Northampton began as a farming settlement in the 7th century and in the 8th century was an administrative centre for the kingdom of Mercia. It was known as Hamptun until the Norman conquests and is recorded as having had a population of 1500 residents and 300 houses in the Doomsday Book. In the 12th century Henry II held court in the town, and Northampton Castle which was built by Simon de Senlis was the location of the trial of Thomas Becket, after whom Becket's park is named. Opposite the park is Becket's Well, from which Becket is said to have drank when he made his escape from captivity.

The town was originally controlled by officials acting for the King who collected taxes and upheld the law. In 1189 King Richard I gave the town its first charter. The first black person recorded to have lived in the town was "Peter the Saracen" who in 1205 was commissioned as a "maker of crossbows" by King John at 9d (pence) per day. In 1215 King John authorised the appointment of William Tilly as the town's first Mayor.

A university was established in 1261 by scholars from Cambridge, but was dissolved by Henry III in 1265 after the students rioted against him.

The first Battle of Northampton took place at the site of Northampton Castle in 1264 - when the forces of Henry III overran the supporters of Simon de Montfort. In 1460, a second Battle of Northampton took place in the grounds of Delapre Abbey - and was a decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, and King Henry VI was captured in the town by the Yorkists. In May 1328 the Treaty of Northampton was signed - being a peace treaty between the English and the Scots in which Edward III recognised the authority of Robert the Bruce as King of Scotland and betrothed Bruce's still infant son to the King's sister Joanna.

Northampton supported the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War and for this reason the medieval walls and castle were demolished on the orders of Charles II. The town was destroyed by fire in 1516 and again in 1675 by the Great Fire of Northampton.

In the 18th century Northampton became a major centre for footwear and leather manufacture but the industry declined in the 20th century. In the 1960s the town was designated a "New Town" by the government and the population expanded significantly from an initial 100,000 to about 200,000 today making Northampton the UK's third largest town without city status and the twenty first largest settlement in England. With the town's expansion came many new immigrants from abroad, including from the Caribbean, Somalia, India, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Poland and Eastern Europe.

Population Make-up of Northamptonshire

2001 Census
White British	92%
White Other	1.8%
White Irish	1.3%
Indian	1.3%
Black Caribbean	0.8%
Mixed White and Black	0.6%
African and other Black	0.4%
Bangladeshi	0.4%
Mixed White and Asian	0.3%
Chinese	0.3%
Other Mixed	0.2%
Pakistani	0.2%
Other Ethnic Group	0.2%
Other Asian	0.1%

The 2001 Census shows that 4.9% of the population of Northamptonshire comes from Non-White ethnic groups while there are 3.1% who are White but not White British and a majority of 92% who are White British. Northampton and Wellingborough local authorities have the largest proportions of Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) population in the county. (Source: Northamptonshire: Study of Black and Minority Ethnic Housing and Support Needs. Report of Findings for the Local Authorities of Northamptonshire.)

Northampton has a population 84.4% of whom are White British, 4.5% Asian, 2.9% Black, 2.6% White other, 2.1% Mixed race, 1.7% White Irish, and 1.8% are from Chinese and other ethnicities. (Source: Office of National Statistics 2009)

Following Poland's entry into the EU along with seven other Eastern European countries the White Other population of Northampton has grown substantially from 1.9% in 2001 to 2.6% in 2006, with Northampton hosting the highest concentration of Polish immigrants in the UK, according to sources within the Polish community. The Asian population has also seen a substantial increase from 3.3% in 2001 to 4.5% in 2006 according to government projections.

Community Relations

Northamptonshire Racial Equality Council
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Diverse Communities Forum
Northamptonshire Black Police Association
Northamptonshire Engagement Work (NEW)
This is a forum for all agencies involved in community engagement work within the county of Northamptonshire. Also a sub committee for voluntary agencies. It has its own website on communities of practice and members meet at six weekly intervals. Its purpose is to promote best practice and explore joint working methods to benefit the whole community and specifically minority groups. Facilitator Gordon Osborne gosborne@northantsfire.org.uk

Activities

Young Inspired People
Website set up for 7 – 12 year olds bringing activities to your home, library, school, or wherever you may be. Y.I.P contains activities all over Northampton. Not only does it tell you what activities are going on but gives you information about the activity. We hope you find it helpful. Happy surfing.
Expressions Theatre Group
Expressions Theatre Group is run for young people by young people and is part of Northamptonshire County Council’s Children's Rights Service. Expressions members are children and young people aged 8-21 years from vulnerable groups.