Cumbria (
/ˈkʌmbriə/, locally [ˈkʊmbɾiə]) is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle and the only other major urban area is the town of Barrow-in-Furness on the south-western tip of the county. It consists of six districts, and in 2008 had a population of just under half a million. Cumbria is one of the most sparsely populated counties in the United Kingdom, with 73.4 people per km2 (190/sq mi). In comparison, the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, in the south, has a population density over twelve times this at 921/km2 (2,385.3/sq mi).
Cumbria, the third largest ceremonial county in England by area, is bounded to the north by the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders, to the west by the Irish Sea, to the south by Lancashire, to the southeast by North Yorkshire, and to the east by County Durham and Northumberland.
A predominantly rural county, Cumbria contains the Lake District and Lake District National Park, considered one of England's most outstanding areas of natural beauty, serving as inspiration for artists, writers and musicians. Much of Cumbria is mountainous, and it contains every peak in England over 900 metres (3,000 ft) above sea level, with Scafell Pike at 978 metres (3,209 ft) being the highest point of England. An upland, coastal and rural area, Cumbria's heritage is characterised by invasions, migration and settlement, as well as battles and skirmishes between the English and Scottish. Historic sites in Cumbria include Carlisle Castle, Furness Abbey, Piel Castle and Hadrian's Wall.
At the end of the period of British history known as Roman Britain (c. 410 AD) the inhabitants of Cumbria were Cumbric speaking native "Romano-Britons" a language related to Old Welsh - probably descended from the Brigantes tribe which the Roman Empire had conquered in about 85AD. The Roman civitas of the Carvetii (sometimes considered to be a sub-tribe of the Brigantes) covered almost the same area as what is now Cumbria. Because Cumbria was on the very edge of the Roman province of Britannia the term "Romano-Briton" is probably not a very accurate term for the people of these parts because despite more than three hundred years of Roman military occupation it is unlikely very many of them understood Latin or were particularly enthusiastic about Roman customs. The names "Cumbria" and "Cumberland" are derived from the name these people gave themselves, Cymru (pronounced cum-ri), which originally meant 'compatriots' in Old Welsh.[1] The place names Cymru, its Latinised version Cambria, Cumbria and Cumberland all derive their names from this common root.[2] The name could also be associated with that of the Sicambri who came with the Tungri as auxiliaries in the 2nd and 3rd century.
During the Early Middle Ages Cumbria formed the core of the Brythonic kingdom of Rheged. By the end of the 7th century most of Cumbria had been incorporated into the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. Most of modern day Cumbria was ruled by Scotland at the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and thus were excluded from the Domesday Book survey of 1086. In 1092 Cumberland was invaded by William Rufus and incorporated into England. Nevertheless, the region was dominated by the many wars and border skirmishes between England and Scotland of the Latter Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, and the associated Border Reivers who exploited the dynamic political situation of the region. There were at least three sieges of Carlisle fought between England and Scotland, and two further sieges during the Jacobite Risings.
After the Jacobite Risings of the Eighteenth Century, Cumbria became a more stable place and, as in the rest of Northern England, the Industrial Revolution saw a large growth in urban populations. In particular, the west-coast towns of Workington, Millom and Barrow-in-Furness saw large iron and steelworks develop, with Barrow also developing a significant shipbuilding industry. Kendal, Keswick and Carlisle all became mill towns, with textiles, pencils and biscuits among the products manufactured in the region. The early nineteenth century saw the county gain fame as the Lake Poets and other artists of the romantic movement, such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, resided among and took inspiration from the lakes and mountains of the region. Later, the children's writer Beatrix Potter also wrote in the region and became a major landowner, granting much of her property to the National Trust on her death. In turn, the large amount of land owned by the National Trust assisted in the formation of the Lake District National Park in 1951, which remains the largest National Park in England and has come to dominate the identity and economy of the county.
The county of Cumbria was created in 1974 from the traditional counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, the Cumberland County Borough of Carlisle, along with the North Lonsdale or Furness part of Lancashire, usually referred to as "Lancashire North of the Sands", (including the county borough of Barrow-in-Furness) and, from the West Riding of Yorkshire, the Sedbergh Rural District. Its strategic authority is Cumbria County Council.
