Irthlingborough is an ancient settlement. Evidence of pre-historic and Roman occupation has been found, together with an Iron-Age hill-fort on Crow Hill, the second largest discovered in Northamptonshire. The Roman road from Lowick to Irchester passed through the parish. Irthlingborough was the shooting location for the 1913 film “The Battle of Waterloo”, one of the biggest films of its day.

It was directed by an American named Charles Weston, who chose the location because the real Duke of Wellington had once commented on a visit, that the countryside resembled the battlefield at Waterloo. The Nene Wetlands nature reserve is a 5-10 minute walk away from the town centre, a unique one square mile of wild and man-made habitats, managed for wildlife and people.