projects

Image Library.

One of the first large-scale projects undertaken was the systematic collection and digitisation of as many old photographs, postcards, letters and other early visual records as possible.  This is an ongoing project, more information can be found by clicking here.

House History

House history work involves the study of all available documentary records for a particular property and its successive owners, plus careful study of the form and construction of the property and its associated outbuildings where relevant. This is an ongoing project, more information can be found by clicking here.

 May Day.

A project to record the names of all May Queens (and their Attendants, Heralds and Knights) since the first recorded appointments in 1931; this project is ongoing and needs recent appointments to be added.

(May Queen procession down Church St in 1928).

War Memorial.

This ongoing project provides information about each name on the Crick War Memorial, so that their sacrifices are not forgotten. A book is available on the work carried out so far -'Crick's Roll of Honour' – which records those who did not return. The project could be extended to include those from Crick who went to war and returned. This part of the project has yet to be started.

Footpaths and Heritage Trail.

Routes through the village and footpaths to the parish boundary are described, together with points of historic interest. The information, together with a contextual introduction about the village, was published in two books entitled 'Walks & More' and 'Crick Heritage Trail'. Thanks to  energetic volunteers willing to walk the routes, Jim Goodger has updated the out of print Walks & More book. The reprinted 'Walks & More -Rewalked' book is available in Crick Post Office.

Crick News 'History Matters'. 

Part of the work of the History Society is to provide History notes as a regular feature in Crick News. This is ongoing.

Crick People.

A collection of illustrative biographies of a few of Crick's colourful people, reflecting the development of the village's character through the ages. The book includes three Lords of the Manor, an Archbishop of Canterbury, several rectors - some of them good, some not so good! - a champion of impoverished canal children, a local artist, a motor cycling champion, a racing driver and pilot, the first 'gong' man, a pop group, an industrialist, and a Crick Treacle Miner - all in 'A Few Crick People', available from the Post Office.

Oral histories.

We are beginning to collect conversations with long lived Crick residents to gain a  personal sense of what life was like in the village in former times. If you would like to take part then please contact us.

Information Boards.

As you walk through the village you will see some heritage boards with information provided by the Crick History Society. We will continue to be a source for such information as and when required.

200^th Anniversary of Crick Canal. 

The Crick History Society organised a weekend on 9^th and 10^th August 2014 to celebrate the 200^th Anniversary of the official opening of Crick Tunnel and the canal at Crick on 9^th August 1814. The original opening had been attended by Canal Company worthies. This time the local dignitaries included the Chairs of Northamptonshire County Council, Daventry District Council, Crick Parish Council and Vice-Chair of Market Harborough District Council plus the Chief Executive Officer of Canal & River Trust. A plaque was unveiled at the start of two days of celebration which included displays of canal arts, craft and antiques and demonstrations of working canal horses. Crick History Society mounted an exhibition of the canal, tunnel and wharf, which was supported by re-enactor Andrew Ashmore taking the role of Benjamin Bevan the civil engineer for this arm of the canal. The restored President and Kildare working boats, from 1908 demonstrated what living conditions were like for working  boat families and the President's steam engine interested many of the visitors.  A main attraction was being taken through the tunnel by boat and carried back to the wharf in a 1929 Midland Red charabanc. The event was funded by generous support from the Northamptonshire Community Foundation and Tim Langer, the then owner of Crick marina.  A book - Crick and the Canal - has been produced to record the history of the canal in Crick Parish and the celebration.  It is available to buy from Crick Post Office.

Mapping the graveyard of St Margaret of Antioch. 

Until now there appears to have been no map or records relating to where the historic graves are situated in the closed graveyard. There are many graves which are now unmarked and others have gravestones of a stone that has eroded with time making then unreadable. The readable gravestones were logged by the Rugby Family History Group in 2009 but this needed to be mapped onto the graveyard.

A study in September 2023 to map the gravestones is now available as a downloadable PDF and all the readable headstones can now be located both on a map and in the graveyard using a coordinate scheme.  

(The picture below is a sketch of the church done in 1755; with rather fewer graves than today)

Crick today.

Today is tomorrow's history. Whilst we have information, news items and photographs of yesteryear in our archive, in 50 yrs time what will be there about today? This is the basis of this project, to collect and collate present day information.  

House deed transcription.

Nationally, house deeds are being phased out and with it the loss of the history of the houses they recorded. We have photographic records of a number of the deeds of Crick houses which we would like to have typed up and made searchable so their full value can be utilised.