DAVENTRY

town and district, administrative and historic county of Northamptonshire, England. Daventry district's rich, undulating landscape is predominantly rural, with more than 70 parishes. At the heart of the district is historic Daventry town. Nothing is known of Daventry town before Domesday Book (1086), the record of the land survey ordered by William the Conqueror, although Borough Hill, east of the town, is the site of an ancient earthwork. Daventry town incorporated under a royal charter in 1606, and a new royal charter was granted in 1674. During the English Civil Wars Daventry was the headquarters of Charles I before the Battle of Naseby (1645) between Royalist and Parliamentarian forces. Daventry became an important international radio centre after 1925, when the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) established a high-power, long-wave station on Borough Hill. This transmitting station was subsequently augmented with new equipment, and as early as 1932 the BBC had begun regular broadcasting services to the nations of the British Empire (later the Commonwealth of Nations) using short-wave transmitters at Daventry. These facilities were increased after World War II, and the transmitters now serve all parts of the world. The main industries of Daventry town are boot and shoe manufacture, light engineering, and the making of roller bearings. Daventry also functions as a dormitory town for nearby Midland cities. The district attracts hunters and fishers and contains the headquarters of the Pytchley foxhunt. Area district, 257 square miles (666 square km). Pop. (1991) town, 18,099; (1998 est.) district, 67,900.