View source for Northamptonshire

{{short description|County of England}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox English county
| official_name = Northamptonshire
| other_name = Northants
| image_main = {{multiple images|border=infobox|perrow=1 2 1|total_width=270px
 |image1 = Fotheringhay Northamptonshire. Narrow boat on River Nene - panoramio.jpg
 |image2 = Northampton lift tower 8.06.jpg
 |image3 = QueenEleanorCross.JPG
 }}
| image_caption = Clockwise from top: [[Fotheringhay]] on the [[River Nene]], the [[Eleanor Cross]] in [[Hardingstone]], and the [[National Lift Tower]] in [[Northampton]]
| locator_map = [[File:Northamptonshire UK locator map 2010.svg|250px|Northamptonshire within England]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|52|18|N|0|48|W|region:GB-NTT_type:adm1st|display=inline,title}}
| region = [[East Midlands]]
| preceded_by = 
| origin = 
| lord_lieutenant_office = Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire
| lord_lieutenant_name = James Saunders Watson<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=64463 |page=13894 |date=17 July 2024 }}</ref>
| high_sheriff_office = High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
| area_total_km2 = 2364
| area_total_rank = 24th
| ethnicity = {{Plain list|
* 85.7% [[White British]]
* 4.7% Other White
* 2.5% [[Asian British]]
* 2.5% [[Black British]]
* 4.6% Other
 }}
| county_council = 
| unitary_council = 
| unitary_council1 = [[West Northamptonshire Council]]
| unitary_council2 = [[North Northamptonshire Council]]
| government = 
| joint_committees = 
| admin_hq = [[Northampton]]
| area_council_km2 = 2364
| area_council_rank = 22nd
| iso_code = GB-NTH
| gss_code = E10000021
| nuts_code = TLF23
| districts_map = [[File:Northamptonshire numbered districts 2021.svg|200px]]
| districts_key = '''{{Colorsample|#FEFE77}} Unitary:'''<br />
{{ordered list
|list_style=margin-left:0;
|item_style=list-style-position:inside;
|[[West Northamptonshire]]
|[[North Northamptonshire]]}}
| MPs = [[List of parliamentary constituencies in Northamptonshire|7 MPs]]
| police = [[Northamptonshire Police]]
| website = https://westnorthants.gov.uk<br />https://northnorthants.gov.uk
}}

'''Northamptonshire''' ({{IPAc-en|n|ɔːr|ˈ|θ|æ|m|p|t|ə|n|ʃ|ər|,_|-|ʃ|ɪər}} {{respell|nor|THAMP|tən|shər|,_|-sheer}};<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/northamptonshire |title=Northamptonshire |publisher=collinsdictionary.com |access-date=30 November 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Merriam-Webster|Northamptonshire }}</ref> abbreviated '''Northants.''') is a [[ceremonial county]] in the [[East Midlands]] of England. It is bordered by [[Leicestershire]], [[Rutland]] and [[Lincolnshire]] to the north; [[Cambridgeshire]] to the east; [[Bedfordshire]] and [[Buckinghamshire]] to the south; [[Oxfordshire]] to the south west; and [[Warwickshire]] to the west. [[Northampton]] is the largest settlement.

The county has an area of {{cvt|2364|km2|sqmi}} and had an estimated population of {{English cerem counties|POP=Northamptonshire}} in {{English cerem counties|POP=|TXT=Year}}. Northampton is in the centre of the county, and its other principal towns include [[Corby]] and [[Kettering]] in the north-east and [[Wellingborough]] in the centre. The east and south-west are rural. For local government purposes Northamptonshire comprises two [[Unitary Authority Area|unitary authority areas]], [[North Northamptonshire]] and [[West Northamptonshire]]. The county [[Historic counties of England|historically]] included [[Peterborough]] and its surrounding area, called the [[Soke of Peterborough|Soke]].

The county is characterised by low, undulating hills, particularly to the west. They are the source of several rivers, including the [[River Avon, Warwickshire|Avon]] and [[River Welland|Welland]], which form much of the northern border; the [[River Cherwell|Cherwell]]; and the [[River Great Ouse|Great Ouse]]. The [[River Nene]] is the principal river within the county, having its source in the southwest and flowing northeast past Northampton and Wellingborough. The highest point is [[Arbury Hill]] southwest of [[Daventry]], at {{cvt|225|m|ft}}.

There are [[Iron Age]] and [[Roman Britain|Roman]] remains in the county, and in the seventh century it was settled by the [[Angles (tribe)|Angles]] and [[Saxons]], becoming part of [[Mercia]]. The county likely has its origin in the [[Danelaw]] as the area controlled from Northampton, which was one of the [[Five Boroughs of the Danelaw|Five Boroughs]]. In the later Middle Ages and Early Modern Period the county was relatively settled, although Northampton was the location of engagements, including the [[Battle of Northampton (1264)|1264 Battle of Northampton]] during the Second Barons' War, the [[Battle of Northampton (1460)|1460 Battle of Northampton]] during the Wars of the Roses, and the decisive [[Battle of Naseby]] which destroyed the main Royalist army during the First English Civil War. During the [[Industrial Revolution]] Northamptonshire became known for its footwear, and the contemporary county has a number of small industrial centres which specialise in engineering and food processing.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 June 2023 |title=Northamptonshire {{!}} England, UK History & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Northamptonshire |access-date=29 June 2023 |website=Britannica |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle= Northamptonshire |volume = 19 |last= |first= |author-link= |pages=768-770 |short=1 }}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Northamptonshire}}
Much of Northamptonshire's countryside appears to have remained somewhat intractable as regards early human occupation, resulting in an apparently sparse population and relatively few finds from the [[Palaeolithic]], [[Mesolithic]] and [[Neolithic]] periods.{{sfn|Greenall|1979|p=19}} In about 500 BC the [[Iron Age]] was introduced into the area by a continental people in the form of the [[Hallstatt culture]],{{sfn|Greenall|1979|p=20}} and over the next century a series of hill-forts were constructed at [[Arbury Banks, Northamptonshire|Arbury Banks]] (Arbury Camp), [[Rainsborough]] camp, [[Borough Hill]], Castle Dykes, [[Guilsborough]], [[Irthlingborough]], and most notably of all, [[Hunsbury Hill]]. There are two more possible hill-forts at [[Arbury Hill]] ([[Badby]]) and [[Thenford]].{{sfn|Greenall|1979|p=20}}
In the 1st century BC, most of what later became Northamptonshire became part of the territory of the [[Catuvellauni]], a [[Belgic tribe]], the Northamptonshire area forming their most northerly possession.{{sfn|Greenall|1979|p=20}} The Catuvellauni were conquered by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] in 43 AD.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061030023318/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/iron_02.shtml BBC - History - Tribes of Britain]. Retrieved 16 August 2009. </ref>

The Roman road of [[Watling Street]] passed through the county, and an important Roman settlement, [[Lactodurum]], stood on the site of modern-day [[Towcester]]. There were other Roman settlements at [[Northampton]], [[Kettering]] and along the [[River Nene|Nene Valley]] near [[Raunds]]. A large fort was built at [[Longthorpe]].{{sfn|Greenall|1979|p=20}}

After the Romans left, the area eventually became part of the [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] kingdom of [[Mercia]], and Northampton functioned as an administrative centre. The Mercians converted to Christianity in 654 AD with the death of the [[pagan]] king [[Penda]].{{sfn|Greenall|1979|p=29}} From about 889 the area was conquered by the [[Danes]] (as at one point almost all of England was, except for [[Athelney]] marsh in [[Somerset]]) and became part of the [[Danelaw]] – with [[Watling Street]] serving as the boundary – until being recaptured by the English under the [[Wessex]] king [[Edward the Elder]], son of [[Alfred the Great]], in 917. Northamptonshire was conquered again in 940, this time by the [[Vikings]] of [[York]], who devastated the area, only for the county to be retaken by the English in 942.<ref>Wood, Michael (1986) ''The Domesday Quest'' p. 90, BBC Books, 1986 {{ISBN|0-563-52274-7}}.</ref>

The county was first recorded in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' (1011), as ''Hamtunscire'': the ''scire'' ([[shire]]) of ''Hamtun'' (the homestead). The "North" was added to distinguish Northampton from the other important ''Hamtun'' further south: [[Southampton]] – though the origins of the two names are in fact different.<ref>Mills, A.D. (1998). A Dictionary of English Place-names. Second Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford. p256. {{ISBN|0-19-280074-4 }}</ref>

[[Rockingham Castle]] was built for [[William the Conqueror]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockinghamcastle.com/ |title=Rockingham Castle - Rockingham Castle, a home of history, Weddings, Corporate events and the Rockingham International Horse Trials |website=Rockinghamcastle.com |access-date=20 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111071343/http://www.rockinghamcastle.com/ |archive-date=11 January 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and was used as a Royal fortress until [[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan]] times. In 1460, during the [[Wars of the Roses]], the [[Battle of Northampton (1460)|Battle of Northampton]] took place and King [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]] was captured.<ref>Stearns, Peter N., Langer. William L. [https://books.google.com/books?id=MziRd4ddZz4C&dq=Henry+VI+captured+Northampton&pg=PA241 The Encyclopedia of world history: ancient, medieval, and modern]{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Retrieved 16 August 2009.</ref> The now-ruined [[Fotheringhay Castle]] was used to imprison [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], before her execution.<ref>Mott, Allan. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/cambridgeshire/content/articles/2008/04/28/mary_queen_video_feature.shtml BBC - Cambridgeshire - History: Mary Queen of Scots' last days] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513070429/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cambridgeshire/content/articles/2008/04/28/mary_queen_video_feature.shtml |date=13 May 2008 }}. Bbc.co.uk, Retrieved 16 August 2009.</ref>
[[File:Speed Northampton.jpg|thumb|left|350px|The [[Historic counties of England|historic boundaries]] of the county shown in [[John Speed]]'s map of the county in his ''Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine'', {{circa}} 1611. A depiction of the town of Northampton is inset in the top left, and the city of Peterborough in the bottom right.]]

