History |
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates to the Bronze Age, Romans and Anglo-Saxons. In the Middle Ages, the town rose to national significance with the establishment of Northampton Castle, an occasional royal residence which regularly hosted the Parliament of England. Medieval Northampton had many churches, monasteries and the University of Northampton (1261 to 1265), all enclosed by the town walls. It was granted a town charter by Richard I in 1189 and a mayor was appointed by King John in 1215. The town was also the site of two medieval battles, in 1264 and 1460.
The town largely supported the Parliamentary Roundheads during the English Civil War, which prompted Charles II to order the destruction of the town walls and most of the castle. The Great Fire of Northampton in 1675 also destroyed much of the historic town. Northampton was soon rebuilt and grew rapidly with the industrial development of the 18th century. The town continued to expand with the arrival of the Grand Union Canal and the railways in the 19th century, becoming a centre for footwear and leather manufacture.
Growth was limited following the World Wars until it was designated a New Town in 1968, accelerating development which has continued into the 21st century. Northampton unsuccessfully applied for city status four times; in 1992, 2000, 2002 and 2022.
The antecedents of the University of Northampton are in a school founded in the reign of King Richard I. Richard patronised the institution and, according to at least one historian, between 1176 and 1193 the school at Northampton 'rivalled or even eclipsed the Oxford schools'. The school lost a powerful supporter with the death of King Richard. In the 13th century, through the reign of King John and his son Henry III, the nascent university gained the patronage of Simon de Montfort.(A mistake, one feels...) In 1261, with the approval of Henry III, the university was granted a royal charter. The existence of the university was brief. In 1265, four years after it was established, Henry III revoked the town's licence to have a university. One factor in this may have been the participation of scholars in opposition to the King's forces during the Siege of Northampton in April 1264, when Henry III's forces besieged the supporters of Simon de Montfort, patron of the university, in Northampton Castle. Sources from the time suggest that opposition from the University of Oxford was also a significant factor. (University of Cambridge founded 1209, royal charter 1231. Suggestion that Oxford students turned up in 1209 and nearly stopped at Northampton.)
The Battle of Northampton took place during the Second Barons' War. The battle was a decisive victory for the royalist forces of King Henry III of England, who took Northampton Castle and captured Simon de Montfort (the Younger), son of Simon de Montfort (the Older).
On April 5, 1264, the encounter took place, royalist forces advanced over the water meadows south of the town to attack its main gate with 'engines', which might just mean ladders or hurdles. Meanwhile, another party rode clockwise along the built-up area's western perimeter, looking for an easier entrance. While the townsmen entrusted with the southern sector held up the initial attack, the outflanking detachment found a breach in the garden wall of St. Andrew's Priory, at the north of the town (There's a Greyfriars road still there). Simon de Montfort (the Younger) reacted to the break-in, riding up on his horse with his squire and an unknown sergeant to contest the breach. But Simon was captured and threw the defenders into disarray. Simon de Montfort (the Older) mounted a rear-guard rescue attempt but on April 6 the castle fell.
The Battle of Northampton was fought on 10 July 1460 near the River Nene, Northamptonshire. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were an army led by nobles loyal to King Henry VI of the House of Lancaster, his Queen Margaret of Anjou and their six-year-old son Edward, Prince of Wales, on one side, and the army of Edward, Earl of March, and Warwick the Kingmaker on the other. The battle was the first in which artillery was used in England.
The Duke of Buckingham, the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Egremont and Lord Beaumont all died trying to save Henry from the Yorkists closing on his tent. Three hundred other Lancastrians were slain in the battle. King Henry VI was captured by an archer, Henry Mountfort. Henry was found in his tent by Warwick, March and Fauconberg. Showing him proper respect they escorted him to Delapré Abbey, then Northampton, and finally London, where the tower garrison surrendered soon after.
