The Great Fire of Northampton occurred in September 1675 in
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
in
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The blaze was caused by sparks from an open fire on St. Mary’s Street, near Northampton Castle. The fire devastated the town centre, destroying about 700 of the town's 850 buildings, including
All Saints church
All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to:
Albania
*All Saints' Church, Himarë
Australia
* All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
* All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Aust ...
, in six hours. Three quarters of the town was destroyed, 11 people died and about 700 families were made homeless. Many people escaped the fire by going through Welsh House on the
market square
The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.King Charles II donated 1,000 tons of timber from Salcey Forest for the re-building.
William A. Shaw
William Arthur Shaw (1865–1943) was an English historian and archivist.
Life
Born on 19 April 1865, in Hooley Hill, Ashton-under-Lyne, now in Greater Manchester, he was the son of James Shaw and his wife Sarah Ann Hampshire. He graduated B ...
British History Online
''British History Online'' is a digital library of primary and secondary sources on medieval and modern history of Great Britain and Ireland. It was created and is managed as a cooperative venture by the Institute of Historical Research, Universi ...
A commemorative statue of the king (dressed in a Roman toga) stands on the portico of the re-built All Saints church.
In 1724, the town's new appearance inspired author and traveler
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...
to describe Northampton as the "handsomest and best built town in all this part of England… finely rebuilt with brick and stone, and the streets made spacious and wide".
The fire received fictional treatment in book 2 of Alan Moore's 2016 novel ''
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
''.
See also
*
Hazelrigg House Hazelrigg House is a historic Grade II listed sandstone house of 2½ storeys in Northampton.
It is not known exactly when the building was built, but an examination of the building's roof trusses suggests that the property dates from the early 16 ...
- a historic Grade II listed house that escaped the fire.
1675
Events
January–March
* January 5 – Franco-Dutch War – Battle of Turckheim: The French defeat Austria and Brandenburg.
* January 29 – John Sassamon, an English-educated Native Americans in the United States, Nati ...