LOWER SOUTHAMPTON

township, Bucks county, southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S., just northeast of Philadelphia. Many of the early settlers were English Quakers, who became known as the Friends of Southampton. The area was called Southampton township as early as 1685, but the township was not officially recognized until 1703. Settlers of Dutch ancestry from Long Island arrived in the 18th century. Until the early 20th century the township was rural, its close proximity to Philadelphia providing a market for agricultural products. The railroad reached the township in the 1870s, but growth did not begin in earnest until the 1920s. Thereafter, the township developed into a residential suburb of Philadelphia. Southampton was divided into Upper Southampton and Lower Southampton townships in 1928. Communities within Lower Southampton include Feasterville, Siles, Trevose, and Neshaminy Falls. Pop. (1990) 19,860; (1992 est.) 20,072.