Monument record 6746 - Open Field System, Northampton

Northampton Fields were enclosed in 1778. A substantial part of the town fields comprised the demesne of St Andrew's Priory and lay outside the medieval parochial system.

{1} A petition was presented in January 1778. The Bill was passed in April 1778.
It was laid down that the gallows erected for the execution of criminals, standing near the road leading from Kettering, could be moved if it should happen to come near one of the allotments. A small plot of one rood was alloted. The right and property of the conduit, reservoir and pipes was vested in the mayor, bailiffs and burgesses.

{2} The town fields of Northampton extended to the north and west of the medieval walled area and apparently comprised a three-field system. Various deeds from the 14th to 16th centuries mention various fields. A substantial part of the town fields comprised the demesne of St Andrew's Priory. The demesne land mapped in the late 17th century by Marcus Pierce appears to be broadly comparable to that granted to the priory by Simon de Senlis over 400 years earlier. The demesne lands were outside the medieval parochial system and even after reallocation of land during the enclosure of the town fields in 1799 there continued to be 'extra-parochial' land - clearly marked on Wood and Laws map of 1847. This land was the first to be exploited for development purposes in the 19th century and the Enclosure field boundaries determined the street pattern of the expansion. The beginning of this process can be seen on Wood and Laws map.

<1> Hall, D and Franklin, W (eds), 2024, The Enclosure of Northamptonshire 1485-1901, p. 426-8 (Book). SNN116630.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1985, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p. 396-7 (Series). SNN77383.

Record last edited

Apr 30 2025 2:28PM