Editing Northampton (section)

== History ==

=== Etymology ===
The earliest reference to Northampton in writing occurred in 914 under the name ''Ham tune''.<ref name=britishhistory /> The prefix "North" was added later to distinguish it from other towns called Hampton, most prominently [[Southampton]].<ref name="visionofbritain">{{cite web |title=NORTHAMPTON &#124; As described in John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–72) |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/entry_page.jsp;jsessionid=445DFDCCA215340BB5C3C71703542FC1?text_id=977650&word=NULL |access-date=29 August 2013 |publisher=Visionofbritain.org.uk}}</ref> The ''[[Domesday Book]]'' (1086) records the town as ''Northantone'', which evolved into ''Norhamptone'' by the 13th century and later ''Northampton'' by the 17th century.<ref name=britishhistory /><ref>{{cite web |date=22 June 2003 |title=Charles II, 1675 – An Act for the better and more easy rebuilding the Towne of Northampton. |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=47460 |access-date=29 August 2013 |website=Statutes of the Realm: volume 5 |publisher=British-history.ac.uk |pages=798–801}}</ref>

=== Ancient ===
[[File:Danes Camp Earthworks Northampton.jpg|thumb|upright|Earthworks at [[Hunsbury Hill]], which was a settlement during the [[Iron Age]]]]
Present-day Northampton is the latest in a series of settlements that began in the [[Bronze Age]]. Remains found in the Briar Hill district show evidence of a [[Neolithic]] encampment within a large circular earthwork where local farmers assembled for tribal ceremonies and seasonal events from approximately 3500&nbsp;BC to 2000&nbsp;BC.<ref>{{cite web |last=Deegan |first=Alison |title=Late Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman settlements and landscapes |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/mapping-ancient-landscapes-northamptonshire/mapping-ancient-landscapes-in-northamptonshire-chp6-7.pdf |access-date=12 September 2013 |publisher=english-heritage.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=3500 BC: First Settlements at Briar Hill |url=http://www.northamptonshiretimeline.com/scene/3500bc-briar-hill/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318103950/http://www.northamptonshiretimeline.com/scene/3500bc-briar-hill/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=18 March 2014 |access-date=17 July 2013 |publisher=Northamptonshire Timeline }}</ref>

During the [[British Iron Age]], people typically lived in protected [[hill fort]]s. Present-day [[Hunsbury Hill]] is an example of this settlement; a circular ditch and a bank faced with a wall of timber and enclosing an area of {{convert|160|acres|0|abbr=on}} which dates to around 400&nbsp;BC.<ref>{{cite web |title=400 BC: Hillfort Begun at Hunsbury Hill in Northampton |url=http://www.northamptonshiretimeline.com/scene/400bc-hunsbury-hillfort/ |access-date=17 July 2013 |publisher=Northamptonshire Timeline |archive-date=18 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318092601/http://www.northamptonshiretimeline.com/scene/400bc-hunsbury-hillfort/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref> In the [[Roman Britain|Roman period]], a small rural settlement is thought to have existed in the present-day district of [[Duston]]; remains of [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[pottery]] were found there.<ref>{{cite web |last=Doyle |first=Tony |title=Roman remains |url=http://paintedpixels.co.uk/northampton/northampton/roman.html |access-date=29 August 2013 |publisher=Paintedpixels.co.uk |archive-date=3 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203035315/http://paintedpixels.co.uk/northampton/northampton/roman.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Following a [[Viking|Danish]] invasion, the central area of the town was turned into a stronghold called a ''burh'' probably by the Anglo-Saxons. By the time of the [[Peace of Wedmore]] in 878 the Burgh was in possession of the Danes and became the base for one of the Danish armies.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last=Ingram |first=Mike |title=We're a little bit Saxon and a little bit Viking |url=https://nenequirer.com/2019/05/28/were-a-little-bit-saxon-and-a-little-bit-viking/ |journal=Nene Quirer|date=28 May 2019 }}</ref>  A ditch was dug around the settlement and it was fortified with earth [[Defensive wall|ramparts]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Vince |first=Alan |title=An Archaeological Resource Assessment and Research Agenda for the Early and Middle Anglo-Saxon Period (c. 400–850) in the East Midlands |url=http://www.le.ac.uk/ulas/publications/documents/emidas_000.pdf |access-date=12 September 2013 |publisher=le.ac.uk |archive-date=12 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812152741/http://www.le.ac.uk/ulas/publications/documents/emidas_000.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Having conquered [[Mercia]], the Danes turned the settlement into a centre for military and administrative purposes, which was part of the [[Danelaw]]. The Danish army of Northampton however submitted to [[Edward the Elder]], Saxon King of [[Wessex]] (who controlled the southern and western part of the English Kingdom of Mercia) in 921<ref name=":0" />

