Spelhoe

Spelhoe Hundred in Northamptonshire

Spelhoe Hundred is one of the hundreds of Northamptonshire, located in the centre of the county. It is bounded to the north by Orlingbury Hundred; to the east by Hamfordshoe; to the south by Wymersley; to the west by Nobottle Grove. A detached part of Spelhoe also borders Guilsborough Hundred. Including those parts of Northampton east and north of the River Nene, Spelhoe had a population of 139,134 in 2011.

George Baker's History of Northamptonshire tells us that "the Saxon orthography of this hundred presents an obvious and characteristic etymology. Spel, including in its widest acceptation any species of oral address or written documents, and hoh, denoting a hill or elevated site form, when combined a complete illustration of the original hundred courts which, 'in the olden time' were convened in the open air or some conspicuous well-known spot selected for the general convenience of the inhabitants; and hence most of the hundreds were primarily denominated not from the principal town within the district, but from places of rendezvous, the very names of which have, in many instances, sunk into oblivion with the disuse of the custom.

It comprises the following ancient parishes:

• Abington
• Boughton
• Great Billing
• Kingsthorpe
• Little Billing
• Moulton
• Moulton Park (ex. par.)
• Northampton All Saints, St Andrew's Priory, St Giles, St Peter & St Sepulchre
• Overstone
• Pitsford
• Spratton (except Little Creaton hamlet)^*
• Weston Favell

^*: In Guilsborough hundred.