A major collection of material relating to the history of the county is its Historic Environment Record - a comprehensive digital archive with tens of thousands of records. They include details of archaeological sites, historic landscapes, listed buildings, scheduled monuments and artefacts. The site can be explored by using its online database and interactive map.
Many other available resources for exploring Northamptonshire history cover the whole or a substantial part of the county, sometimes focusing on a very specialist aspect. Examples of topics addressed below include an earthquake, floods, medieval wall-paintings, slavery, witchcraft and working men's clubs.
Few, if any, of us have such comprehensive curiosity that every subject would appeal but at least one of the titles listed should entice you to follow the relevant link.
- A Northamptonshire Cricket Song by James D Coleman [1976] (page 363) A song composed in 1885 when funds were being raised to buy the County Cricket Ground includes references to 18 noted players.
- A traveller through Northamptonshire in the 1670s by Anthea Jones [1670] (page 27) Extracts from accounts by Thomas Baskerville of his three visits to the county. His life and personality are also discussed.
- A Vision of Britain Through Time includes census reports published from 1801 to 1971, with opportunities to search for the population enumerated in each census year at parish and other levels.
- An endeavour to classify the sepulchral remains in Northamptonshire by Charles Henry Hartshorne [1840]
- Anglo-Saxon Charters List of 14 charters relating to Northamptonshire.
- Aristocratic Financial Troubles and the Operation of the Land Market: The Sale of Astwell and Falcutt in 1774-8 by J V Beckett [1993] (page 378)
- Borderlands: The Buckinghamshire/Northamptonshire Border, c.650-c.1350 by Kim Taylor-Moore [2012]. Study of the evolution of this border.
- Boundaries and Buildings ‘Lost’ and Rediscovered by David Hall and Martin Izzard [2020] (page 30) An illustrated account of little-known buildings and markers of ancient boundaries in the county.
- Brass rubbings from Northamptonshire by Franklin Hudson [1853] Images and descriptions of brass rubbings from the whole of the county created by the author before his death in 1853.
- Brewing in Northamptonshire by Alaric Neville [2025]
- Building materials used in Northamptonshire and the area around by J M Steane [1967] (page 71)
- Celebrating Royal Occasions in Old Northamptonshire by Jacqueline A Minchington [1978] (page 53)
- Churchwardens' Accounts of England and Wales Details for each parish including indications of the population taken from the Hearth Tax Returns and an early 19th-century census. Where churchwardens’ accounts have been found, each year of survival is listed with, where possible, the total expenditure of each year.
- Civil War, 1643 Items relating to Northamptonshire from various tracts and newspapers.
- Contributions to the defence of the country, 1588 The names, amounts given and in many cases the parish of 64 contributors in the county.
- Conventual pensioners List of recipients and amounts paid in 1555-6 to members of suppressed Northamptonshire monasteries, chantry priests and incumbents.
- Digest of the reports made by The Commissioners of Inquiry into Charities [1841] The report for Northamptonshire includes a series of lists with details such as their location, names, purposes, property and total income. Separate lists of grammar schools and of some other schools describe their income and activities.
- Delapre Day [1959] (page 269) Account of the ceremony on 9 May 1959 when the Master of the Rolls declared the Abbey open as the home of the Record Office and Record Society. The same issue of NP&P also features extracts from speeches delivered on the occasion.
- Devilish Sin and Desperate Death: Northamptonshire Witches in Print and Manuscript by Marion Gibson [1998] (page 15)
- Disturbances in Northamptonshire, 1655
- Early Anglo-Saxon settlement in the East Midlands AD 450-850 by Michael Andrew Hawkes [2007] A substantial portion of this study relates to Northamptonshire.
- Northampton Early Modern Witchcraft and the Northampton Witches by Dr Cathy Smith [2021]
- Early Northamptonshire Cricket by James D Coldham [1956] (page 131)
- Elizabethan and Jacobean Animals by Mary Finch [1952] (page 37) A note on some domestic animals kept by Northamptonshire families in the Elizabethan and Early Stuart period.
- Fifty Years of Local History in Northamptonshire: A Personal View by Ron Greenall [2015] (page 7)
- Floods Past and Present by David Bates [1998] (page 89) Account of serious flooding which affected places in Northamptonshire and beyond in 1725 and 1998.
- Heavy expenses of Office of High Sheriff The text of an agreement made about 1676 that points to the costs involved in holding that office.
- Jacobean Northamptonshire 1603-25 by George Clark [1958] (page 212)
- Looking Back to 1945 by Neil Lyon [2020] (page 96) Extracts from letters and diary entries made by Miss Joan Wake, describing the situation as war came to an end and decisions had to be made about the future home of the mountain of archives that she had 'liberated'.
- Medieval Markets in Northamptonshire by Peter Goodfellow [1987] (page 305)
- Medieval Wall-Paintings in Northamptonshire by Edmund King [1984] (page 69)
- Memorials of Old Northamptonshire edited by Alice Dryden [1903] An illustrated collection of essays by various authors.
- Memories of Northamptonshire Villagers by Joan Wake [1958] (page 256) In 1953 and 1957, village scrap-book competitions stimulated essays from over 100 villages in the county, mostly the recollections of residents between 65 and 80, with some even older. This article showcases a small selection of what was said about local life, mainly during the period 1880-1940.
- Milton Keynes Heritage Association Despite its name, this organisation has member societies that focus on the history of specific places in Northamptonshire.
- Northamptonshire Characters and Caricatures List arranged by place.
- Northamptonshire and its Record Society [1948] (page 1)
- Northamptonshire Briefs Collections taken in years ranging 1660 to 1737 for 14 Northamptonshire parishes and recorded in registers elsewhere.
