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| County of Westmorland | |
|---|---|
| Name | Westmorland |
| Country | England |
| Region | North West England |
| County town | Appleby-in-Westmorland |
| Area km2 | 2,100 |
| Population | 40,000 (historic) |
| Established | c. 12th century |
| Abolished | 1974 (administrative) |
County of Westmorland
The historic county of Westmorland was a traditional territorial division in England centered on the market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, with strong associations to the Lake District, Pennines and borders with Cumberland and Yorkshire. Originating in the medieval period under influences from Norman Conquest, Anglo-Saxon and Viking settlement, Westmorland figured in cross-border relations involving Scotland and the Lancaster and Percy families. The county retained rural character through the Industrial Revolution even as nearby Manchester and Liverpool urbanised, and it underwent administrative reorganization during the reforms associated with the Local Government Act 1972.
Westmorland's recorded past includes prehistoric activity evidenced near Castlerigg Stone Circle and Roman-era routes linking Hadrian's Wall and upland sites; medieval consolidation saw the creation of baronies under the feudal framework and the rise of manors such as Appleby Castle and Pendragon Castle. The county was affected by raiding and politics in the Border Reivers era and was connected to noble houses including the Earl of Westmorland, Neville family, and de Clifford family. During Tudor and Stuart times, Westmorland featured gentry estates tied to national events such as the Pilgrimage of Grace and the English Civil War, and later inhabitants participated in industrial and agricultural changes alongside figures like John Langdon and landowners associated with Lowther Castle and Askham Hall. Administrative identity persisted into the 19th century alongside reforms inspired by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 and parliamentary representation shaped by reforms like the Reform Act 1832 until the county's functions were subsumed into Cumbria in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972.
The county occupied upland terrain incorporating the northern reaches of the Pennines and eastern margins of the Lake District National Park, with principal watercourses such as the River Eden and tributaries draining to the Solway Firth. Geologically, Westmorland displays Ordovician slates, Carboniferous limestones and shales, and glacial deposits dating to the Last Glacial Maximum that formed many lakes and valleys including the Howgill Fells and Kirkby Stephen environs. Significant natural features relate to glaciation and karst processes near Patterdale and limestone pavements comparable with those at Ingleborough and Malham Cove; biodiversity corridors connect habitats for species noted in surveys by organisations such as Natural England.
Historically divided into the baronies of Kendal and Appleby, local government evolved from manorial courts and hundredal structures to county institutions including the Westmorland County Council established under the Local Government Act 1888. Parliamentary boroughs like Appleby and county constituencies represented residents in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Judicial matters were addressed at quarter sessions and assizes held at centres such as Kendal and Appleby-in-Westmorland, while later 20th-century reorganisations created rural and urban district councils before the transfer into the county of Cumbria.
Traditionally reliant on pastoral agriculture and sheep farming in uplands, Westmorland's economy included woollen manufacturing in market towns like Kendal and small-scale mining on Pennine veins similar to operations in Cumberland and Durham. The Industrial Revolution affected transport and trade via improvements tied to projects by engineers associated with John Smeaton-era networks and later railway companies such as the West Coast Main Line and local lines like the Settle–Carlisle line affecting freight and tourism. Modern economic activity combines agriculture, tourism linked to sites such as Kendal Museum and Sizergh Castle, heritage crafts, and service sectors supporting organisations including National Trust properties and rural SMEs.
Population centres were small compared with industrial cities, with demographic patterns concentrated in Kendal, Appleby-in-Westmorland, and market villages such as Kirkby Lonsdale and Milnthorpe. Social structures featured landed gentry, tenant farmers, craftspeople and industrial workers associated with mills and mines, and religious life centred on parish churches like St Lawrence's Church, Appleby and chapels connected to movements including Methodism. Education provision evolved through charity schools, county education initiatives after the Education Act 1902, and institutions such as Kendal College; welfare and health services expanded with national reforms like the creation of the National Health Service in 1948.
Westmorland's cultural heritage includes medieval castles, country houses such as Sizergh Castle, market traditions at Appleby Horse Fair, and literary associations with poets and writers connected to the Lake District tradition including contemporaries of William Wordsworth and visitors linked to Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Architectural highlights range from Norman stonework at Appleby Castle to Georgian townscapes in Kendal and industrial archaeology along former canal and railway corridors such as the Kendal and Windermere Railway. Heritage conservation is supported by organisations like the National Trust and English Heritage, and museums including Kendal Museum conserve archaeological, natural history and social collections.
Transport networks historically comprised packhorse trails, turnpike roads improved under Acts of Parliament in the 18th century, and later railway lines such as the Kendal and Windermere Railway and connections to the West Coast Main Line. Modern road access includes the M6 motorway corridor near the county's western edge and A-roads linking to Penrith and Lancaster, while bus services and community transport schemes connect rural parishes. Communications infrastructure developed from postal routes overseen by the Royal Mail to telegraph and telephone services introduced by companies such as the General Post Office, with contemporary digital connectivity expanding through national broadband initiatives overseen by bodies like Ofcom.