Westmorland (historic county)
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| Westmorland (historic county) | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Westmorland |
| Nation | England |
| Status | Historic county |
| Start | 12th century |
| End | 1974 |
| Area first | 485sqmi |
| Population first | 44,000 |
| Population first year | 1801 |
| Population last | 76,000 |
| Population last year | 1971 |
| Code | WES |
Westmorland (historic county) Westmorland was a historic county in northwestern England bordering Cumberland, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Irish Sea-facing counties via coastal districts. Centred on the market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland and later administrative ties to Kendal, the county encompassed parts of the Lake District and the Pennines, with landscapes celebrated by figures such as William Wordsworth and John Ruskin. Its identity was reshaped by the Local Government Act 1972 and associations with Cumbria and Westmorland and Furness.
History
The county originated from the medieval baronies and wapentakes administered under the Norman conquest settlement patterns and the Anglo-Saxon polity; it featured in disputes between the Kingdom of Northumbria and the Kingdom of Strathclyde and later border tensions with Scotland. Feudal structures linked families such as the de Lancaster and de Clifford dynasties to the manor of Appleby-in-Westmorland and the castle there, which saw roles in the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War. The county's strategic position prompted garrisoning and fortification, notably Brough Castle and Kendal Castle, while the region participated in the enclosure movements paralleling events in Cheshire and Lancashire. Industrial-age changes connected Westmorland to networks centered on Manchester and Glasgow through canal proposals like the Lancaster Canal and railways including the Kendal and Windermere Railway. Administrative reorganization under the Local Government Act 1888 formalized the county council, and the Local Government Act 1972 merged Westmorland into Cumbria, a decision later revisited by the creation of the Westmorland and Furness unitary authority.
Geography and geology
Topographically, Westmorland encompassed the eastern Lake District fells such as Helvellyn, the limestone of the Howgill Fells, and moorlands contiguous with the Pennines. Drainage basins included the River Eden, River Kent, and tributaries feeding the Solway Firth and Morecambe Bay. Geologically the county exhibited Ordovician slates and volcanic tuffs in the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, Silurian shales, and Carboniferous limestones, linking to features studied in the Lake District National Park surveys influenced by geologists like Adam Sedgwick. Glacial sculpting during the Last Glacial Period produced corries and U-shaped valleys such as Grisedale and Borrowdale, providing the settings for peatlands and native woodland remnants comparable to areas in Dartmoor and Exmoor. The coastal margins and estuaries supported migratory bird populations observed by ornithologists affiliated with institutions such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Administration and governance
Historically, authority rested with the Lord Lieutenant of Westmorland and sheriffs appointed under royal writs, with manorial courts centred at Appleby and administrative functions at Kendal. Parliamentary representation linked the county to constituencies represented in the Parliament of England and later the Parliament of the United Kingdom, with franchise developments following reforms like the Reform Acts. The county council formed under the Local Government Act 1888 sat in Kendal and managed services alongside district councils created by the Local Government Act 1894. Ecclesiastical oversight involved diocesan structures of the Diocese of Carlisle and parochial networks embedded in the Church of England. Twentieth-century adjustments saw boundary commissions and commissions on local government recommend changes resolved by statute, culminating in the 1974 incorporation into Cumbria and subsequent reorganisation establishing Westmorland and Furness.
Economy and industry
Agriculture dominated rural Westmorland with sheep farming on fells and dairy production in valleys, linking to wider supply chains of markets in Lancaster, Manchester, and Carlisle. Wool processing and textile crafts associated with medieval merchant networks paralleled industries in York and Leeds, while Kendal developed industries in Kendal green cloth and bobbin-making tied to woodland supplies. Minerals included limestone quarrying and small-scale ironworks connected to technological transfers from Derbyshire and Northumberland. Transport improvements such as the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway and roads to Shap and Penrith facilitated tourism growth tied to the Romantic movement inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, generating hospitality enterprises in Ambleside, Grasmere, and Windermere. Twentieth-century diversification brought light manufacturing, public services, and conservation-led economies supported by organisations like the National Trust.
Demography and settlements
Population centres ranged from market towns Appleby-in-Westmorland and Kendal to village communities such as Ullswater-adjacent settlements and hamlets in the Howgill Fells. Census shifts reflected rural depopulation in uplands and growth in industrial and service hubs similar to patterns observed in Cumbria and Northumberland. Transport nodes like Oxenholme and historic coaching routes influenced urban morphology prominent in Penrith and Milnthorpe. Social life included guilds and fairs at Appleby, educational institutions inspired by local benefactors parallel to Eton-linked philanthropy, and charitable societies connected to religious patrons and national bodies such as the British Red Cross during wartime mobilisations.
Culture and landmarks
Westmorland's cultural fabric was shaped by literary and artistic associations: William Wordsworth and contemporaries composed in settings like Grasmere and Rydal Water; Beatrix Potter engaged with local landscapes and farming practices; John Ruskin advocated for conservation of architectural heritage. Landmarks include Appleby Castle, Kendal Castle, Shap Abbey ruins, and the engineered structures of the Kendal and Windermere Railway and historic packhorse bridges. Festivals such as the Appleby Horse Fair and agricultural shows echoed older customs akin to market traditions in Market Bosworth and Skipton. Built heritage encompassed parish churches, medieval bridges, and vernacular stone cottages protected by bodies including the National Trust and surveyed by the Royal Institute of British Architects.