BOROUGH OF NORTHAMPTON 



14th century its twenty-four jurati had become a 

 close body, the last election having occurred in 1273," 

 and in the 15th century they also were called the com- 

 burgesses. In 1466 and 1467 orders were carried 

 excluding the common folk of Leicester who were not 

 gildsmcn from meetings of the common hall, 

 especially at the time of the election of the mayor." 

 As in the county courts, it would seem that the un- 

 enfranchised were crowding in and claiming an equal 

 share in elections with those worthy and substantial 

 burgesses who had for the last two hundred years 

 been effectively controlling the town government. 

 The corporations of Northampton and Leicester fell 

 back on Parliament to support their vested interests, 

 and in response to their petition or petitions two acts 

 were passed in the Parliament of Jan.-Feb. 1489, 

 which created in each town a body of 48 burgesses 

 who were henceforth to exercise the powers possessed 

 till then by the assembly at Northampton and the 

 common hall at Leicester. The wording of the two 

 acts was not identical, but their interpretation was 

 very similar. The act for Northampton opens ' For- 

 asmoche as of late greate divisions, dissentions and 

 discordcs have growen and been had as well in the 

 Townes and Boroughcs of Northampton and Leycester 

 as in other dyvers Townes . . . amongst the Inhabit- 

 auntes of the same, for the election and choyse of 

 Mayres, Bailies and other Officers within the same, by 

 reason that such multytude of the said Inhabitauntcs, 

 beyng of iytil substaunce and haveour, and of no 

 sadnes, discretion, wisdome ne reason, whiche oft in 

 nombre exced in their Assembles other that been 

 approved, discrete, sadde and well disposed persones, 

 haTC by . . . their Bandys, Confederacy s, Exclama- 

 cions and Hedynesse, used in the seid Assembles, 

 caused great trobles, divisions and discordes among 

 theym selfe, as well in the seid EUections, as in Asses- 

 syng of other lawf ull Charges ana Imposicions amongst 

 theym, to the subversion of the gode Rule, Govern- 

 aunce, and old Politilj demenyng of the seid Burghes, 

 and oft tymes to the greate breach of the Kyngs Peace 

 within the same, to the fere, drede and manyfold 

 perills that thereby may ensue'** . . . and provides 

 that henceforth the Mayor and his brethren the 

 ex-Mayors shall nominate 48 persons who have not 

 hitherto been mayors or bailiffs who shall, in conjunc- 

 tion with the mayor, the ex-mayors and the ex-bailiffs, 

 henceforth yearly elect the mayors and baiUffs for the 

 town. The Mayor and ex-mayors shall have power to 

 change the personnel of the 48 at will, and shall also 

 appoint all other town officials, the mayor having a 

 casting vote if the votes are equal.** The council 

 of the borough followed up this act by an order as to 

 the procedure to be followed in holding the elections 

 of mayors and bailiffs. ' Fyrst the day of the seide 

 eJeccion acustomed all tho that have voyces in the 

 same eleccions to mete at all halowe Chirche att a 

 convenient houre bi fore none and ther to here a 

 masse of the holy goste. And at the ende of the same 



to departe and goo to the Gylde halde And ther to 

 take every man ther setes be the Assigment of the 

 Meire and of his brethern As schall Accorde with 

 thcire discrecions And then the Joyntes to be made 

 -Accordyng to the olde Custome. And the parsones 

 named in the Joyntes severyally to be settc in sondry 

 papyrs. And then the same papers to be borne 

 abowte bi the town Gierke and the Comen serieant for 

 the tyme beyng to every of the parsones thatt shall 

 geve voyces. As stylly as maybe. And every voyce 

 to be entrcd bi the seide Clerk to the names of the 

 seide parsones to Wliom tliey geve their voyces. And 

 whan the hole voyces be gcven and passed then the 

 seide clerke and serieant to bryng the papers to the 

 Meire for the tyme beyng. And to his brethern that 

 have ben meyres. And ther bi the sight of the more 

 parte of the seide voyces to puplisshe and make opyn 

 the persones uppon whom the eleccions rest. And 

 thys ordur to be folowed and thus done withoute 

 noyse or crye.'**' The council also issued an order 

 early in 1490 inflicting penalties on those who 

 should use seditious or slanderous words against the 

 mayor, his brethren, or the Twenty Four,*i clinching 

 it by an ordinance in 1495-6 which declared disobedi- 

 ence to the mayor to be perjury or broach of the 

 freeman's oath, and gave the mayor,' the King's chan- 

 cellor ' for his year in Northampton, power to deter- 

 mine such perjury and disobedience."'^ The act had 

 probably provoked opposition here at Leicester, where 

 the commonalty elected a rival mayor in opposition 

 to that chosen by the Forty Eight.'^ 



From this time onwards the government of the 

 town was in the hands of a closed body ; the mayor 

 and ex,-mayors (called aldermen from 1618),** the 

 Twenty Four (called ex-bailiffs from 1595),*^ and the 

 company of Forty Eight, who made up with the 

 others what was called from 1599 the common council 

 of the town.*' An oath, pre-reformation in form, to 

 be administered to the aldermen, indicates that they 

 were at first supposed roughly to represent the five 

 wards of the town.'' The charter of 1599 further 

 declared that the Eight and Forty should hold office 

 for life, unless removed according to the custom of 

 the town, and that the baiUffs could only be elected 

 from among the number of the Forty Eight.** This 

 finally closed the ring. 



Throughout the middle ages only one town court 

 is named : the court of husting which the charter of 

 1189 provided should be held once only in the week. 

 Whether the various jurisdictions acquired by the 

 town were all exercised at this weekly court, or 

 whether other sessions were held with other names it 

 does not seem possible to say. The charter of H89 

 provided that no burgess should plead outside the 

 walls save in pleas of foreign tenures ; that right 

 should be done concerning lands and tenures within 

 the city according to its own customs ; and that pleas 

 of debt within the town should be held there. The 

 first custumal {c. 1190) is mainly concerned with 



"• Bitcion, Rec. oj Boro. 0/ Leics. i, ii. 

 xlv. 



•' Ibid, ii, 285-6. 



"Pari. R. vi, 431. 



•• The letter! patent exemplifying the 

 act, dated 28 March, 5 Hen. VII, are en- 

 rolled in the Brit. Mui. Cuitumal. Add. 

 MS. 34308 fo. 1 5 d-17. 



" Ibid. fo. 17. 



" BoTO. Rec. i, 312-4. 

 " Ibid, i, 338-9. 



•" Bateson, Rec. oJ Bora, of Leics. ii, 

 326-7. 

 " Boro. Rfc. i, 127. 

 " Ibid. ii. 19. 

 •' Ibid, i, 121. 

 •' ' Ye ihall iwere that ye do name 



persones other then have ben meires and 

 bailliffs of this borowe parte of them to be 

 dwcllyng severalli in every of the V. 

 quarters of this borough, and moste con- 

 venient nombre of them to be appoynted 

 dwellers in cvtry of the seide quarters.* 

 Add. MS 34308, fo. 15. 

 •' Boro. Rec. i, 122. 



