NORTHAMPTON CLOSE

RECORDED as 'Hamtun' or 'Hamton' in the 10th century in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, it became 'Norohamtun' or 'Northantone' in the 11th century, apparently to distinguish it from Southampton, which lies about 100 miles to the southwest of Northampton, and which was also known, originally, simply as 'Hamtun'.

While Hamtun itself is quite rare in place names, Hampton is relatively common, and there are three principal derivations or explanations: the Old English 'home farm' or 'homestead' is the most usual, but the other two can refer respectively to a 'farmstead in an enclosure or on a river-bend' or a 'lofty or high farmstead'.

With a population of around 200,000 Northampton today is the third largest town in the country not to have city status (only Reading and Dudley are bigger). Located on the River Nene, the former shoe-making centre dates back to the Iron Age and has been an important administrative centre since the eighth century, although it is still not a unitary authority in its own right.

The reason for Northampton infiltrating the list of Plymouth street names is that Northampton is the county town of Northamptonshire (Northants) and the street bearing its name sits among other similarly named streets.