During the [[English Civil War]], Northamptonshire strongly supported the [[roundhead|Parliamentarian]] cause, and the [[Cavalier|Royalist]] forces suffered a crushing defeat at the [[Battle of Naseby]] in 1645 in the north of the county. King [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] was imprisoned at [[Holdenby House]] in 1647.<ref>Edmonds. 1848. [https://books.google.com/books?id=nCQEAAAAQAAJ&dq=Charles+I+imprisoned+Holdenby&pg=PA49 Notes on English history for the use of juvenile pupils]. Retrieved 16 August 2009.</ref>

[[George Washington]], the first President of the United States of America, was born into the Washington family who had migrated to America from Northamptonshire in 1656. [[George Washington]]'s ancestor, Lawrence Washington, was Mayor of [[Northampton]] on several occasions and it was he who bought [[Sulgrave Manor]] from [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] in 1539. It was George Washington's great-grandfather, [[John Washington]], who emigrated in 1656 from Northamptonshire to [[Virginia]]. Before Washington's ancestors moved to [[Sulgrave]], they lived in [[Warton, Lancaster|Warton]], Lancashire.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=PrfcVGtd0T4C&dq=laurence+washington+warton&pg=PA545 The Writings of George Washington: Life of Washington]. Retrieved 16 August 2009.</ref>

In the 18th and 19th centuries, parts of Northamptonshire and the surrounding area became industrialised. The local specialisation was [[shoemaking]] and the leather industry and became one of Britain's major centres for these crafts by the 19th century. In the north of the county a large [[ironstone]] [[quarry]]ing industry developed from 1850.<ref>[http://www.kellner.eclipse.co.uk/genuki/NTH/ GENUKI: Northamptonshire Genealogy: Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles, 1887] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612095348/http://www.kellner.eclipse.co.uk/genuki/NTH/ |date=12 June 2009 }}. Kellner.eclipse.co.uk, 11 August 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2009.</ref>

In 1823 Northamptonshire was said to "[enjoy] a very pure and wholesome air" because of its dryness and distance from the sea. Its livestock were celebrated: "Horned cattle, and other animals, are fed to extraordinary sizes: and many horses of the large black breed are reared."<ref>[[Richard Brookes (physician)|Brookes, R.]], Whittaker, W.B. [https://books.google.com/books?id=XjANAAAAYAAJ&dq=geography+of+northamptonshire&pg=RA2-PA241 ''The General Gazetteer, or, Compendious geographical dictionary, in miniature'']. 1823. Retrieved 5 September 2009.</ref>

Nine years later, the county was described as "a county enjoying the reputation of being one of the healthiest and pleasantest parts of England" although the towns were "of small importance" with the exceptions of Peterborough and Northampton. In summer, the county hosted "a great number of wealthy families... country seats and villas are to be seen at every step."<ref>Malte-Brun, C. [https://books.google.com/books?id=-0gBAAAAYAAJ&dq=geography+of+northamptonshire&pg=PA771 Universal geography: or, A description of all parts of the world]. 1832. Retrieved 5 September 2009.</ref> Northamptonshire is still referred to as the county of "spires and squires" because of the numbers of stately homes and ancient churches.<ref>Andrews, R., Teller, M. [https://books.google.com/books?id=AOt1Hb8MOQUC&dq=Northamptonshire+spires+and+squires&pg=PA553 The Rough Guide to Britain] 2004. Rough Guides. Retrieved 5 September 2009.</ref>

Prior to 1901 the ancient [[Hundred (county division)|hundreds]] were disused. Northamptonshire was administered as four major divisions: Northern, Eastern, Mid, and Southern.<ref name=UKGA>[https://ukga.org/gazetteer/england/Northamptonshire/ University of Kentucky Genealogy Archives: Northamptonshire] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016112826/http://ukga.org/gazetteer/england/Northamptonshire/ |date=16 October 2015 }}, accessed February 2019.</ref> During the 1930s, the town of [[Corby]] was established as a major centre of the steel industry. 

Corby was designated a [[new town]] in 1950<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/corby.htm |title=English Partnerships - Corby |date=23 June 2004 |access-date=20 January 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040623232418/http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/corby.htm |archive-date=23 June 2004 }}</ref> and Northampton followed in 1968.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/northampton.htm |title=English Partnerships - Northampton |date=12 December 2004 |access-date=20 January 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041212163334/http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/northampton.htm |archive-date=12 December 2004 }}</ref> {{As of|2005}} the government is encouraging development in the [[South Midlands]] area, including Northamptonshire.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northants-chamber.co.uk/representation/mksm/ |title=Northamptonshire Chamber :: Milton Keynes & South Midlands Growth Plan |date=7 December 2009 |access-date=20 January 2018 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207132113/http://www.northants-chamber.co.uk/representation/mksm/ |archive-date=7 December 2009 }}</ref>

===Peterborough===
The [[Peterborough|city]] and [[Soke of Peterborough]] were part of the historic county of Northamptonshire; from the time that formal county boundaries were established by the Normans in the 11th century, to 1965. The [[Church of England]] [[Anglican Diocese of Peterborough|Diocese of Peterborough]] that covers Northamptonshire is still centred at [[Peterborough Cathedral]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.peterboroughdiocesanregistry.co.uk/ |title=Peterborough Diocesan Registry |website=Peterboroughdiocesanregistry.co.uk |access-date=20 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206053234/http://www.peterboroughdiocesanregistry.co.uk/ |archive-date=6 February 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The city of Peterborough had its own [[Quarter Sessions|courts of quarter sessions]] and, from 1889, the Soke had its own [[county council]], [[Soke of Peterborough County Council]], making it an autonomous district of Northamptonshire.

In 1965, the Soke of Peterborough was abolished by the [[Local Government Boundary Commission (1945–1949)|Local Government Boundary Commission]]; the city of Peterborough and the surrounding villages that were previously part of the Soke, were transferred to the newly created county of [[Huntingdon and Peterborough]].<ref>The Huntingdon and Peterborough Order 1964 (SI 1964/367), see [[Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967)]], ''Report and Proposals for the East Midlands General Review Area (Report No.3)'', 31 July 1961 and ''Report and Proposals for the Lincolnshire and East Anglia General Review Area (Report No.9)'', 7 May 1965</ref>

The new county of Huntingdon and Peterborough was short lived; it was abolished in 1974. Upon its abolishment, the city of Peterborough and the other settlements that were once part of the former Soke, were transferred to the county of Cambridgeshire, instead of being transferred back to Northamptonshire. Additionally, the former historical county of [[Huntingdonshire]], which had been abolished along with the Soke of Peterborough in 1965 to create the County of Huntingdon and Peterborough, was not reinstated as a Shire county in its own right in 1974. Instead, Huntingdonshire was transferred to and became a district of Cambridgeshire.

Since 1965, Northamptonshire has been one of the small number of English counties that does not contain a city.

===Little Bowden===
In 1879, a [[Local board of health|local government district]] was created covering the three parishes of [[Market Harborough]] and Great Bowden and [[Little Bowden]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1880 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |page=501 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wBcwAQAAMAAJ |access-date=29 October 2023 }}</ref> When elected county councils were established in 1889, local government districts were placed entirely in one county, and thus the parish of Little Bowden, a neighbourhood of Market Harborough, was transferred from Northamptonshire to [[Leicestershire]].<ref>[[Local Government Act 1888]]</ref>

===Stamford===
Until 1832 and 1835, [[Stamford Baron St Martin]] which forms the southern part of the town of [[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]] in Lincolnshire was part of Northamptonshire as [[St Martin's Without]]. It was later incorporated into the then Municipal Borough of Stamford under the then [[Kesteven|Parts of Kesteven]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Stamford_Baron_St._Martin,_Northamptonshire_Genealogy |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=www.familysearch.org |title=Stamford Baron St. Martin, Northamptonshire Genealogy |date=25 July 2023 }}</ref>{{better source |reason=[[wp:UGC]]|date=July 2025}}

==Geography==
{{Main|List of places in Northamptonshire|List of Northamptonshire settlements by population}}

{{Location map+|Northamptonshire
 |caption={{center|Notable places in and around Northamptonshire}}
 |float=right
 |width=350
 |places =
 <!-- First four have population over 70,000 according to their articles, listed in descending order-->
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.2196|long=-0.9036|label='''[[Northampton]]'''|label_size=100|marksize=12|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.3931|long=-0.7229|label='''[[Kettering]]'''|label_size=85|marksize=12|position=left}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.2940|long=-0.6965|label='''[[Wellingborough]]'''|label_size=85|marksize=12|position=left}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.4914|long=-0.6964|label='''[[Corby]]'''|label_size=85|marksize=12|position=right}}
 <!-- Below all have population over 30,000 according to their articles, listed in descending order-->
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.26|long=-1.16|label=[[Daventry]]|label_size=85|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.288|long=-0.601|label='''[[Rushden]]'''|label_size=85|marksize=12|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.394|long=-0.535|label=[[Thrapston]]|label_size=85|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.032|long=-1.147|label=[[Brackley]]|label_size=85|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.480|long=-0.472|label=[[Oundle]]|label_size=85|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.4398|long=-0.8172|label=[[Desborough]]|label_size=85|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.13|long=-0.99|label=[[Towcester]]|label_size=85|position=left}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.324|long=-0.614|label=[[Irthlingborough]]|label_size=85|position=right}}
 <!-- Below all have population over 20,000 according to their articles, listed in descending order-->
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.023|long=-1.276|label=[[Kings Sutton]]|label_size=70|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.3293|long=-0.9038|label=[[Brixworth]]|label_size=70|position=left}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.344|long=-0.540|label=[[Raunds]]|label_size=70|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.0903|long=-1.0235|label=[[Silverstone]]|label_size=70|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.06|long=-1.33|label=[[Banbury]]|label_size=85|mark=Orange pog.svg|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.4775|long=-0.9206|label=[[Market Harborough]]|label_size=85|mark=Orange pog.svg|position=top}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.036|long=-0.770|label='''[[Milton Keynes]]'''|label_size=100|mark_size=12|mark=Orange pog.svg|position=bottom}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.636|long=-1.133|label='''[[Leicester]]'''|label_size=100|mark_size=12|mark=Orange pog.svg|position=bottom}}
 {{Location map~|Northamptonshire|lat=52.37|long=-1.26|label='''[[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]]'''|label_size=85|mark_size=12|mark=Orange pog.svg|position=right}}
}}
[[File:Kilworth Wharf - geograph.org.uk - 164606.jpg|thumb|Kilworth Wharf on the Grand Union Canal]]

Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the southern part of the [[East Midlands]],<ref name="grow">{{cite web |url=http://www.explorenorthamptonshire.co.uk/exec/112345/7111/ |title=Official information on visiting and holidaying in Northamptonshire |access-date=6 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312124359/http://www.explorenorthamptonshire.co.uk/exec/112345/7111/ |archive-date=12 March 2007 }}</ref> sometimes known as the [[South Midlands]]. The county contains the [[Drainage divide|watershed]] between the [[River Severn]] and [[The Wash]], and several important rivers have their sources in the north-west of the county, including the [[River Nene]], which flows north-eastwards to The Wash, and the [[River Avon, Warwickshire|Warwickshire Avon]], which flows south-west to the Severn. In 1830, it was boasted that "not a single brook, however insignificant, flows into it from any other district".<ref>[http://ukga.org/england/Northamptonshire/pigot.html UK Genealogy Archives: Transcript from Pigot & Co's Commercial Directory, 1830] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102100310/http://ukga.org/england/Northamptonshire/pigot.html |date=2 January 2016}}. Retrieved 15 August 2009.</ref> In the west of the county, the hills most commonly referred to as the [[Northamptonshire Uplands]] can be found, in this area, the highest point in the county, [[Arbury Hill]], at {{convert|225|m|ft}}, can be found, just to the south of [[Daventry]].{{sfn|Bathurst|2012|pp=56-59}}<ref>[http://www.kellner.eclipse.co.uk/genuki/NTH/ Northamptonshire Genealogy: Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles, 1887] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612095348/http://www.kellner.eclipse.co.uk/genuki/NTH/ |date=12 June 2009}}. Retrieved 15 August 2009.</ref> The boundary with Lincolnshire is England's shortest ceremonial county boundary, at {{convert|20|yd|m|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 October 2005 |title=Lincolnshire County Council |url=http://www.thebythams.org.uk/localgovernment/lincolnshire-cc/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506222240/http://www.thebythams.org.uk/localgovernment/lincolnshire-cc/index.html |archive-date=6 May 2009 |access-date=25 September 2010 |publisher=Thebythams.org.uk }}</ref> 

There are several towns in the county, [[Northampton]] being the largest and most populous. 

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Built-up areas with over 10,000 inhabitants at the 2021 census.<ref name="2021census">{{cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/dvc2257a/fig1/datadownload.xlsx|title=Figure 1: Explore population characteristics of individual BUAs|access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref>
|-
! scope="col"| Town
! scope="col"| Population
! scope="col"| District
|-
! scope="row"| [[Northampton]] 
| 243,520 
| West
|- 
! scope="row"| [[Corby]] 
| 68,160 
| North
|-
! scope="row"| [[Kettering]] 
| 63,150 
| North
|-
! scope="row"| [[Wellingborough]] 
| 54,425 
| North
|-
! scope="row"| [[Rushden]] 
| 31,685 
| North
|-
! scope="row"| [[Daventry]] 
| 27,790 
| West
|-
! scope="row"| [[Brackley]] 
| 16,190 
| West
|-
! scope="row"| [[Desborough]] 
| 11,900 
| North
|-
! scope="row"| [[Towcester]] 
| 11,330 
| West
|-
! scope="row"| [[Burton Latimer]] 
| 10,445
| North
|-
! scope="row"| [[Raunds]]
| 10,230
| North
|}

As of 2010 there were 16 settlements in Northamptonshire with a town charter:
* [[Brackley]], [[Burton Latimer]], [[Corby]], [[Daventry]], [[Desborough]], [[Higham Ferrers]], [[Irthlingborough]], [[Kettering]], [[Northampton]], [[Oundle]], [[Raunds]], [[Rothwell, Northamptonshire|Rothwell]], [[Rushden]], [[Towcester]], [[Thrapston]] and [[Wellingborough]].

===Climate===
Like the rest of the [[British Isles]], Northamptonshire has an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]). The table below shows the average weather for Northamptonshire from the [[Moulton, Northamptonshire|Moulton]] weather station.

{{Weather box
|location = Moulton, Northants
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan high C = 7
|Feb high C = 8
|Mar high C = 11
|Apr high C = 13
|May high C = 17
|Jun high C = 19
|Jul high C = 22
|Aug high C = 23
|Sep high C = 19
|Oct high C = 14
|Nov high C = 10
|Dec high C = 7
|Jan low C = 2
|Feb low C = 2
|Mar low C = 4
|Apr low C = 4
|May low C = 7
|Jun low C = 10
|Jul low C = 12
|Aug low C = 12
|Sep low C = 10
|Oct low C = 8
|Nov low C = 5
|Dec low C = 3
|Jan precipitation cm = 4.51
|Feb precipitation cm = 3.39
|Mar precipitation cm = 2.87
|Apr precipitation cm = 4.39
|May precipitation cm = 3.49
|Jun precipitation cm = 4.66
|Jul precipitation cm = 4.21
|Aug precipitation cm = 4.69
|Sep precipitation cm = 5.49
|Oct precipitation cm = 5.68
|Nov precipitation cm = 4.8
|Dec precipitation cm = 4.98
|source 1 = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?wealocations=wc:7396485&q=Moulton,+GBR |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129030811/http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?wealocations=wc:7396485&q=Moulton,+GBR |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 January 2013 |title=Average weather for Northamptonshire (Moulton weather station) |website=Weather.msn.com }}</ref>
|date=October 2010}}

=== Principal summits ===
Hills within the county with more than 30 metres of [[Topographic prominence|prominence]] are listed here.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - Hill Bagging |url=https://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260105025801/https://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/ |archive-date=5 January 2026 |access-date=2026-04-04 |website=Hill Bagging |language=en-GB |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{static-row-numbers}}
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible static-row-numbers"
!Hill
!Elevation
!Prominence
!Grid reference
|-
|[[Arbury Hill]]
|224.3 m (736 ft)
|102.7 m
|SP540587
|-
|Big Hill
|224.3 m (736 ft)
|63 m
|SP548612
|-
|Sharman's Hill
|222.7 m (731 ft)
|43 m
|SP539576
|-
|[[Charwelton BT Tower|Blackdown]]
|222 m (728 ft)
|47 m
|SP513561
|-
|[[Honey Hill, Northamptonshire|Honey Hill]]
|214 m (702 ft)
|70 m
|SP637768
|-
|[[Borough Hill]]
|201 m (659 ft)
|47 m
|SP587620
|-
|[[Newnham Hill]]
|201 m (659 ft)
|44 m
|SP575608
|-
|[[Naseby|Naseby Hill]]
|197 m (646 ft)
|34 m
|SP693784
|-
|Hinton Hill
|196 m (643 ft)
|34 m
|SP535543
|-
|Badby Down
|196 m (643 ft)
|33 m
|SP554582
|-
|Fox Hill
|193.6 m (635 ft)
|31 m
|SP569610
|-
|Golden Hill
|192 m (630 ft)
|41 m
|SP508521
|-
|[[Preston Capes|Preston Capes Hill]]
|189.3 m (621 ft)
|37 m
|SP567545
|-
|Thenford Hill
|187 m (614 ft)
|43 m
|SP522443
|-
|Upper Wardington Hill
|179.1 m (588 ft)
|34 m
|SP503463
|-
|Ashby Grange Hill
|177.2 m (581 ft)
|32 m
|SP555679
|-
|Waydale Hill
|151 m (495 ft)
|39 m
|SP654631
|-
|Sutton Bassett Hill
|137 m (449 ft)
|40 m
|SP784898
|}

All of these summits lie within the [[Northamptonshire Uplands]] [[National Character Area]] except for Sutton Bassett Hill, which is in the [[Northamptonshire Vales]].
==Governance==
===Local government===
{{main|West Northamptonshire Council|North Northamptonshire Council}}

Between 1974 and 2021 Northamptonshire, like most English counties, had a two-tier structure of [[local government in the United Kingdom|local government]]. The county had an elected [[Northamptonshire County Council|county council]] based in [[Northampton]]. Seven [[Non-metropolitan district|district and borough councils]] covered 15 towns and hundreds of villages:<ref>[http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/en/Pages/districts.aspx Northamptonshire County Council: District and Borough Councils] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926125344/http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/en/Pages/districts.aspx |date=26 September 2009 }}. 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Former district council''' || Council HQ Location
|-
| [[Corby Borough Council]] || [[Corby]]
|-
| [[Daventry District Council]] || [[Daventry]]
|-
| [[East Northamptonshire District Council]] || [[Thrapston]]
|-
| [[Kettering Borough Council]] || [[Kettering]]
|-
| [[Northampton Borough Council]] || [[Northampton]]
|-
| [[South Northamptonshire District Council]] || [[Towcester]]
|-
| [[Borough Council of Wellingborough]] || [[Wellingborough]]
|}

Northampton itself is the most populous [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in England, and (prior to 2021) was the most populous urban district in England not to be administered as a [[unitary authority]] (even though several smaller districts are unitary). During the [[1990s UK local government reform|1990s local government reform]], Northampton Borough Council petitioned strongly for unitary status, which led to fractured relations with the County Council.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}

The [[Soke of Peterborough]] is within the historic county of Northamptonshire, although it had had a separate county council since 1889 and separate [[Quarter Sessions|courts of quarter sessions]] before then. The city of [[Local government in Peterborough|Peterborough]] has been a [[unitary authority]] since 1998, but it forms part of [[Cambridgeshire]] for [[ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial purposes]].<ref>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1878/contents/made The Cambridgeshire (City of Peterborough) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501043451/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1878/contents/made |date=1 May 2011 }} (SI 1996/1878), see [[Local Government Commission for England (1992)]], ''Final Recommendations for the Future Local Government of Cambridgeshire'', October 1994 and ''Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin'', December 1995</ref>

