ITIL® Intermediate Level

About Northampton

Northampton is the county city of Northampton shire in the East Midlands of England. It is located on the River Nene, about 67 miles north-west of London and 50 miles (80 km) south-east of Birmingham. In 2011 survey, it had a populace of 212,100. An archaeological affirmation of settlement in the area dates back to the Anglo-Saxon times, Bronze Age and Roman. During the middle ages, the town got the national importance due to the construction of Northampton Fort. This castle was a situational residence of royals and hosted Parliament of England. It also had some forts, hermitages and the University of Northampton.

It was given the first town charter by King Richard I in 1189. King John was elected as a Mayor in 1215. The town is also the place of  two battles. In Modern period, Northampton’s Royal connections got languished.  This culminated in King Charles II ordering the destruction of town walls and most of the forts. The town also experienced the Great Fire of Northampton which demolished most of the town. It was soon reconstructed and rapidly develops with the industry growth of the 18th century.

Northampton sustained to grow with the creation of the Grand Union Canal and the advent of the railways in the 19th century.  As a result it formed an industrial centre for leather and footwear production. 

Administration

 Politics

The Northampton constituency was recognised in 1295, which gave two MPs to the House of Commons. Spencer Perceval was the chosen MP for the constituency in 1796 and became MP of the United Kingdom in 1809. John Bellingham shot him dead in the House of Commons lobby in 1812. By the late 19th century, Northampton had attained a reputation for political extremism.

In 1880, radical non-conformist Charles Bradlaugh was chosen as the second MP for the electorate. During an election campaign a riot broke out in the Market Square that required the armed forces to disperse the action. For the 1918 general election, Northampton's picture was abridged to one MP. 

Local Government

The town existed as an ancient borough in the medieval period. Later it became one of the 178 districts to be reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act in 1835. with a democratically elected council replacing the Tory corporation before it. Town government staggered between the Liberals and Conservatives. It attained independence from Northamptonshire in 1888 when it developed a county borough. Northampton had six electoral wards from 1898 which went up to nine in 1900 and 12 in 1911.