A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
Westmorland, co. in N. of England; bounded NW. and N. by Cumberland, NE. by Durham, E. by Yorkshire, and S. and SW. by Lancashire and Morecambe Bay; greatest length, N. and S., 32 miles; greatest breadth, E. and W., 40 miles; area, 500,906 ac., pop. 64,191. Westmorland presents a continuous succession of mountain, moor, and fell, intersected by deep winding vales, traversed by numerous streams. The principal of these are the Eden, Lowther, Lune, and Kent, the last forming the broad estuary which terminates in Morecambe Bay. The mountains consist of various ridges belonging to the Pennine and Cumbrian chains. Helvellyn, on the Cumberland border, rises to a height of 3118 ft. The western part of the co. is within the Lake District, and contains Hawes Water, Grasmere, Rydal Water, and Ullswater on the Cumberland border, and Windermere on the Lancashire border. The climate is moist. The arable land is mostly confined to the valleys, where the soil usually consists of a dry gravelly loam, well adapted for turnips, but the greater part of the co. is natural pasture. (For agricultural statistics, see Appendix.) A few tracts of woodland remain of the forests which formerly clothed all the hills. The mineral productions include graphite, marble, roofing slate, and some coal, lead, and copper. The only mfrs. of any consequence are the coarse woollens of Kendal. The county has good communications by railway. It comprises 4 wards, 109 pars., the mun. bor. of Kendal, and the towns of Ambleside, Appleby (the co. town), Brough, Kirkby Lonsdale, Kirkby Stephen, and Orton. It is entirely in the diocese of Carlisle. For parl. purposes it is divided into 2 divisions - viz., Northern or Appleby, and Southern or Kendal, 1 member for each division.
(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))
| Linked entities: | |
|---|---|
| Feature Description: | "county" (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 2nd order divisions") |
| Administrative units: | Westmorland AncC |
| Place: | Westmorland |
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