one of the midland counties of England, bounded by a greater number of counties than any other like division of England, having on the N. the counties of Leicester, Rutland, and Lincoln; E. those of Cambridge, Huntingdon, and Bedford; S. those of Buckingham and Oxford; and W. Warwickshire. It lies between 51° 59' and 52° 40' N. Lat., and 0° 8' and 1° 20' W. Long. It is about 66 miles in length; the breadth in the widest part is 26 miles, in the narrowest not more than 8 miles. Its extent is 630,358 acres, of which probably 580,000 are arable, pasture, and meadow land. In 1841 the population was 139,228; in 1851 it had increased to 212,380, occupying 43,942 houses.

In ancient British times this county was the most southern part of the Coritani; by the Romans it was included in the province of Flavia Caesariensis. The Roman roads Watling Street and Ermine pass through it; the former on the S.W. from Towcester to Lilbourne, the latter enters by Castor, and branches off at Upton. In the Saxon period this county made part of the kingdom of Mercia. It suffered repeatedly and severely from the incursions of the Danes. Simon De St Liz, a follower of William the Conqueror, having received from his sovereign the town of Northampton to find shoes for his horses, fortified it, and built the castle at the west entrance. During the 12th century many councils were held at Northampton. The battle which decided the fate of Charles I. was fought at Naseby, June 14, 1645. Besides an obelisk erected a mile to the east of the scene of action, the "Sulby hedges" still remain as a more exact landmark.

The whole of the county is within the diocese of Peterborough, with the exception of three parishes, Gretton, Nassington, and King's Sutton, which are in the diocese of Lincoln. It forms an archdeaconry, containing 293 parishes, of which 172 are rectories, 93 vicarages, and 29 perpetual curacies.

From the census of 1851, it appears that in this county there were at that time 592 places of worship, having in all 151,687 sittings. Of these, 292 places of worship belonged to the Episcopalians, 122 to various bodies of Methodists, 87 to Baptists, 56 to Independents, 6 to Quakers, 6 to Roman Catholics, 4 to Latter-day Saints, 3 to Moravians, and 16 to other bodies. The number of Sunday-schools was 426, with 33,614 scholars. Of the former, 257 belonged to the Episcopalians, 68 to Methodists, 52 to Baptists, and 39 to Independents. Of day-schools there were 276 public, with 18,969 scholars; and 411 private, with 7555 scholars. Of the public schools, 169 were supported by religious bodies, 88 by endowments, and 14 by general or local taxation. There were also 15 evening schools for adults, and 8 literary and scientific institutions.

By the Reform Bill the county was divided into two divisions, N. and S., each containing ten hundreds, and returning two members. The election for the northern division is held at Kettering, and the polling-places are Kettering, Peterborough, Oundle, Wellingborough, and Clipstone. The election for the southern is held at Northampton, and the other polling-places are Daventry, Towcester, and Brackley. Two members are also returned for Peterborough, and two for Northampton.

This county, although destitute of any bold or striking scenery, presents an agreeable variety of hill and dale, bearing those marks of cultivation which indicate industry and comfort on the part of the occupiers. The general elevation of the land is about 300 feet above the level of the sea; and the highest point, Arbury Hill, in the neighbourhood of Daventry, rises only to the height of 804 feet above sea-level. Owing to this absence of elevations, and to the inland position of the county, it is less subject to heavy Northamptonshire rains than most parts of England. The climate is mild and salubrious; and the soil is generally rich and fertile. It is pretty equally divided for the purposes of tillage and grazing. Some of the farmers are great cattle-breeders, but the majority purchase beasts to fatten them for the market. Another agreeable feature is the great number of noblemen's seats, and the mansions of the gentry, with the parks and plantations that adorn them. The woodlands are extensive, consisting chiefly of the remains of the royal forests of Rockingham, Salee, and Whittlebury, with the chases of Geddington and Yardley. The ash is the staple timber tree of the county, and fetches a high price.

The county is not remarkable for mineral productions. Limestone is abundant, and within the last few years the soil has been worked for ironstone in the neighbourhood of Northampton and along the line of the Peterborough Railway, and has been found to yield a tolerably large percentage. Good clay for bricks and tiles is to be met with in many parts; there are also quarries for roofing-flags.

The only navigable river in this county is the Nen, or Nene. It rises in the western part, flows across the county, and then runs N. till it enters the German Ocean by Lincolnshire. The Welland rises at Sibbertoft, and forms a boundary between the county and Leicestershire and Rutland. The other rivers, the Ouse, the Avon, the Severn, and the Charwell, which, like the two former, have their sources in Northamptonshire, are but inconsiderable rivulets till they enter the adjoining counties. Previous to the construction of railways the canals were important aids to inland traffic. The Oxford Canal connects the county with that city. The Grand Junction Canal, communicating on the one hand with London, and on the other with Liverpool and Manchester, passes through the county, and is navigable for barges of 60 tons burden. The Grand Union Canal connects it with Leicester.

At the period of the Reformation the number of religious houses, including colleges and hospitals, amounted to nearly sixty. Of the great abbeys, Peterborough is the only one that has been preserved entire; to which may be added the collegiate churches of Fotheringay, Higham-Ferrers, and Irthingborough. The principal monastic remains are to be found at Daventry, Canons' Ashby, and Dingley. The county is rich in almost every style of ecclesiastical architecture. As specimens of the early Norman style may be mentioned the churches at Earl's Barton, Barnack, Brixworth, Brigstock, Castor, Spratton, Barnwell, and Tuxwell. Of ancient mansions the most deserving of notice are Castle-Ashby, the seat of the Marquis of Northampton, of which the oldest part was built in the reign of Henry VIII.; and Burghley House, near Stamford, built by Queen Elizabeth's lord treasurer, and now the seat of the Marquis of Exeter. Kirby Hall, near Rockingham, built by Sir Christopher Hatton, is now falling rapidly to decay, though habitable within the last half century. Althorpe, the seat of Earl Spencer, of uncertain date, but restored by the Earl of Sunderland in 1688, claims notice for its magnificent library, formed principally by the grandfather of the present Earl (1858), being the richest in early printed works of any private collection in the world. Of the crosses erected by Edward I. in memory of his queen Eleanor which still remain, two out of three are in this county—one at Hardingstone, near Northampton, and the other at Geddington.

Of celebrated persons, who were natives of this county or connected with it, the following may be mentioned:—Robert Brown, founder of the sect of the Independents, born at Tolthorpe, in Rutlandshire; John Dryden and Thomas Fuller, born at Aldwincle; James Hervey, author of the Meditations, born at Hardingstone, and died at