 1979. Trial trenching in 1984 by English Heritage exposed three mosaics attributed to the mid fourth century. Major archaeological excavations followed, and continued until 1991. The Roman Villa site, close to Stanwick by-pass, revealed a particularly fine example of a villa floor mosaic, a cemetery, the foundations of a temple and other farm buildings and houses, making what must have been a small village. These settlements were mostly deserted when the Roman Empire collapsed, though much of the Roman-British population survived. Society then changed as Roman Britain was transformed into Saxon England.

In the 10th century, Stanwick was referred to as ‘Stan Wigga’. Later it was mentioned in the Domesday Book as ‘Stanwige’ and in 1137 in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle as ‘Stanwigga’.

It is generally believed that the name means ‘Stone dwellings’ ‘Stone farm’ or ‘Stone village’. It has been suggested that this could be because the village was noted for its quarries and houses built of stone, or that it could have derived its name from the Roman Villa, which was built of stone.

St Laurence Church was built circa 1224, on the site of an earlier Church, of which virtually nothing remains. It dominates the local landscape and its octagonal tower and spire are considered an architectural beauty. The weather cock is 137 feet above ground, and was given to the church in 1880 by the then landlord of the Duke of Wellington Public House.

In the Middle Ages, Stanwick was under the authority of the Abbotts of Peterborough. Among the duties of the Abbott was to appoint the Rectors of Stanwick. Since the Reformation, the Lord Chancellor has appointed the Rectors on behalf of the Sovereign.

In 1745, a muster of two companies of 100 men each, marched from Stanwick to fight against Bonny Prince Charlie. The tragedy of this muster was not the number killed in Carlisle, but the greater number who died with smallpox which was rife amongst the troops.

Until the 18th century employment in Stanwick was mainly agricultural. Then the village began to grow with the leather and boot industries. According to a statistical survey of shoemakers in Northamptonshire, Stanwick returned a larger than average proportion of shoemakers to all listed men between 1762-81. Census records tell us that during the years 1841-1851, women began to be employed in the shoe trade as well.

Shoemaking at this time was carried out on an outwork basis, with the first shoe factory in Stanwick being built, it is said, by Cave of Rushden in 1890.

In the last fifty years Stanwick has grown rapidly and now has approximately 750 houses. Many of the streets are named after former Rectors.

Richard Cumberland was the son of the Rev. Denison Cumberland. He was born a year after his father became Rector of Stanwick in 1732. Richard went on to become a famous dramatist and is buried in Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey. Richard described Stanwick in his memoirs as ‘that retired and tranquil spot.’

Other Rectors that have given their name to Stanwick are Ralph of Collingham (first recorded Rector at the Church in 1224), William de Casterton, John Manningham, Richard Cleburne, Dr George Mansfield, John FL Eagle, Dr William Dolben and Dr Peter Needham.

The first national school, in high street, was opened in 1838, funded by grants and contributions from local dignitaries and landowners. It was extended in 1876 to provide better facilities.

The current school was opened as an Infant School in 1899 and in 1931 following a period of remodelling it was reopened as Stanwick Junior and Infants School. The Old School was then closed, but reopened for a short time in 1940 to accommodate the evacuee children and their teachers.

In 1998, a voluntary group Stanwick MM was formed to raise funds to erect a Village Sign in Spencer Parade as a permanent commemoration of the Millennium. The design of the sign, installed August 2000 includes St Laurence Church; ears of wheat (representing agriculture); a boot (representing the boot and shoe industry and also the Duke of Wellington who is believed to have had his boots made in Stanwick) and a Roman helmet (representing Stanwick’s Roman heritage).

Details contained in this history were kindly supplied by Mrs J Cutmore, author of ‘Stanwick – A Retrospective Glance’