Local papers The Westmorland Gazette and Cumberland and Westmorland Herald continue to use the name of their historic county. Other publications, such as local government promotional material, describe the area as "Cumbria", as do the Lake District National Park Authority and most visitors.
Topographic map of Cumbria
Cumbria is the most northwesterly county of England. The northernmost and southernmost points in Cumbria are just west of Deadwater, Northumberland and South Walney respectively, whilst Kirkby Stephen (close to Tan Hill, Yorkshire) and St Bees Head are the most easterly and westerly points of the county. At 978 metres (3,209 ft) Scafell Pike is the highest point in Cumbria and in England, whilst its largest lake, Windermere, is the largest natural lake in England.
The Lancaster Canal runs from Preston into South Cumbria and is partly in use. The Ulverston Canal which once reached to Morecambe Bay is maintained although it was closed in 1945.
Cumbria is bordered by the English counties of Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders.
The boundaries are along the Irish Sea to Morecambe Bay in the west, and along the Pennines to the east. Cumbria's northern boundary stretches from the Solway Firth from the Solway Plain eastward along the border with Scotland to Northumberland.
It is made up of six districts: Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Copeland, Eden and South Lakeland. For many administrative purposes Cumbria is divided into three areas — East, West and South. East consists of the districts of Carlisle and Eden, West consists of Allerdale and Copeland, and South consists of Lakeland and Barrow.
In January 2007, Cumbria County Council voted in favour of an official bid to scrap the current two-tier system of county and district councils in favour of a new unitary Cumbria Council, to be submitted for consideration to the Department for Communities and Local Government.[3] This was then rejected.
The county returns six Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, representing the constituencies of Carlisle, Penrith & The Border, Workington, Copeland, Westmorland and Lonsdale and Barrow & Furness.
Many large companies and organisations are based in Cumbria. The county council itself employs around 17,000 individuals, while the largest private employer in Cumbria, the Sellafield nuclear processing site, has a workforce of 10,000.[4] Below is a list of some of the county's largest companies and employers (excluding services such as Cumbria Constabulary, Cumbria Fire and Rescue and the NHS in Cumbria), categorised by district:
- Allerdale
- Associated British Ports Holdings own and operate the port of Silloth.[5]
- Plastic Film Maker, Innovia Films, has its headquarters and only UK factory in Wigton, which employs almost 1,000 people and is Wigton's biggest employer.
- World Wide US Bed Maker, Sealy Beds UK (which is part of the Silentnight Group) owns a factory at Aspatria, which employs around 300 people.
- Flour Miller, Carr's Milling Industries PLC, which is based in Carlisle, owns a large factory at Silloth which makes the 'Carr's Breadmaker' range and Carr's farm feeds.
- Window Maker, WestPort Windows, owns a large factory at Maryport, which makes UPVC windows and doors. They employ 100 people and is Maryports Biggest Employer.
- World Rally Company, M-Sport has its headquarters at Dovenby Hall, near Cockermouth.
- Swedish Paper maker, Iggisund Paperboard, has its only UK factory at Siddick, near Workington
- US Chemical & Camera giant, Eastman, has a factory at Siddick, near Workington. It makes plastic bottle pellets (PBP) and products for the smoking industry. Locally, the plant is known as 'Ectona', as this was the first owns of the plant, which employs 100 people.
- Steel giant, Corus (Tata Steel, owns a cast products plant at Workington, (Formerly Distington Engineering Company Ltd, DEC) which employs 150 people.
- Carlisle Based Haulage Group, The Stobart Group, owns a large Haulage depot at Workington, which was once owned by Truck/Bus maker, Leyland. The site has 500,000sqft of warehousing, and when it was built in 1970, it was Europe's largest covered building.
- Packaging company, Amcor, owns the former Smith Bros & Alcan packaging plant at Salterbeck, Workington.
- James Walker Ltd, the international car seal maker, has a large factory at Cockermouth.
