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NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 



NORTHERN SOVEREIGNTY. 



chMo of posU ; many Bomaa re maioa bkTe been diicorered along both 

 benki of tbi* rirer. 



The eounty wu incladod in tho Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Heroia. 

 In tba invaaion of that kingdom b; the Dane*, the monaataty of 

 Madeabaoutede. now IVterborougb, waa dotroyed; and, upon the 

 ratinoUon of the Mercian djrnasty, the county was divided between 

 the W««t Saxons and the Danes, the former having all to the south- 

 west and the Utter all to the nortlieast of Watlingstreet Of the 

 Anglo-Saxon period there are memorials in BrixworUi, Baniack, and 

 Earl'a Barton ohurohaa. Simon de St Lii built the castles of North- 

 ampton and Fotheriogay. William the Conqueror is thought to bare 

 built Rockingham Castle. In the reign of William Rufus (1094) a 

 great council or parliament waa held at Rockingham to determme the 

 dispute between the king and Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, 

 reepeoting the right of invertiture. Both Henry III. and Edward I. 

 frequently resided at Northampton, and in the reigns of Edward II., 

 Edward HI., and Richard II.,8eTeral parliaments were held here : at the 

 last of these waa voted the poll-tax, which led to Wat Tyler's rebellion. 

 The battle of Northampton in the civil war of the Ros«3 h noticed 

 under NoBTHauproK. In 1469 a Royalist force, under William Her- 

 bert, earl of Pembroke, was defeated at Edgecot, on the border of the 

 eounty towards Oxfordshire, by a body of insurgents headed by Robin 

 oTRedeKlale. 



Of ancient ecclesiastical or castellated architecture the county 

 poMosses several speoimens. Brixworth church, 7 miles N. from 

 Northampton, consists of a nave, south aisle, chancel, west tower, and 

 staircase turret, on the western side of the tower ; but foundations of 

 aisles and other parts prove that the original building was more 

 extensive. Portions of Roman work are built up in the walls, and 

 the whole has the appearance of having been constructed out of the 

 materials of a more ancient structure. It is of rude charact.r, appa- 

 rently of the 11th century, but has been greatly altered at subsequent 

 periods. Brigatock church, between Oundle and Rothwcll, U auuther 

 curious church, partly of Anglo-Saxon date, but tho ancient work 

 forms only a small proportion. Tho tower is of very rough masonry 

 plastered, and has a roughly-built round staircase turret on the west 

 aide, like Brixworth. ^rl Barton's church has a remarkable tower of 

 Anglo-Saxon date. Bamack church, near Stamford, has a tower partly 

 Anglo-Saxon. Castor church, near Peterborough, h a large and fine 

 cruciform church, with a Norman tower at the intersection, which 

 displays almost every variety of Anglo-Norman moulding and orna- 

 ment. The two upper stories present a very enriched appearance, 

 having open arches and continued arcades round. Both the parapet 

 of the tower and the spire are of later date. St. Peter's church, 

 Northampton, and Peterborough cathedral, have considerable portions 

 of Norman architecture ; and several of the parish churches have 

 some Norman features. Of later date, Barnwell St. Andrew's, 

 Aldwinkle All Saints, Canons Ashby, Easton, Finedon, Fotheringay 

 (formerly collegiate), Lowick, Raunds, Rushden, St. iiarfa church at 

 Stamford Baron, Staiiwick, King's Sutton, Titcbmarsh, Warmington, 

 Whiston, Wilby, and Woolaston are perbaps most worthy of notice 

 for their beauty or for the curious features they preseut. Of 

 St. James's Abbey, Duston, near Northampton, founded by William 

 Peverel, natural son of William the Conqueror, for Augustinian 

 canons, and of Pipewell Cistercian abbey, Qreat Oakley, near Rocking- 

 ham, only the foundations and traces of the walls are remaining. A 

 portion of the chapel of Catesby Benedictine nunnery, near Daveutry ; 

 a portion, supposed to be the refectory, of the Cluniac priory at 

 Daveutry ; the conventual church of the priory of Augustinian 

 canons at Canons Ashby, between Northampton and Banbury ; the 

 kitchen and a few other vestiges of Sewardsley Cistercian priory, near 

 Towoeater, are the principal monastic remains. Queen's Cross at 

 Hardingstooo has been already noticed. Ueddington Cross, near 

 Kettering, another of those erected by Edward I., is of triangular 

 shape, elevated on eight steps, and divided into three compartments ; 

 it is richly adorned with statues and carvings. 