Ramsey's 1892 map of the Battle of Northampton
Estimated positions of the Yorkist and Lancastrian armies at Northampton, 10 July 1460
The royal connection to Northampton Castle became less significant (after the Simon de Monfort affair) and, by the time of the English Civil War, Northampton was decidedly pro-Parliament. Though Spencer Compton, Earl of Northampton, was a royalist (Cavalier) and backed King Charles I, the people of Northampton supported Parliament and Oliver Cromwell's Roundhead army. The town had a long history of religious dissent from the Lollards and Puritanism gained a strong hold on the town. The corporation of the town, having already refused to provide troops to the King in 1632 or to pay the notorious ship money tax in 1636, petitioned Parliament in 1642 against papists and bishops.
When war broke out in 1642, the town willingly became the main Parliamentarian garrison for the south-east Midlands area with the former royal castle as its headquarters. In 1643, Prince Rupert attacked Northampton with approximately 2,000 men, but was beaten back at the North Gate of the town. Oliver Cromwell visited in 1645 and General Fairfax marched from the town to Naseby, where Charles I's Royalist army was decisively defeated. Over 4,000 pairs of leather shoes and 600 pairs of cavalry jack-boots for the Parliamentary armies were manufactured in Northampton during the Civil War, and a further 2,000 for Cromwell's New Model Army in 1648. Until well into the 19th century, the shoe industry boomed in and around the town with small manufacturing workshops set up in the surrounding areas.
Northampton town wall and defences. The wall was built by the 1st Earl of Northampton, Simon de senlis I, between 1090-1111. Grants of murage were made in 1224, 1251, and 1301, the latter so large that it suggests a rebuild rather than repair. The four main gates were on the Market Harborough, London, Kettering and Daventry roads. After falling into disuse in the 16th century, it was repaired in 1642-3. Demolished on Royal orders in 1662. Speed's map of 1610 shows two triangular bastions towards the south-east corner on the south side.Excavations in Green street in 1986-7 recovered the most complete sequence yet found. The earliest defences were a clay bank revetted in timber of early 10th century date. This was later refaced in stone and a gateway ceated. The latter was blocked in the 12th century when the Mediaeval town wall was built. Evidence of Civil War usage was seen in two ditches cut into the Medieval infilled ditch. ...
The survey of 1586 makes no reference to a town wall and this would appear to suggest that it was either fully levelled or at least largely ruinous. Upper fills of Civil War defences were sealed by a layer containing scattered fragments and blocks of ironstone (most probably derived from the medieval town wall). This indicates that there was a deliberate levelling and clearance of the site in which remnants of the town wall were thrown down the pronounced scarp between the bank and the infilled ditches. The date of this event has not been established but it must have been either late in the 17th or early in the 18th century.
The Great Fire of Northampton occurred on the 20th of September 1675 in Northampton in Northamptonshire, England. The blaze was caused by sparks from an open fire on St. Mary's Street, near Northampton Castle. The fire devastated the town centre, destroying about 700 of the town's 850 buildings, including All Saints church, in six hours. Three quarters of the town was destroyed, 11 people died and about 700 families were made homeless. Many people escaped the fire by going through Welsh House on the market square to safety.
Local people and businesses raised £25,000 towards re-building the town centre based around the Market Square. Streets were widened to help prevent a re-occurrence. King Charles II donated 1,000 tons of timber from Salcey Forest for the re-building. A commemorative statue of the king (dressed in a Roman toga) stands on the portico of the re-built All Saints church.
In 1724, the town's new appearance inspired author and traveler Daniel Defoe to describe Northampton as the "handsomest and best built town in all this part of England… finely rebuilt with brick and stone, and the streets made spacious and wide".
Hazelrigg House escaped the fire. The Holy Sepulche church did as well.
