A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



that Bishop of Lincoln who, in 1 190, had braved the 

 fury of the burgesses of Northampton by suppressing 

 the cult of a pseudo -victim of the Jews in Alt Saints' 

 Church,^ and had been canonised in 1220. 



The fair of Northampton was one of the four or five 

 great fairs from which purchases were systematically 

 made for the royal household in the reigns of John 

 and Henry III.** In 1208, 1212, 1213 and 1214, for 

 instance, John ordered purchases of robes and horses 

 to be made there.*' In 1218 two royal baiUfls were 

 appointed to ' keep the fair,' and look out for the royal 

 interests there.^' Whatever other duties these terms 

 may cover, the two men were empowered to make prises 

 of wool, cloth and hides for the king's use, payment 

 being promised later. A subsequent order directed 

 that the wool seized at the fair should be sold at rates 

 fixed by the mayor and reeves of Northampton.*^ In 

 1231 William de Haverhill and William the king's 

 tailor were ordered to buy at Northampton fair 150 

 robes for the knights of the king's household, 100 

 robes for his clerks and Serjeants, five robes for 

 grooms (garciones), and 300 tunics for alms.*^ Other 

 orders for the purchase of cloth at the fair of North- 

 ampton occur later.** In 1240 the King and Council 

 arranged that all the King's prises from merchants 

 should be paid for at four terms ; the Northampton 

 purchases being paid for at the fair of St. Ives, the 

 St. Ives purchases at Boston, the Boston purchases at 

 Winchester, and the Winchester purchases at North- 

 ampton.'*' In spite of the provision, the jurors of 

 1274-5 complained that Henry III owed the common- 

 alty of Northampton ,{^4,000 and ;£loo for cloth bought 

 at the fairs of Northampton and other places.'^ Both 

 the king and burgesses of Northampton were also in 

 debt to Douai merchants for cloth sold at Northamp- 

 ton,** and there is an account of an uproar raised by 

 merchants of Ypres and Douai at Northampton Fair in 

 1254 when the King's officials enforced the Assize of 

 cloth.^ The charter of 1257 provided that no foreign 

 merchants should lodge in North.-jmpton during the 

 fairs without the licence of the bailiffs.^ A deed of 

 1 280 records the grant by Robert of Pitsford of a house 

 in Abington Street to a burgess of Northampton on 

 condition that during the fairs he should provide a 

 kitchen and stabhng for nine horses for the Burellers 

 of London.** 



In 1268 the king granted a yearly fair on St. James' 

 day (July 25) to the abbot and monks of St. James' 

 without Northampton,** and this fair, held outside 

 the town at St. James' End beyond the west bridge, 

 was a frequent source of dispute between the town and 

 the abbey till the dissolution of the monasteries, 

 when the expenses and the profits of it cancelled out.*' 

 After that date it became a town fair, but it continued 



to be held in ' le fayre yard,' ** or elsewhere in the 

 Abbey ground*' till about 1700. Dr. Cox found 

 references to a fair on St. George's day as early as the 

 reign of Edward I.^" In 1334, the town petitioned 

 for a fair to last from Whitsuntide to the Gules of 

 August, and the council recommended the grant of an 

 eight days' fair.*^ The charter of 1 337, however, 

 granted a fair to last for four weeks from the second 

 Monday after Trinity.** This fair is not mentioned 

 in the charter of 1495, which clearly reflects the decline 

 in Northampton trade by hmiting the duration of 

 the spring and autumn fairs to eight days each.** 

 In 1566 there were still only two fairs — St. George's 

 and St. Hugh's.** The charter of 1599 sanctions the 

 holding of seven fairs, each to last three days, on 

 St. George's Day (23 April), St. Hugh's (17 November), 

 the Nativity of Our Lady (8 September), the Annun- 

 ciation (25 March), the Conception of the Virgin 

 (8 December), tlie Assumption (15 August), and 

 St. James' (25 July).** When Bridges wrote (before 

 1724), an eighth fair had been added on 9 February.** 

 The charter of 1796 retained these eight fairs, but 

 as the old calendar was followed, the date of each was 

 put forward eleven days. A new fair was sanctioned 

 for 19 June (new style.)*' By 1 81 5 a tenth fair had 

 been added, on the first Thursday in November, wliich 

 was toll-free.** In 1849 there were thirteen fairs. 

