| Mayor of Northampton | |
|---|---|
Incumbent since 12 May, 2025Jane Birch | |
| Northampton Town Council | |
| Style | Mr. Mayor / Madam Mayor (informal) |
| Seat | Northampton Guildhall |
| Nominator | Northampton Town Council |
| Term length | 1 year; renewable |
| Constituting instrument | Charter of Northampton |
| Inaugural holder | William Tilly (first recorded) |
| Formation | 11 November 1189 (as reeve) 1215 (as mayor) |
| Succession | Deputy mayor of Northampton |
| Deputy | Deputy mayor of Northampton |
| Website | www |
This is a list of people recorded as the mayor of Northampton, the county town of the county of Northamptonshire, England, since the first recorded mayoralty in 1215. The mayor or Northampton is the third oldest mayoralty in the country. The current mayor for 2025/26 is Jane Birch and is the 785th mayor overall. [1]
Under the Town Charter granted to Northampton in 11 November 1189, re-confirmed in 1200 and 1227, Northampton was given the right to elect a Reeve, an Anglo-Saxon role and the predecessor to the mayoralty. The change to the Anglo-Norman form of mayor was officially made in letters patent issued in 1252, but it probably took place unofficially as early as 1215, the year of the signing of Magna Carta, thus making Northampton the third place, with London, and York, to adopt the new term, [2] therefore making Northampton the third oldest mayoralty in the country. [2]
Within the Liber Custumarium (the ancient book of the customs of Northampton), it was recorded in 1437 that mayors must wait 7 years before they may have another term.
In 1558 the Northampton Town Assembly confirmed the 7-year wait, adding a term limit of three terms, reduced to two terms in 1570. However, this limit had ceased to have been followed in the mid-15th century.
The following is a list of mayors from the first recorded mayor. Of the known mayors, 15 have died in office, the last being Cllr Alwyn Jesse Hargrave in January 1995, and 3 have been deposed. [3]