====De facto bankruptcy of the county council====
In early 2018, [[Northamptonshire County Council]] was declared technically insolvent and would be able to provide only the bare essential services.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/bankrupt-northamptonshire-county-council-may-cut-to-legal-minimum-dv2p5p0ns |title='Bankrupt' Northamptonshire county council may cut to legal minimum |last=Johnston |first=Neil |date=2 August 2018 |website=[[The Times]] |access-date=9 September 2018 |quote=Hundreds of jobs are also at risk }}</ref> According to [[The Guardian]] the problems were caused by "a reckless half-decade in which it refused to raise council tax to pay for the soaring costs of social care" and "partly due to past failings, the council is now having to make some drastic decisions to reduce services to a core offer." Some observers, such as Simon Edwards of the [[County Councils Network]], added another perspective on the cause of the financial crisis, the [[United Kingdom government austerity programme]]: "It is clear that, partly due to past failings, the council is now having to make some drastic decisions to reduce services to a core offer. However, we can't ignore that some of the underlying causes of the challenges facing Northamptonshire, such as dramatic reductions to council budgets and severe demand for services, mean county authorities across the country face funding pressures of £3.2bn over the next two years."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/01/northamptonshire-councillors-discuss-drastic-cuts-to-stem-crisis |title=Northamptonshire's cash crisis driven by ideological folly, councillors told |last=Butler |first=Patrick |date=1 August 2018 |website=The Guardian |access-date=9 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909114220/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/01/northamptonshire-councillors-discuss-drastic-cuts-to-stem-crisis |archive-date=9 September 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Structural changes====
{{multiple image
| width             = 150
| footer            = Northamptonshire before (left) and after (right) the 2021 structural changes
| image1            = Northamptonshire numbered districts (1974-2021).svg
| image2            = Northamptonshire numbered districts 2021.svg
}}

In early 2018, following the events above, Government-appointed commissioners took over control of the council's affairs. Consequently, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government commissioned an independent report which, in March 2018, proposed structural changes to local government in Northamptonshire. These changes, implemented on 1 April 2021, saw the existing county council and district councils abolished and two new unitary authorities created in their place.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northamptonshire County Council 'should be scrapped' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-40610349 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=15 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319180715/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-40610349 |archive-date=19 March 2018 |access-date=20 June 2018 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> One unitary authority, [[West Northamptonshire]], consists of the former districts of [[Daventry District|Daventry]], [[Northampton]] and [[South Northamptonshire]]; the other, [[North Northamptonshire]], consists of the former [[East Northamptonshire]] district and the former boroughs of [[Borough of Corby|Corby]], [[Borough of Kettering|Kettering]] and [[Borough of Wellingborough|Wellingborough]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northamptonshire County Council 'should be split up', finds damning report |url=http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2018-03-15/northamptonshire-county-council-should-be-split-up-finds-damning-report/ |publisher=[[ITV News]] |date=15 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802223701/http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2018-03-15/northamptonshire-county-council-should-be-split-up-finds-damning-report/ |archive-date=2 August 2018 |access-date=30 May 2018 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

===National representation===
Northamptonshire returns seven [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs). {{As of|2024}}, five are currently from the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] and two from the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Regional MPs & Local Authority Links |url=https://www.northants-chamber.co.uk/representation/regional-mps-local-authority-links |website=Northamptonshire Chamber |access-date=16 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816194503/https://www.northants-chamber.co.uk/representation/regional-mps-local-authority-links |archive-date=16 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Several of the constituencies have been marginal in the past, including the Northampton seats, Wellingborough, Kettering, and Corby, which were all Labour seats before 2005. In the 2016 EU referendum, all of the Northamptonshire districts voted to Leave, most by a significant margin.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Constituency''' || '''Member of Parliament''' || '''Political party'''
|-
| [[Corby and East Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Corby & East Northamptonshire]]|| [[Lee Barron (politician)|Lee Barron]]|| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|-
| [[Daventry (UK Parliament constituency)|Daventry]] || [[Stuart Andrew]]|| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
| [[Kettering (UK Parliament constituency)|Kettering]] || [[Rosie Wrighting]]|| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|-
| [[Northampton North (UK Parliament constituency)|Northampton North]] || [[Lucy Rigby]]|| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|-
| [[Northampton South (UK Parliament constituency)|Northampton South]] || [[Mike Reader]]|| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|-
| [[South Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South Northamptonshire]] || [[Sarah Bool]]|| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
| [[Wellingborough and Rushden (UK Parliament constituency)|Wellingborough & Rushden]]|| [[Gen Kitchen]] || [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|}

From 1993 until 2005, Northamptonshire County Council,<ref name="NCC">{{cite web |title=Northamptonshire County Council website |url=http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/ |access-date=4 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531232621/http://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/ |archive-date=31 May 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> for which each of the 73 [[electoral division]]s in the county elected a single councillor, had been held by the Labour Party; it had been under [[no overall control]] since 1981. The councils of the rural districts – Daventry, East Northamptonshire, and South Northamptonshire – were strongly Conservative, whereas the political composition of the urban districts was more mixed. At the 2003 local elections, Labour lost control of Kettering, Northampton, and Wellingborough, retaining only Corby. Elections for the entire County Council were held every four years – the last were held on [[2017 Northamptonshire County Council election|4 May 2017]]. The County Council used a [[leader and cabinet]] executive system and abolished its [[area committee]]s in April 2006.

==Economy==
{{Main|History of Northamptonshire#Economy}}

[[File:Kimi Raikkonen 2006 test.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.15|Silverstone adds millions every year to the local economy - [[Kimi Räikkönen]] testing for [[McLaren]] at Silverstone in April [[2006 Formula One season|2006]]]]

Historically, Northamptonshire's main industry was manufacturing of boots and shoes.<ref>[http://www.kellner.eclipse.co.uk/genuki/NTH/ GENUKI: Northamptonshire Genealogy: Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612095348/http://www.kellner.eclipse.co.uk/genuki/NTH/ |date=12 June 2009 }}. 1887. Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref> Many of the manufacturers closed down in the [[Premiership of Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher era]] which in turn left many county people unemployed.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} Although R Griggs and Co Ltd, the manufacturer of [[Dr. Martens]], still has its UK base in [[Wollaston, Northamptonshire|Wollaston]] near [[Wellingborough]],<ref>[http://www.kellysearch.co.uk/gb-company-370000597.html Kellysearch.co.uk: R Griggs & Co. Ltd] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111145834/http://www.kellysearch.co.uk/gb-company-370000597.html |date=11 January 2012 }}. Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref> the shoe industry has deeply declined as manufacturing has moved away from England. There were over 2,000 shoemakers in the region in the mid-19th century, today the number is over 30 left.<ref>{{Citation |title=Why Doc Martens Are So Expensive {{!}} So Expensive |date=2 May 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drg8beQFS5M |language=en-GB |access-date=9 November 2022 }}</ref> Large employers include the breakfast cereal manufacturers [[Weetabix]], in [[Burton Latimer]], the [[Carlsberg Group|Carlsberg]] brewery in [[Northampton]], [[Avon Products]], Nationwide Building Society, [[Siemens]], [[Barclaycard]], [[Saxby Bros Ltd]] and [[Golden Wonder]].<ref name="chamber">{{cite web |url=http://www.northants-chamber.co.uk/info/topemployers/ |title=Northamptonshire Chamber :: Major Northamptonshire employers |date=26 June 2010 |access-date=20 January 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626091140/http://www.northants-chamber.co.uk/info/topemployers/ |archive-date=26 June 2010 }}</ref><ref name="Why Wellingborough">{{cite web |url=http://www.wellingborough.gov.uk/downloads/Why_Wellingborough_Final_version.pdf |title=Borough Council of Wellingborough - Document and File Downloads |access-date=5 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615113322/http://www.wellingborough.gov.uk/downloads/Why_Wellingborough_Final_version.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2011 }}</ref> In the west of the county is the [[Daventry International Railfreight Terminal]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prologisrfidirft.co.uk/ |title=Dirft_holding |access-date=10 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126052030/http://www.prologisrfidirft.co.uk/ |archive-date=26 January 2009 }}</ref> which is a major rail freight terminal located on the [[West Coast Main Line]] near [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]]. Wellingborough also has a smaller railfreight depot<ref>[http://www.gbrailfreight.com/news.php?newsid=178 FirstGBRf: FirstGBRf opens unique depot at Wellingborough] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711081229/http://www.gbrailfreight.com/news.php?newsid=178 |date=11 July 2011 }}. 12 June 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref> on Finedon Road, called Nelisons sidings.<ref>[http://www.gbrailfreight.com/locations.php?lid=211 GB Railfreight: Locations, Wellingborough] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711081333/http://www.gbrailfreight.com/locations.php?lid=211 |date=11 July 2011 }} Retrieved 11 November 2010</ref>

This is a chart of trend of the regional gross value added of Northamptonshire at current basic prices in millions of British Pounds Sterling (correct on 21 December 2005):<ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf Regional Gross Value Added.''Office for National Statistics''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728091019/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf |date=28 July 2011 }}. pp 240–253. 21 December 2005. Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year || Regional gross value added<ref>Components may not sum to totals due to rounding</ref> || Agriculture<ref>includes hunting and forestry</ref> || Industry<ref>includes energy and construction</ref> || Services<ref>includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured</ref>
|-
| 1995 || '''7,139''' || 112 || 2,157 || 3,870
|-
| 2000 || '''9,743''' || 79 || 3,035 || 6,630
|-
| 2003 || '''10,901''' || 90 || 3,260 || 7,551
|}

The region of Northamptonshire, [[Oxfordshire]] and the [[South Midlands]] has been described as "[[Motorsport Valley]]... a global hub" for the motor sport industry.<ref>Coe, N.M., Kelly, P.F, Wai-Chung Yeung, H. [https://books.google.com/books?id=1xV5ZvXYtjUC&dq=motorsport+industry+northamptonshire&pg=PA141 Economic geography: a contemporary introduction]. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. pp 141–143. Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref><ref>Russell Hotten. [http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/leisure/article5983082.ece Motor racing battles to stay out of pits] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612175003/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/leisure/article5983082.ece |date=12 June 2011 }}. TimesOnline. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref> The [[Mercedes-Benz in Formula One|Mercedes-AMG]]<ref>[http://www.mercedes-gp.com/includes/privacy.htm Official site of Mercedes GP Formula One Team: Contact us] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310172155/http://www.mercedes-gp.com/includes/privacy.htm |date=10 March 2010 }}. Mercedes-gp.com, Retrieved 4 March 2010.</ref> and [[Aston Martin in Formula One|Aston Martin]]<ref>[http://www.forceindiaf1.com/index/page_id/48 Force India F1 Team: Contact us] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901010850/http://www.forceindiaf1.com/index/page_id/48 |date=1 September 2009 }}. Forceindiaf1.com, Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref> [[Formula One]] teams have their bases at [[Brackley]] and [[Silverstone]] respectively, while [[Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines]]<ref>[http://www.mercedes-benz-hpe.com/hpe/index.htm Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd: Contact] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090823043105/http://www.mercedes-benz-hpe.com/hpe/index.htm |date=23 August 2009 }}. Mercedes-benz-hpe.com, Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref> and, formerly, [[Cosworth]],<ref>[http://www.cosworth.com/Default.aspx?id=1089541 Cosworth: Contact] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620180627/http://www.cosworth.com/Default.aspx?id=1089541 |date=20 June 2009 }}. Cosworth.com, Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref> are also in the county at [[Brixworth]] and Northampton respectively.

