A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



37 ft., and is built of red sandstone, but the front 

 was stuccoed and painted. Before the removal of the 

 ground floor wall there was a pedimented doorway, 

 two low mullioned windows, and a modern bay- 

 window at one end. The roof was covered with stone 

 slates, and there were three gables at the back corre- 

 sponding with those in front, but plainer. Theinterior 

 has been so altered that the original arrangements 

 are lost. 



A building on the east side of Sheep Street, the 

 ground floor of which has been converted into six 

 shops," was originally the property of Lord Halifax 

 and probably liis town house, but it is best known as 

 the residence of Dr. Doddridge and the seat of his 







'""iffiAjau^oI^j^, 



'«*M=,^s«!i:_ 



Northampton : The Hazlericg Mansion, now 

 THE Ladies* Club 



Northampton Academy from 1740 to 1752. It is a 

 long stone-fronted early 1 8th century building of 

 three stories, the upper part of which remains un- 

 changed, with sash windows and unbroken eaved roof. 

 The middle story is divided by Ionic pilasters into a 

 series of bays, as was also the ground floor, but the 

 top story, which was added in Doddridge's time,'' is 

 quite plain. There was originally a wide central 

 gateway, two arched recesses over which still remain. 



The County Hall, erected at the close of the 17th 

 century in the Classic Renaissance style of the day, 

 is a simple but dignified building of a single story, 

 with high-pitched hipped roof, in which the entabla- 

 ture is supported by pilasters and coupled columns 

 of the Composite order standing on a high base. 

 The main front, facing north to George Row, is a 

 well-balanced composition with a balustrade and 

 curved pediment at each end containing the Royal 

 Arms. The great hall has a richly ornamented 

 plaster ceiling, completed in i688.'' The County 



Council Chamber, erected in 1 890, and a Record Room 

 built early in the i8th century stand behind the Hall. 



The Judges' Lodging, a plain i8th century stone- 

 fronted house adjoining the County Hall on the east, 

 was formerly a private residence, but was acquired for 

 its present purpose in 1819. 



The nucleus of the Public Library was the 

 Northampton Mechanics' Institute, set up in 1832 

 in George Row. Though in 1849 it was described 

 as ' more flourislung than most in the kingdom ' *" 

 and possessed a Ubrary of 7,500 volumes, by 1876 it 

 was in financial difficulties, and its books were handed 

 over to form the beginnings of the Pubhc Library. 

 It was at first housed in the Town Hall ; transferred 

 in 1884, vrith the museum, to the old county gaol in 

 Guildhall Road, which had been purchased by the 

 town and reconstructed for the purpose ; augmented 

 in 1885 by the library of the ReHgious and Useful 

 Knowledge Society (founded in 1839, consisting of 

 some 5,000 volumes) and by a collection of Northamp- 

 tonshire books, purchased by public subscription. A 

 new wing was added in 1889. In 1901 the open 

 access system was introduced ; and in June 1910 the 

 present buildings in Abington Street were opened. 

 A juvenile library and reading room were added in 

 191 2, and in 1921 a special local room, containing 

 some 16,000 items dealing with the town and county, 

 including books, pamphlets, prints, drawings, maps, 

 plans, posters, playbills, photographs, manuscripts 

 and transcripts. The Photographic Survey of the 

 district is kept here. The library possesses a com- 

 plete file of the Northampton Mercury, going back to 

 May 1720." 



The Museum, in Guildhall Road, on the site of the 

 county gaol, contains the remains from Northampton 

 Castle, from Hunsbury, from Duston, from Towcester 

 and Irchester, various Anglo-Saxon antiquities, and a 

 collection of boots and shoes and other leather articles. 

 There is also a small art gallery. 



Another museum is at Abington Hall, which was 

 presented to the town by Lady Wantage in 1894; 

 most of the Natural History specimens are preserved 

 here, and there are also local engravings and portraits 

 of local worthies. 



The first proposal for a county infirmary*^ was put 

 forward by Dr. John Rushworth, son of a vicar of 

 St. Sepulchre's, who practised as a surgeon in North- 

 ampton for many years. In a pampidet addressed to 

 the Surgeons' Company in 1731 he urged the desira- 

 bility of Parliament's assisting in the erection of an 

 infirmary in the centre of every county. He followed 

 this up by an advertisement in the London Gazette, 

 offering to give j^5o towards the building of such an 

 infirmary in his own county, and suggesting the 

 calling of a meeting to discuss it, at Quarter Sessions 

 or some other time.** Nothing, however, came of his 

 suggestion till after his death.** In 1743 Dr. James 

 Stonhouse, then aged 27, came to the town to practise, 

 and within two months had circulated papers entitled 

 ' Considerations offered to the Nobility, Gentry, 



" Numbered |8 to 24. 



" Arnold and Cooper, lliii. 0] Ch, 0, 

 OodJriJge, 8-). 



" The ceiling, which ».ii the woik of 

 F.dNvard Cfoudge, 16H4-88, was cut in two 

 in 1812 when the Crimin;il Court wat 

 lalien out ol the hall. 



" Wctton, Guidi 10 Notlbampl. aii.l ihe 

 Vtctntiy^ p. 65. 



" lltuilratrd Guide to Northampl. I'ublic 

 Library, iiiucd by Northainpt. I'ublic 

 Library Coinrniltcc (1926). 



"'The following account is based on 

 th.it by C. A. Mjrltham in Xoriham/il. N. 

 and Q. New Scriei. Vol. II. 



38 



•' Northampt. Mrrcurv, 20 December 

 1731. 



•* He died in 1736; in 1747 bit ion 

 Daniel writcj from the County Hospital 

 to solicit Lord Townihcnd'i lupport for 

 the (clicmc. l/tst. MSS, Com. Rep. xi, app. 

 iv, p. 368. 



