The royal council town of the Midlands: a large walled borough on the Nene with a royal castle where great councils meet (Becket's trial, 1164), a cloth and leather trade, a famous fair and a large Jewry.
Who holds it
- Name
- King John; the burgesses of Northampton
- Title
- King of England (fee farm)
- Confidence
- high
Lord in 1200
The king; the burgesses hold at fee farm under Richard's charter of 1189; the royal castle is the sheriff's (Simon of Pattishall).
How things stand that morning
Royal borough, at peace.
Charter
Richard I (1189: the town at fee farm and the burgesses to choose their reeves). John's charter of 1200 is the likely course (Ballard).
Council
The burgesses and their reeves; a mayor appears in the early thirteenth century (not pinned for 1200).
Communities
A large Jewry with one of the chests of 1194.
Fairs and markets
The great fair of Northampton (season not pinned) and markets.
Militia
The burgesses' levy.
Walls and castle
Town walls and gates; the royal castle on the west.
Trade and crafts
Dyed cloth, leather, corn and the Nene trade.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- spring 1200 (date not pinned)John confirms Northampton's liberties by a new charter.Depends on: John in England and payment Stopped by: the king staying in Normandy
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Charter dates firm.
Primary sources for England
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond, Jocelin of Brakelond (about 1198 to 1203). An inside account of Bury St Edmunds under Abbot Samson, written while the events were fresh. Read online
- Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
- Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
- English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online
- Flowers of History, Roger of Wendover (about 1220 to 1235 at St Albans). For 1200 Wendover is mostly Howden rewritten, so he is a second witness only where he adds St Albans material: a long account of Hugh of Lincoln's last months, death and funeral, and anecdotes about John's conduct toward the Cistercians and his new queen. Read online
- Images of History, Ralph de Diceto (about 1188 to 1202). A London view of the year from the dean of St Paul's, who knew the justiciar and the bishops personally. Read online
22 more in the sources library for The British Isles.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.