In the 9th century ''Regenhere of Northampton'',<ref>The Liber Vitae of the New Minster, [[Winchester]], Stowe 944(Fl.964-1030AD)</ref><ref>William George Searle, Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum: A List of [[Anglo-Saxon]] [[Proper Name|Proper Names]] from the Time of [[Beda]] to that of [[John, King of England|King John]]  ([[Cambridge University Press]], 22 March 2012), [https://books.google.com/books?id=7t1vsmrHUj4C&dq=Regenhere&pg=PA397 page 387]</ref> an [[East Anglia]]n [[Saint]] with localised [[Venerate|veneration]], was buried in Northampton. By 918, Northampton had an [[earl]] and an army dependent upon it, whose territory extended to the [[River Welland]].<ref name=britishhistory />

Edward the Elder turned Northampton into the centre of one of the new shires, and it prospered as a river port and trading centre.<ref name=britishhistory /> In 940, it resisted the invading forces of Danish opposition in [[Northumbria]] when the Mercians successfully defended the town in a siege by [[Scandinavian York|King Olaf of York]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Roman saxon and Viking |url=https://northantsbattles.com/roman-saxon-and-viking/ |access-date=6 August 2020 |website=Northamptonshire Battlefields Society|date=31 March 2017 }}</ref> but was burnt in 1010 by a Danish army, and again in 1065 by the [[Northumbrian Revolt of 1065|rebellious northern earls]] [[Edwin, Earl of Mercia|Edwin]] and [[Morcar]]. Despite this, the ''Domesday Book'' records ''Northantone'' as possessing 316 houses with a population of 2000 people, ranking between [[Warwick]] and [[Leicester]] in size.<ref name=britishhistory /><ref name=visionofbritain />

=== Medieval ===
[[File:Postern Gate of Northampton Castle 2013.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Northampton Castle]] was a royal residence and held the [[Parliament of England]], but was eventually demolished for a [[Northampton railway station|railway station]]. A [[postern]], rebuilt into a wall by the station, is all that remains.]]
With the [[Norman Conquest]] of England in 1066, the town rose to national significance: its geographical location in the centre of England made Northampton a valuable strategical point for government and as a convenient meeting place for political, social, ecclesiastical and military events.<ref name=britishhistory /><ref name="histparl">{{cite web |title=Northampton |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/northampton#constituency-main-article |access-date=12 September 2013 |publisher=historyofparliamentonline.org}}</ref>

