Harlestone Parish is bounded by the parishes of Dallington and Brampton on the east, on the north by Holdenby, on the west by Brington, and on the south by Harpole and Duston The parish contains 2504 statute acres, of the rateable value of £3721, and the gross estimated rental is £4383. Its population in 180: was 437; jn 1831 645; in 1841, 639; in 1851, 610; in 1861, 651; and in 1871, 583 souls. The soil varies from a light red land to white loam and clay. The principal owner is Earl Spencer, the lord of the manor. "The success of the air at Halston," writes Morton, " and of the heaths in the neighbourhood, in curing coughs that are not to be abated by the force of ordinary medicines, I myself have experienced more than once, and should choose to recommend it in the like cases." This parish has long been famed for its quarries of excellent building-stone. The ancient delves may still be traced in the park by large deep hollows. "The hollows of the old delves," continues Morton, "are large; and the town's name, as some would have it, implies the antiquity of the quarry; Halston, or Harleston, for thus it is anciently wrote, deriving itself from Harle, the Saxon word to draw, and Stane, a stone, alluding to the business of the quarriers, then perhaps the principal inhabitants of that place." The Reverend David Morton, MA., is of a different opinion. He says—" I have no doubt that the village was called after Herolf or Herolve, and not from Harle, to draw, which might be given to every place where there is a quarry of stone." The stone is exactly of the same nature and quality as that already described in Duston parish, and there are both white and red brick and lime kilns in the parish. Mr Bridges tells us that races were formerly held on the heath south of the town. "The corporation of Northampton," says he, "by deed bearing date 16th January 1632, in consideration of the sum of £200 paid by William Lord Spencer, and other gentlemen of the county, obliged themselves to provide yearly a gilt silver cup and cover of the value of £16, 13s. 4d., to be ridden for on Thursday in Easter-week yearly; with covenant that, upon notice given in the race-week, they will return the said money within the year following." These races have been discontinued since

Manor.—-The Earl of Morton had two estates in Herolvestune at the time of the Domesday survey. The principal one, which consisted of 1 1/2 hide and a mill, was valued in the Confessor's time at 5s., but now rated at 50s. William, the ancestor of Keynes, held this estate of the earl; and the other consisted of half a bovate. These parcels had been the freehold of Leurie and Orgar before the Conquest. William Peverel was certified to hold li hide here at the same time. This, with other estates in Newbottle, Althorpe, Brington, Clasthorp, and Floore, had been the freehold of Gitda in the reign of the Confessor, and was rated at £4, but now valued at ,£7. Bv a very early survey, probably about the time of Henry III., it appears that four virgates here were held of the crown, two virgates of the fee of Berkhamstead, ten virgates of the fee of Dodford, and ten and a half of the fee of Newbottle. That part held of the crown was in the possession of Henry de Bray, whose great-grandfather Brixton, in the reign of Richard I., held certain lands and tenements of William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby by the service of an annual payment of 4s. and suit of court at his manor of Newbottle. Henry de Bray was succeeded by his son Henry, with whose descendant it continued till Alice, daughter and heiress of Henry de Bray, brought it in marriage, with other lands in this parish, to John Dyve of Brampton. Sir Lewis Dyve the tenth in descent from John and Alice, being a zealous royalist his estates were seized by the Parliament for delinquency, and in 1652 his manor of Har1stone, with the manor-house, " built of square stone, with offices, &c.," were sold by the trustees for the sale of sequestered lands, to John Hesilrigge, Esq. and William Denton, Esq., of Blisworth, for .£2893, 7s. 3d. The remainder of the lordship of Harlestone was in the hands of Ralph de Bulmere, and Roger de Lomeley or De Heyford. In the 24th of Edward I. (1296), John de Roseles and John de Bulmere held a moiety of the township of Harlestone of the heirs of Robert Keymes by the service of half a knight's fee ; and Hugh de Chaunceus a fourth part of the said township of the king in capite, by an unknown service. This fourth part was in the hands of Henry de Bray, who, in the 34th of this reign (1306), held 9 messuages, 1 toft, 6 cottages, and 3 virgates of land in Herleston, of the said Hugh de Chaunceus, as of his manor of Upton. Roger de Lomeley was found to be lord of Harleston in the 9th of Edward II. (1316). In the 20th of Edward III. (1347) Ralph de Bulmere and Roger Lomeleye accounted for one knight's fee in Harlestone and Heyford of the Honor of Leicester. In the 20th of Edward II. (1327), this Ralph Bulmere was appointed deputy governor of York Castle, and in the 4th of Edward III. (1331) was made the governor. This part of the lordship continued with the family of Bulmer till the 20th of Henry VI. (1442), when Sir Robert Bulmer, Knight, gave up to Sir William Tresham and others all his lands, &c., in Harlestone and other places. This estate appears to have been in the hands of John Dyve, Esq., in 1598, and Sir Salathiel Lovell, one of the Barons of the Exchequer, in 1709. In 1753 it passed, by purchase of William Wildman, second Viscount Barrington, into the possession of the family of Andrews. The estate in the possession of Roger de Lomeley continued with this family till the isth of Henry VII. (1500), when John Lumley, Esq., and Alice, his wife, sold it to Thomas Andrew, Esq., with whose descendants it remained until 1832, when it was purchased by the late Earl, and is now possessed by his son, the present Earl Spencer.

St James's Abbey and St Andrew's Priory, at Northampton, and Sewardsley Priory had possessions in this parish.

The Village of Harlestone, which is very picturesque and beautiful, is scattered over a considerable space of ground, about four miles N.W. of Northampton.

The Church, dedicated to St Andrew, is an ancient edifice, consisting of a nave, side aisles, chancel, and south porch, and a tower containing a peal of six bells. It was erected between the years 1320 and 1325. The nave and aisles are well paved and re-seated ; the chancel is entered under a low open arch ; the altar is ascended by three steps, and in the chancel is a large projecting piscina resting on a bracket representing a large head. On the south side are three sedilia of equal height, the trefoiled arches of which are beautifully executed. There are some fine monuments belonging to the families of Andrew and Lovell m this church. The living is a rectory, rated in the king's books at £20, 9s. 7d., and its gross value now is £600. It is in the patronage of Earl Spencer, and incumbency of the Rev. David Morton, M.A. At the enclosure of the common, the commissioners allotted 309a. 5p. in lieu of the glebe lands and tithes. The Rectory House is close to the church, and is erected on the original site. The glebe land attached to it consists of about 11 acres.

Here is a small Baptist Chapel, and there is a National School in the village, which is well attended.

Harleston Park, the property of Earl Spencer, contains about 160 acres. The mansion-house is a very beautiful structure. It is now occupied by Ismania Catherine, daughter of W. Nugent, Esq., and second wife of the third Lord Southampton, who died in 1872, and was succeeded by their eldest son, Charles Henry Fitzroy, the fourth and present Lord Southampton, who was born in 1867. Town residence, 58 Grosvcnor Street.

Charities.— The sum of £250, arising from several bequests for teaching and apprenticing poor children, was expended long ago upon the purchase of 25 acres of land at Shuckburgh, in Warwickshire, and 4 acres at Kislingbury, which yield about £78 a year. Mr John Murcott, who resided here in his early years, bequeathed the sum of £100 to the poor of this parish in 1833.

Past-Office.—William Mead, postmaster. Letters arrive here from Nor thump ton at 6 A.M. and are despatched thereto at 6.50 P.M.

Archer Hy., gardener & grazier

Belton Samuel, stone merchant, &c.Harlestone Quarry

Chowler Wm., keeper

Cooch Mrs Jane, machine maker and carpenter

Cooper John, butcher & farmer Co-operative Stores (groceries),

Elizabeth A. Smith, manager

Cox Thomas, parish clerk

Craddock Josiah, corn miller and farmer

Fisher Wm., butcher & farmer, and beerho. & shopkeeper

Lumley John, farmer, maltster.and vict., Fox and Hounds

Manning Thomas, stone mason

Mead Wm., carpntr. & shopkpr

Morton Rev. Dav., M. A., rector

Pendred Thos. Knight, maltster and grazier

Smeeton Wm., baker & farmer

Southampton Lady, Harlestone Park

Thursby Mrs Sophia Eliz.

Vials Miss Annie

Wells Eli, carpenter

Wells Mrs Martha, beerhouse

Wilson William, groom

Wilson Mr Thos, Harlestone Paddock

Worley Robert, tailor

Yelland John, schoolmaster

York John, blacksmith

Farmers and Graziers

Cooch Mrs Jane

Hensman Thomas Dexter

Moore John

Rice John

Vials William

Williams Robert

Carriers to Northampton. —Joseph Green and Henry Hines, Wednesday and Saturday.

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