Cumbria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Status | Ceremonial & Non-metropolitan county |
| Origin | 1974 |
| Region | North West England |
| Area - Total - Admin. council |
Ranked 3rd 6,768 km² Ranked 2nd |
| Admin HQ | Carlisle |
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-CMA |
| ONS code | 16 |
| NUTS 3 | UKD11/12 |
| Demographics | |
| Population - Total (2005 est.) - Density - Admin. Council |
Ranked 41st 498,800 73 / km² Ranked 27th |
| Ethnicity | 99.3% White |
| Politics | |
 Cumbria County Council http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/ |
|
| Executive | Conservative / Liberal Democrats |
| Members of Parliament | |
| Districts | |
Cumbria (IPA: [ˈkʌmbɹɪə]), created in 1974, is a county in the North West region of England.
Cumbria is home to the Lake District National Park, considered one of the most beautiful areas of the United Kingdom. The area has provided inspiration for generations of British and foreign artists, writers and musicians.
The highest point of the county (and of the whole of England) is Scafell Pike at 978 m (3210 ft). In fact, all the land in England that is over 3,000 feet is in this county.
Parts of Hadrian's Wall can be found in the northernmost reaches of the county, in and around Carlisle.
Contents |
[edit] Boundaries and divisions
Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy areas of Dumfries and Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale in Scotland.
The boundaries are along the Irish Sea to Morecambe Bay in the west, and along the Pennines to the east. Cumbria's northern boundary stretches from the Solway Firth along the border with Scotland to Northumberland.
It is made up of six districts: Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Copeland, Eden and South Lakeland. For many administrative purposes Cumbria is divided into 3 areas - East, West and South. East being the districts of Carlisle and Eden, West - Allerdale and Copeland and South Lakeland and Barrow making up South Cumbria.
In January 2007, Cumbria County Council voted in favour of an official bid to scrap the current two-tier system of county and district councils in favour of a new unitary Cumbria Council, to be submitted for consideration to the Department for Communities and Local Government.[1]
The county returns 6 Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, representing the constituencies of Carlisle, Penrith & The Border, Workington, Copeland, Westmorland and Lonsdale and Barrow & Furness.
[edit] History
The county of Cumbria was created in 1974. It was a combination of the area of the administrative counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, the Cumberland county borough of Carlisle, along with the North Lonsdale or Furness part of Lancashire (including the county borough of Barrow-in-Furness), and from the West Riding of Yorkshire, the Sedbergh Rural District. The name "Cumbria" has been used for the region for centuries.
Following the creation of Cumbria as a non-metropolitan county, some people, particularly those born or brought up in the area, prefer to refer to the Furness area by its traditional county name of Lancashire and the Kendal and surrounding area by its traditional county name of Westmorland. Local papers The Westmorland Gazette and Cumberland and Westmorland Herald are still named on the traditional county basis. Others, including local government, promotional material for the area, the Lake District National Park Authority, and most visitors describe the area as being in "Cumbria". A MORI poll in the county found 79% of those polled identified "very strongly" or "strongly" to Cumbria throughout the county, but dropping to 55% and 71% in Barrow and South Lakeland districts, which incorporate part of historic Lancashire.[2]
[edit] Culture
The culture of the area was predominantly Celtic until fairly late after the annexation by the Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria (see Rheged), and the name for the area derives from its name in the Cumbric language. It is etymologically connected to the Welsh term Cymru, meaning "Wales". The Cumbric language has been extinct since about the 11th century.
In 2006 at Grasmere, the first annual Celtic Cumbria festival was held.
[edit] Dialect
The Cumbrian dialect is spoken throughout the region. There is quite a large variation in accent and words, especially between north and south and west coast.
Many of the traditional dialect words are remnants of Norse settlement, Norwegian settlers probably arrived in Cumbria in the 10th century via Ireland and the Isle of Man.
[edit] Sport
Carlisle United are the only professional football team in Cumbria. They attract support from across Cumbria. However Barrow A.F.C., has been one of the best supported non-league football teams in the UK since their relegation in the 1970s.
Rugby league is a very popular sport in West Cumbria. Whitehaven RLFC, Workington Town and Barrow Raiders all compete in the National Leagues. Carlisle RLFC had a team at one time. There are amateur BARLA teams playing in the National Conference, notablely Wath Brow Hornets as as well as a Cumberland league.