- Northamptonshire Family History This well-illustrated site, created by Alan J Clarke, featured much information relating to local history. It is no longer online in its original form but a substantial collection of its material is freely available through the above link, thanks to the Wayback Machine.
- Northamptonshire Family History Society
- Northamptonshire Heritage Centre works to ensure that the extensive Hollowell Collection will be housed and open to the public.
- Northamptonshire Heritage Forum
- Northamptonshire History Gateway aims to connect the county's past with the community of today.
- Northamptonshire in the Early 18th Century: Drawings by Peter Tillemans and others edited by Bruce A Bailey [1996]
- Northamptonshire in the History of Witchcraft by Constance I Smith [1971] (page 341)
- Northamptonshire Justices of the Peace, 1650 A list of their names.
- Northamptonshire Memories - part 1 by W W Hadley [1956] (page 123)
- Northamptonshire Memories - part 2 by W W Hadley [1957] (page 175)
- Northamptonshire Natural History Society offers a wide range of meetings, walks and other activities on aspects of science and nature in the county.
- Northamptonshire Nonjurors
- Northamptonshire Record Society Records by Jacqueline Minchinton [1996] (page 209)
- Northamptonshire Travellers in Italy, 1690-1775 by Peter McKay [1995] (page 121)
- Northamptonshire Working Men's Clubs, 1880-1914 by T G Ashplant [1989] (page 53)
- One Thing Leads To Another: Some Explorations Occasioned by Extracts from the Diaries of Anna Margaretta de Hochepied-Larpent by Tony Horner [2011] (page 34) Article based on some Northamptonshire-related extracts from the diaries of a lady who visited the Fremeaux family soon after James Fremeaux had built Kingsthorpe Hall (now known as Thornton Hall).
- Races in Northamptonshire
- Random Northamptonshire Reminiscences by Humphrey Paul [1955] (page 31)
- Recollections of William Arnold edited by Keith Brooker [2014] Reminiscences of a notable footware manufacturer with an introduction by the editor.
- Revising Pevsner by Bruce Bailey [2013] (page 9)
- Rural Life and the Camera in the Twenties by R L Greenall [1978] (page 107)
- Seaborne Re-visited: Cob Cottages in Northamptonshire 2004 by Heather Bird [2005] (page 54) Discusses surviving distribution and details of construction across the county.
- Slavery and Anti-slavery in Northamptonshire by John Buckell [2022] (page 38)
- The Ancestry of Village Crosses by M Deanesly [1951] (page 10)
- The Architectural Society of the Archdeaconry of Northampton was established in 1844. For many years, its annual reports and papers presented at its meetings were published within books which also feature material from similar organisations elsewhere in England. Most, if not all, of the volumes cover two consecutive years. Many have been digitised and are available to download free of charge.
- The Domesday of Crown Lands by Sidney J Madge [1938] This study of the legislation, surveys and sales of royal estates under the Commonwealth includes numerous references to Northamptonshire. The 'Index of Counties' provides page references for 52 places within the county. Reginald Lennard's review of this book was published in English Historical Review, volume 54, number 213, pages 217-219 [1939].
- The Early Days of the Northamptonshire Natural History Society by Joan Wake [1952] (page 39)
- The Friends of St Peter's Church A collection of numerous videos of past events organised by The Friends of St Peter's Church Marefair covering a wide range of topics across the county.
- The Hidation of Northamptonshire in 1086 by F Baring [1902]
- The Natural History of Northamptonshire etc by John Morton [1712]
- The Northamptonshire Joint Records Scheme by Ernest F Jacob [1951] (page 7) Outlines arrangements in various parts of the country for managing local record offices. Looks forward to a joint scheme to house and curate the records of the local authorities and their predecessors as well as those collected by the Record Society, and to make them available to 'a serious-minded public when required'.
- The medieval fishponds of Northamptonshire by J M Steane [1970] (page 299) Includes examples at Brampton Ash, Braybrooke, Brigstock, Harrington, Kingcliffe, Maidwell, Pilton, Rothwell, Silverstone, Stoke Albany, Welford, Wilbarston and Yardley Hastings.
- The Miracles of King Henry VI in Northamptonshire by Helen Forrest [1971] (page 363)
- The Open Fields of Northamptonshire by David Hall [1995]
- The Pre-Domesday Hidation of Northamptonshire by F Baring [1902]
- The Presence of Jews in Northamptonshire by Michael Jolles (2004] (page 54)
- The social structure of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire 1524-1674 by John Henry Burgess [1978]
- Tour in Northamptonshire, 1635
- Village Scrap Books [1954] (page 42) A competition held in 1953 to compile scrap books attracted numerous entries. The 40 shortlisted villages are named. Extracts from a few of them are included in the article.
- Village Women in Northamptonshire 1350-1500 by Mike Thornton [2007] (page 24)
- Volume 1 of the 'Northampton Mercury' The history and scope of the earliest issues, which date from 1720 and early 1721.
- West Northamptonshire Local History This part of a larger site created by the late Grenville Hatton provides links to a variety of historical topics, all associated with West Northamptonshire but not strictly falling within the bounds of a specific village. Its data comes from a wide range of periods, from Bronze Age right through to Modern history. The site is no longer online in its original form but much of its material is freely available through the above link, thanks to the Wayback Machine.
- When the Earth Her Entrails Shook: The Earthquake of 1750 by David L Bates [1994] (page 55)
- Writing Northamptonshire’s History: The Early VCH in the County by John Beckett [2013] (page 56)