Historic county of England
Northamptonshire
Nene across the county, rolling uplands west, fen edge around Peterborough east.
Northamptonshire is a long inland county whose geography follows the River Nene from the higher country of the west through Northampton and the eastern towns towards the Fens. The river gives an otherwise elongated county a remarkably clear internal spine.
The west and centre are landscapes of limestone, clay, pasture and former royal forest. Further east the ground becomes progressively lower, while the Soke of Peterborough forms the county’s distinctive north-eastern end. Northampton provides the central urban focus, but the county’s character comes from the transition between rolling Midland country and the fenward east.
- Anglo-Saxon burh
- 1086: 'Northamtunescire'
- Key crossroads of England
- Area: 998 sq miles
- Population: 838,786
- County Top: Arbury Hill
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
England and Wales Census 2021. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 947.1 people per sq mi (365.7 people per km²)
- Population
- 949,830
The Nene as the county’s spine
The Nene rises in western Northamptonshire and crosses almost the entire county before turning towards the Fens. Its valley connects Northampton with the eastern part of the shire and provides one of the clearest natural organising lines of any Midland county.
River crossings, market towns and later transport routes repeatedly followed that same corridor.
A county on the watershed
Western Northamptonshire lies close to an important divide between major English river systems. Water leaves the county in several directions: the Nene towards the Wash, the Cherwell towards the Thames and the Leam towards the Avon and Severn.
That position helps explain Northamptonshire’s long role as crossroads country at the centre of England.
Pasture, forest and industry
Rich grazing country was long characteristic of much of Northamptonshire, alongside surviving landscapes associated with former royal forests such as Rockingham. Elsewhere, shoe manufacture, ironstone and later industry created a markedly different eastern and north-eastern landscape.
The result is a county in which rural and industrial traditions sit unusually close together.
County questions
Questions about Northamptonshire
Is Peterborough in Northamptonshire?
Yes. Peterborough is geographically in Northamptonshire, within the traditional Soke of Peterborough. Later administrative arrangements do not alter that county geography.
Does Northamptonshire really meet nine counties?
Yes. Its long, central position gives Northamptonshire an exceptionally large number of geographic county neighbours.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Northampton
- County day
- 25 October
- Foundation
- c. 1011
Northamptonshire and County of Northampton are forms of the same county name. The shire was established before the Norman Conquest around Northampton and its surrounding territory.