[edit] Wrestling
Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling is an ancient and well-practised tradition in the county with a strong resemblance to Scottish Backhold.
In the 21st century Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling along with other aspects of Lakeland culture are practiced at the Grassmere Sports and Show, an annual meeting held every year since 1852 on the August Bank Holiday.
The origin of this form of wrestling is a matter of debate, with some describing it as having evolved from Norse wrestling brought over by Viking invaders,[3][4] while other historians associate it with the Cornish and Gouren styles[5] indicating that it may have developed out of a longer-standing Celtic tradition[6].
[edit] Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of East Cumbria at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added[7] | Agriculture[8] | Industry[9] | Services[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,679 | 148 | 902 | 1,629 |
| 2000 | 2,843 | 120 | 809 | 1,914 |
| 2003 | 3,388 | 129 | 924 | 2,335 |
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of West Cumbria at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added[7] | Agriculture[8] | Industry[9] | Services[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,246 | 63 | 1,294 | 888 |
| 2000 | 2,415 | 53 | 1,212 | 1,150 |
| 2003 | 2,870 | 60 | 1,420 | 1,390 |
[edit] Towns and villages
See the List of places in Cumbria.
Carlisle is the largest and only city in the county, whilst Barrow-in-Furness (the largest town) is between 2 and 3 times larger than the second largest town (Kendal). The 12 most populated settlements in Cumbria are listed below.
| Rank | Town | Population | District | Percentage out of Cumbria's total population |
| 1 | Carlisle | 105,200 | City of Carlisle | 21.1% |
| 2 | Barrow-in-Furness | 71,980 | Barrow-in-Furness | 14.4% |
| 3 | Kendal | 27,521 | South Lakeland | 5.5% |
| 4 | Whitehaven | 25,500 | Copeland | 5.1% |
| 5 | Workington | 25,000 | Allerdale | 5.0% |
| 6 | Penrith | 14,756 | Eden | 3.0% |
| 7 | Maryport | 11,275 | Allerdale | 2.3% |
| 8 | Ulverston | 11,210 | South Lakeland | 2.2% |
| 9 | Dalton-in-Furness | 11,000 | Barrow-in-Furness | 2.2% |
| 10 | Cockermouth | 7,787 | Allerdale | 1.6% |
| 11 | Cleator Moor | 6,963 | Copeland | 1.4% |
| 12 | Millom | 6,400 | Copeland | 1.3% |
[edit] Density
Cumbria as a whole is the second least densely populated county in England with only 73 people per square kilometre. Despite it being the third largest in area (6,768 km²), the vast majority of land is taken up by the Lake District National Park. Below is a table listing each district by population density.
| District | Population Density | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow-in-Furness | 924 / km² | 71,980 | 77.87 km² |
| Carlisle | 101 / km² | 105,200 | 1,039.97 km² |
| Copeland | 97 / km² | 71,500 | 737.59 km² |
| Allerdale | 77 / km² | 96,300 | 1,553.39 km² |
| South Lakeland | 66 / km² | 102,900 | 1,257.79 km² |
| Eden | 24 / km² | 52,800 | 2,156.45 km² |
[edit] People of interest
- Sir John Barrow
- Helen Berry
- Norman Birkett
- Chris Bonington
- Melvyn Bragg
- British Sea Power
- Donald Campbell
- Fletcher Christian
- Lady Anne Clifford
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- John Dalton
- Douglas Ferreira
- Margaret Fell
- Willie Horne
- Francis Howgill
- Emlyn Hughes
- Thomas Henry Ismay
- Joanna Kyles
- Stan Laurel
- Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale
- Joss Naylor
- Norman Nicholson
- Catherine Parr
- John Peel (farmer)
- Beatrix Potter
- Scott James Preston
- Sir James Ramsden
- Hardwicke Rawnsley
- Will Ritson
- George Romney
- John Ruskin
- Rory Thomas Sewell
- Montagu Slater
- Richard T. Slone
- Robert Southey
- John Sowerby
- Gary Stevens
- Stuart Stockdale
- Edward Troughton
- Keith Tyson
- Josefina de Vasconcellos
- Alfred Wainwright
- John Wilkinson (industrialist)
- Dorothy Wordsworth
- William Wordsworth
- Carl George Dalton (Economist)
[edit] Places of interest
- Low Mead, Hallgarth, Kendal
- Bassenthwaite Lake
- Bewcastle
- Black Combe
- Brantwood
- Brougham Hall
- Brougham Castle
- Buttermere
- Cartmel Priory
- Castlerigg Stone Circle
- Cockermouth, "Gem" Town
- Coniston Water
- Crummock Water
- Cumbria Coastal Way long distance footpath
- Cumbria Way long distance footpath
- Dales Way long distance footpath
- Derwent Water
- Eden Valley Railway — heritage railway
- Ennerdale Water
- Fell Foot Park
- Firbank Fell
- Fisher Tarn Reservoir
- Furness
- Furness Abbey
- Haig Colliery Mining Museum
- Harrison Stickle
- Paul Lomas (Lambs)
- Hartley Castle
- Haweswater
- Hodbarrow Nature Reserve
- Holker Hall
- Kentmere
- Killington Reservoir
- Kirkby Lonsdale
- Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway — heritage railway
- Langwathby station and Brief Encounters Cafe
- Windermere (the lake)
- Lanercost Priory
- Laurel & Hardy Museum
- Levens Hall
- The former site of the Beast Banks post office in Longsleddale.