 In addition to those just mentioned there were fairs 

 on the second Tuesday in January and the third 

 Monday in March, whilst a new fair called the Wool 

 Fair, on i July, had been recently estabhshed.** 

 The fair on 19 September was known as the Cheese 

 Fair, an innovation of Mr. Slowick Carr, Mayor of 

 Northampton 1750-51.**' An Act of 1870 empowered 

 the corporation of Northampton to establish markets 

 and fairs,*^ and at present there are twelve fairs, the 

 wool fair having been dropped.** 



The charter of 1 599 sanctioned the holding of a 

 free market every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 

 by the burgesses ' as heretofore accustomed.' ** In 

 1683 they were also granted a cattle market for the 

 first Thursday in every month.** In 1740 the market 

 day was Saturday ;** in 1849, as now, Wednesday and 

 Saturday were the market d.ays.*' Wednesday is the 

 day for fat stock, Saturday for store cattle. The 

 cattle market, opened in 1873, is on part of the Cow 

 Meadow, and extends over six acres, with accommo- 

 dation for 5,000 sheep, 5,000 beasts, and 500 pigs. 

 The regulation of the markets was in the hands of the 

 mayor as clerk of the markets from 1385 by charter, 

 and probably before that date by custom. The 

 standard weights and measures belonging to the 

 corporation, including a bushel and gallon dated 1601, 

 are preserved in the Town Museum.*' 



" V.C.II. Norlhanii. ii, 12. 



•* The otheri were Boston, Stamford , 

 Wincheiter, St. Ivei, Bury St Edmund'i. 

 Rol. Hund. ii, 5. 



"Rot. I.ilt. Claus. i, 100, 127, 154, 



'77- 



•• Cat. Pal. 1216-2?, 178. 



«' Rol. I.ill. Claus. i, 3S3. 



'* Cal. Cloie, 1231-34, p. I. Sec alto 

 Cal. Liberait R. i, 3. 



" Rol. Ltlt. Claus. i, 580b ; Cal. Pat. 



'i.n-47. P- »39i ibid- 1247-58, P- 37' i 

 ibid. tz66-7i, pp. 393, 718. 



w Cat. Pal. 1232-47, p. 239. 



•' Rol. Hund. ii, 5. 



•• Cal. Pal. 1232-47, p. 393 ; ibid. 

 1266-72, pp. 393, 717. 



" Ibid. 1247-58, p. 430. 



•• Boro. Rec. i, 47. 



" Anct. D. (P.R.O.), B.2465. 



" Cal. Chan, ii, 100. 



" Valor. Eccl. iv, 319. 



'• Chan. inq. p.m., Charlci I, ccccxviii, 

 68. 



•• Bridget, op. cit. i, 501. 



" Boro. Rec. ii, 187. 



«' Pari. R. ii. 85. 



•• Chart. R. 1 1, Ed. Ill, m. 32, no. 67. 



*' Boro. Rtc. i, 107. 



•* Ibid, ii, 297. 



H 



" Ibid, i, 124. 



«• Bridges, op. cit. i, 433. 



" Boro. Rec. i, 177. 



*' Hist, of Norlhampl. 181;, p. 20. 



'• G. N. Wet ton, Guide-book to 

 Norihampt. p. 86. The fair is now held in 

 the Cattle Market. 



'"> Boro. Rec. ii, 40. 



" 33 ,ind 34 Vict. c. 45. (Local Act). 



" Kelly, County Directory (1924). 



" Doro. Rec. i, 134. 



•• Ibid, i, 146. 



" Bridges, op. cit. i, 433. 



" Wctton, op. cit., p. 86. 



•' Boro. Rec. ii, 194-5. 



