Desborough is a town located in the Ise Valley between Market Harborough and Kettering.
It was an industrial centre for weaving and shoe-making in the 19th century and had a long association with the Co-operative movement.
For centuries farming was the mainstay of the then village of Desborough. The Doomsday book records Desborough as having 30 households. In the 17th century the town became a centre for spinning and weaving woollen and linen fabrics. By the mid-19th century silk weaving and lace making were introduced. In 1832 the first factory was opened, three cottages knocked into one, on Paddock Lane. Silk weaving died out completely in Desborough during the 1860’s when it was replaced by boot and shoe manufacturing.
In 1859, two years after the arrival of the railway, ironstone quarrying began, continuing until 1966.
Desborough still manufactures products although it is more diverse including shoes, lingerie, corrugated cardboard boxes, and garden sheds.
