It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is situated on the River Nene , 60 miles 97 km north-west of London and 50 miles 80 km south-east of Birmingham. Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; [ 4 ] the population of its overall urban area was recorded as , in the census.
In the Middle Ages , the town rose to national significance with the establishment of Northampton Castle , an occasional royal residence which regularly hosted the Parliament of England. Medieval Northampton had many churches, monasteries and the University of Northampton , all enclosed by the town walls.
It was granted a town charter by Richard I in and a mayor was appointed by King John in The town was also the site of two medieval battles, in and The town largely supported the Parliamentary Roundheads during the English Civil War , which prompted Charles II to order the destruction of the town walls and most of the castle. The Great Fire of Northampton in also destroyed much of the historic town.
Northampton was soon rebuilt and grew rapidly with the industrial development of the 18th century. The town continued to expand with the arrival of the Grand Union Canal and the railways in the 19th century, becoming a centre for footwear and leather manufacture. Growth was limited following the World Wars until it was designated a New Town in , accelerating development which has continued into the 21st century.
Northampton unsuccessfully applied for city status four times; in , , and The earliest reference to Northampton in writing occurred in under the name Ham tune. Present-day Northampton is the latest in a series of settlements that began in the Bronze Age. Remains found in the Briar Hill district show evidence of a Neolithic encampment within a large circular earthwork where local farmers assembled for tribal ceremonies and seasonal events from approximately BC to BC.
