Northampton Castle

Northampton Castle is of particular interest as mainstream historical references pay little attention to what was an extremely important building. One reason for its importance was the central English location and thus the high strategic value. The fortified castle was also the site for Parliament for over 200 years and was a favourite residence for Royals who enjoyed the rich county hunting grounds.

Location

The castle was located on the current Northampton Train Station site. This area was just on the edge of the main town walls to the west and on a slight hill. The site was likely to have been built on a previous Saxon fortification (known as a Burgh) as archaeological digs in 1962 uncovered various evidence to support this.

My research is still ongoing but the castle itself seems to have been situated in the current car park. The actual train station would have been in the grounds of castle close to the west wall. The Nene river which runs nearby also appears to have been rerouted at some point as initially this would have been further west and formed a natural moat. (NOTE: These details are to be confirmed). We are hoping to have a map drawn up soon showing the exact location of the castle and walls around the town.

Origins

The castle was part of the Norman expansion into England by William I (aka the Conqueror and Duke of Normandy). Having arrived in 1066 and won the crown through the famous victory over Harold II, William took control of all the lands from the English nobles. Northampton was given to Simon of St Liz (aka De Senlis).

Simon is referred to as the first Earl of Northampton taking possession in 1080 from Waltheof Earl of Northumbria and Northampton. Waltheof was in fact the first Earl of Northampton but maybe his conduct as the one of the last Saxon Earls to survive mean that the short gap between them resulted in Simon being the first Norman Earl of Northampton. Waltheof was executed for his repeated rebellion against King William but was pardoned twice. This third time he was tried and beheaded on May 31st 1076. The succession to the Earl of Northampton title was delayed as William demanded Waltheof’s widow Judith marry Simon but she refused. This may have been on account of him Simon being lame or simply out of pride and honour for her husband. The angry King William finally settled for the daughter of Waltheof and Judith, Maud, who married Simon reportedly in 1090.

William was well in control of the country but the construction of castles all over England was continuing with Simon being ordered to build one here. He likely set about this task very soon after coming to local power but the castle was not completed until around 1088. There is no reference to the castle in the Domesday Book of 1086 although it is probable it was already under construction.

Construction

It seems that there are no images of the castle remaining, nor plans showing the layout or number of rooms contained within it. There are some references to the actual location of the castle in terms of where the walls lay and the foundations of the main residence and we hope to bring these to the site soon. It is possible to make comparisons to other Norman castles of the day and one that still stands that is likely to be of similar design to Northampton is the castle at Dover (pictured right).

Our information suggests that Northampton castle was actually larger and certainly had more land within the walls than Dover Castle. It even had a second, outer wall which protected it further. There also seems to be a number (possibly two) separated towers for additional defence one of which lies up on the hill closer to town. We have discovered some dimensions and references to two great halls and other rooms but piecing this together is quite difficult and perhaps beyond the aspirations of this initial research.

Royal Association

The first trustworthy account of a royal residing at the castle was in 1106. Here a recorded transcript of the meeting of brothers Duke Robert of Normandy and King Henry I can be found. This account discloses that the elder brother Robert, after deferring the English crown to his younger brother, implored him to resist the temptation to be at war with him. This fell on deaf ears and Henry invaded Normandy and imprisoned Robert in Cardiff castle in the same year.

Further accounts of Henry being a Northampton can be found in reference to Easter 1122 and also that the King took further lands into the castle grounds in 1130.

More to come soon...

Interesting Information

The Northampton Museum has a model of the Castle and drawings which show the layout and structure in great detail. If you are interested in the castle a visit to this museum is free and very rewarding.

The Northampton coat of arms does use the castle imagery as its central character and even the Northampton Town Football Club has it emblazoned on every shirt as their logo.