How the Thomas A Becket Pub got its name

Thomas A Becket has a history that exceeds centuries in Northamptonshire, this led to a pub in St James End being named after him.

Who was Thomas A Becket?

He served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, he later died in 1170.

He is known as both Thomas Becket and Thomas A Becket.

So, why is he important to Northampton?

Becket was very close with King Henry II, until he was engaged in a conflict with him over the rights and privileges of the Church.

This led to Thomas Becket being imprisoned in Northampton Castle in 1164.

Upon being found guilty on all charges he was accused of, Becket fled to France.

From here he was then later assassinated in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.

Due to Thomas A Becket’s high role, his imprisonment in Northamptonshire was very important to the county thus making it a big part of Northamptonshire’s history.

In memory of this historic event, a pub in St James was named after him.

The pub is owned by the McManus Pub Company, and they recently revamped this historic building in 2019 to celebrate 50 years of being in business.

It is a traditional 17th century pub and is located close to All Saints rugby grounds which makes it a popular place to visit before and after games.