International [[Motorsport|motor racing]] takes place at [[Silverstone Circuit]]<ref>[http://www.silverstone.co.uk/php/ci_overview.html Silverstone Official Website: Contact Numbers] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430100926/http://www.silverstone.co.uk/php/ci_overview.html |date=30 April 2009 }}. Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref> and, formerly, [[Rockingham Motor Speedway]];<ref>[http://www.rockingham.co.uk/about/gettingto.asp Getting to Rockingham] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203112832/http://rockingham.co.uk/about/gettingto.asp |date=3 February 2009 }}. Rockingham.co.uk, Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref> [[Santa Pod Raceway]] is just over the border in [[Bedfordshire]] but has a Northamptonshire postcode.<ref>[http://www.santapod.co.uk/g_find.php Santa Pod Raceway: Contact/find us/postcode] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822004548/http://www.santapod.co.uk/g_find.php |date=22 August 2009 }}. Santapod.co.uk, Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref> A study commissioned by Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd (NEL) reported that Northamptonshire's motorsport sites attract more than 2.1&nbsp;million visitors per year who spend a total of more than £131&nbsp;million within the county.<ref>[http://www.northantset.co.uk/12691/Motorsport-to-grow-3037-in.5401811.jp Motorsport to grow 30% in next decade] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821103936/http://www.northantset.co.uk/12691/Motorsport-to-grow-3037-in.5401811.jp |date=21 August 2009 }}. Northants Evening Telegraph. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.</ref>

===Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth area===
{{Main|South Midlands}}

Northamptonshire forms part of the [[South Midlands#Milton Keynes and South Midlands growth area|Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth area]] which also includes [[Milton Keynes]], [[Aylesbury Vale]] and [[Bedfordshire]]. This area has been identified as an area which is due to have tens of thousands additional homes built between 2010 and 2020. In North Northamptonshire (Boroughs of Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and East Northants), over 52,000 homes are planned or newly built and 47,000 new jobs are also planned.<ref name="North Northants">[http://www.mksm.org.uk/area/north-northants.asp MSKM: North Northants] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723113819/http://www.mksm.org.uk/area/north-northants.asp |date=23 July 2011 }} Mksm.org.uk, Accessed 2 October 2010</ref> In West Northamptonshire (boroughs of Northampton, Daventry and South Northants), over 48,000 homes are planned or newly built and 37,000 new jobs are planned.<ref name="West Northants">[http://www.mksm.org.uk/area/west-northants.asp MKSM: West Northants] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723113836/http://www.mksm.org.uk/area/west-northants.asp |date=23 July 2011 }} Mksm.org.uk, Accessed 2 October 2010</ref> To oversee the planned developments, two urban regeneration companies have been created: North Northants Development Company (NNDC)<ref name="North Northants"/> and the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation.<ref name="West Northants"/> The NNDC launched a controversial<ref>[http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/Come-to-North-Londonshire.6370328.jp Come to North Londonshire] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726235445/http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/Come-to-North-Londonshire.6370328.jp |date=26 July 2010 }} Northants Evening Telegraph, Accessed 2 October 2010</ref> campaign called ''North Londonshire'' to attract people from London to the county.<ref>[http://www.northlondonshire.co.uk/ North Londonshire: home page] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117041425/http://www.northlondonshire.co.uk/ |date=17 January 2014 }} Accessed 2 October 2010</ref> There is also a county-wide tourism campaign with the slogan ''Northamptonshire, Let yourself grow''.<ref>[http://www.letyourselfgrow.com/ Let yourself grow: home page] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011062544/http://www.letyourselfgrow.com/ |date=11 October 2010 }} Letyourselfgrow.com, Accessed 2 October 2010</ref>

==Education==
===Schools===
Northamptonshire County Council previously operated a comprehensive system of state-funded secondary schools.<ref>[http://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/ncc/Templates/content_applications.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fLearning%2fInstitutions%2fschoolsdir.htm%3fSchoolDetail%3d9287031|Special%2520-%2520Primary&NRNODEGUID={7BF3FCE4-28B4-49B8-8F4E-CEA308D6E556}&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest Northamptonshire County Council: Northamptonshire Schools Directory] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721221546/http://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/ncc/Templates/content_applications.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2FLearning%2FInstitutions%2Fschoolsdir.htm%3FSchoolDetail%3D9287031%7CSpecial%2520-%2520Primary&NRNODEGUID=%7B7BF3FCE4-28B4-49B8-8F4E-CEA308D6E556%7D&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest |date=21 July 2012 }}. Retrieved 8 August 2009.</ref> From May 2021 compulsory education in the county is administered by North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council. The county is home to [[Private schools in the United Kingdom|private]] schools [[Oundle School|Oundle]], [[Quinton House School]], [[Wellingborough School]], [[Spratton Hall School]], [[Northampton High School, England|Northampton High School]].

The county's [[Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust|music and performing arts trust]] provides peripatetic music teaching to schools. It also supports 15 local Saturday morning music and performing arts centres around the county and provides a range of county-level music groups.

===Colleges===
There are seven colleges across the county, with the [[Tresham College of Further and Higher Education]] having four campuses in three towns: [[Corby]], [[Kettering]] and [[Wellingborough]].<ref>[http://www.tresham.ac.uk/about/our_campuses Tresham College: Our Campuses] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029040832/http://www.tresham.ac.uk/about/our_campuses |date=29 October 2009 }}. Retrieved 8 August 2009.</ref> Tresham, which was taken over by Bedford College in 2017 due to failed Ofsted inspections, provides [[further education]] and offers vocational courses and re-sit [[GCSE]]s.<ref>[https://www.tresham.ac.uk/courses-at-tresham/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801223351/http://www.tresham.ac.uk/courses-at-tresham/|date=1 August 2017}}. Retrieved 15 April 2018.</ref> It also offers Higher Education options in conjunction with several universities.<ref>[http://www.tresham.ac.uk/higher_education Tresham College: Higher Education] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519122926/http://www.tresham.ac.uk/higher_education |date=19 May 2009 }}. Retrieved 8 August 2009.</ref> Other colleges in the county are: [[Fletton House]], [[Knuston Hall]], [[Moulton College]], [[Northampton College]], [[Northampton New College]] and [[The East Northamptonshire College]].

===University===
Northamptonshire has one university, the [[University of Northampton]]. It has two campuses {{convert|2.5|mi|km|1}} apart and 10,000 students.<ref>[http://www.northampton.ac.uk/about/ The University of Northampton: About Us] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323035135/http://www.northampton.ac.uk/about/ |date=23 March 2009 }}. Retrieved 8 August 2009.</ref> It offers courses for needs and interests from foundation and undergraduate level to postgraduate, professional and doctoral qualifications. Subjects include traditional arts, humanities and sciences subjects, as well as entrepreneurship, product design and advertising.<ref>[http://www.northampton.ac.uk/courses/search/ The University of Northampton: Course finder] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418031118/http://www.northampton.ac.uk/courses/search/ |date=18 April 2009 }}. Retrieved 8 August 2009.</ref>

==Healthcare==

===Hospitals===
The main acute [[National Health Service (England)|National Health Service]] hospitals in Northamptonshire are [[Northampton General Hospital]], which also operates Danetre Hospital in Daventry, and [[Kettering General Hospital]]. In the south-west of the county, the towns of Brackley, Towcester and surrounding villages are serviced by the [[Horton General Hospital]] in [[Banbury]] in neighbouring Oxfordshire for acute medical needs. A similar arrangement is in place for the town of [[Oundle]] and nearby villages, served by [[Peterborough City Hospital]].

In February 2011 a new satellite out-patient centre opened at Nene Park, Irthlingborough to provide over 40,000 appointments a year, as well as a minor injury unit to serve Eastern Northamptonshire. This was opened to relieve pressure off Kettering General Hospital, and has also replaced the dated Rushden Memorial Clinic which provided at the time about 8,000 appointments a year, when open.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-12379676 |title=New £4.2m Irthlingborough outpatients clinic opens |work=BBC News |date=7 February 2011 |access-date=7 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208232104/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-12379676 |archive-date=8 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Water contamination===
In June 2008, [[Anglian Water]] found traces of ''[[Cryptosporidium]]'' in water supplies of Northamptonshire. The local reservoir at [[Pitsford]] was investigated and a [[European rabbit]] which had strayed into it,<ref name="NorthantsETCrypto">{{cite web |url=http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/Rabbit-caused-water-contamination-at.4286344.jp |title=Rabbit caused water contamination at Pitsford - Northants ET |last=Tite |first=Nick |date=14 July 2008 |publisher=[[Northants Evening Telegraph]] |access-date=22 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920113432/http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/Rabbit-caused-water-contamination-at.4286344.jp |archive-date=20 September 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> causing the problem, was found. About 250,000 residents were affected;<ref name="1cryptoBBC">{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/northamptonshire/7472619.stm |title=Sickness bug found in tap water |date=25 June 2008 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=15 July 2008 }}</ref> by 14 July 2008, 13 cases of cryptosporidiosis attributed to water in Northampton had been reported.<ref name="2cryptoBBC">{{cite news |title=BBC News |date=14 July 2008 |work=News at Ten, [[BBC One]] |publisher=BBC }}</ref> Following the end of the investigation, Anglian Water lifted its boil notice for all affected areas on 4 July 2008.<ref name=AnglianWater>[http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/index.php?sectionid=51&parentid=50&contentid=1136 "Anglian Water"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928020340/http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/index.php?sectionid=51&parentid=50&contentid=1136 |date=28 September 2011}}, Press Release</ref> Anglian Water revealed that it would pay up to £30 per household as compensation for customers hit by the water crisis.<ref name="C&E30each">{{cite news |url=http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/25-each-compensation-for-water.4255069.jp |title=Water crisis: All clear for tap water - and up to £30 compensation! - Northampton Chronicle and Echo |date=5 July 2008 |publisher=Chronicle & Echo |access-date=22 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028132040/http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/25-each-compensation-for-water.4255069.jp |archive-date=28 October 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Transport==
{{main|East Midlands#Transport}}

[[File:A43 Brackley.jpg|right|thumb|Brackley bypass on the A43]]
The gap in the hills at [[Watford Gap]] meant that many south-east to north-west routes passed through Northamptonshire. [[Watling Street]], a Roman Road which is now part of the [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]], passes through here, as did canals, railways and major roads in later years.

