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History of Luton
Luton is a town located in the south of Bedfordshire, England.
The earliest settlements in the Luton area were at Round Green and Mixes Hill, where Paleolithic encampments (about 250,000 years old) have been found. Settlements reappeared after the ice had retreated in the Mesolithic around 8000 BC; settlements have been found in the Leagrave area. Remains from the Neolithic (4500–2500 BC in this area) are much more common. A particular concentration of Neolithic burials is at Galley Hill. The most prominent Neolithic structure is Waulud's Bank, a henge dating from around 3000 BC. From the Neolithic onwards, the area seems to have been fairly thickly populated, but without any single large settlement.
The first urban settlement nearby was the small Roman town of Durocobrivis at Dunstable, but Roman remains in the modern area of Luton itself consist only of scattered farmsteads, with a core of settlement at Limbury with some evidence of substantial buildings, as well as at Wigmore and Park Street.
The foundation of Luton is usually dated to the 6th century when a Saxon outpost was founded on the River Lea, Lea tun.
Luton is recorded in the Domesday Book as Loitone and also as Lintone, when the town's population was around 700–800. Agriculture dominated the local economy at this time.
In 1121 Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester started work on St Mary's Church in the centre of the town, which was completed by 1137. A motte and bailey castle which gives its name to 'Castle Street' was built in 1139 during The Anarchy. The castle was demolished in 1154. The site is now home to Matalan. During the Middle Ages Luton is recorded as being home to six water mills. Mill Street, in the town centre, takes its name from one of them.
King John (1166–1216) had hired a mercenary soldier, Falkes de Breauté, to act on his behalf. (Bréauté is a small town near Le Havre in France.) When he married, he acquired his wife Margaret's London house which came to be known as "Fawkes Hall", subsequently corrupted over the years to "Foxhall", then "Vauxhall". In return for his services, King John granted Falkes the manor of Luton. He was also granted the right to bear his own coat of arms and chose the mythical griffin as his heraldic emblem. The griffin thus became associated with both Vauxhall and Luton in the early 13th century.
By 1240 the town is recorded as Leueton. The town had an annual market for surrounding villages in August each year, and with the growth of the town a second fair was granted each October from 1338.
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History of Luton
Luton is a town located in the south of Bedfordshire, England.
The earliest settlements in the Luton area were at Round Green and Mixes Hill, where Paleolithic encampments (about 250,000 years old) have been found. Settlements reappeared after the ice had retreated in the Mesolithic around 8000 BC; settlements have been found in the Leagrave area. Remains from the Neolithic (4500–2500 BC in this area) are much more common. A particular concentration of Neolithic burials is at Galley Hill. The most prominent Neolithic structure is Waulud's Bank, a henge dating from around 3000 BC. From the Neolithic onwards, the area seems to have been fairly thickly populated, but without any single large settlement.
The first urban settlement nearby was the small Roman town of Durocobrivis at Dunstable, but Roman remains in the modern area of Luton itself consist only of scattered farmsteads, with a core of settlement at Limbury with some evidence of substantial buildings, as well as at Wigmore and Park Street.
The foundation of Luton is usually dated to the 6th century when a Saxon outpost was founded on the River Lea, Lea tun.
Luton is recorded in the Domesday Book as Loitone and also as Lintone, when the town's population was around 700–800. Agriculture dominated the local economy at this time.
In 1121 Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester started work on St Mary's Church in the centre of the town, which was completed by 1137. A motte and bailey castle which gives its name to 'Castle Street' was built in 1139 during The Anarchy. The castle was demolished in 1154. The site is now home to Matalan. During the Middle Ages Luton is recorded as being home to six water mills. Mill Street, in the town centre, takes its name from one of them.
King John (1166–1216) had hired a mercenary soldier, Falkes de Breauté, to act on his behalf. (Bréauté is a small town near Le Havre in France.) When he married, he acquired his wife Margaret's London house which came to be known as "Fawkes Hall", subsequently corrupted over the years to "Foxhall", then "Vauxhall". In return for his services, King John granted Falkes the manor of Luton. He was also granted the right to bear his own coat of arms and chose the mythical griffin as his heraldic emblem. The griffin thus became associated with both Vauxhall and Luton in the early 13th century.
By 1240 the town is recorded as Leueton. The town had an annual market for surrounding villages in August each year, and with the growth of the town a second fair was granted each October from 1338.