Towcester was the Roman walled garrison town of Lactodorum on Watling
Street. The A5 is still its main street. Until it was fortified by Edward the
Elder in 917, the town lay on the frontier between Wessex and the Danelaw.
Thereafter it remained a royal burgh. In 1086 it was held by King William. No
church was recorded. In 1142 the possession of Towcester church (with its
chapels) by the abbey of Saint-Wandrille in Normandy was confirmed by Pope
Innocent II. The original gift may have been William I's, if a disputed charter
is believed (see RCHME). The advowson was held by Saint-Wandrille until 1285,
when it exchanged its in Towcester rights with Bradenstock Priory (Wilts).
Benefice of Towcester with Easton Neston.