Cumberland

It has been suggested that Cumberland (unitary authority) be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2023.

Cumberland
Historic county
Skiddaw; River Esk; Carlisle Castle
Flag
Area
• 1831	969,490 acres (3,923.4 km2)1831 Census cited in Vision of Britain – Ancient county data
• 1911	973,086 acres (3,937.94 km2)
• 1961	973,146 acres (3,938.18 km2)
Population
• 1911	265,746 Vision of Britain – Cumberland population (density and area)
• 1961	294,303
Density
• 1911	0.27/acre (0.67/ha)
• 1961	0.3/acre (0.74/ha)
History
• Origin	Historic
• Created	12th Century
Status	Historic county (current) Administrative county (1889–1974) Ceremonial county (until 1974)
Chapman code	CUL
Government	Cumberland County Council (1889–1974)
• HQ	Carlisle
Arms of Cumberland County Council
Subdivisions
• Type	Wards
• Units	Cumberland Eskdale Allerdale Above Derwent Allerdale Below Derwent Leath

Cumberland (/ˈkʌmbərlənd/ KUM-bər-lənd) is a historic county in Northern England, it mainly corresponds to the district of Cumberland (since April 2023) and the part of Westmorland and Furness including Penrith.

The area's varied landscapes include the Lake District, the northern Pennines and the Solway Firth coastline. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974, when it was subsumed into Cumbria with Westmorland as well as parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The historic county is bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish counties of Dumfriesshire and Roxburghshire to the north.^[1]

Early history

In the

At the time of the Domesday Book (AD 1086) most of the future county was part of Scotland, although some villages around Millom, which were the possessions of the Earl of Northumbria, had been incorporated into Yorkshire.^[4]

In AD 1092, King

The area returned to the English crown in 1157, when

The boundaries formed in the 12th century were not changed substantially over the county's existence. There are four English historic counties and two Scottish counties that it borders: Northumberland and County Durham to the east; Westmorland to the south, the Furness part of Lancashire to the southwest; Dumfriesshire to the north and Roxburghshire to the northeast.

To the west the county is bounded by the Solway Firth and the Irish Sea. The northern boundary is formed by the Solway Estuary and the border with Scotland running east to Scotch Knowe at Kershope Burn. The boundary runs south from Scotch Knowe along the Cheviot Hills, then followed a tributary of the River Irthing and crossed Denton Fell to the River Tees. From Tees Head the boundary crosses the Pennines to descend Crowdundale Beck, from where it followed the rivers Eden and Eamont to the centre of Ullswater. The line follows Glencoin Beck to the top of Helvellyn ridge at Wrynose Pass and along the River Duddon (near Millom) to the sea .

The highest point of the county is

The Earldom of Carlisle was partitioned into baronies. When the County of Cumberland was created, the baronies were subdivided as

Cumberland Ward

Cumberland Ward included

* Parts or all of these parishes and townships constituted the City of Carlisle, and were largely outside the jurisdiction of Cumberland Ward.

Local government from the 19th century

During the 19th century a series of reforms reshaped the local government of the county, creating a system of districts with directly elected councils.

Poor law and municipal reform

The first changes concerned the administration of the

In the following year the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 was passed, reforming boroughs and cities in England and Wales as municipal boroughs with a uniform constitution. The corporation of the City of Carlisle was accordingly remodelled with a popularly elected council consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors.

Local boards and sanitary districts

Outside of municipal boroughs, there was no effective local government until the 1840s. In response to poor sanitary conditions and outbreaks of

Further reform under the

In 1889, under the

The Local Government Act 1929 imposed the duty on county councils of reviewing the districts within their administrative county so as to form more efficient units of local government. In general, this meant the merging of small or lightly populated areas into larger units. A review was carried in Cumberland in 1934. The following table lists the urban and rural districts before and after the changes.

Rosthwaite

St Bees

Scotby

Seascale

Sellafield

Silecroft

Silloth

Thursby

Ulpha

Wetheral