A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



hands of the King. There were five tenements around 

 the cross of Alnoth {ad. crucem Alnoth ?). In the 

 Masters' Street {in vico Magistrorum) were various 

 houses which had been acquired by the College 

 of All Saints, and in the tenure of the College ; 

 near by were Fullers' Street and Weavers' Street. 

 In the South Quarter (the south part of Bridge Street) 

 and the parish of St. Gregory was ' Stokkwell Hall ' 

 and lands of the fraternities of Corpus Christi and 

 St. Nicholas in the Wall, probably connected with 



■tsaaatjeSTj 



Northampton : The Bell Inn 



the famous rood in the wall in St. Gregory's Church. 

 Laundry Street was probably near the river. The 

 district of Bridge Street {in lico Pontii) included the 

 holme or island called Barmerholme (Baums holem) 

 belonging to Sir John Longville, several tenements be- 

 longing to the chapel of the Blessed Mary and the 

 fraternity of the Holy Trinity, and land at the South 

 Gate belonging to the Hospital of St. Thomas the 

 Martyr. Under Kingswell Street we have mention of 

 a lane called ' Lewnyslane,' an inn in Bridge Street 

 called ' the Angel,' ' Wolmongerstrete ' and an ancient 

 rent from a tenement in ' le Cowmede ' where there 

 was formerly a mill. We next come to the Market 

 Place, where in the Glovers' Row there were 17 shops, 

 in Mercers' Row 9 shops and 2 tenements, the Re- 

 tailers' Row {Rengum kegratorum Socorum (sic)) 14 

 shops. In Butchers' Row there were on the north side 

 12 stalls and one shop and on the south side 14 stalls, 

 many of which belonged to religious houses. In 

 Fishers' Row there were shops and stalls. In Barbers' 

 Row in the Old Drapery there were 22 shops. In 

 Gold Street, the lands were largely in the hands of 

 religious houses. In the parish of the Blessed Mary 

 next the Castle there was a mill near the church and a 

 tenement belonging to the fraternity of the Blessed 

 Katherine in the church of St. Mary, and land outside 

 the West Gate belonging to the fraternity of Corpus 

 Christi. In tiie parish of St. Peter there was waste 

 land about the town wall and there were tenements 



around the castle and the Friars Preachers. In the 

 North Quarter into which ' Berwardstrete ' ran was 

 a house held by Peytmyn the Jew. St. Sepulchre's 

 Street, now probably Sheep Street, extended to the 

 North Gate. Newland in the parish of St. Michael 

 seems to have extended to Bearward Street. There 

 was a tenement called ' le Grenetree ' near the Friars 

 Minor. ' Le Fawkon ' and an inn called ' le Hart ' in 

 the tenure of William Crawme, notary, were in Corn- 

 mongers' Row. There were also the Row where 

 barley, oats and drage were sold, a 

 Row opposite Bakers' Row, then 

 called Potters' Hill, Shoemakers' Row, 

 and the Tailory, where there was an 

 inn called 'le Swan.' 



A terrier of the town property in the 

 year 1586 ^'^ shows that the borough 

 then held houses and lands in all the 

 five wards of the town, including a 

 good number of stables, gardens and 

 orchards, a house called St. George's 

 Hall,^^ eight shops under the Town 

 Hall, as well as arable and meadow lands 

 in Milton, Heyford, Pitsford, and 

 Cotton, and a house in Pitsford. A 

 good many of these plots were sold by 

 the town in 1621-2, probably in order 

 to get together the purchase-money 

 for Gobion's manor, which was ac- 

 quired in 1622 at the cost of £i,iio?* 

 The first mention of Gobions at 

 Northampton seems to be in U30, when Hugh Gobion 

 paid 10 marks for a duel.^ The Gobion family held a 

 considerable amount of property throughout the Mid- 

 land counties. Hugh Gobion witnessed a charter of 

 Earl Simon II to St. Andrews," and a Hugh Gobion was 

 sheriff of Northantsin 1161.^' On the death of Hugh 

 Gobion about 1 166 the sheriff seized his land,^* and 

 accounted henceforth for 100/. a year from the 

 land which was Hugh Gobion's'' until it was 

 recovered by his grandson in 1200.'"' Hugh's son 

 Richard granted by deed to St. Andrew's Priory 

 a shop, paying 5/. a year, ' which is set up at All 

 Saints Fair before the house of Hugh my father, 

 next the market place towards Northampton,'" 

 This Richard had seven sons and six daughters and 

 died before Il85.''2 Among the corporation records 

 are deeds by which William dc Vipont granted to 

 Richard Gobion, second son of the last, lands in Cotes 

 and beyond the South Bridge of Northampton.''^ This 

 is the ' Earl Gobion ' of Northampton tradition who 

 gave goodly commons and liberties to the town.^' His 

 lands, including the recovered ' Grange,' were again 

 seized into the king's hands later, as he joined the 

 baronial faction against John, but in 1 217 he was re- 

 stored to favour.'" He acted as royal Justice, and was 

 the patron of the Franciscans on their first coming to 

 Northampton, giving them shelter on his land outside 

 the East Gate.** His son Hugh owed i6j. ^d. for relief, 

 'according to the custom of the town of Northampton,' 



" Northampt. Corp. Rcc. PrcH R. ^^. An 

 abitract ii printed Boro. Rec. ii, 153-165. 



" For account of St. Georgc'i Hall, 

 KC Bore. Rrc. ii, 181-6. 



'* Northampt. Corp. Dccdi, Prtii C. 

 101. •• Pipe R. 31 lien. I. 



•• Farrer, Ilonon and Knighli' Fen, ii, 

 Z98. 



" Pipe R. 7 Ilcn. II. 



" Ibid. 12 Ilcn. II. "Ibid. 13 lien. II. 



*° Ricardui Gubiun r.c. de 40 M. pro 

 liabenda leiiina dc 103 lulidatii terrc 

 infra burgum et extra quod dicitur terra 

 dc Cr.ingia. Pipe R. no. 45, m. 2 d; 

 of. J<el. Carl. p. 93. 



•' Cott. MS. Vetp. E «vii, fo. 92. 



20 



*' \V. l''arrcr, Honors and Knighls' Fets, 

 i, R4. 



*' Northampt. Corp. Dccdi, C 11. 



" I.ee, Coll. p. 94. 



•' Clotc R. 17 John, mm. 11, 12 j ibid. 

 I Hen. Ill, m 12. 



" Ecclciton, Dc Advtnlu fralrum (cd. 

 A. G. Little), p. 19-30. 