- Millom
- Millom Folk Museum
- National Nature Reserves in Cumbria
- Pennine Way long distance footpath
- Piel Island
- Quaker tapestry, Kendal
- RAF Millom Museum
- Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway — heritage railway
- Rheged
- Rydal Water
- Seathwaite Tarn
- Sellafield Nuclear Reprocessing Facility
- Silecroft
- Sizergh Castle & Garden
- Staveley
- Swarthmoor Hall
- Thirlmere
- Ullswater
- Vickerstown
- Wast Water
- Whitehaven
- Whinfell Forest
- Wreay near Carlisle
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ County council votes to pursue a single council for Cumbria. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ [http://www.boundarycommittee.org.uk/files/dms/REPCUMB_12840-9355__E__.pdf Local Government Review in the Cumbria County Council Area]. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ Kronos; A Chronology of the Martial Arts and Combative Sports. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ Cinaet Scothack. Wrestling in Gaelic Culture.
- ^ Amateur Wrestling. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ Kronos; A Chronology of the Martial Arts and Combative Sports. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ a b Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
- ^ a b includes hunting and forestry
- ^ a b includes energy and construction
- ^ a b includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
[edit] External links
- Official Tourist Board Website
- Cumbria Tourist and Historical Website
- BBC Cumbria Digital Lives Project
- Cumbria.uk.com Search Engine
- Carlisle Diocese (Church of England)
- Cumbria only Search Engine
Counties of the Lieutenancies Act 1997
Bedfordshire • Berkshire • City of Bristol • Buckinghamshire • Cambridgeshire • Cheshire • Cornwall • Cumbria • Derbyshire • Devon • Dorset • Durham • East Riding of Yorkshire • East Sussex • Essex • Gloucestershire • Greater London • Greater Manchester • Hampshire • Herefordshire • Hertfordshire • Isle of Wight • Kent • Lancashire • Leicestershire • Lincolnshire • City of London • Merseyside • Norfolk • Northamptonshire • Northumberland • North Yorkshire • Nottinghamshire • Oxfordshire • Rutland • Shropshire • Somerset • South Yorkshire • Staffordshire • Suffolk • Surrey • Tyne and Wear • Warwickshire • West Midlands • West Sussex • West Yorkshire • Wiltshire • Worcestershire
| Districts of North West England |  |
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Allerdale | Barrow-in-Furness | Blackburn with Darwen | Blackpool | Bolton | Burnley | Bury | Carlisle | Chester | Chorley | Congleton | Copeland | Crewe and Nantwich | Eden | Ellesmere Port and Neston | Fylde | Halton | Hyndburn | Knowsley | Lancaster | Liverpool | Macclesfield | Manchester | Oldham | Pendle | Preston | Ribble Valley | Rochdale | Rossendale | St Helens | Salford | Sefton | South Lakeland | South Ribble | Stockport | Tameside | Trafford | Vale Royal | Warrington | West Lancashire | Wigan | Wirral | Wyre |
|
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Counties with multiple districts: Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside |
