A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



and students, annoyed at the too frequent disturbances of their studies, deter- 

 mined to migrate to Northampton.' For this plan they obtained a licence on 

 I February, 1260— i, from the king,** who also issued letters patent to the 

 Northampton authorities directing them to receive the new-comers and treat 

 them with due respect/ 



Early in i 264 the settlement was reinforced by the advent of a number 

 of students from Oxford who had left that city in fear that their privileges 

 would be taken away by the king in consequence of a recent town-and-gown 

 conflict. These seceders were shortly afterwards induced by the king to 

 return, but before any except a very few of them had actually done so, Henry 

 issued a new writ expelling all scholars from Oxford till after the approaching 

 session of Parliament there, probably because the university favoured the 

 baronial party. Many of the ejected scholars thereupon openly went over to 

 the barons, and were directed by them to repair to Northampton,* which thus 

 seems to have received two immigrations from Oxford in rapid succession. 

 These, however, were not the only migrations of university scholars to North- 

 ampton that are recorded. There had been one as early as 1238, when a 

 number of students seceded hither from Oxford after that affray between the 

 scholars and the retinue of the Cardinal-Legate Otho which had brought such 

 severe punishment upon the former and their university from both the legate 

 and the king,^ and it is not improbable that a community of students had 

 existed in Northampton continuously, from 1238 up to the later immigrations 

 from Cambridge and Oxford already mentioned.* The seceders from the 

 latter university in 1264 had been directed to Northampton because that town 

 was under the influence of the barons.^ As a stronghold of that party, it was 

 attacked in the same year by the king, on the resumption of hostilities follow- 

 ing the Mise of Amiens. 



As the foremost ranks of the royal forces entered the town by a breach 

 near the priory of St. Andrew, they were assailed with especial vigour by the 

 clerks from Oxford, who, marching under a banner of their own, plied them 

 with slings, bows, and catapults. At this the king was so enraged that he 

 swore that as soon as he was safe inside the walls, the scholars should be 

 hanged. As soon as the clerks heard this, many of them shaved their heads 

 (i.e. probably renewed their tonsures) ; and on the king's entrance some of 

 them fled to the castle, others left their horses and arms behind them and took 

 refuge in the churches, while a few (but of the baser sort, de communi 

 populi) ran away altogether. When the king demanded the execution of 

 his oath it was pointed out to him that to hang the scholars would certainly 

 alienate many of his own supporters, who had sons and other relatives among 

 them, whereupon he abandoned his intention. An attack was subsequently 

 made upon the castle which immediately surrendered, and after it had been 

 garrisoned the king took his departure.' But though the scholars from Oxford * 

 had been spared, the university of Northampton was doomed. 



' Cooper, ^nii. ofCamb. i, 48. 



' Rymer, Foedera (Rec. Com.), i, pt. i, 403. ^ Ibid. 



* Majcwell-Lyte, Hist, of the Univ. of O.xf. 63-5, 74 ; Rashdall, The Univ. of Europe in the Middle AgeSy 



", 395- 



' Maxwell-Lyte, op. cit. 34-7. '' Rashdall, op. cit. ii, 396. 



' During the war much plunder was taken by the insurgents at Northampton and some other towns from 

 the unfortunate Jews (Rigg, Select Pleas . . . from the . . . E.xch. of the Jews (Selden Soc), Introd. p. xxxvii. 

 ' Hen. Knighton (Rolls Ser.), i, 241-4 ; Walter of Hemingburgh (Engl. Hist. Soc), i, 309-12. 



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