Northamptonshire (pop. 785,247) is a small and historic county in central England. It covers 913 square miles (2,364 square kilometers). The county ceased to be an administrative area in 1974, when local government was reorganized. But local people continue to recognize Northamptonshire as a distinct region and still refer to it as a county.
Northamptonshire is also a ceremonial county. The British monarch appoints royal representatives, including a lord lieutenant and a high sheriff, to each of England’s ceremonial counties.
Northamptonshire has beautiful villages built of stone, historic mansions, stately homes, and churches with fine medieval spires. The county is famous for footwear and clothing. The industrial towns lie near the center of the county. The land varies from flat, open meadows in the lower Nene Valley to softly rounded hills in the southwest.
People and government
Local customs.
Since 1204, Rothwell has had an annual charter fair—that is, a fair established by royal charter. It starts on the day after Trinity Sunday, the eighth Sunday after Easter, and lasts one week. Corby’s charter fair, known as the Pole Fair, is held every 20 years on or near Whit Monday, the day after Pentecost.
Recreation.
Hunting is popular in Northamptonshire. Several stretches of forest areas, particularly Rockingham Forest, are popular for riding. Horse lovers can also watch racing at Towcester. Water sports, including canal cruising and fishing, are popular. International motor-racing events take place at Silverstone. Northamptonshire has a cricket team in the county championship. Northampton has a soccer team in the English Football League.
Local government.
For administrative purposes, the county of Northamptonshire was divided into a number of local government districts in 1974. In 2021, the districts were reorganized into two unitary authorities—North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. Each unitary authority has an elected council that provides public services. The North Northamptonshire Council has offices in Corby, Kettering, Thrapston, and Wellingborough. The West Northamptonshire Council has offices in Daventry, Northampton, and Towcester.
The Crown Court sits at Northampton. The region’s police force is the Northamptonshire Constabulary. It has its headquarters in Northampton.
Economy
Agriculture and mining.
Farms cover more than five-sixths of the county. It has much grassland, on which beef and dairy cattle graze. Farmers grow some cereals, particularly barley. Other crops include potatoes, sugar beets, other root crops, and rapeseed.
A bed of iron ore runs from Northampton northeast to the middle of Lincolnshire, but ironstone is no longer quarried for steel making.
Manufacturing.
The county attracted new industries, particularly in Corby and Northampton, in the late 1900’s. Wellingborough has an enterprise zone for new industries, and both Kettering and Daventry have extensive industrial estates (industrial parks). Many of the men’s shoes produced in the United Kingdom are made in the county. Associated industries include leather tanning and dyeing.
A number of towns have engineering industries, including Daventry, Northampton, Rushden, and Wellingborough. Lifts and lift equipment are manufactured in Northampton. Kettering has several clothing factories and research laboratories for the shoe trade.
Food processing, particularly the production of meat products, is a large industry in Northamptonshire. There is also a large brewery at Northampton.
Transportation and communication.
Main railroad lines linking London with the north of England pass through Northampton, and also through Kettering and Wellingborough. Some good roads pass through the county, including the M1.
Northampton has a daily newspaper, and the county has several weekly newspapers. Northampton has a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) local radio station.
Land and climate
Location and size.
Historic Northamptonshire county is almost in the center of England. The county is long, narrow, and irregular in shape, stretching for 59 miles (95 kilometers) from southwest to northeast. It measures 25 miles (40 kilometers) across at the widest point and borders on six other counties.
Land features.
Arbury Hill, near Daventry, rises 735 feet (224 meters) above sea level. There are remains of ancient forests at Rockingham in the northeast and at Salcey and Whittlebury in the south.
The central geographical feature of Northamptonshire is the Nene Valley, a wide, shallow valley that separates two ridges of high ground. One ridge runs northward to Stamford, Lincolnshire. The other lies between the Nene and the Ouse valleys. Picturesque stone-built villages lie in the Nene Valley.
Rivers and lakes.
The Nene rises near Daventry and flows for about 60 miles (100 kilometers) within the county. At one time the river often flooded, causing great damage. But it is now one of the best managed rivers in England. The other important river, the Welland, rises near Naseby. The Welland forms much of the northern boundary.
All of Northamptonshire’s lakes are artificial. Water-filled sand and gravel pits at Thrapston form a large lake used for sailing. People boat and swim at Wicksteed Park in Kettering.
Climate
is near the average for the United Kingdom. Rainfall averages 25 inches (63.5 centimeters) a year. January temperatures average 41 °F (5 °C). July temperatures average 64 °F (18 °C).
History
Many monarchs figure in the past of Northamptonshire. Northampton became important because of its central position in England. Henry I made the town a royal stronghold. His daughter Matilda was proclaimed queen of England in Northampton’s old church of All Saints. Henry II staged the trial of Saint Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, in the town. One of the men responsible for murdering Becket was a knight from Northampton.
King John visited Northampton several times. Henry VI lost his throne to Edward IV after he was defeated at the battle of Northampton. Richard III was born at Fotheringhay Castle. Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed at Fotheringhay Castle. Members of two Northamptonshire families, the Treshams and the Catesbys, took part in the Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament when James I was present.
The most important national event to take place in the county was the defeat of Charles I by Oliver Cromwell at Naseby, which ended the first phase of the English Civil War in 1646. The king fled after the battle and later surrendered to the Scots.
John Dryden, the poet, was born at Aldwincle All Saints. Charles Kingsley, the novelist, spent his early youth in the county.
The Northamptonshire area has produced good leather for hundreds of years. Large military orders, which began during the American Revolution (1775-1783), first stimulated the shoe industry. After railroads were built, shoemaking towns were able to send their goods to other towns throughout the United Kingdom. As a result, the shoe industry grew rapidly.
Lacemaking was once a major manufacturing industry. More than 10,000 workers, mainly women and children, made lace in the 1800’s.
People first noticed large iron-ore deposits when the land was excavated for railroad tunnels and cuttings. Thomas Butlin of Wellingborough made the first Northamptonshire pig iron in the 1850’s. The steel and iron industries expanded greatly in the 1930’s. Many people went to Corby from Scotland for work. British Steel closed its steelworks in Corby in 1980, leading to high rates of unemployment in the area.
See also Avon, River; Northampton; Ouse; Sulgrave Manor.
