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.

Stearns, Peter N., Langer. William L. The Encyclopedia of world history: ancient, medieval, and modern [ permanent dead link]. Retrieved 16 August 2009. Northamptonshire County Council 'should be scrapped' ". BBC News. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018 . Retrieved 20 June 2018. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown ( link)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. [12] Northamptonshire | England, UK History & Facts". Britannica. 13 June 2023 . Retrieved 29 June 2023. Malte-Brun, C. Universal geography: or, A description of all parts of the world. 1832. Retrieved 5 September 2009. The county road network (excluding trunk roads and motorways), managed by West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council, includes the A45 west of the M1 motorway, the A43 between Northampton and the county boundary near Stamford, the 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. 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. [7] In about 500 BC the Iron Age was introduced into the area by a continental people in the form of the Hallstatt culture, [8] and over the next century a series of hill-forts were constructed at 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. [8] The flag of the historic county of Northamptonshire

Most of Northamptonshire is served by the BBC's East region which is based in Norwich. The regional news television programme, BBC Look East, provides local news across the East of England, Milton Keynes and most of Northamptonshire. An opt-out in Look East covers the west part of the region only, broadcast from Cambridge. This area also is covered by the BBC's The Politics Show: East and Inside Out: East. A small part of the north of the county is covered by BBC East Midlands's regional news BBC East Midlands Today, while a small part of South Northamptonshire is covered by BBC Oxford's regional news BBC Oxford News which is part of the BBC South Today programme. [ citation needed] ITV regions The county's 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. Northampton is the birthplace of composer Malcolm Arnold (born 21 October 1921) and of actor Marc Warren (born 20 March 1967). 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): [51] YearAfter the Romans left, the area eventually became part of the 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. [10] 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. [11] Consequently, it is one of the few counties in England to have both Saxon and Danish town-names and settlements. [ citation needed] Connecting Communities – Expanding Access to the Rail Network" (PDF). London: Association of Train Operating Companies. June 2009. p. 19 . Retrieved 7 September 2018. Northamptonshire Chamber :: Milton Keynes & South Midlands Growth Plan". 7 December 2009. Archived from the original on 7 December 2009 . Retrieved 20 January 2018. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown ( link) Northampton itself is the most populous 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 local government reform, Northampton Borough Council petitioned strongly for unitary status, which led to fractured relations with the County Council. [ citation needed]

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." [20] Northamptonshire is still referred to as the county of "spires and squires" because of the numbers of stately homes and ancient churches. [21] Northants ASA". northantsasa.org. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018 . Retrieved 4 November 2018. Northamptonshire Chamber :: Major Northamptonshire employers". 26 June 2010. Archived from the original on 26 June 2010 . Retrieved 20 January 2018. 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. [72] 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 GCSEs. [73] It also offers Higher Education options in conjunction with several universities. [74] Other colleges in the county are: Fletton House, Knuston Hall, Moulton College, Northampton College, Northampton New College and The East Northamptonshire College.Main article: History of Northamptonshire § Economy Silverstone adds millions every year to the local economy - Kimi Räikkönen testing for McLaren at Silverstone in April 2006