In 1612 five women and a man were executed for witchcraft in Northampton. They were known as the Northampton
Witches, and it is reported that they were hanged on the very site that is now known as Cromwell Street.
Ironically, the story goes that Oliver Cromwell one of the country's most puritanical and controversial political
figures, and also who the street is named after, came down from his home in Huntingdon to view the trials himself and was witness
to the brutal hangings in 1612 when he was only 13.
It is said that the witches put a curse on the place and on all whom witnessed the hanging that day on 22 July.
In 1634, exactly 22 years to the day after the executions a plague swept through Northampton and over 500 people were recorded to have died.
The plague began in the area now known as Cromwell Street.
In 1675, exactly 63 years after the hangings the Great Fire of Northampton devasted the town centre, destroying about 600 buildings,
including All Saints Church in 6 hours. Three quarters of the town was destroyed and 700 families were made homeless.
People talk of rumours that say Oliver Cromwell was also a "victim" of Cromwell's curse. The English military leader
and politician who after leading the overthrow of the British monarchy ruled England, Scotland and Ireland as Lord
Protector from December 16, 1653, was constantly affected by warts all over his face. His death and burial are also areas shrouded
in mystery. He is believed to have died from poisoning but historians are not certain and to this day no one knows for sure where
he is buried.