(From All Saints website> The Great Fire of Northampton All Hallows' Church in Northampton had a rich history that endured through various periods of alteration until a significant event occurred on 20th September 1675 - the Great Fire of Northampton. This disastrous event resulted in the destruction of much of the old town. It is believed that 700 of the 850 buildings in the town centre were destroyed in the fire, including All Hallows' Church. The event was caused by sparks from an open fire in a home on St Mary's street, situated near the castle. The fire quickly spread and engulfed the surrounding buildings. As the flames raged, the residents of Northampton sought refuge in the Market Square, hoping to find safety from the advancing fire. However, the situation grew increasingly dire, and the authorities ordered the evacuation of the square. The residents were forced to abandon their positions and flee, leaving behind the buildings in the path of the fire. Over 700 families were left homeless and there were a total of 11 deaths. Tragically, All Hallows' Church, along with numerous other structures, fell victim to the relentless blaze. The fire's destructive path consumed the church, reducing it to ashes and leaving behind a scene of devastation. The loss of All Hallows Church was a profound blow to the community, as it represented not only a place of worship but also a symbol of the town's history and identity. While the Great Fire of Northampton caused immense destruction, it also marked a turning point in the town's architectural development. Following the fire, efforts were made to rebuild and revitalise Northampton, leading to the construction of new buildings and a renewed focus on urban planning. In a remarkable display of community spirit and determination, local residents and businesses rallied together, raising an impressive sum of £25,000 to finance the ambitious re-construction of the town centre centred around the bustling Market Square. With a collective effort, the streets were widened, a crucial measure taken to mitigate the chances of a similar calamity in the future. Furthermore, the restoration efforts received a significant boost when King Charles II generously donated an astounding 1,000 tons of timber sourced from Salcey Forest, ensuring an ample supply of building materials for the re-building endeavor. The memory of All Hallows' Church and its destruction in the Great Fire of Northampton serves as a reminder of the resilience of the town and its ability to recover and rebuild even in the face of catastrophic events. Today, the historical significance of All Hallows' Church is remembered, honoring its place in the town's past while the community continues to move forward.
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 great new church, the town-hall, the jayl, and all their public buildings, are the finest in any country town in England, being all new built: But he took very little notice of Northampton, or rather had never seen it, who told us of a cathedral, a chapter-house and a cloyster.
The great inn at the George, the corner of the High Street, looks more like a palace than an inn, and cost above 2000l. building; and so generous was the owner, that, as we were told, when he had built it, he gave it to the poor of the town.
This is counted the center of all the horse-markets and horse-fairs in England, there being here no less than four fairs in a year: Here they buy horses of all sorts, as well for the saddle as for the coach and cart, but chiefly for the two latter.
Late 9th Century Danes conquer eastern England and turn the village of Hamm tun into a fortified town
914 The name Northampton is first recorded. Northampton is a flourishing market town.
1010 The Danes burn Northampton
1086 Northampton has a population of about 1,500
1189 Northampton is given a charter (a document granting the people certain rights)
1215 Northampton has a mayor for the first time
1264 Northampton is sacked during a civil war
1300 Northampton has a population of about 2,500-3,000. It is famous for its wool-making industry.
1349 The Black Death devastates the population
1516 A fire devastates much of Northampton
1595 The Welsh House is built
1642 Northampton is already known for shoe-making
1660 Charles II orders the destruction of the walls around Northampton
1675 On 20 September a fire starts on St Marys Street. It spreads through Northampton and destroys half the houses in the town.
1744 A County Hospital is built. Northampton has a population of about 5,000.
1801 Northampton has a population of about 7,000
1823 The streets of Northampton are lit by gas
1838 A lunatic asylum is built in Northampton
1845 The railway reaches Northampton
1864 The Guildhall is built
1877 The first public library opens in Northampton
1880 Horse drawn trams run in the streets of Northampton
1884 The Royal Theatre is built
1892 Northampton gains electric street lights
1898 Victoria Park opens
1900 Northampton has a population of about 87,000
1901 The boundaries of Northampton are extended
1930 Shoemaking in Northampton is in rapid decline
1936 A public baths is built
1965 Northampton is designated a new town to which many Londoners will emigrate
1968 Northampton Development Corporation is formed
1970 Work begins on building the new town
1974 Weston Favell Shopping Centre is built. The Derngate Theatre is built.
1975 Grosvenor Shopping Centre is built
1985 The Northampton Development Corporation is wound up
2011 The population of Northampton is 195,000
2025 The population of Northampton is 215,000
© Jo Edkins 2026