History
Before Life As a School
"Roman settlements, Saxon pottery and royal ownership through William the Conqueror in 1066. Discoveries have been made in and around Upton for many years now and hold significant historical finds for the local area. Excavations in the walled garden before the construction of the sports field, revealed walls and ditches and some Saxon pottery, with the suggestion that this might have been a kiln or bakery site.
There have been more extensive finds from Roman times, like pot sherds and coins, which show possible connections with a large roman settlement in Duston. Duston was the local centre of Roman life and industry."
- An extract taken from 'A Brief History of Upton' by Kathleen A Healey BA, Cert Ed, previous Teacher of History at Quinton House.
UPTON HALL
The families who called Upton Hall home
The buildings that we see today are due to the work of the families who chose Upton Hall as their home. The strong family ties of the Knightly's, Samwell's and Harrington's are reflected today in our school house names.
The Knightly's of Upton
Sir Richard Knightly of Gnowshall in Staffordshire, bought Upton between 1416-1419. It passed to his son, also named Richard, who was said to be responsible for rebuilding the Hall alongside his wife Jane Spencer of Althorp. Both were buried here and there is a chest tomb in the grounds of St Michael's church.
The Samwell's of Upton
Sir William Samwell purchased Upton Hall from the Knightly family in 1600 and went on to be the longest inhabitants of Upton Hall. Sir William was the Auditor of the exchequer to Queen Elizabeth I. Many of the portraits hung in the historic ballroom reflects their impact. Sir Richard Samwell (son to William), became Sheriff of Northampton. Sir Thomas Samwell (Great Grandson to Richard), arguably became the most prominent owner of Upton Hall, making many of the changes to the building which we see today, along with his 2nd wife Mary.
Sir James Harrington
Son of Sir Sapcote Harrington and Jane Samwell (grandson to Sir William), was born at Upton Hall. He studied at Oxford, travelled Europe and returned a great personal friend of King Charles II. James was the leader of the Harringtonian Reform Movement and writer of 'The Commonwealth of Oceana'. Sir James Harrinton is buried in St Margaret's Church, Westminster.
Key dates in history
Portraits
Most of the original portraits that were installed in this room when it was new have survived. Predominantly featuring members of the Samwell family, but the family of Viscount Wenmore are also represented.
Although some of the portraits remained unknown (possibly hidden under their gold frames, there are a number who can be placed:
Sir Richard Samwell
Sir Thomas Samwell (son of Richard Samwell)
Sir Thomas Samwell, 2nd baronet with his son Thomas and 3 daughters; Millicent, Mary and Frances
Dame Millicent, 1st wife of Sir Thomas Samwell, 2nd baronet
Mary, 2nd wife of Sir Thomas, 2nd baronet
Frances, 1st Daughter of Thomas, 2nd Viscount Wenman
Elizabeth, 2nd daughter of Thomas, 2nd Viscount Wenman
Penelope. 3rd daughter of Thomas, 2nd Viscount Wenman
King Charles XI of Sweden
Sculptures
The stucco work in the ballroom is reported to be some of the best in England and is reputedly the work of Giuseppe Atari and his partner Giovanni Bagutti. The statue of Apollo is dated 1737 and is signed by Atari. Other works carried out by the famous sculptors include the ceiling work of St-Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square.
Mary, the 2nd wife of Sir Thomas Samwell has her coat of arms with scallop shells visible in many places and their initials are entwined over the ballroom door.
The semi-circular round arched niches with archivolts at the front of the building each hold a statue of the Seasons circa 1790.
St Michaels' Church
"The Royal Commission Report suggests that the church was built or rebuilt in its present form between 1158 and 1189, with the tower and porch later additions. The church was fully restored in 1892-93 as so many were in Victorian times. The Gothic arch set up in the gardens by the back of the main hall, is believed to have been taken from the church during the restoration.
The church has some interesting remains of the Knightly and Samwell families. Most imposing is the chest tomb of Sir Richard and his wife Jane. Also present is a tablet to Sir James Harrington, leader of the Harringtonian Reform Movement.
Four hatchments (coats of arms) are displayed:
Sir Thomas Samwell, 1st baronet
Sir Thomas Samwell, 2nd baronet
Sir Thomas Samwell, third baronet
Elizabeth, with of Sir Wenman Samwell, the last baronet.