[[Northampton Castle]] is thought to have been built by [[Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton|Simon de Senlis]], who became the first [[Earl of Northampton]], circa 1084.<ref name=britishhistory /> It was originally an earth and timber [[stockade]]d construction which was later rebuilt in stone.<ref name="andrewmartin">Andrew, Martin: ''Northampton'' The Francis Frith Collection, 2002</ref> The castle became an occasional royal residence from the reign of King [[Henry I of England|Henry I]] in 1130 until that of King [[Richard II of England|Richard II]].<ref name=histparl /> [[John, King of England|King John]] regularly stayed at the castle and moved [[HM Treasury|The Treasury]] there in 1205. Some 32  [[Parliament of England|Parliaments]] were held there.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northampton – History of Parliament Online |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/northampton |website=www.historyofparliamentonline.org}}</ref> The last Parliament at Northampton was held in 1380. Significant events in the castle's history include the trial of [[Thomas Becket]] in 1164, the publication of the [[Assize of Northampton]] in 1176, the declaration of peace with Scotland in the [[Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton]], the passage of the [[Statute of Northampton]] in 1328 and the imposition of [[Tax per head|poll tax]] in 1380. Royal tournaments and feasts were also held at the castle.<ref name="britishhistory">[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66252 The borough of Northampton – Introduction | A History of the County of Northampton: Volume 3 (pp. 1–26)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024160950/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66252 |date=24 October 2012 }}. British-history.ac.uk (23 September 1913). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.</ref><ref name=andrewmartin />

[[Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton|Simon de Senlis]] is also thought to have built the medieval town walls, which enclosed about {{convert|245|acres|0|abbr=on}} and had four main [[City gate|gates]]. Though demolished now, the circular pattern of the main roads surrounding the town centre marks the original position of the walls.<ref name="andrewmartin" /> de Senlis founded the [[Cluny Abbey|Cluniac]] [[St Andrew's Priory, Northampton|Priory of St Andrew's]] in the area of Semilong, and built [[The Holy Sepulchre, Northampton|The Church of the Holy Sepulchre]] – one of four remaining [[round church]]es in England – and All Hallows' Church on the current site of [[All Saints' Church, Northampton|All Saints' Church]].<ref name="britishhistory" /><ref name="andrewmartin" /> His son, [[Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton|Simon II de Senlis]], built [[St Peter's Church, Northampton|St Peter's Church]] on a site between a former Anglo-Saxon palace and Northampton Castle.<ref name="andrewmartin" /> Simon II de Senlis also founded [[Delapré Abbey]] – another Cluniac priory – which still stands today. Other priories in medieval Northampton include [[St James Abbey, Northampton|St James' Abbey]], Graye Friers, Blackfriars and Whitefriars. St. John's, a medieval hospital, was situated east of Bridge Street.<ref name="andrewmartin" /> A [[Northampton's tunnels|network of medieval tunnels]] remains under the centre of Northampton around All Saints' Church and the Market Square but their purpose, extent and significance have been disputed.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 April 2009 |title=Underground Northampton |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/content/articles/2009/04/03/underground_northampton_tunnels_feature.shtml |access-date=29 August 2013 |publisher=Bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

The town was originally controlled by officials acting for the King who collected taxes and upheld the law. This changed on 18 November 1189 when King [[Richard I of England|Richard I]] granted the town its first charter in exchange for money to fund his crusades.<ref name="britishhistory" /> The charter allowed the townspeople certain rights and independence in legal and administrative matters. In 1215, King John authorised the appointment of William Tilly as the town's first Mayor and ordered that "twelve of the better and more discreet [residents] of your town" join him as a council to assist him.<ref name="britishhistory" /><ref name="NBC Mayors">{{cite web |title=''Mayors of Northampton'' W N Terry Central Art Gallery, Northampton, updated June 2011, accessed 5 October 2012 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_nf=1&cp=21&gs_id=2d&xhr=t&q=mayors+of+northampton&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=Mayors+of+Northamptom&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=34d01fe90270ff60&biw=1920&bih=951 |access-date=29 August 2013}}</ref> The importance of Northampton at this time is underlined by the fact that only London, [[York]] and [[King's Lynn]] had mayors by this date.<ref name="andrewmartin" /> The mayor later ruled with 24 councillors and 48 freemen in a closed body until 1835.<ref name="andrewmartin" />

