NORTHAMPTON, a town in England, capital
of a county of the same name, situated in W. Long.
o. 55. N. Lat. 52. 15. According to Camden, it
was formerly called North-asfandon, from its situation
to the north of the river Nen, called anciently Aufona,
by which and another lesser river it is almost enclosed.
Dr Gibson says, that the ancient Saxon annals called
both it and Southampton simply Hamton; and after-
wards, to distinguish them, called the one, from its situa-
tion, Southampton, and the other Northampton; but
never North-asfandon. Though it does not appear to
be a place of very great antiquity, nor to have emerged
from obscurity till after the Conquest, it has sent mem-
bers to parliament since the reign of Edward I. and
being in the heart of the kingdom, several parliaments
have been held at it. There was also a castle, and a
church dedicated to St Andrew, built by Simon de
Sancto Lacio, commonly called Senlex, the first earl of
Northampton of that name. It is said to have
been burnt down during the Danish depredations; but
in the reign of St Edward it appears to have been a
considerable place. It was besieged by the barons in
their war with King John; at which time that mili-
tary work called Hunhill, is supposed to have been
raised. In the time of Henry III. it sided with the
barons, when it was besieged and taken by the king.
Here the bloody battle was fought in which Henry VI.
was taken prisoner. It was entirely consumed by a
most dreadful fire in 1675; yet, by the help of liberal
contributions from all parts of the country, it hath
so recovered itself, that it is now one of the neatest
and best built towns of the kingdom. Among the pub-
lic buildings which are all lofty, the most remarkable
are the church called All-hallows (which stands at the
meeting of four spacious streets), the sessions and assize
house, and the George inn, which belongs to the poor
of the town. A county hospital or infirmary has been
lately built here, after the manner of those of Bath,
London, Bristol, &c. It has a considerable manu-
facture of shoes and stockings; and its fairs are noted
for horses both for draught and saddle; besides, it is
a great thoroughfare for the north and west roads. It
was formerly walled, and had seven churches within
and two without. The horse market is reckoned to
exceed all others in the kingdom, it being deemed the
centre of all its horse markets and horse fairs, both
for saddle and harness, and the chief rendezvous of the
jockies both from York and London. Its principal
manufacture is shoes, of which great numbers are sent
beyond sea; and the next to that, stockings and lace,
as we have hinted at above. It is the richer and more
populous, by being a thoroughfare both in the north
and west roads; but, being 80 miles from the sea, it
can have no commerce by navigation. The walls of
this town were above two miles in compass. It is sup-
posed to contain about 1085 houses, and 5200 inhabi-
tants. It had formerly a nunnery in the neighbouring
meadows, with several other monasteries; and of its
very old castle on the west side of the town, a small part
of the ruins is still to be seen. Some discontented
scholars.
Northamp- scholars came hither from Oxford and Cambridge, about
tentaire the end of the reign of Henry III. and, with the king's
North
Rocks. leave, prosecuted their studies here academically for
three years; during which there was the face of an
university, till it was put a stop to by express prohibition,
because it was a damage to both universities. The public
horse races are on a neighbouring down, called Pey-Leys. In and about the town are abundance
of cherry gardens. Within half a mile of the town is
one of the crosses erected by King Edward I. in mem-
ory of his queen Eleanor, whose corpse was rested
there in its way to Westminster. On the north side
of the river, near that cross, many Roman coins have
been ploughed up. At Guileborough, north-west of
Northampton, are to be seen the vestiges of a Roman
camp, the situation of which is the more remarkable,
as lying between the Nene and the Avon, the only pass from
the north to the south parts of England not intercepted
by any river. This camp was secured only by a single
intrenchment, which was, however, very broad and deep.