Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/84

Rh NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 72 NORTHAM PTONSH rRE. besides the above, twenty other places of worship, of which the Baptists have five chapels, the Wesleyan Methodists three, the Independents two, the Calvinists, Primitive Methodists, Unitarians, and Society of Friends, each one, and the Roman Catholics have a collegiate chapel, huilt in 1845 from Mr. Pugin's designs. The bishop's residence is close by. Among the dissenting chapels the only one that deserves particular notice is that of the Independents, on Castle Hill, as having been for twenty years the scene of the labours of the cele- brated Dr. Doddridge, a mural tablet to whose memory has been inserted in the wall. In Abingdon-street is a modern nunnery, dedicated to St. Felix. The schools and charitable institutions are numerous. Among the former may be mentioned Chipsey's free grammar school, founded about 1543, Dryden's orange-coat school for boys, Becket and Serjeant's blue-coat school for girls, and the corporation or blue-coat school. Bicker- staff's almshouses, founded in 1695, are among the principal charities, with the hospitals of St. Thomas and St. John. The former of these was founded in the middle of the 15th century for eighteen aged persons, and was removed to its present site about 26 years ago; while the latter, originally founded by William St. Clere, is intended for the relief of infirm persons, and has a chapel and spacious hall. There are remains of several ancient religious houses, including those of the Black and Grey Friars, founded about the middle of the 13th century, and the hospital of the Blessed Virgin, founded in 1450. The cemetery contains about 10 acres. There are three bridges in Northampton, one of three arches. But few vestiges are left of the castle, including only the round tower, an arch, and part of the walls. There are also remaining the ditch and S. postern of the town wall, which was dismantled in 1662. Roman coins, pottery, and other relics have been discovered at different times. It publishes the Northampton Herald and Northampton Mercury newspapers, and gives title of marquis to the Compton family. In the immediate vicinity is the Victoria promenade, about 1 mile long, with an avenue of lime-trees. Outside the town are several interesting objects, the chief, perhaps, being Queen Eleanor's cross, where are four figures so arranged that five may be counted at a short distance off, and many bets have been lost and won as to the number of the queens on this monument. Northampton has been the native place of many celebrated men. An ancestor of Washington was twice mayor of the town. Market days are Wednesday and Saturday, for corn, cattle, sheep, and pigs. Fairs are held on the second Tuesday in January, 20th February, third Monday in March, 5th April, 4th May, 19th June, 1st July for wool, 5th and 26th August, 19th September for cheese, first Thursday in November, 28th November, and 19th December. The Pytchley Hunt races are held in March every year. The racecourse is at a short distance N. of the town, and comprises about 120 acres, with a race-stand. NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, a midland co. of Eng- land, bounded on the N. by the river Welland, which separates it from the cos. of Lincoln and Rutland, on the S. by Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, on the E. by Bedford, Cambridge, and Huntingdon shires, and on the W. by Warwickshire. It is long and irregular in form, its greatest length being upwards of 70 miles, whilst its greatest breadth is nearly 26 miles, with an average breadth of about 17 miles. It has an area of over 1,000 square miles, or 630,358 acres, of which nearly 600,000 are arable and pasture. The population in 1851 was 212,380, and in 1861 227,704. It was an- ciently the seat of tho Coritani, and in the Roman divi- sion of Britain was included in the province of Flavia C&sariensis. From Borough Hill, near Daventry, Wat- ling Street may be traced for many miles, and close to Wocdon it now forms part of the present high road. There are also the remains of several Roman stations, and traces of forts of that period, that on Borough Hill is perhaps one of the largest in England. On the road to Banbury, near Chipping Warden, a vast quantity of pottery and Roman coins have been discovered at various times. In 1823 the foundatirns of the Prcetorium were discovered here, with tesselated pavements and other remarkable antiquarian curiosities. Either Castor or Chesterton is supposed to be tho Roman Durolrivte, or the Durnomagus of Richard of Cirencester. Northamp- tonshire was part of Mercia under the Saxons, but after the invasion of the Danes was divided between them and the West Saxons. In Domesday Survey, at which time it included part of Rutlandshire, it is called North- amtunescire. William the Conqueror made grants of large portions of the county to Simon de St. Liz and others of his nobles. William is supposed to have built Rockingham Castle, and St. Liz the castles of Fotherin- gay and Northampton. The surface of the county may be said to be undulating and well wooded. The hills and dales are all under cultivation, and interspersed with streams and rivulets. There are several chains of hills the highest, Arbury Hill, near Daventry, attaining an altitude of 800 feet above the sea-level. Another range of hills, commencing near Great Oxendon, passes Cold Ashby, Welford, Barby, and so on to Daventry; a third begins at Wakerley, and runs towards Bray brook; and a fourth, a little to the E. of Woodford, runs due S., and forms tho watershed of the Cherwell, a feeder of the Thames. There are also other smaller ranges, but the hills are in general of no great elevation. The north-eastern extremity of the county, near Peter- borough, belongs to the Great Fen district. The chief rivers are the Nen and the Welland, both of which run into the North Sea. The Nen, formed by the confluence of two streams, becomes navigable at Northampton, whence it flows through Wellingborough, Higham Ferrers, Thrapston, and Oundle, till, at Peterborough, it ceases to be navigable. Its length in this county is about 60 miles. The Welland rises 6 miles from Market Harborough, and forms part of the northern boundary of tho county : its length is about 50 miles. The War- wickshire Avon rises at Naseby, and the Bedfordshire Ouse near Brackley, but neither are navigable in thia county. The Cherwell rises at Charwellton; the Tow- close to Sulgrave, whence it runs a little below Stony Stratford, where it joins the Ouse. The surface is well drained. The Oxford clay is the chief substratum on the E., and lias on oolite in the W. and S.W. divisions. Beds of forest marble are quarried at Colleyweston for roofing slates. Good building stone is quarried at Bar- nack, Brackley, and Kingsthorpe. Other stone, some of which takes an excellent polish, and is serviceable for architectural purposes, is found in different parts of the county. A valuable bed of ironstone, which yields some 40 per cent, of iron, is worked at a cheap rate, and appears inexhaustible. It was discovered in construct- ing the railway from Peterborough to Towcester. There is also great abundance of limestone, and good clay for making bricks and tiles. The famous Kilsby tunnel, on the London and North-Western railway, is between West Haddon and Barby; this railway crosses the county between Wolverton and Rugby. From Blis- worth a junction runs through Northampton to Peter- borough, where it meets the Great Northern and other lines. There are also the Rugby and Stamford branch, on the N.W., near Market Harborough, and the Mid- land, which connects Peterborough with Leicester. These and other lines of railway give access to every part of the county. The principal roads aro the Groat North road, which crosses the county to Stamford, in Lincolnshire; a branch road from it at Norman Cross, in Huntingdonshire, to Peterborough; the road through Higham Ferrers, Kettering, and Rockingham, and that through Newport Pagnell, Northampton, and Market Harborough. There are two canals in the county : the Grand Junction canal, which runs some 25 miles N.W., passing between Daventry and Northampton, and then joins the Oxford canal, whence by the river Nen it runs into the sea at Wisbeach this canal has also branch":* to, Northampton and Stony Stratford; and the Grand Union canal, which unites with the Grand Junction canal near Daventry, and runs N. until it joins tho Leicester canal at Foxton, tho Grand Union canal has