In 1261, the [[University of Northampton (13th century)|medieval University of Northampton]] was established by [[royal charter]] from [[Henry III of England|King Henry III]]. Had it survived, it would be the [[Third-oldest university in England debate|third oldest university founded in England]] after [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]]. However, after members of the university sided with supporters of [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]] (who was [[First Barons' War|rebelling against the King]]) and advisors to [[The Crown]] said that Northampton was a threat to Oxford's scholastic hegemony, Henry III dissolved the university in 1265.<ref>{{cite book |last=Maddicott |first=J. R. |author-link= |date=1996 |title=Simon de Montfort |url= |location= |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page= |isbn=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=93509&sectioncode=26 |title=Reading, a city dreaming of spires |publisher=Times Higher Education |date=3 May 1996 |access-date=4 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.northampton.ac.uk/history/2013/04/17/it-should-have-been-us-northampton-universitys-very-long-history/ |title= It should have been us! Northampton University's very long history |last=Gray |first=Drew |date=17 April 2013 |website= University of Northampton |access-date= |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130420134254/https://blogs.northampton.ac.uk/history/2013/04/17/it-should-have-been-us-northampton-universitys-very-long-history/ |archive-date=20 April 2013}}</ref>

Markets and fairs were a key element in the town's economy in medieval times. The Market Square came to prominence in 1235 when Henry III ordered that the selling of goods in the churchyard of All Saints should be relocated to the Market Square.<ref name=andrewmartin /> Street names in the town give an indication of trades and market centres; Corn Hill, Malt Hill, Mercer Row, Gold Street, Sheep Street and Horse Market.<ref name=andrewmartin /> Cloth and wool were very important but these industries declined.<ref name=andrewmartin /> In the 13th century, Northampton had a large Jewish population centred on Gold Street. In 1277 – two years after [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] passed the [[Statute of the Jewry]] – some Jewish residents were executed while the remainder were driven out of town.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jewish Communities and Records |url=http://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/susser/thesis/thesischapterone.htm |access-date=29 August 2013 |publisher=Jewishgen.org}}</ref> Archaeological sites include a medieval Jewish cemetery and the [[Northampton Medieval Synagogue]].<ref>Northampton synagogue discovered under kebab shop Jewish Chronicle – Marcus Dysch – 15 April 2010 [http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/30503/northampton-synagogue-discovered-under-kebab-shop TheJC.com]</ref>

The [[First Barons' War]] caused significant destruction to Northampton. The barons [[Siege|besieged]] Northampton Castle in protest at King John's oppression of his subjects. In retaliation, royalist forces destroyed a large part of the town. When the forces of King [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] overran the supporters of [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]], the [[Second Barons' War]] broke out. The [[Battle of Northampton (1264)|First Battle of Northampton]] took place in 1264 at the site of Northampton Castle where King Henry III and his son Prince Edward attacked with a large army, pillaged the town and took prisoners.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northamptonshire-history.org.uk/?p=5 |title=The 1st Battle of Northampton (1264) |website=northamptonshire-history.org.uk |date=6 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308113434/http://www.northamptonshire-history.org.uk/?p=5 |archive-date=8 March 2012 |access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref>

In 1349, the [[Black Death]] pandemic killed more than half the population of Northampton. In 1377, the population was 2,200.<ref name=histparl /> The town was rapidly losing its wealth and its importance as a national centre. In 1460, the [[Battle of Northampton (1460)|Second Battle of Northampton]] took place during the [[War of the Roses]] in the meadows between the River Nene and Delapré Abbey. The [[House of York|Yorkists]] defeated the Lancastrians and [[Henry VI of England|King Henry VI]] was taken prisoner. In 1484, the Mayor declared that Northampton was "in great desolation and ruin". The [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] in 1538 led to further destruction of what remained of the medieval town. Northampton was severely affected by [[Plague (disease)|Plague]] between March and September 1638 when 665 people died.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/year-northampton-became-something-ghost-town-and-665-people-died-3040795 |title='The year Northampton became something of a ghost town and 665 people died' |publisher=The Northampton Chronicle & Echo |date=19 November 2020 |access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref>

