Westmorland
Westmorland (an older spelling is Westmoreland, an even older spelling is Westmerland) is an area of north west England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It was an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now is part of Cumbria.
Early history
At the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 the county was said to form part of Yorkshire. The historic county borders are with Cumberland to the north, County Durham and Yorkshire to the east, and Lancashire to the south and west.
The highest point of the county is Helvellyn at 950m (3,117 ft). According to the 1831 census its area was 485,990 acres. [1]
Appleby, the historic county town, was also a historic borough until it was reformed in 1885.
According to the 1971 census, Westmorland was the second smallest administrative county with people in England, after Rutland. The spead of population was as follows: [2]
| District | Number of People |
|---|---|
| Municipal Borough of Appleby | 1,944 |
| Municipal Borough of Kendal | 21,602 |
| Lakes Urban District | 5,815 |
| Windermere Urban District | 8,065 |
| North Westmorland Rural District | 14,778 |
| South Westmorland Rural District | 20,633 |
In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the county was abolished and its former area was combined with Cumberland and parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire to form the new county of Cumbria. The former county now forms part of the districts of South Lakeland and Eden.
Westmorland Media
Map showing Westmorland highlighted against the historical counties of England excluding the City of London, in 1851. File adapted from file:Yorkshire UK 1851 locator map.svg
Arms of the former Westmorland County Council
Hand-drawn map of Westmoreland and Cumberland by Christopher Saxton from 1576
References
- ↑ 1831 Census cited in Vision of Britain – Ancient county data
- ↑ 1971 Census; Small Area Statistics