===Roads===
Major national roads, including the [[M1 motorway]] (London to Leeds) and the [[A14 road (England)|A14]] (Rugby to Felixstowe), provide Northamptonshire with transport links both north–south and east–west. The [[A43 road|A43]] joins the M1 to the [[M40 motorway]], passing through the south of the county to the junction west of Brackley, and the [[A45 road|A45]] links Northampton with Wellingborough and Peterborough.

The county road network (excluding trunk roads and motorways), managed by West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council, includes the [[A45 road|A45]] west of the [[M1 motorway]], the [[A43 road|A43]] between [[Northampton]] and the county boundary near Stamford, the [[A361 road|A361]] between [[Kilsby]] and [[Banbury]] (Oxon) and all B, C and unclassified roads. Since 2009, these highways have been managed on behalf of the county council by MGWSP, a joint venture between [[May Gurney]] and WSP.

===Rivers and canals===
[[File:Grand Union Canal at Braunston.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Grand Union Canal]] at [[Braunston]]]]
{{Further|:Category:Rivers of Northamptonshire}}

Two major canals – the [[Oxford Canal|Oxford]] and the [[Grand Union Canal|Grand Union]] – join in the county at [[Braunston]]. Notable features include a flight of 17 [[canal lock|locks]] on the Grand Union at [[Rothersthorpe]], the [[Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum|canal museum]] at [[Stoke Bruerne]] and a tunnel at [[Blisworth Tunnel|Blisworth]] which, at {{convert|2813|m|yd}}, is the third-longest navigable canal tunnel on the [[Canals of the United Kingdom|UK canal network]].

A branch of the Grand Union Canal connects to the [[River Nene]] in Northampton and has been upgraded to a 'wide canal' in places and is known as the ''Nene Navigation''. It is famous for its [[guillotine lock]]s.

===Railways===
{{Main|Rail transport in Northamptonshire}}

[[File:Next stop Wellingborough - geograph.org.uk - 1400370.jpg|thumb|An [[East Midlands Trains]] service approaching [[Wellingborough railway station|Wellingborough]] on the [[Midland Main Line]]]]
Two trunk railway routes, the [[Midland Main Line]] and the [[West Coast Main Line]], cross the county. At its peak, Northamptonshire had 75 railway stations. It now has only six, at: [[Northampton railway station|Northampton]] and [[Long Buckby railway station|Long Buckby]] on the West Coast Main Line; [[Kettering railway station|Kettering]], [[Wellingborough railway station|Wellingborough]] and [[Corby railway station|Corby]] on the Midland Main Line; along with [[King's Sutton railway station|King's Sutton]], only a few yards from the boundary with Oxfordshire on the [[Chiltern Main Line]].

Before [[nationalisation]] of the railways in 1948 and the creation of [[British Rail]]ways, three of the ''Big Four'' railway companies operated in Northamptonshire: the [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway]], [[London and North Eastern Railway]] and [[Great Western Railway]]. Only the [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]] was not represented. As of 2023, it is served by [[Chiltern Railways]], [[East Midlands Railway]], [[Avanti West Coast]] and [[West Midlands Trains]].

;Corby rail history
[[Corby]] was described as the largest town in Britain without a railway station.<ref>{{cite news |last=Britten |first=Nick |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/4787477/The-17million-train-station-with-only-one-service-a-day.html |title=Corby station |publisher=Telegraph.co.uk |date=23 February 2009 |access-date=25 September 2010 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226194552/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/4787477/The-17million-train-station-with-only-one-service-a-day.html |archive-date=26 February 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> The railway running through the town from Kettering to [[Oakham]] in [[Rutland]] was previously used only by freight traffic and occasional diverted passenger trains that did not stop at the station. The line through Corby was once part of a main line to [[Nottingham]] through [[Melton Mowbray]], but the stretch between Melton and Nottingham was closed in 1968. In the 1980s, an experimental passenger shuttle service ran between Corby and Kettering but was withdrawn a few years later.<ref>[http://www.nsers.org.uk/nse2.htm Network South East routes] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107065315/http://www.nsers.org.uk/nse2.htm |date=7 January 2009 }}</ref> On 23 February 2009, a new [[Corby railway station|railway station]] opened, providing direct hourly access to [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras]]. Following the opening of Corby Station, Rushden then became the largest town in the United Kingdom without a direct railway station. As of 2023, Corby is served by two regular [[East Midlands Railway|EMR]] services per hour to London St Pancras International, branded as the Luton Airport Express and EMR Connect.

;Closed lines and stations
Railway services in Northamptonshire were reduced by the [[Beeching cuts]] in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smjr.info |title=SMJR |publisher=Smjr.info |date=19 September 2010 |access-date=25 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211181131/http://www.smjr.info/ |archive-date=11 December 2008 }}</ref> Closure of the line connecting Northampton to [[Peterborough]] by way of Wellingborough, [[Thrapston]], and [[Oundle]] left eastern Northamptonshire devoid of railways. Part of this route was reopened in 1977 as the [[Nene Valley Railway]]. A section of one of the closed lines, the [[Northampton to Market Harborough line]], is now the [[Northampton & Lamport Railway|Northampton & Lamport]] [[heritage railway]], while the route as a whole forms a part of the [[National Cycle Network]], as the [[Brampton Valley Way]].

As early as 1897, Northamptonshire would have had its own [[Channel Tunnel]] rail link with the creation of the [[Great Central Railway]], which was intended to connect to a tunnel under the [[English Channel]]. Although the complete project never came to fruition, the rail link through Northamptonshire was constructed, and had stations at [[Charwelton]], [[Woodford Halse]], [[Helmdon]] and [[Brackley]]. It became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 (and of British Railways in 1948) before its closure in 1966.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}

;Future

In June 2009, the [[Association of Train Operating Companies]] (ATOC) recommended opening a new station on the former [[Irchester railway station]] site for [[Rushden]], [[Higham Ferrers]] and [[Irchester]], called [[Rushden Parkway railway station|Rushden Parkway]].{{ATOCConnectingCommunitiesReportS10|page=19}}

The Rushden Historical Transport Society, operators of the [[Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway]], would like to see the railway fully reopen between [[Wellingborough]] and [[Higham Ferrers]].

The route of the planned [[High Speed 2]] railway line (between London and Birmingham) will go through the southern part of the county but without any stations.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

===Buses===
Most buses are operated by [[Stagecoach Midlands]]. Some town area routes have been named the Corby Star, Connect Kettering, Connect Wellingborough and Daventry Dart; the last three of these routes have route designations that include a letter (such as A, D1, W1, W2). [[Stagecoach Gold bus route X4|Stagecoach's X4 route]] provides interurban links across the county, running between Northampton, Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby, Oundle and Peterborough. Uno and Centrebus also run services within the county,

===Airports===
[[File:Sywell Aerodrome.jpg|thumb|Sywell Aerodrome]]
[[Sywell Aerodrome]], on the edge of [[Sywell]] village, has three grass runways and one concrete all-weather runway. It is, however, only 1000 metres long and therefore cannot be served by passenger jets.<ref>[http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadbasic/pamslight-113B93979B7148E51E98BD22C3FF290E/7FE5QZZF3FXUS/EN/AIP/AD/EG_AD_2_EGBK_en_2011-03-10.pdf]{{dead link|date=July 2013}}</ref>

Northamptonshire is served predominantly by [[Luton Airport|London Luton Airport]] in neighbouring [[Bedfordshire]], which can be directly accessed by train every 30 minutes from Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough. [[London Stansted Airport]] in neighbouring Essex is around 40 miles away and can be accessed by car but does not feature a direct rail connection from anywhere in the county.

Further afield, Northamptonshire is also within reach of [[Birmingham Airport]] and [[East Midlands Airport]], both of which are around 45 miles away and can be accessed by direct trains from various stations within the county.

==Media==
[[File:Broadcasting House, Northampton.jpg|right|thumb|BBC Radio Northampton's Broadcasting House]]

===Newspapers===
The two main newspapers in the county are the ''[[Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph]]'' and the ''[[Northampton Chronicle & Echo]]''.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}

===Television===
Most of Northamptonshire is served by [[BBC East]] and [[ITV Anglia]] which both are based in [[Norwich]]. A small part of the north of the county is covered by [[BBC East Midlands]] and [[ITV Central]] while a small part of southwest of the county primarily [[Brackley]] and the surrounding villages is covered by [[BBC South]] and [[ITV Meridian]].

===Radio===
[[BBC Radio Northampton]], broadcasts on two [[FM radio|FM]] frequencies: 104.2&nbsp;MHz for the south and west of the county (including [[Northampton]] and surrounding area) and 103.6&nbsp;MHz for the north of the county (including [[Kettering]], [[Wellingborough]] and [[Corby]]). BBC Radio Northampton is situated on Abington Street, Northampton. These services are broadcast from the [[Moulton Park]] & [[Geddington]] transmitters. Some southern parts of the county (including [[Brackley]]) is served by [[BBC Radio Oxford]] broadcasting on 95.2&nbsp;MHz.

