NORTHAMPTON 



5770 



NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Northampton,. City of Massa- 

 chusetts, U S.A., the co. seat of 

 Hampshire co. It stands on the 

 Connecticut river, 17 m. N.N.W. of 

 Springfield, and is served by the 

 New York, New Haven, and Hart 

 ford, and the Boston and Maine 

 rlys. It contains the Clarke In- 

 stitute for l)eaf Mutes, and Smith 

 College for girls. Silk goods, stoves, 

 lumber products, cutlery, and 

 brushes are manufactured. North- 

 ampton was settled in 1654, and 

 became a city in 1883. Pop. 22,000. 

 Northampton, ASSIZE OF. Body 

 of instructions amounting in prac- 

 tice to laws, issued by Henry II 

 and his advisers, at Northampton, 

 in 1176. It was an expansion of the 

 Assize of Clarendon (q.v.), and 

 was in the form of directions to the 

 judges about to go on circuit 

 throughout England. The -punish- 

 ments to be inflicted on criminals 

 were made more severe, and the 

 powers of the sheriffs curtailed, 

 while other articles dealt with 

 questions of land tenure and dower. 

 Northampton, BATTLE OF. 

 Fought July 10, 1460, during the 

 Wars of the Roses. The Lancas- 

 trian host, with which was Henry 

 VI, was encamped in a protected 

 position in some fields outside 

 Northampton, when the Yorkists, 

 under Warwick and the future 

 Edward IV, who had just returned 

 from exile, found and attacked it. 

 The fight was soon over, for Lord 

 Grey de Ruthvn turned traitor, and 

 with his help the Yorkists got 

 within the entrenchments of their 

 foes, inferior in every way. The 

 duke of Buckingham and about 

 300 other Lancastrians were slain. 



Northampton, EARL AND MAR- 

 QUESS OF. English titles borne by 

 the familv of Compton since 1618 

 mM _l_____ and 1812. 

 There was an 

 earl of North- 

 ampton in the 

 time of William 

 the Conqueror, 

 and later the 

 earldom be- 

 came heredit- 

 a ry in the 

 family of 

 Bohun, whose 

 male line came 

 to an end in 1.37.3. In 1547 William 

 Parr was made marquess of North- 

 ampton. A brother of Catherine 

 Parr, he was made a baron in 1539, 

 and was also earl of Essex and a 

 leading man under Edward VI. A 

 supporter of Lady Jane Grey, he 

 was sentenced to deathunder Mary, 

 but the sentence was not carried 

 out, and he died Oct. 28, 1571. 



The title of earl of Northampton 

 was revived in 1604 for Henry 

 Howard, on whose death in 1614 it 



William Parr, 

 Marquess of 

 Northampton 



Spencer Compton, 



2nd Marquess of 



Northampton 



became extinct. In 1618 William 

 Compton was made earl. He was 

 the son of Sir Henry Compton, who 



was created 



Baron Comp- 

 ton and was 

 lord president 

 of the marches 

 of Wales. From 

 James, the 3rd 

 earl (d. 1681), 

 who fought for 

 Charles I, the 

 earldom passed 

 to Charles, the 

 9th earl. In 

 1812 he was made a marquess and 

 his descendant still holds the titles. 

 Spencer, the 2nd marquess (1790- 

 1851), was president of the Royal 

 Society ; William, the 5th marquess 

 (1851-1913), was a philanthropist 

 and, before succeeding to the title, 

 a Liberal M.P. From 1880-82 he 

 was lord-lieutenant of Ireland. The 

 family seats are Castle Ashby, 

 Northampton, and Compton Wyn- 

 yates (q.v.), Warwickshire. The 

 marquess's eldest son is called Earl 

 Compton. 



Northamptonshire. County of 

 England An inland and eastern co., 

 its area is 998 sq. m. The surface 

 is mainly undulating except in the 

 soke of Peterborough, which is in 

 the fen country. The highest point 

 is Arbury Hill, near Daventry. 



The principal rivers are the 

 Welland, dividing the county 

 from Leicestershire and Lincoln- 

 shire, and the Nene. The Avon, 



Cherwell, Learn, and Ouse rise in 

 the county, which is served by 

 the L. & N.W., G.N., Mid., and 

 G.C. Rlys., and by the Grand Union, 

 Grand Junction, and other canals. 

 Northampton is the county town ; 

 other large places are Peter- 

 borough, Kettering, and Wellingbo- 

 rough. Higham Ferrers, Daventry, 

 and Brackley are small boroughs, 

 and there are a number of urban 

 districts. The county has much 

 fertile soil, wheat and barley being 

 grown and cattle and sheep reared 

 on a considerable scale. Boots and 

 shoes are made in the towns and 

 villages. It is famous as a hunt- 

 ing county. For administrative 

 purposes Northamptonshire is 

 divided into two counties, each 

 having a county council. One is 

 Northampton proper and the other 

 the soke of Peterborough. It sends 

 four members to Parliament. ; 



In addition to the cathedral at 

 Peterborough the county has many 

 fine churches, and contains Fother- 

 inghay, Holdenby House, Burghley 

 House, Althorp, and Castle Ashby 

 There are remains of castles at 

 Barnwell and Rockingham. In the 

 county are earthworks at Arbury 

 and elsewhere, Roman remains at 

 Irchester, and monastic ruins at 

 Irthlingborough and Higham Fer- 

 rers. There are some remains of 

 Rockingham, Whittlebury, and 

 Salcey Forests. Pop. 364,000. 



LITERARY ASSOCIATIONS. Thomas 

 Fuller was born at Aldwinkle St. 

 Peters and there received his earlv 



Northamptonshire. Map of the eastern inland county oJ England, famous for 

 the manufacture of boots and shoes 