=== Early modern ===
[[File:Map of Northampton, 1610, John Speed.jpg|thumb|Map of Northampton by [[John Speed]] produced around 1610. Showing the [[Northampton Castle|castle]] and town walls.]]
The royal connection to Northampton Castle became less significant, and by the time of the [[English Civil War]], Northampton was decidedly pro-Parliament.<ref name=andrewmartin /> Though [[Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton|Spencer Compton]], Earl of Northampton, was a royalist ([[Cavalier]]) and backed King [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], the people of Northampton supported Parliament and [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s republican [[Roundhead]] army. The town had a long history of religious dissent from the [[Lollardy|Lollards]] and [[Puritan]]ism gained a strong hold on the town. The corporation of the town, having already refused to provide troops to the King in 1632 or to pay the notorious [[ship money]] tax in 1636, petitioned Parliament in 1642 against [[papist]]s and [[bishop]]s.<ref name=andrewmartin />

When war broke out in 1642, the town willingly became the main Parliamentarian [[garrison]] for the south-east Midlands area with the former royal castle as its headquarters. In 1643, [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine|Prince Rupert]] attacked Northampton with approximately 2,000 men, but was beaten back at the North Gate of the town. Oliver Cromwell visited in 1645 and [[Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron|General Fairfax]] marched from the town to [[Naseby]], where Charles I's Royalist army was decisively defeated.<ref name=andrewmartin /> Over 4,000 pairs of leather shoes and 600 pairs of cavalry jack-boots for the Parliamentary armies were manufactured in Northampton during the Civil War, and a further 2,000 for Cromwell's [[New Model Army]] in 1648. Until well into the 19th century, the shoe industry boomed in and around the town with small manufacturing workshops set up in the surrounding areas.<ref name=andrewmartin />

The War ended with a Parliamentary victory, resulting in England becoming a [[Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth]], which lasted a decade. Following the [[Restoration (1660)|restoration of King Charles II]] in 1660, he took revenge on the town by ordering the destruction of its walls and partial demolition of its castle in 1662, since it did not support his father Charles I and his cavaliers.<ref name="castle">{{cite web |url=http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/community/discover-northampton-s-own-lost-castle-1-2874922 |title=Discover Northampton's own 'lost' castle | date=18 July 2011 |website=www.northamptonchron.co.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603123806/http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/community/discover-northampton-s-own-lost-castle-1-2874922 |archive-date=3 June 2015}}</ref> From then on, the castle was used as a court and a jail, but its physical condition worsened.<ref name=castle /> The new council of the town had to pay £200 to have its charter renewed and also required all officials to swear the oath of allegiance and some confirmed by the Crown.<ref name=andrewmartin />