There are three commercial radio stations in the county. The former ''Kettering and Corby Broadcasting Company (KCBC)'' station was called Connect Radio (97.2 and 107.4&nbsp;MHz FM), following a merger with the Wellingborough-based station of the same name. It is now part of [[Smooth East Midlands]]. While both [[Heart East]] (96.6&nbsp;MHz FM) and [[AM broadcasting|AM]] station [[Gold (British radio network)|Gold]] (1557&nbsp;kHz) air very little local content as they form part of a national network. National [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|digital radio]] is also available in Northamptonshire.

Corby is served by its own dedicated station, Corby Radio (96.3 FM), based in the town and focused on local content.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.corbyradio.com/about/thestation |title=The Corby Radio Story |publisher=corbyradio.com |access-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307151954/http://www.corbyradio.com/about/thestation |archive-date=7 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Sport==


===Rugby union===
[[Rugby Union]] is the most popular spectator sport in Northamptonshire,<ref>"Results". The Rugby Paper. No. 820. 2 June 2024. p. 28.</ref> and it remains a major amateur sport with over 20 local clubs competing in the [[East Midlands Rugby Football Union|East Midlands RFU league system]]. 
====Northampton Saints====
[[File:2023-24 English Premiership Northampton Saints vs Bristol Bears 20231021 150303.jpg|thumb|A view towards the Carlsberg and Cinch stands in [[Franklin's Gardens]], home of the Saints.]]
The county's most popular sports team by attendance, [[Northampton Saints]], compete in the [[Gallagher Premiership]] and [[European Rugby Champions Cup]], and are based at the 15,249 capacity<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/saints-nation/club-history/a-new-dawn/ |title=A New Dawn |website=Northamptonsaints.co.uk |access-date=5 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018042910/https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/saints-nation/club-history/a-new-dawn/ |archive-date=18 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Franklin's Gardens]]. 

During the 2023/24 Season, Northampton Saints finished the [[Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] season top of the table, securing them a Home Semi-Final against the reigning Gallagher Premiership Champions [[Saracens Rugby|Saracens]], with Saints winning and becoming Finalists for the first time since winning the league in 2014. Saints played [[Bath Rugby]] at [[Twickenham Stadium]] in the Final on 8 June 2024. Northampton Saints won the Match beating Bath Rugby 25–21 and becoming the Gallagher Premiership Champions for the second time. Over 35,000 fans of the 82,000 capacity crowd travelled from Northamptonshire to watch the final in London.

To date, Saints have won seven major titles. They were European Champions in [[2000 Heineken Cup Final|2000]], and English Champions in [[2013–14 Premiership Rugby#Final|2014]] and [[2023–24 Premiership Rugby|2024]]. They have also won the secondary [[European Rugby Challenge Cup]] twice, in [[2008–09 European Challenge Cup|2009]] and [[2013–14 European Challenge Cup|2014]], the [[Anglo-Welsh Cup]] in [[2009–10 LV Cup|2010]], and the inaugural [[Premiership Rugby Cup]] in [[2018–19 Premiership Rugby Cup|2019]]. 

Finally, the Saints have won the [[RFU Championship|Second Division]] title three times; in [[1989–90 Courage League National Division Two|1990]], [[1995–96 Courage League National Division Two|1996]] and [[2007–08 National Division One|2008]].

Their biggest rivals are [[Leicester Tigers]]. The [[East Midlands Derby (Rugby Union)|East Midlands Derby]] is one of the fiercest rivalries in English rugby union.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/10834224/Northampton-Saints-v-Leicester-Tigers-Premiership-semi-final-Gloves-off-for-rugbys-biggest-grudge-match.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/10834224/Northampton-Saints-v-Leicester-Tigers-Premiership-semi-final-Gloves-off-for-rugbys-biggest-grudge-match.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers, Premiership semi-final: Gloves off for rugby's biggest grudge match|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=15 May 2014|access-date=5 January 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/12-biggest-rugby-rivalries-planet-11024928|title=The 12 biggest rugby rivalries on the planet|website=Wales Online|date=11 March 2016|access-date=5 January 2017}}</ref>

===Association football===
Northamptonshire has twenty four [[association football|football]] clubs operating in the top ten levels of the [[English football league system]]. The sport in the area is administered by the [[Northamptonshire Football Association]], which is affiliated with the [[United Counties League]], the [[Northamptonshire Combination Football League]], the Northampton Town Football League, as well as the [[Peterborough and District Football League]] in neighbouring [[Cambridgeshire]]. The only two clubs in Northamptonshire to have competed in [[The Football League]] are Northampton Town and the defunct Rushden & Diamonds.

====Northampton Town F.C.====
The only fully-professional [[English football league]] club in the county is [[Northampton Town F.C.|Northampton Town]], which attracts between 4,000 and 6,000 fans on an average game day and has been part of the Football League since 1920.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attnclub/nort.htm |title=Northampton Town FC |access-date=4 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621103214/http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attnclub/nort.htm |archive-date=21 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Their home ground is Sixfields Stadium which opened in 1994. The first match there took place on 15 October against Barnet Football Club. The stadium can hold up to 7,500 people, with provisions for disabled fans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ntfc.co.uk/club/sixfields_stadium/ |title=Sixfields Stadium - Northampton Town |website=Ntfc.co.uk |access-date=5 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311131513/http://www.ntfc.co.uk/club/sixfields_stadium/ |archive-date=11 March 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Other clubs====
The county also a number of semi-professional sides that compete in levels 6 to 8 of the [[football pyramid]]. These are [[Kettering Town F.C.|Kettering Town]], [[Brackley Town F.C.|Brackley Town]], [[AFC Rushden & Diamonds]], and [[Corby Town F.C.]] Nineteen teams compete in the [[United Counties League]] (UCL), a league operating at levels 9 and 10 of the English League system, and which encompasses all of Northamptonshire and parts of neighbouring counties.

===Cricket===
[[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club]] is in Division Two of the [[County Championship]]; the team (also known as The Steelbacks) play their home games at the [[County Cricket Ground, Northampton]]. They finished as runners-up in the Championship on four occasions in the period before it split into two divisions.

In 2013 the club won the [[Friends Life t20]], beating Surrey in the final. Appearing in their third final in four years, the Steelbacks beat Durham by four wickets at Edgbaston in 2016 to lift the [[Natwest t20 Blast]] trophy for the second time. The club also won the [[NatWest Trophy]] on two occasions, and the [[Benson & Hedges Cup]] once.

===Motor sport===
[[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]] is a major [[motor racing]] circuit, most notably used for the [[Grand Prix motor racing|British Grand Prix]]. There is also a dedicated radio station for the circuit which broadcasts on 87.7 FM or 1602 MW when events are taking place. However, part of the circuit is across the border in Buckinghamshire. [[Rockingham Motor Speedway|Rockingham Speedway]], located near [[Corby]], was one of the largest motor sport venues in the United Kingdom with 52,000 seats until it was closed permanently in 2018 to make way for a logistics hub for the automotive industry, hosting its last race in November of that year.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-46319175 |title=Motorsport track closes after 17 years |date=24 November 2018 |access-date=22 February 2019 |language=en-GB }}</ref> It was a US-style elliptical racing circuit (the largest of its kind outside of the United States), and is used extensively for all kinds of [[motor racing]] events. The [[Santa Pod]] [[drag racing]] circuit, venue for the FIA European Drag Racing Championships, is just across the border in [[Bedfordshire]] but has a [[NN postcode area|NN postcode]].

Two Formula One teams are based in Northamptonshire, with [[Mercedes-Benz in Formula One|Mercedes]] at [[Brackley]] and [[Aston Martin in Formula One|Aston Martin]] in [[Silverstone]]. Aston Martin also have a secondary facility in Brackley, while [[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]] build engines for themselves, Aston Martin, [[McLaren]] and [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] at [[Brixworth]]. [[Cosworth]], the high-performance engineering company, is based in Northampton.

===Swimming and diving===
There are seven competitive swimming clubs in the county: Northampton Swimming Club, Wellingborough Amateur Swimming Club, Rushden Swimming Club, Kettering Amateur Swimming Club, Corby Amateur Swimming Club, Daventry Dolphins Swimming Club, and Nene Valley Swimming Club. There is also one diving club: Corby Steel Diving Club. The main pool in the county is [[Corby East Midlands International Pool]], which has an 8-lane 50m swimming pool with a floor that can adjust in depth to provide a 25m pool. The pool is home to the Northamptonshire Amateur Association's County Championships as well as some of the Youth Midland Championships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northantsasa.org |title=Northants ASA |work=northantsasa.org |access-date=4 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816105622/http://www.northantsasa.org/ |archive-date=16 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.midlandchampionships.org.uk/entry/youth14/index.htm |title=Midland Championships |work=midlandchampionships.org.uk |access-date=12 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606190942/http://www.midlandchampionships.org.uk/entry/youth14/index.htm |archive-date=6 June 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Northamptonshire is home to 2016 paralympian Ellie Robinson. She was talent-spotted in July 2012 and developed at Northampton Swimming Club, and was selected to compete for Great Britain at the [[2016 IPC Swimming European Championships]]. She won there three bronze medals, and one silver medal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rio.paralympics.org.uk/meet-the-team/athlete-profile/ellie-robinson |title=Ellie Robinson |website=Rio.paralympics.org.uk |access-date=5 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107030520/http://rio.paralympics.org.uk/meet-the-team/athlete-profile/ellie-robinson |archive-date=7 November 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Culture==
{{expand section|date=November 2010}}
[[Jane Austen]] set her 1814 novel ''[[Mansfield Park]]'' mostly in Northamptonshire.

[[Melrose Plant]], a prominent secondary protagonist in the [[Richard Jury]] series of mystery novels by [[Martha Grimes]], resides in Northamptonshire, and much of the action in the books takes place there.

''[[Kinky Boots (film)|Kinky Boots]]'', the 2005 British-American film and subsequent stage musical adaptation, was based on the true story of a traditional Northamptonshire shoe factory which, to stay afloat, entered the market for fetish footwear.