The castellated ruins are few. These are, the earthworks of North- 

 ampton, Uigham Ferrers, Brackley, Fotheringay, and perhaps one or 

 two othen, and the gateway of Rockingham. Fotheringay Castle was 

 foonded soon after the Conquest ; Richard III. wna burn in it ; Mary 

 Qoaen of Scots was imprisoned in it by her cousin Queen Elizabeth, 

 Hid here she was tried and executed February 8th 1587. This castle 

 waa demolished by Mary'a son, James L, soon after he ascended the 

 thnw* of England. Barnwell Castle is a fine and interesting ruin : 

 il aniMiiU of four massy round towers, with their connecting walls 

 indoaing a qnadrangubu' court ; the western wall is dilapidated. The 

 gl«nd gateway, which still remains, is flanked by two round towers. 



There are a few ancient mansions. Dnyton Houses near Thn^ston, 

 il of the age of Henry VL : it retains many of the features of an 

 ancient casUa. Faw»ley House, 8 miles R. from Daveutry, the ancient 

 ■eat of the Knightly family, is an inoongruous pile of various dates. 

 Northboroogh manor-houie, between Peterborough and Market 

 Desping, now a farm-house, is of decorated English character, and 

 ■ane of its portions and details are very beautifal Burgh ley Hou-e, 

 o* the border of the eottntj near Stamford, was built for the most 

 p«rt by tiM great Lord Borgbley, though many additions and alter- 

 ation* have been made by subseqaent poaseaaora. It is a raat pile, 

 displaying magniOceuce rather than itaie, Kirby ITnll, near Rocking- 



ham, was built by Sir Christopher Hatton, lord-keeper : it has been 

 materially altered since. 



The battle of Naseby, which decided the great civil war, was fboght 

 in this oounty in 1645. After the Scotch had deUvered the king to 

 the Parliamentanr Commissioners, he was brought to Holdcuby House, 

 about 6 miles N.W. from Northampton, whence ho was carried off by 

 Cornet Joyce. Holdenby House, which had been built by Sir Christo- 

 pher Hatton, waa demolished by order of the Parliament. 



Slati*lic$: Beligioui Wonhip and Educalion. — According to the 

 Returns of the Census of 1851, there were then in the oounty 692 

 places of worship, of which 292 belonged to tiie Established Church, 

 118 to four sections of Methodists, 87 to Baptists, 66 to Indejiendents, 

 6 to Quakers, 6 to Rouian Catholics, i to the Countess of Huntingdon's 

 Connexion, 4 to Mormons, and 8 to Moravians. The number of Sunday 

 schools was 426, of which 267 wore conducted by Episcopalians, 68 by 

 Methodists, 62 by Baptists, and 39 by Independents. The number of 

 Sunday scholars was 83,614. Of day-schools there were 687, of which 

 276 were public schools, with 18,969 scholars, and 411 were private 

 schools, with 7565 scholars. Of evening schools for adults there 

 were 15, with 805 pupils. There were 8 Uterary and acientifio insti- 

 tutions, with 1451 members, and 14,824 volumes in the libraiiea 

 belonging to them. 



Saving) Banks. — In 1853 the county possessed four savings banks— 

 at Kettering, Northampton, Oundle, and Peterborough. The total 

 amount due to depositore on November 20th 1858 waa 288,835<. 8*. 