[[File:SessionsHouse.JPG|thumb|left|[[Sessions House, Northampton|Sessions House]] was one of the first buildings built after the [[Great Fire of Northampton]] (1675)]]
The town centre was further destroyed by the [[Great Fire of Northampton]] in 1675, caused by sparks from an open fire in a thatched cottage by the castle. The fire spread eastwards by strong westerly winds and consumed three-quarters of the town centre in 24 hours.<ref name=andrewmartin /><ref name="bhistory2">{{cite web |title=The borough of Northampton – Description &#124; A History of the County of Northampton: Volume 3 (pp. 30–40) |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66254 |access-date=29 August 2013 |publisher=British-history.ac.uk}}</ref> Matters were worsened because most buildings were chiefly made of wood and covered with thatch.<ref name=visionofbritain /> An estimated 600 buildings were destroyed, amounting to £150,000 lost.<ref name=bhistory2 /> Very little survived the fire, apart from buildings made of stone, like the Welsh House on Market Square, built in 1595, and Hazelrigg House in Mare Fair, built in 1662.<ref name=andrewmartin />
[[File:Northampton UK Market Sq 2008-06-08.jpg|thumb|Northampton Market Square]]
The devastation led to an Act of Parliament for the rebuilding the town.<ref name=visionofbritain /> Local people and businesses helped to raise around £25,000 towards the rebuilding of the town centre based around the Market Square.<ref name=bhistory2 /><ref>{{cite web |date=7 December 2011 |title=Timeline &#124; History of the Northampton Market Square &#124; Northampton Borough Council |url=http://www.northampton.gov.uk/info/200242/market/1144/history_of_the_northampton_market_square |access-date=29 August 2013 |publisher=Northampton.gov.uk |archive-date=24 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224101804/http://www.northampton.gov.uk/info/200242/market/1144/history_of_the_northampton_market_square |url-status=dead }}</ref> Streets were widened and buildings made of brick and stone and tiled to prevent such devastation again.<ref name=andrewmartin /> In an act of reconciliation, King Charles II donated timber from the royal forests of Salcey and Whittlebury to help with the rebuild.<ref name=andrewmartin /><ref>{{cite web |title=More Information |url=http://www.northamptonshiretimeline.com/scene/1675reets-great-fire-of-northampton/ |access-date=29 August 2013 |publisher=The Northamptonshire Timeline |archive-date=24 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224102957/http://www.northamptonshiretimeline.com/scene/1675reets-great-fire-of-northampton/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref> In 1678, the [[Sessions House, Northampton|Sessions House]] and what is now [[County Hall, Northampton|County Hall]] were amongst the first buildings to be completed.<ref>{{cite web |title=1678 AD: Sessions House and County Hall in George Row Completed – More Information &#124; Tudors & Stuarts |url=http://www.northamptonshiretimeline.com/scene/1678-sessions-house/ |access-date=29 August 2013 |publisher=The Northamptonshire Timeline |archive-date=24 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224113758/http://www.northamptonshiretimeline.com/scene/1678-sessions-house/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref> A [[Georgian era|Georgian]] town with new houses, shops and workshops eventually grew out of the old medieval town destroyed by the fire.<ref name=andrewmartin /> In 1742<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northants-fhs.org/northampton-home-of-the-first-water-driven-cotton-mill/ |title=Northampton: Home of the First Water-Driven Cotton Mill |publisher=Northamptonshire Family History Society |date=2017}}</ref> [[Edward Cave]] opened [[Marvel's Mill]], the world's first [[cotton mill]] to be driven by a [[water wheel]], on the River Nene.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wadsworth |first1=Alfred P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5NVRAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA433 |title=The Cotton Trade and Industrial Lancashire, 1600–1780 |last2=Mann |first2=Julia De Lacy |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=1931 |location=Manchester}}</ref>

A permanent military presence was established in the town with the completion of [[Gibraltar Barracks, Northampton|Gibraltar Barracks]] in 1797.<ref>{{cite web |date=23 July 1847 |title=Parliamentary accounts and papers |url=https://archive.org/stream/parliamentarypa98commgoog/parliamentarypa98commgoog_djvu.txt |access-date=9 December 2015 |publisher=UK Parliament}}</ref>

By the end of the 18th century, Northampton had become a major centre of footwear and leather manufacture. In 1801, the population was 7,020; it more than doubled to 15,351 in 1831, attributed to the fact that there was great demand for footwear caused by the [[Napoleonic Wars]] of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.<ref name=andrewmartin /> A third of the adult males alone were shoemakers at the time.<ref name=andrewmartin /> Northampton grew beyond the old town walls and industry grew rapidly with the mechanisation of factories by the middle of the 19th century.<ref name=andrewmartin />

[[File:Cole-roper northampton 1810.jpg|thumb|A map of Northampton in 1810]]
The Nene Navigation Company had previously made the River Nene navigable from King's Lynn as far up as Northampton in 1762, allowing cheap transportation of coal and other goods to the town, but in 1815, the [[Grand Union Canal]] reached the town, joining the River Nene, giving the town a direct link to the Midlands coalfields and to [[Birmingham]], [[Manchester]] and London.<ref name=britishhistory />

