NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire (nɔːrˈθæmptənʃɪər,_-ʃər; abbreviated Northants.) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire, Rutland, and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire to the south, and Warwickshire to the west. The county town is Northampton. The county has an area of and a population of 747,622. The latter is concentrated in the centre of the county, which contains the county's largest towns: Northampton (243,511), Corby (68,164), Kettering (63,144), and Wellingborough (54,412).
LeicesterLeicester (ˈlɛstər ) is a city, unitary authority area, unparished area and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands. Its population was 368,600 in 2021, increased by 38,800 ( 11.8%) from around 329,800 in 2011. The greater Leicester urban area had a population of 559,017 in 2021, making it the 11th most populous in England, and the 13th most populous in the United Kingdom.
PeterboroughPeterborough (ˈpiːtə(r)bərə,_-bʌrə ) is a cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district of Cambridgeshire, England. It was formerly governed as part of Northamptonshire and briefly Huntingdon and Peterborough. The city is north of London, on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea to the north-east. The local topography is flat, and in some places, the land lies below sea level, for example in parts of the Fens to the east and to the south of Peterborough.
CoventryCoventry (ˈkɒvəntri or ˈkʌv- ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed by Coventry City Council. Formerly part of Warwickshire until 1451, and again from 1842 to 1974, Coventry had a population of 345,328 at the 2021 census, making it the tenth largest city in England and the 12th largest in the United Kingdom.
Milton KeynesMilton Keynes (kiːnz ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms the northern boundary of the urban area; a tributary, the River Ouzel, meanders through its linear parks and balancing lakes. Approximately 25% of the urban area is parkland or woodland and includes two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
Wars of the RosesThe Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid- to late fifteenth century. These wars were fought between supporters of two rival cadet branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: Lancaster and York. The wars extinguished the last male line of the house of Lancaster in 1471, leading to the Tudor family inheriting the Lancastrian claim to the throne.
City status in the United KingdomCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the monarch of the United Kingdom to a select group of communities, which might or might not meet the generally accepted definition of cities. , there are 76 cities in the United Kingdom—55 in England, seven in Wales, eight in Scotland, and six in Northern Ireland. Although it carries no special rights, the status of city can be a marker of prestige and confer local pride. The status does not apply automatically on the basis of any particular criterion, though in England and Wales it was traditionally given to towns with diocesan cathedrals.
MidlandsThe Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England, Southern England and the North Sea. The Midlands were important in the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. They are split into the West Midlands and East Midlands. The region's biggest city, Birmingham - often considered the social, cultural, financial and commercial centre of the Midlands, - is the second-largest city and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom.
CorbyCorby is a town and civil parish in the North Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. It is located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 Census, the built-up area had a population of 56,810, while the borough, which was abolished in 2021, had a population of 75,571 in 2021. Figures released in March 2010 revealed that Corby had the fastest growing population in both Northamptonshire and the whole of England.
KetteringKettering is a market and industrial town and civil parish in the North Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of Ketter's people (or kinsfolk)". In the 2011 census Kettering's built-up area had a population of 63,675. It is part of the East Midlands, along with other towns in Northamptonshire.