Rock and pop bands originating in the area have included [[Bauhaus (band)|Bauhaus]], [[Temples (band)|Temples]], [[The Departure]], [[New Cassettes]], [[Raging Speedhorn]], [[The Fierce and the Dead]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Not many bands have played Summer's End, ArcTanGent and with Hawkwind – welcome to the world of The Fierce and the Dead |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/not-many-bands-have-played-summers-end-arctangent-and-with-hawkwind-welcome-to-the-world-of-the-fierce-and-the-dead |website=Louder Sound |date=13 August 2018 |access-date=18 April 2025}}</ref> and [[Defenestration (band)|Defenestration]]. [[Richard Coles]], an English musician, partnered in the 1980s with [[Jimmy Somerville]] to create the band [[The Communards]]. They achieved three top ten hits and made the No. 1 in 1986 with a version of the song "[[Don't Leave Me This Way]]". In 2012, [[The University of Northampton]] awarded Coles an honorary doctorate. From 2011 to 2022 he was the vicar of [[Finedon]] in Northamptonshire.

Northampton is the birthplace of composer [[Malcolm Arnold]] (born 21 October 1921) and of actor [[Marc Warren]] (born 20 March 1967).

In recent years, Northamptonshire has become notable for producing regional [[social media influencers]] and creatives who have gained national prominence, especially via [[TikTok]], [[Instagram]] and [[YouTube]] platforms—among them fashion and lifestyle [[Content creation|content creators]] from Northamptonshire towns who attract sizable online followings and contribute to contemporary UK influencer culture.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-06-20 |title=The TikTok and Instagram stars of Northamptonshire with millions of fans, chart success and worldwide gaming fame |url=https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/people/the-tiktok-and-instagram-stars-of-northamptonshire-with-millions-of-fans-chart-success-and-worldwide-gaming-fame-4188017 |access-date=2025-07-31 |work=Northamptonshire Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

==Places of interest==
{{Category see also|Tourist attractions in Northamptonshire}}
{{EngPlacesKey|align=right}}
|
* [[78 Derngate]] ([[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]] designed house in Northampton) [[File:Museum icon (red).png]]
* [[All Saints' Church, Northampton|All Saints, Northampton]] [[File:AP Icon.svg]]
* [[Althorp]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Apethorpe Palace]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Bannaventa]]
* [[Barnwell Castle]] [[File:CL icon.svg]]
* Barnwell Country Park [[File:CP icon.png]]
* [[Barnwell Manor]] (former home of the [[Dukes of Gloucester]]) [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Billing Aquadrome]]
* [[Borough Hill]] Daventry ([[Iron Age]] hill fort) [[File:UKAL icon.svg]]
* [[Borough Hill Roman villa]] [[File:UKAL icon.svg]]
* [[Boughton House]] (home of the [[Duke of Buccleuch|Dukes of Buccleuch]]) [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Blisworth tunnel]]
* [[Brackley]] (historic market town)
* [[Brampton Valley Way]] (linear park on a disused railway line) [[File:UKAL icon.svg]]
* [[All Saints' Church, Brixworth|Brixworth Church]] (notably complete Anglo-Saxon church) [[File:AP Icon.svg]]
* [[Brixworth Country Park]] [[File:CP icon.png]]
* [[Burghley House]] (home of the [[Marquess of Exeter]]) [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Canons Ashby House]] [[File:HH icon.png]] [[File:NTE icon.png]]
* [[Canons Ashby Priory]] [[File:AP Icon.svg]]
* [[Castle Ashby House|Castle Ashby]] (home of the [[Marquess of Northampton]]) [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[The Castle Theatre, Wellingborough|The Castle Theatre]] (Wellingborough) [[File:Drama-icon.svg|18px]]
* [[Coton Manor Garden]]
* [[Cottesbrooke Hall]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Daventry Country Park]] [[File:CP icon.png]]
* [[Deene Park]] (home of the [[Marquess of Ailesbury]]) [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Delapré Abbey]] [[File:AP Icon.svg]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Derngate|Derngate and Royal Theatre]] (Northampton) [[File:Drama-icon.svg|18px]]
* [[Drayton House]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[All Saints' Church, Earls Barton|Earls Barton Church]] [[File:AP Icon.svg]]
* [[Easton Neston house|Easton Neston]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* Fermyn Woods Country Park [[File:CP icon.png]]
* [[Fotheringhay|Fotheringhay Castle & Church]] [[File:CL icon.svg]]
* [[Franklin's Gardens]]
* [[Geddington]]'s [[Eleanor cross]]
* [[Holdenby House]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[The Holy Sepulchre, Northampton|Holy Sepulchre, Northampton]] (Norman [[Round church]]) [[File:AP Icon.svg]]
* [[Irchester Country Park]] [[File:CP icon.png]]
* [[Jurassic Way]] ([[long-distance footpath]], [[Midshires Way]] section)
* [[Kelmarsh Hall]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Kirby Hall]] [[File:EH icon.svg]]
* Knuston Hall [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Lamport Hall]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Lilford Hall]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Lyveden New Bield]] [[File:HH icon.png]] [[File:NTE icon.png]]
* Nassington Prebendal Manor House [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Naseby Field]]
* [[Northampton & Lamport Railway]] [[File:HR icon.svg]]
* [[Northampton Cathedral]] [[File:AP Icon.svg]]
* [[Northampton Guildhall]]
* [[Northampton Museum and Art Gallery]] [[File:Museum icon.png]]
* [[Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust|Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway]] [[File:HR icon.svg]]
* [[Oundle]] (historic market town)
* [[Piddington Roman Villa]]
* [[Pitsford Reservoir]]
* [[Raunds]] (historic market town)
* [[St Peter's Church, Raunds|Raunds Church]] (home of the [[St Peter's Church, Raunds#The Raunds Wall Paintings|Raunds Wall Paintings]] and a 15th cent [[St Peter's Church, Raunds#The Raunds Mechanical Clock|Mechanical Clock]]) [[File:AP Icon.svg]]
* Roadmender (live music venue)
* [[Rockingham Castle]] [[File:CL icon.svg]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Rockingham Forest]] [[File:FC icon.png]]
* [[Rockingham Motor Speedway]]
* [[Rushden Hall]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway]] [[File:HR icon.svg]]
* [[Rushden Station Railway Museum]] [[File:Museum icon.png]]
* [[Rushton Triangular Lodge]] [[File:EH icon.svg]]
* [[St Peter's Church, Northampton|St Peter’s, Northampton]] (notably complete and fine example of Norman architecture) [[File:AP Icon.svg]]
* [[Salcey Forest]] [[File:FC icon.png]]
* [[Silverstone Circuit]]
* [[St Botolph's Church, Slapton|Slapton Church]] (home of [[St Botolph's Church, Slapton#The Slapton Wall Paintings|The Slapton Wall Paintings]]) [[File:AP Icon.svg]]
* [[Southwick Hall]] [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Stanwick Lakes, Northamptonshire|Stanwick Lakes]] [[File:CP icon.png]]
* [[Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum]] [[File:Museum icon (red).png]]
* [[Sulgrave Manor]] (historic home of [[George Washington]]’s family, now run by the United States government) [[File:HH icon.png]]
* [[Summer Leys]] nature reserve
* [[Syresham]]
* [[Sywell Country Park]] [[File:CP icon.png]]
* Towcester Museum [[File:Museum icon.png]]
* [[Watford Locks]]
* Wellingborough Museum [[File:Museum icon.png]]
* [[Whittlewood Forest]] [[File:FC icon.png]]
* [[Wicksteed Park]] [[File:Themepark uk icon.png]]

==Annual events==
* [[Gretton, Northamptonshire|Gretton]] [[Barn dance]]
* [[Grand Prix motor racing|British Grand Prix]] at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]]
* [[Burghley Horse Trials]]
* [[Crick Boat Show]]
* [[Hollowell|Hollowell Steam Rally]]
* [[Northampton Balloon Festival]]
* [[Rothwell, Northamptonshire|Rothwell]] Fair
* [[Rushden Cavalcade]]
* [[St Crispin Street Fair]]
* [[Wellingborough]] Carnival
* [[World Conker Championships]]
* Buckby Feast
* [[Corby]] Highland Gathering

==See also==
{{portal|England}}
* [[Custos Rotulorum of Northamptonshire]] - list of Keepers of the Rolls
* [[Flag of Northamptonshire]]
* [[Grade I listed buildings in Northamptonshire]]
* [[High Sheriff of Northamptonshire]]
* [[History of Northamptonshire]]
* [[List of English and Welsh endowed schools (19th century)#Northamptonshire]]
* [[List of places in Northamptonshire]]
* [[Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire]]
* [[Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency)]] - historical list of MPs for the Northamptonshire constituency
* [[Northamptonshire Police]]
* [[Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner]]
* [[:Category:People from Northamptonshire]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |last=Bathurst |first=David |title=Walking the county high points of England |location=Chichester |publisher=Summersdale, England |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-84-953239-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Greenall |first=R.L. |title=A History of Northamptonshire |publisher=Phillimore & Co. Ltd. |location=Bognor Regis, England |year=1979 |isbn=1-86077-147-5}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.northamptonshire-history.org.uk/ Northamptonshire History Website] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410153617/http://www.northamptonshire-history.org.uk/ |date=10 April 2007 }}
* Former Northamptonshire County Council website, {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221085616/http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/en/Pages/HomePage.aspx |date=21 February 2009}}

{{Geographic location
| title     = '''Neighbouring counties'''
| Centre    = Northamptonshire
| North     = [[Leicestershire]], [[Rutland]]
| Northeast = [[Lincolnshire]], Cambridgeshire
| East      = [[Cambridgeshire]]
| Southeast = [[Bedfordshire]]
| South     = [[Buckinghamshire]]
| Southwest = [[Oxfordshire]]
| West      = [[Warwickshire]]
| Northwest = [[Leicestershire]]
}}

{{Northamptonshire}}
{{England counties}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Northamptonshire| ]]
[[Category:East Midlands]]
[[Category:Counties of England established in antiquity]]
[[Category:Former non-metropolitan counties]]