Thehistory of Northamptonshire spans the sameperiod asEnglish history.
Much of Northamptonshire's countryside appears to have remained somewhat intractable with regards to early human occupation, resulting in an apparently sparse population and relatively few finds from thePalaeolithic,Mesolithic andNeolithic periods.[1] In about 500 BC theIron Age was introduced into the area by a continental people in the form of theHallstatt culture,[2] and over the next century a series of hill-forts were constructed atArbury Camp,Rainsborough camp, Borough Hill, Castle Dykes,Guilsborough,Irthlingborough, and most notably of all,Hunsbury Hill. There are two more possible hill-forts atArbury Hill (Badby) andThenford.[2]
In the 1st century BC, most of what later became Northamptonshire became part of the territory of theCatuvellauni, aBelgic tribe, the Northamptonshire area forming their most northerly possession.[2] TheCatuvellauni were in turn conquered by theRomans in 43 AD.[3]
The Roman road ofWatling Street passed through the county, and an important Roman settlement,Lactodorum, stood on the site of modern-dayTowcester. There were other Roman settlements atNorthampton,Kettering and along theNene Valley nearRaunds. A large fort was built atLongthorpe.[2]
After the Romans left, the area eventually became part of theAnglo-Saxon kingdom ofMercia, and Northampton functioned as an administrative centre. The Mercians converted to Christianity in 654 AD with the death of thepagan kingPenda.[4]
At some time in the 7th century the district which is nowNorthamptonshire suffered a simultaneous invasion by theWest Saxons from the south and theAnglian tribes from the north. Relics discovered in the county testify to a mingling of people, at the same time showing that West Saxon influence never spread farther north than a line fromDaventry toWarwick, and with the extension of theMercian kingdom underPenda and the conversion of the midland districts ceased altogether.[5]
Abbeys at Medehamstede (nowPeterborough) andPipewell were begun byPeada in 655, and at about the same time foundations were established atPeakirk,Weedon Beck,Castor andOundle.[5]
From about 889 the area was conquered by theDanes (as at one point almost all of England was, except forAthelney marsh inSomerset) and became part of theDanelaw – withWatling Street serving as the boundary – until being recaptured by the English under theWessex kingEdward the Elder, son ofAlfred the Great, in 917. Northamptonshire was conquered again in 940, this time by theVikings ofYork, who devastated the area, only for the county to be retaken by the English in 942.[6] Consequently, it is one of the few counties in England to have both Saxon and Danish town-names and settlements.[citation needed]
The county was first recorded in theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle (1011), asHamtunscire: thescire (shire) ofHamtun (the homestead). The "North" was added to distinguish Northampton from the other importantHamtun further south:Southampton – though the origins of the two names are in fact different.[7]
As ashire Northamptonshire was probably of Danish origin, representing in the 10th century the area which owed allegiance to Northampton as a political and administrative centre. In 921 this area extended to theRiver Welland, the present northern limit of the county. In the 11th century Northamptonshire was included inTostig's northernearldom; but in 1065, together withHuntingdonshire, it was detached fromNorthumbria and bestowed onWaltheof.[5]
The onlymonastic foundation which survived theConquest was Peterborough. At the time of theDomesday Survey the boundaries of Northamptonshire were approximately the same as the present day. Northamptonshire is first mentioned by name in theHistoria Eliensis, in connection with events which occurred at the close of the 10th century. At the time of the Domesday survey the chief lay-tenant in Northamptonshire wasRobert, earl of Mortain, whosefiefescheated to the crown in 1106. The estates ofWilliam Peverel, founder of theAbbey of St James at Northampton, also escheated to the crown in the 12th century.[5]
Norman castles existed atRockingham,Barnwell,Lilbourne,Northampton[5] andHigham Ferrers.[8]
The Geld roll of the time ofWilliam I and theDomesday Survey of 1086 mention 28hundreds in Northamptonshire, and part ofRutland is assessed under this county. By 1316 the divisions had undergone considerable changes, both in name and in extent, and had been reduced to their present number, 20, since which date they have remained practically unaltered. The names of the hundreds point to primitive meeting-places gradually superseded by villages and towns. For example, the court forFawsley hundred met under a largebeech tree in Fawsley Park until the beginning of the 18th century, when it was transferred toEverdon. Theshire court originally met at Northampton.[5]
Northamptonshire was originally included in theDiocese of Lincoln. Thearchdeaconry of Northampton is mentioned in the 12th century, and in 1291 included the deaneries of Peterborough, Northampton,Brackley,Oundle,Higham,Daventry,Preston,Weldon,Rothwell and Haddon.[5]
Northampton was a favourite meeting-place of the councils andparliaments of the Norman and Plantagenet kings. In 1215John was besieged inNorthampton Castle by the barons, and in 1264,Henry III captured the castle from the youngerSimon de Montfort.[5]
