Wollaston is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England, about south of the market town of Wellingborough. The 2011 census recorded the population of the parish, including Strixton, as 3,491. Wollaston is from above sea level on hills east of the Nene valley. The soil is clay over subsoil and is on the old Wellingborough to London road. Summer Leys Local Nature reserve is nearby. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the toponym as Wilavestone. In a document written in 1190 it is spelt Wullaueston. The name comes from Old English and is believed to mean the farmstead or village of a man named Wulfaf. History Wollaston was developed as a linear settlement starting at what is now Cobbs Lane moving past Bell End, Rotten Row, St Michaels' Lane and down towards Strixton. Romano-British Settlement and activity in the area are known to date from at least Roman times. Remains of an Romano-British vineyard are known in Wollaston, and are some of the first such sites confirmed in Britain. The course of a Roman road passes roughly east–west just south of the modern part of Wollaston. The course of another Roman road passes north–south to the east. Anglo-Saxon There is strong evidence of an Anglo-Saxon settlement and activity, including the discovery of the Anglo-Saxon Pioneer helmet in a warrior's grave dating from about AD 700. High Middle Ages The oldest visible part of Wollaston is known as Beacon Hill, an ancient castle earthwork or burial mound which once belonged to Bury Manor. The mound was once surrounded by a great ditch which dates back to the 12th century. A wall plaque records that this was the site of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle. In 1260 William de Bray secured a charter from Henry III to hold an annual Michaelmas fair and a weekly market to be held on a Tuesday. In 1282 Margery de Wolaston was elected Abbess of Delapré Abbey in Northampton. She died circa 1296. 18th century In 1788 Wollaston's open fields and common lands were enclosed by Act of Parliament. At the time David Hennell, a lace dealer from Wollaston wrote "I lament that this field is now agoing to be enclosed. Some that have large quantities of land are set upon it, and pay no regard to the many little ones that may be injured, and I fear many ruined." The enclosure reduced the number