Just over 60 years ago, Corby was an unobtrusive stone-built village with a population of only 1,500 - and a main street of cottages and shops, intermingled with several old-fashioned pubs. Rising above this peaceful setting was the beautiful old church of St. John the Baptist which was soon to witness the most startling transformation in its history - the emergence of Corby as the boom town of the 30's and a symbol of the age of steel. Very few of its inhabitants would have envisaged the vast changes which were soon to take place, but in order to appreciate its impact on the surrounding countryside, we must first look at its earlier history.

Corby, or Corbei as it was known in ancient times, has a long ancestry but very little history compared with its illustrious neighbours at Deene Park, Kirby Hall and Rockingham Castle. nevertheless, one of the earliest human relics ever to be unearthed in Northamptonshire, was found in the parish - a skeleton together with a knife or dagger, which both dated to the Bronze Age. The skeleton was subsequently re-interred in the local churchyard, and the weapon taken to the museum at Northampton. The name of the village dates back to the 8th century when a group of Danish invaders, with their leader, Kori, settled there. It thus became known as 'Kori's by' - Kori's settlement. The Viking settlers also established a unique tradition, which would survive the years as part of a later custom, the 'Pole Fair', during which 'riding the stang' would take place.

The area around Corby has always been rich in iron-ore which was excavated and worked before the coming of the Romans, who it is believed, from various finds, had an ironworks there during their occupation of the country. These rich deposits were to be continually used throughout history. Royal furnaces, or 'ferraria' as they were known, were also set up at nearby Geddington and Gretton from the time of Edward the Confessor's reign to that of Henry III, and the Doomsday Book names the 'Manor of Corbei' as an iron producing centre.

The extent of the ironstone deposits in the Corby area became apparent with the coming of the railways in the 19th century when further excavations revealed large ironstone beds. Corby had its own ironstone works in 1910, the plant being taken over by Stewarts and Lloyds in 1920, but it was not until 1933 that construction began to tap the vast reserves under the surface of the surrounding countryside to produce steel, and to manufacture tubes for the world's markets.

The large integrated works soon began to take shape as hundreds of labourers poured into the district to join the construction gangs, with Corby taking on the appearance of a Gold Rush shanty town, rather than a sleepy old English Village. Workers came from all over Britain, and early in 1934 the first contingent of Scottish folk arrived to form a large proportion of the new population. During those eventful days, men had walked from all corners of the country to obtain work, the local public houses being unable to cope with the supply and demand for beer. It was quite a common sight to see Irish labourers washing themselves in the brook after sleeping rough all night under hedges or in old barns.

The first of the new streets to be completed was Bessemer Grove, and about the same time the rebuilt blast furnace was officially lit by Miss Elspeth MacDiarmid, youngest daughter of the company's chairman. Neville chamberlain, the Prime Minister, was taken on a tour of the plant in October of the same year, when it was nearly completed, and in October 1935 , the first steel was tapped from the Bessemer converters. Eventually, the social life of the town began to settle down with new housing and sufficient facilities being provided for the growing population.

During World War II, the skills of Corby workers made a significant contribution to the invasion of Europe, by developing the pipeline under the ocean (PLUTO), a cross-channel link, carrying essential fuel to the Allied forces, as they advanced.

Despite the devastating closure of the iron and steel making departments in the 1980's the town rallied successfully, with the arrival of large companies like RS Components, Oxford University Press and Avon Cosmetics, providing many greatly-needed opportunities for employment. In 1982, Corby celebrated another Pole Fair. This ancient custom is held every twenty years, and transforms the original village area of the town into a colourful spectacle, with a carnival, fair, barbeque, bonfire, tug of war, celebration ball, shows, games and displays. Central to the occasion is the reading of the Royal Charter at the specially-placed toll gate positions. People failing to pay the toll for entry are carried off to the stocks - the men on a pole, the women in chairs.

Corby's Royal Charter was granted in 1568 by Elizabeth 1 and is believed to have been granted in return for personal services to Sir Christopher Hatton, her favourite courtier. Another tradition gives the reason as a token of gratitude by the Queen after her rescue by Corby men after she had fallen from her horse in Rockingham Forest. She is said to have commanded all local authorities in the country to exempt 'the men and tenants of the manor of Corbei' from tolls and dues. Prior to the charter, Corby had been granted permission to hold two fairs a year by Henry III in 1226, but these had long disappeared, though customs were retained in the Pole Fair.