The first railway to be built into Northampton was the [[Northampton and Peterborough Railway]], a branch from the main [[London and Birmingham Railway]] from [[Blisworth]] to [[Peterborough]] through Northampton which opened in 1845 along with the town's first railway station, [[Northampton Bridge Street railway station|Bridge Street station]]. This was followed by the opening of Castle station in 1859 on the site of part of the historic Northampton Castle,<ref name=britishhistory />{{sfnp|Leleux|1984|p=54}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Harrison |first=Chaz |date=11 August 2009 |title=Ever wondered what lies beneath? |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/northampton/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8195000/8195170.stm |access-date=30 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=[[Building Design Partnership]] |date=November 2006 |title=Northampton Central Area Design, development and movement framework (Final Report) |url=http://www.northampton.gov.uk/downloads/NPTONCentralArea1-21.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724050004/http://www.northampton.gov.uk/downloads/NPTONCentralArea1-21.pdf |archive-date=24 July 2011 |access-date=30 August 2010 |at=para. 2.15}}</ref>{{sfnp|Quick|2009|p=295}} and later [[Northampton St. John's Street railway station|St. John's Street station]] in 1872. The [[Northampton loop]] of the [[West Coast Main Line]] was built in the late 1870s. Castle station was rebuilt and expanded over the site of Northampton Castle, the remains of which were purchased and demolished in 1880 to make way for the [[goods shed]].{{sfnp|Leleux|1984|p=56}}  Bridge Street Station closed in 1964 and St John's Street closed in 1939,{{sfnp|Butt|1995|p=173}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Coleman and Rajczonek |first=Richard and Joe |title=Steaming into Northamptonshire |year=1988 |publisher=Northamptonshire Libraries |isbn=0-905391-1-2-8 |location=Northampton}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Coleman and Rajczonek |first=Richard and Joe |title=Steam Nostalgia around Northampton |publisher=Northamptonshire Libraries |year=1987 |isbn=0-905391-11X |location=Northampton}}</ref> leaving only Castle station serving the town.{{sfnp|Kingscott|2008|p=70}} It is now known simply as [[Northampton railway station]].

Tram lines were also laid down in the town in 1881 and electrified in 1903.<ref name=britishhistory /> An early omnibus service ran to Wellingborough, and since 1919 motor omnibus services ran to villages around the town which brought buyers and sellers to the market.<ref name=britishhistory />

There were iron ore quarries in the countryside around the town during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries which have left their mark on the landscape. Some of the quarries were in what is now the town area in an arc from Kingsthorpe through Duston and Hunsbury round to Hardingstone beginning in about 1860. Some have now been built over and not all lasted very long. The town area quarries that lasted the longest and closed last were at Hunsbury which began working in 1877 and closed in 1920. There are remains of some of these quarries at Hunsbury Hill. There was an iron works by the river to the west of the town next to the railway that then operated between Northampton and Blisworth. This was called the Hunsbury Ironworks and operated between about 1874 and January 1921 using ore from these quarries and elsewhere.<ref>{{Tonks ironstone |part=3 |page=90–153}}</ref>

=== Contemporary ===
Following [[World War I]], the shoe industry was increasingly in decline, despite the town's factories supplying over 23 million pairs of boots to the armed forces.<ref name=andrewmartin /> A total of 1,700 men from the town were lost of the 6,000 killed from the [[Northamptonshire Regiment]].<ref name=andrewmartin /> The town expanded further during the 1920s and saw the erection of [[Northampton Power Station]], which supplied electricity to areas as far away as [[Wolverton]], until its closure in 1975. Much council housing was also built largely to the east, north and south of the town, including [[Abington, Northamptonshire|Abington]], [[Far Cotton]], Kingsley, [[Kingsthorpe]] and [[Dallington, Northamptonshire|Dallington]] – areas which had been incorporated within the borough's boundaries in 1901.<ref name=andrewmartin /> However, the population growth slowed down as people moved beyond its boundaries. In 1901, the population had expanded to 90,923; in 1931, the population was 92,341.<ref name=andrewmartin />

