NORTHAMPTON, a borough and capital town of the county of the same name, sixty-six miles north from London. It is situated on a gentle elevation, on the northern bank of the river Nen. The borough, which is of very old standing, extends from the north to the south upwards of two miles, and from east to west about one mile and a half. These limitscontain the parishesofAll-Saints, StSepulchre, St Peter, St Giles, and certain extra parochial places. At an early period it was deemed worthy of being a royal residence. The castle then erected for this purpose was built at the west side of the town, upon an eminence, under which the river runs, and traces of the remains are still to be found. Parliaments were repeatedly held here in the reigns of the first Edwards. The town was formerly surrounded by a wall, and contained several monastic institutions; but these decayed through time, or were destroyed at the Reformation, or by the fire in 1675, when the town was nearly burned to the ground. An act of parliament was passed for the rebuilding of the town; and from the funds raised by subscription, as well as from the aid bestowed by the king, the damage occasioned by the disaster was entirely repaired. The town may be said to be nearly divided into four equal parts, by two streets running in the direction of the cardinal points, whilst various other bystreets extend through the town. Both of these streets are wide and spacious, and each extends nearly a mile in length; the limits of the burgh, as has already been mentioned, extend farther. The street called the Drapery, though not the largest, is the finest in the town, both for its breadth and the handsome appearance of its shops. At the south end of the Drapery, and the west end of St Giles, is the market-place, 600 feet square, surrounded by handsome .shops and neat private dwellings, and said to be one of the [7:16:250]handsomest market-places in Europe. The town is clean, and most of the houses are built of a reddish coloured stone dug in the neighbourhood; the others are of brick. With the exception of the Drapery and other principal streets, the houses present an uniform appearance, and are almost entirely occupied by journeymen shoemakers and other workmen employed in that trade. A great increase of houses of this description has taken place during the last few years. The principal building ground still unoccupied lies in the parishes of St Giles and St Sepulchre; but very active measures are now in progress to open new streets, and extend buildings upon it in every direction. The borough is evidently in a flourishing condition. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the shoe, leather, stocking, and thread-lace manufactures. The principal manufacture, however, consists in that of boots and shoes, which has thriven and increased during the last thirty years, without being affected by the various changes which have occurred during that period. The present wages paid weekly to the journeymen amount to L.2000. Great quantities of the shoes and boots are sent to London, as well as exported. This is greatly promoted by the Northampton Canal, which, uniting with the Grand Junction Canal, gives water communication to the principal manufacturing and mining districts, the ports of London, Liverpool, Bristol, and Hull. There are also three well-employed iron-founderies in the town. The town formerly had seven churches within the walls, and two without, but there are now only four in all. The principal church, All Saints, stands nearly in the centre of the town, at the junction of the four leading streets; it is a handsome building, with a fine porticoof eight Ionic columns, and is surmounted by a statue of Charles II. The church of St Sepulchre is of a circular form. St Peter’s deserves notice only as a relic of ancient architecture. St Giles has nothing remarkable. There are likewise places of worship for Presbyterians, Quakers, Methodists, Baptists, and Roman Catholics. We may add, that there are various charitable institutions for education and the support of the poor. On the eastern side of the town, in an airy and salubrious situation, is the infirmary. The town-hall, county-hall, county jail, town jail, and theatre, are all respectable buildings. The town is lighted with gas. The horse fair held here is considered as the best in the kingdom for saddle and carriage horses. The town is divided into three wards, and is governed by a corporate body, consisting of a mayor, six aidermen, eighteen councillors, twelve justices of the peace, a recorder, and town-clerk. Northampton returns two members to parliament; the number of voters is about 1800, and the returning officer is the mayor. The market-days are Wednesday and Saturday. The population amounted in 180] to 7220, in 1811 to 8427, in 1821 to 10,844, and in 1831 to 15,351.

Northampton, a post-town and shire-town of Hampshire county, Massachusetts, one of the United States of North America. It is beautifully situated on the west bank of the Connecticut River, ninety-five miles west from Boston. It consists chiefly of two streets, proceeding like the radii of a circle, although with many irregularities. It contains several handsome public buildings, of which the court-house, jail, and one of the religious meeting-houses, are the most conspicuous. The private houses are in general large, and in a good style, and many of them are elegant. Northampton is a place greatly resorted to by travellers, from the romantic beauty of the scenery in the vicinity. The common schools of this place are highly respectable. A stream passes near the centre of the town, on which are erected numerous mills and many manufactories, amongst which are two of woollen. Farmington Canal extends from New Haven to this place. A bridge, built in 1826, connecting this town and Hadley, is 1086 feet in length by thirty-six in breadth, and is supported by six piers and two abutments. The Indians called this town Nonatuck. It was the third place settled on the river in this state, and was incorporated in 1654. Amongst the striking objects in the scenery of Northampton are the beautififl river, and the heights called Mount Tom and Mount Holyoke, the former being 1200 and the latter 900 feet above the river. The population amounted in 1830 to 3618. Long. 72. 40. W. Lat. 42. 16. N.