NONCONFORMIST CHAPELS.
THE CASTLE HILL MEETING is probably
older in origin than 1662, (fn. 1) though it was augmented
by secessions from St. Giles' and St. Peter's in that
year. In 1672 licenses were
granted for worship in 6
houses in Northampton, of
which three were Presbyterian and two Congregational. (fn. 2) The definite
history of the Castle Hill congregation begins
with the ministry of Samuel Blower in 1674; and
his meeting house was one of the few that escaped
the fire. The present Castle Hill Chapel was built
in 1695 and is now known as Doddridge Chapel. It
is a rectangular building with hipped roof. On the
south side is a sundial on which was originally the
motto, 'Post est occasio calva, 1695.' Within, the
roof was propped inside by two great wooden pillars,
and there was a heavy white pulpit with soundingboard and galleries. In 1852 the building was
enlarged and newly roofed, the pillars removed and
new galleries put up. A spacious vestibule was
added on the south side in 1890 covering the doorways.
There are five other Congregational chapels, of which
one was built in the 18th, three in the 19th, and
one in the 20th century.
COLLEGE STREET CHAPEL is the second oldest
Free Church centre. In its origin it was a secession
from Castle Hill Meeting, though friendly relations
were maintained between the two, and the members
met for some seventeen years at Lady Fermor's house
in the south quarter. The 'Church Covenant' at
the time of the formal establishment of a Baptist
church is dated 27 October 1697, (fn. 3) and the chapel in
College Street was built in 1712. Beginning as an
Independent, it became a Baptist community. As
Castle Hill is associated with Doddridge (1729–53) so
College Street is connected with the Rylands, father
and son, the elder famous for his ministry (1759–86)
and his school; the younger (minister 1786–93) for
his friendship with Carey and share in founding the
Baptist Missionary Society (1792). (fn. 4) There are
eight other Baptist chapels in Northampton besides
the College Street Chapel, which was rebuilt in 1863.
Of these one, Providence Chapel, Abington Street, was
built in the eighteenth and the rest in the 19th
century.
There are six Wesleyan chapels, four Primitive
Methodist chapels, two chapels of the Plymouth
Brethren, one Unitarian chapel, and two Salvation
Army barracks.
The Friends were early persecuted in Northampton,
and several died in Northampton gaol. They have a
meeting house in Wellington Street.
The cathedral of the Roman Catholic diocese of
Northampton, opened as ST. FELIX CHURCH in
1844, now the church of St. Mary and St. Thomas
of Canterbury, is in the Kingsthorpe Road. The chapel
of St. John's hospital in Bridge Street is also used as
a Roman Catholic place of worship. There is a
Jewish synagogue in Overstone Road.