[[File:NptonPop.GIF|left]]
After [[World War II]], Northampton vastly changed. In 1959, the [[M1 motorway]] was opened to the south-west of the town; in 1968, Northampton was designated a [[New towns in the United Kingdom|New Town]]. Both these events and the rail link helped Northampton's growth as a [[commuter town]] for London.<ref name=andrewmartin /> The Northampton Development Corporation (NDC) was set up in 1968 to substantially redevelop the town in partnership with the local council, spending £205&nbsp;million to build new housing and industrial estates, initially in Lumbertubs, Moulton Park and Round Spinney to the east, followed by Briar Hill, Camp Hill and East and [[West Hunsbury]] in the south of the town, mainly to accommodate the overflow population of new residents from the London area.<ref name=andrewmartin /><ref name="bbcndc">{{cite news |date=3 February 2015 |title=Fifty years since a plan that transformed Northampton |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-31110173}}</ref> In the town centre, older buildings were demolished and replaced or redeveloped for other buildings, including the former [[Northampton Greyfriars bus station|Greyfriars bus station]], the [[Grosvenor Centre]], Peacock Place (now Market Walk), shops, flats and hotels.<ref name=andrewmartin />

Although growth was slower than planned, the population grew from 105,421 in 1961 to 157,217 by 1981,<ref name=andrewmartin /> with 15,655 new homes added to the town between 1970 and 1985.<ref name="bbcndc" /> The borough boundaries also changed following a split of the [[Northampton parliamentary constituency]] into [[Northampton North (UK Parliament constituency)|Northampton North]] and [[Northampton South (UK Parliament constituency)|Northampton South]] in 1974. Northampton was reconstituted as a [[non-metropolitan district]] which also covered areas outside the former borough boundaries but inside the designated New Town. The town tried for [[Unitary authority|unitary status]] during the [[1990s UK local government reform]], but failed and it remained a non-metropolitan district until its abolition in 2021. On [[Good Friday]] 1998, Northampton suffered severe flooding, particularly in the areas of Far Cotton and St James; two people were killed and thousands of homes were affected.

Since the turn of the Millennium, the town has continued to expand. Northampton applied for [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] in 2000 to celebrate the new millennium, in 2002 to celebrate the [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II]] and most recently in 2022 to celebrate the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II]], but failed on all three occasions and remains a town.<ref name="MillenniumLeakAngers">{{cite news |date=7 March 2000 |title=Millennium city leak angers bookies |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/669580.stm |access-date=15 October 2008}}</ref><ref name="MillenniumWinnersNamed">{{cite news |date=18 December 2000 |title=City winners named |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1074434.stm |access-date=15 October 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Five new cities creates row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1872577.stm |website=BBC News|date=14 March 2002 }}</ref> In 2006, Northampton became a government expansion zone with new growth promoted by [[West Northamptonshire Development Corporation]] (WNDC), an unelected [[quango]], which has provoked a series of regeneration schemes across the town. Some have been completed, including the opening of the [[Radlands (skatepark)|Radlands]] Plaza Skatepark and the development of Becket's Park Marina just south of Northampton's town centre, as well as the improvement of the town's Market Square, the building of the new North Gate bus station, the rebuilding of the railway station, the designation of a Cultural Quarter, the building of a new Council headquarters, the restoration of Delapré Abbey, the expansion of [[Northampton Museum]], the resiting and rebuilding of the university on one new campus in town centre and the renovation of both the Grosvenor Shopping Centre and Weston Favell Centre.<ref name="WNDC">[http://www.wndc.co.uk/ West Northamptonshire Development Corporation website]. Wndc.co.uk. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.</ref> In 2015, St Giles Street in the town centre was named the "Best British High Street" in a national competition run by the [[Department for Communities and Local Government]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Northampton's St Giles Street wins high street of the year in national competition |url=http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/northampton-s-st-giles-street-wins-high-street-of-the-year-in-national-competition-1-7092537 |newspaper=[[Northampton Chronicle and Echo]] |access-date=16 February 2016 |archive-date=3 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203204608/http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/northampton-s-st-giles-street-wins-high-street-of-the-year-in-national-competition-1-7092537 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2024 the market square was excavated and redesigned.