NORTHERN SOVEREIGNTY. This name has been given, but 

 perhaps not definitely, to an extensive tract of country whicb waa 

 annexed in 1848 to the British possessions in South Africa. It 

 includes the whole of the territory west of tlio Dnichenberg Moun- 

 tains, between the two great branches of the Uraugo River, the Ky 

 Qareep and the Nu Qareep, comprising a triangular area of about 

 50,000 square miles. 



The Discbenberg Mountains, called also the Quathlamba Mountains, 

 run parallel with the eastern coast of South Africa, at a distanoe 

 varying from 60 to 90 miles from the shore. They rise to a height of 

 from 6000 to 8000 feet, with towering peaks and rocky ridges, inter- 

 rupted only by ravines and chasms, and thus form a barrier almost 

 impassable between Kaffraria and Natal on the east, and the Northern 

 Sovereignty on tho west. A secondary range, called by tho natives 

 Malati, or the Peaks, runs parallel to the principal chain, at no great 

 distance farther inland ; and offsets, called the Wiltebergen and 

 Sneuwbergen, extend westward from the Draohenberg range, and 

 close in the Northern Sovereignty on the south. 



The country inomediately west of the mountain ranges is from 5000 

 to 6000 feet above the level of the sea, and consists of a series of wide 

 plateaus, which, sloping gradually downwards towards the lower course 

 of the Vaal River, terminate in plains of vast extent, sometimes con- 

 taining numerous isolated and rocky hills, but generally quite flat and 

 without trees. These vast wastes are for the most part without a 

 single human inhabitant, but afford abundant means of subsistence to 

 countless herds of antelopes, quaggas, and other wild animals. All 

 the rivers fall ultimately either into the Ky Gareep or the Nu Oareep. 

 The Ky Gareep, or Vaal River, rises between 26° and 27" S. lat., 

 29" and 30" E. long., about 200 miles W. from Delagoa Bay, iu an 

 interior range of mountains bounding the great plains on the north, 

 and flows west, south, and south-west till it meets the Nu Gareep. 

 The Nu Gareep, or Crndock River, rises in the Drachenberg Mountains, 

 about 29° S. lat., 80° E. long. It flows south-west, west, and after- 

 wards north-west, till it joins the Ky Gareep. Its principal afUuent 

 from the north is the Caledon ; from the south it receives the 

 Stormberg River, the Oorlogs, tho Zeekoe River, and others of less 

 importance. 



'I'his portion of the continent, being remote from the sea-coast, 

 receives its rain in thunder-storms, chiefly during the summer months, 

 of which December and January are tho hottest ; and there being no 

 rain during the rest of the year, the climate and soil are then charac- 

 terised by great dryness, though copious dews fall at night. The 

 smaller rivers are dried up, and the ponds and lagoons are converted 

 into swamps. 



The White-Faced Antelope (AntUope alhifrom), tho Spring-Bok 

 (A. euchorc), the Gnu (A. Qnu), and the Quagga (E<i»ui Quagga) seem 

 to be in the greatest abundance. They are often seen in eountlesa 

 herds covering an immense extent of the plains, mixed with other 

 species of the ontclopo, whicb are less numerous, and with buffaloes. 

 Hjicnas are abundant Lions are very common. The hippopotamus 

 is very common in the larger rivers. Ostriches appear on the great 

 plains in considerable numbci's. Timber grows on the slopes of the 

 mountains, but not in the plains. There are salt-lagoons and salt- 

 marshes, and some of the plains are covered with an inoruetation of 

 salt 



The white population is estimated to be about 6000, who are chiefly 

 the residue of the Dutch farmers who, in 1886 and following years, 

 emigrated from tlie Cape Colony, and are settled in vill--- •■■ ' ^'i 

 small groups near the rivers. The native popuUtion are 

 amount to about 150,000, who mostly inhabit the Malati ^. 



The Bushmen live among the isolated hills of the interior. Jim 

 Griquos, who are a mixed breed, arising from the intercourse of 

 Europeans with the natlrea, are in considerablo numbers. They are 



