Northampton
'Castello Fortior Concordia' means
'Peace is stronger than a fortress'.
Northampton, the Crossroads of England, was to
become one of the most prosperous and most important towns in
England. From it's early Saxon beginings when it was known as Hamm
Tun (The village by the well watered meadow), Northampton rose from
a royal and ecclesiastical centre of some importance from the
eighth century to become a military centre for the Danes and
probably fortified from the late ninth or early tenth century. Once
described as a port in 1010, it is well placed in the heart of the
country for access to all major routes, East , North, South or
West, Northampton was a critical link. NE. to SW, Northamptonshire
is about 70 miles in length and E. to W about 26 miles in breadth
covering an area of approximately 629,912 acres.
Northampton Castle became the seat of Parliament for over 200 years
and to prove it was an important town, it had it's own mint between
970–1154. The Doomsday book has Northampton as the only place
where burgesses are recorded, indicating that Northampton was the
only borough in Northamptonshire. A burgess is a freeman who holds
land called a burbage in a borough.
Daniel Defoe:
From Daventry we cross'd the country to Northampton, the handsomest and best built town in all this part of England; but here, as at Warwick, the beauty of it is owing to its own disasters, for it was so effectually and suddenly burnt down, that very few houses were left standing, and this, tho' the fire began in the day-time; the flame also spread itself with such fury, and run on with such terrible speed, that they tell us a townsman being at Queen's Cross upon a hill, on the south side of the town, about two miles off, saw the fire at one end of the town then newly begun, and that before he could get to the town it was burning at the remotest end, opposite to that there he first saw it; 'tis now finely rebuilt with brick and stone, and the streets made spacious and wide.
The town was a popular place for the Kings through the centuries with King John spending most of his reign in Northampton. Even today, Northamptonshire still retains it's strong royal connections and ultimately became the resting place of the Princess of Wales, Princess Dianna, at Althorpe house.
As Northamptons' strength increased so did it's weakness. High
taxation in the 13th & 14th centuries coupled with the Bubonic
plague (Black Death) drove Northampton into a deep recession. A
recession that threw it from power and one that it could never
fully recover from. Not even the thriving shoe industry in later
times, was able to bring it back into the top three towns for
prosperity.
In 1662, Northampton was severely reprimanded for it's loyalty. For
siding with parliament in the Civil War, Northampton was soon to
feel the wrath of the newly restored monarchy. Charles || tore down
Northamptons castle vowing that Northampton should never be able to
defend itself again.
And by a quirk of guilt perhaps, during the Great Fire of 1675,
when the town was almost completely destroyed and raised to the
ground, the same King relented and helped rebuild the town. Did you
know that during the Great Fire of 1675, 600 or so buildings were
destroyed, 700 families were made homeless but only 11 people died.
The fire burned most of the medieval city to a cinder and the
Georgian town grew up in its place. During this period Northampton
was much admired for its public buildings, such as All Saints'
Church and the Sessions House
Did you know ?
The population of Northamptonshire increased by just over four-fold between 1801 to 1991.
In 1991, one in seven households in Northamptonshire did not have central heating.
Between 1851 and 1901, the number of people employed on the railways in Northamptonshire increased from 465 people to 5,375 people.
In 1881, 8% of Northamptonshire’s female population were employed as indoor domestic servants.
In 1851, there were 2 chimney sweeps aged between 5 and 9 in Northamptonshire.
In 1831 the Borough of Northampton increased in population by 4,558 persons, chiefly attributable to the extension of boot and shoe manufactories. By 1891 there were 1,229 blacksmiths in Northamptonshire.
In Northamptonshire the number of agricultural labourers fell from 25,822 in 1861 to 8,502 in 1931
Over the last 150 years, the proportion of children has dropped steadily: in 1851, 38% of the population was under 15, but today only 19% is.
The proportion of the population aged over 65 was close to 5% in all censuses from 1851 to 1911, but it then tripled during the 20th century.
As with many other towns, Northampton has a chequered history
and many legacies, monuments and buildings from bygone ages still
survive. From the earliest known settlement camp at Hunsbury Hill
to the Roman villa remains found at Duston and the 11th century
castle "stumps", Northampton is able to plot it's course through
the ages.
Northampton is easy to find - right in the heart of the country at
a crossing of major routes both north-south and east-west.
Northampton has a strong connection with the USA as founding
families such as the Washingtons and Franklins came from
Northamptonshire. Even President Bush claims a connection!! He has
traced his roots back to a village near Daventry in the north of
the county called Badby. He is related to Henry Spencer of Badby
born about 1392 in Badby, Northamptonshire, England. He died about
1476.
The first Mayor of Northampton was thought once to be in the reign
of Richard 1st, but there appears to be no evidence for the
existence of a mayor except for the handwriting of certain undated
deeds. On 17 February 1215, King John, then at Silverstone,
addressed a writ to Northampton: 'Know that we have received
William Thilly to be your mayor. We therefore command you to be
intendent to him as your mayor, and to cause to be elected twelve
of the better and more discreet of your town to expedite with him
your affairs in your town.'
In the course of the 17th and 18th centuries, Northampton had been
called the Mecca of English Nonconformists, and, less kindly, 'a
nest of Puritans—malignant, refractory spirits who disturb
the peace of the church.' Between supporting Simon de Montfort
against the King and the persistence in re-electing Charles
Bradlaugh, there is a recurring tradition of defiance of
authority.