During theWars of the Roses,Henry VI was defeated at Northampton in 1460.[5]
TheDiocese of Peterborough was created in 1541.[5]
In theCivil War of the 17th century, the county declared almost unanimously for the parliament. Although aroyalistgarrison was placed atTowcester byPrince Rupert in 1644, it was almost immediately withdrawn.[5]
In 1875, the archdeaconry ofOakham was formed and included in this county the first and second deaneries of Peterborough and the deaneries of Oundle, Weldon andHigham Ferrers. By 1900 the Northampton archdeaconry included the first, second and third deaneries of Brackwell and Rothwell, the first and second deaneries of Haddon and Preston, and the deaneries of Daventry, Northampton and Weldon.[5]
Holdenby House was built by SirChristopher Hatton, privy councillor toQueen Elizabeth, andYardley Hastings was named from the Hastings, formerlyearls of Pembroke. Higham Ferrers was the seat of the Ferrers family;Braybrook Castle was built byRobert of Braybrooke, a favourite of King John; andBurghley House gave the title ofbaron toWilliam Cecil.[5]
In 1290Northamptonshire returned two members to parliament, and in 1295Northampton also returned two members. In 1547Brackley andPeterborough returned each two members, and in 1557Higham Ferrers returned one member. Following theReform Act 1832, the county returned four members in two divisions; both Brackley and Higham Ferrers were disfranchised.[9]
Theiron-mines andstone-quarries of Northamptonshire were worked in Roman times, but the former were entirely neglected from the Plantagenet period until their rediscovery in 1850, while the two most famous quarries, those ofBarnack andStanion, were exhausted about the 16th century. Thewool and leather industries flourished in Norman times.[5]
In the 17th century the weaving industry declined in the Northampton district, but flourished aroundKettering. Other early industries werecharcoal-burning, brick and tile manufacture andbrewing. The industries ofwhip-making, pipe-making, silk-weaving and paper-making were introduced in the 17th and 18th centuries.[5] Tanning was a flourishing industry, and provided the materials for shoemaking which became a principal industry in the county. Northamptonshire made boots forOliver Cromwell'sNew Model Army, and the making of army boots continued to be an important feature of the economy until the 20th century, as well as boots and shoes of other kinds.[citation needed]
Although Northamptonshire was rich in monastic foundations, remains, except of the abbey-church ofPeterborough, afterwards the cathedral, are of small importance. AtGeddington, and also atHardingstone, nearNorthampton, there is anEleanor cross, erected byEdward I to the memory ofhis queen, in good preservation.[9]
For the architecture of its churches, Northampton holds a place scarcely inferior to any other English county. To theSaxon period belong the tower ofEarls Barton church, which stands on what is probably the mound of an old English strong-house; the tower and other portions atBrigstock; the ground plan and other portions atWittering; the remarkable tower atBarnack; andBrixworth church, constructed in part of Roman materials, and by some believed to include part of aRoman basilica.[9]
OfNorman, besides the cathedral of Peterborough, the finest examples areSt Peter's andSt Sepulchre's,Northampton, and the tower ofCastor church. St Mary's church,Higham Ferrers, formerly collegiate,Early English and Decorated, is one of the finest churches in the county, and, as specially noteworthy among many beautiful buildings, there may be mentioned the churches atIrthlingborough andLowick, with their lantern towers,Warmington, a very fine specimen of Early English work,Rushden,Finedon,Raunds andFotheringhay.[9]
Philip PorterThomas Percy, author of thePercy's Reliques, and afterwardsBishop of Dromore, was rector of the church atEaston Maudit.[9]
A gateway atRockingham, leading to thecastle, which is still lived in, and earth-works at Higham Ferrers andBrackley are worthy of mention. Only a large mound and visible earthworks remain of the castle atFotheringhay, famous as the scene of the imprisonment, trial andexecution ofMary, Queen of Scots.[9] Part of the house which was the birthplace ofRichard III still stands and is now a private dwelling.
Barnwell Castle, founded byWilliam the Conqueror, an interesting example of the defensive construction of the period, is still a fine ruin, which includes four of the round towers and an imposing gateway.[9]
Holdenby Manor House, whereSir Christopher Hatton (1540–1591) was born, and whereCharles I was staying when he was carried away byCornet Joyce, is largely restored.[9]
Among ancient mansions areCastle Ashby, the seat of theComptons, the oldest portion belonging to the reign ofHenry VIII;Althorp, the seat of theSpencers, of various dates; Drayton House, of the time ofHenry VI; the vast pile ofBurghley House,Stamford, founded byLord Burghley (1553), but more than once altered and enlarged;Kirby Hall, a beautifulElizabethan building once the residence of Sir Christopher Hatton;[9] andLilford Hall a fine example of a Jacobean mansion.
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Northamptonshire".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 768–770. Endnotes: