Town and borough (pop., 2001: 194,477), administrative and historic county of Northamptonshire , in the Midlands region, England.
Originating 0441; 1100 as a walled town with a castle, it was granted its first charter in 1189. In 1460, during the Wars of the Roses , King Henry VI was captured in Northampton by Yorkists. The town walls survived until the Restoration , when they were torn down under King Charles II as punishment for supporting the Parliamentarians. Now a retail and marketing centre, it also supports light industry.