[4] In prehistory, the Nene valley was a system of braided channels with Neolithic and later, Bronze Age humans living in around the area.

Their little settlement looked north and down into the river valley where, over many years, they constructed a barrow cemetery of at least six large mounds, each presumably containing at least one grave of an important member of the community.

Iron slag suggests that they had learned to use the local ores for smelting and other materials included copper alloy and glass were also used.

A large number of bronze coins were found over the years and a grave with a small child was discovered in 1959.

When the E-shaped kiln was excavated in the early 1960s, a variety of finds included animal bones, antlers, quern stones (for grinding corn), a bronze brooch, a buckle and numerous coins were found.

At Cogenhoe, a medieval settlement north of the church which included narrow closes and a fishpond also became empty – probably by the early modern period.

At Domesday, there was a third settlement or manor that was centred on the present Cotton Farm where a number of houses were shown on the later Cogenhoe map of 1630.

A large quantity of pottery and other finds have been discovered on this site, and a crudely made stone cross base was found in a wall on Cotton Hill in the 1960s.

When that burnt down in 1909, a replacement factory was built in Short Lane which was used until the late 1940s, when production ceased and it became a bus garage.

By the late 19th century, this ancient craft was gradually being driven into decline by the Nottinghamshire machine lace industry, but it still exists today as a hobby or past-time practised by very skilled craftspeople.

Operated by the London and North Western Railway Company (LNWR), it became a very busy line with stations at Billing Road, west of Cogenhoe, and Castle Ashby (Castle Ashby & Earls Barton railway station), east of Whiston.

Digging for iron ore began at Cogenhoe in the late 1850s with opencast quarrying and mines – the latter of which, according to local lore, collapsed one lunchtime while the men were away having their midday meals.

[7] As well as quarrying for limestone and operating lime kilns on the south side of Whiston Road, the iron ore industry at Cogenhoe was also associated with a brickworks west of Roe Farm.

Brand new equipment was used, including a standard gauge steam locomotive made by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. which was kept in a brick engine shed on the side of the Hill, just west of Whiston village.

They operated a stage carriage route between Wollaston and Northampton, via many of the local villages, but, also ran a travel company with coach excursions to all parts of the country.

As their bus fleet grew, they swallowed up several of the smaller concerns and became not just an important local employer but also developed a national reputation for quality.

The company lasted for some years and, like the boot and shoe factories before it, also provided a lot of out-work for local people.

Cogenhoe is now largely a commuter village, with most people working in Northampton or further afield due to its road links with the A45 and M1 motorway.

Between 1225 and 1280 Nicholas de Cogenhoe, believed to be a Crusader, built a new church, and his effigy rests today in the South aisle of St. Peter’s.

The son of Nicholas, William de Cogenhoe, opened up an arch on the north side of the chancel in AD 1320 and built a Chantry Chapel to Our Lady.

The south porch was added in 1380, and about this time William’s daughter, Agnes, built the tower as a memorial to her father.

Cogenhoe or Short Lane Pocket Park is a beautiful woodland with a stream and pond and is managed for the enjoyment of the public and the protection of wildlife.

The park is divided into two areas: A byway leading to farm buildings and fields, this passes through the ford and the banks are sometimes grazed by cows and a broad gully dominated by ash trees and to the southern end aspen and poplars.

Despite Cogenhoe's size it manages to support a number of successful sporting ventures, attracting players and members from across Northamptonshire.

Compton Park was now on the map and purpose-built facilities were developed with a spectator stand and the team gained promotion into the UCFL for the season 1985-6.