Michael Smith researched and recorded many pointers to the position of the medieval village of Falcutt in his thesis written in 1975, and this work and his maps have been used as a basis for this short article.  His main clues to the history of Falcutt came from the four maps reproduced here on following pages. Map D is dated 1550, Map C is dated 1765, Map B dated 1864 and Map A dated 1976.

Falcutt village is not mentioned in the Domesday Book and is not marked on a map of 1500.  The maps reproduced here show a pattern of ancient roads suggesting a meeting point, i.e. a village, established at least in the early to mid-eighteenth century although it could have been deserted long before.

On Map C, 1765, one Falcutt field is named Town Field, town being a term used to describe a village in early times.  In the field Falcutt Close, Map A (11), there is an abundance of limestone, stone not natural to the area, in an area of boulder clay.  The position of the stone is marked with a cross in field (11) on Map A.  On Map D Falcutt common fields are shown which must indicate a village of some size.  All these clues seem to indicate the same location for a village settlement.

There are references to a chapel in Falcutt in Bridges and in Baker’s History and Antiquities of the County of Northampton.   In 1491 there is a note of money given for repair “To the reparation of the chapell of Fawcott (6s 8d)”.  In 1535 Nicholas Small, Rector of Wappenham was paid a sum of money for saying mass at Fawcott Chapel, but by 1665 a parliamentary commission certified “Here was formerly a chapel but it has long since been demolished”.  As there is no record of a chapel on the 1550 map it must have been demolished between 1535 and 1550.

In the late sixteenth century the hamlets of Astwell and Falcutt were joined by the marriage of Jane Lovatt, heiress of Thomas Lovett, to John Shirley.  Their son George Shirley was created a baronet in 1611.  Later, the head of this family adopted the title Lord Ferrars, which has continued in use for many generations.

Map A - Falcutt 1976

Map B - Falcutt 1864

Map C - Falcutt 1765

Map D - Falcutt 1550