A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



which springs from the hilly ground of Sulgrave), and on by Weston Bushes, Wappenham, 

 Slapton and Braddcn. Near the old Roman town of Towcester, where there are large alluvial 

 meadows, another feeder, which drains some portion of Whittlebury Forest, adds its store of 

 water ; shortly afterwards near Alderton another brook comes in which has drained the country 

 about Tifficld and Hulcote, while from the south still another brings in the water collected 

 from an area in many places covered with blue clay drift about Paulers Pury. There are 

 other small brooks which drain the parishes of Roade, Hartwell and Ashton, which enter the 

 Tove before it reaches Bozenham Mill, from which place it serves to divide the county from 

 that of Buckingham as far as to its junction with the Ouse. The Ouse itself rises from the 

 high ground near Greatworth and Farthingho at Ouse-well Close,' and passes by Steane Park 

 to Brackley, where a small stream comes in which has drained the parish of Evenley. From 

 Radston and Whistlcy Wood another stream forms the county boundary of Buckingham, from 

 near Biddlesden by Whitfield to Brackley. The Ouse then leaves our county for some time, 

 but again touches it near Wicken, and from that place separates it from Bucks all the way 

 to Old Stratford and Cosgrove, when it finally leaves our district on its easterly journey to the 

 German Ocean. This Ouse district has its counterpart, although on a smaller scale, in the 

 District 2 of my Flora of Oxfordshire and in the District I of my unpublished Flora of Bucking- 

 hamshire. 



On the Ordnance Map of the Geological Survey the greater portion of the district is 

 coloured to show that the Great Oolite is the prevailing surface rock, but in fact a very con- 

 siderable part is covered with a deposit of drift, which is sufficiently thick to mask the 

 calcareous character of the Oolite. In some places the drift consists of gravel, in others of clay, 

 so that in many places calcareous-loving plants (gypsophiles or calcipetes) are absent, and plants 

 which like an impermeable soil predominate (pelophilcs). 



Within the area drained by the Ouse and Tove we have some interesting ground. There 

 is much more woodland than in either of the two preceding districts, and although the once great 

 forest of Whittlebury, or Whittlewood, which once extended from Old Stratford to Norton,^ 

 has been much enclosed and despoiled, there are still some considerable tracts of sylvan scenery, 

 which however now contain but few trees of conspicuous size. Formerly it possessed two 

 celebrated oaks, one which gave the name to the seat of the Duke of Grafton at Wakefield,^ 

 ' Wake's huge oak,' as the poet Bloomfield called it, which dated back to Saxon times and was 

 a magnificent tree within my recollection, but it was unfortunately burned by a number of 

 mischie\ous schoolboys about thirty years ago ; * the second fortunately survives, and although 

 hollow is still flourishing. It is known as the Queen's Oak,* from the tradition that Elizabeth 

 Woodville met Edward the Fourth under its branches to beg of him the restitution of her 

 children's estates, which their father, Sir John Grey, had forfeited by fighting on the Lancas- 

 trian side. This interview resulted in the king himself becoming a suitor for the hand of the 

 lady, and they were married at Grafton Regis on May 1st, 1464. The tree stands at the 

 back of Potter's Pury Lodge between Wakefield and Grafton Regis. 



Whittlebury Forest is remarkable from the rarity or absence of the common bracken 

 {Pteris aquilina), but this is partly accounted for by the character of the soil, which varies from 

 stiff glacial clay to nearly bare limestone, with arenaceous soil practically absent. Therefore 

 lime-loving plants (calcipetes) are frequent, such as the woolly-headed thistle {Cnicus eriophorus), 

 the rock-rose [Helianthemum Chamacistiis), the clustered bell-flower {Campanula glomerata), the 

 traveller's joy [Clematis Fitalba), the gromwell {Lithospermum officinale), the spindle tree [Euony- 

 mus europaus), the columbine [Aquilegia vulgaris), the hairy violet [Fiola hirta), the dove's-foot 

 cranesbill [Geranium Columhinum), the spurge laurel [Daphne Laureola), and the upright brome 

 grass [Bromus erectus). Curiously the marjoram [Origanum vulgare) and the lady's fingers 

 [Anthyllis Fulneraria) are or appear to be absent, and the fellwort [Gentiana Amarella) scarce. 

 Clay-loving species (pelophiles) are represented by the pendulous sedge [Carex pendula), the ram- 



* ' From Brackley breaking forth, through soiles most heavenly sweet. 

 By Buckingham makes on, and crossing Watling Street 

 Shee with her lesser Ouse at Newport next doth twin, 

 Which proud Chilterne neare, comes eas'ly ambling in.' 



— Drayton, Polyolbion. 

 8 See Baker's History and Antiquities of the County of Northampton, part ii. pp. 74-86. 

 s The Dukes of Grafton were formerly Hereditary Rangers or Lord Wardens of Whittlebury Forest. 

 * Figured in Baker's History, I.e. p. 230. 



5 See Baker's Hist. I.e. pp. 179-182. A recent photograph is in the vol. i. p. 131, 1880-81, of the 

 Journal of the Northamptonshire Natural History Society. 



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