- Barrow-in-Furness
- Carlisle
- Close to 1,000 people work in one of only two Pirelli tyre plants in the UK.[11]
- Carr's is a successful foodstuff and agricultural brand that was established in 1831 in Carlisle.[12]
- The Stobart Group which is one of the UK's largest haulage companies is headquartered in Carlisle.[13]
- Nestlé also operates a factory on the outskirts of Carlisle.[14]
- Cavaghan & Gray is a food manufacturing business based in Carlisle and a significant employer in the city.[15]
- Crown Bevcan PLC, part of the beverage giant, Crown, owns two factories in Carlisle, locally known as either 'Hudson Scott's' or 'Metal Box', two of its former owns.
- Copeland
- As stated above, Sellafield is the largest private employer in the county, many West Cumbrians have links to the site.[16]
- Eden
The entrance to Whinlatter Forest Park
The largest and most widespread industry in Cumbria is tourism. The Lake District National Park alone receives some 15.8 million visitors every year.[21] Despite this, fewer than 50,000 people reside permanently within the Lake District – mostly in Ambleside, Bowness-on-Windermere, Coniston, Keswick, Grasmere and Windermere.[21] Over 36,000 Cumbrians are employed in the tourism industry which adds £1.1 billion to the county's economy on a yearly basis. The Lake District and county as a whole attracts visitors from across the UK,[21] Europe, North America and the Far East (particularly Japan).[21] The tables below show the twenty most visited attractions in Cumbria in 2009 (please note that not all visitor attractions provided data to Cumbria Tourism who collated the list. Notable examples being Furness Abbey, the Lakes Aquarium and South Lakes Wild Animal Park, the latter of which would almost certainly rank within the top five).[22]
| Rank |
Attraction |
Location |
Visitors |
| 1 |
Windermere Lake Cruises |
Bowness-on-Windermere |
1,313,807 |
| 2 |
Rheged |
Penrith |
439,568 |
| 3 |
Ullswater Steamers |
Glenridding |
348,000 |
| 4 |
Whinlatter Forest Park and Visitor Centre |
Whinlatter |
252,762 |
| 5 |
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery |
Carlisle |
251,808 |
| 6 |
Grizedale Forest Park and Visitor Centre |
Grizedale |
175,033 |
| 7 |
Carlisle Cathedral |
Carlisle |
166,141 |
| 8 |
Lake District Visitor Centre Brockhole |
Windermere |
135,539 |
| 9 |
Hill Top |
Hawkshead |
103,682 |
| 10 |
Sizergh Castle |
Sizergh Castle |
90,063 |
|
| Rank |
Attraction |
Location |
Visitors |
| 11 |
Cumberland Pencil Museum |
Keswick |
80,100 |
| 12 |
Muncaster Castle |
Ravenglass |
78,474 |
| 13 |
Dock Museum |
Barrow-in-Furness |
73,239 |
| 14 |
The Beacon |
Whitehaven |
71,602 |
| 15 |
Holker Hall |
Cartmel |
58,060 |
| 16 |
Carlisle Castle |
Carlisle |
56,957 |
| 17 |
Beatrix Potter Gallery |
Hawkshead |
47,244 |
| 18 |
Trotters World of Animals |
Bassenthwaite |
45,559 |
| 19 |
The Homes Of Football |
Ambleside |
49,661 |
| 20 |
Cartmel Priory |
Cartmel |
43,672 |
|
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added (GVA) of East Cumbria at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year |
Regional Gross Value Added[23] |
Agriculture[24] |
Industry[25] |
Services[26] |
| 1995 |
2,679 |
148 |
902 |
1,629 |
| 2000 |
2,843 |
120 |
809 |
1,914 |
| 2003 |
3,388 |
129 |
924 |
2,335 |
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of West Cumbria at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year |
Regional Gross Value Added[23] |
Agriculture[24] |
Industry[25] |
Services[26] |
| 1995 |
2,246 |
63 |
1,294 |
888 |
| 2000 |
2,415 |
53 |
1,212 |
1,150 |
| 2003 |
2,870 |
60 |
1,420 |
1,390 |
The University of Cumbria's Fusehill Campus in Carlisle
Although Cumbria has a comprehensive system almost in toto, it has one state grammar school in Penrith. There are 42 state secondary schools and 10 independent schools. The more rural secondary schools tend to have sixth forms though in Barrow-in-Furness district no school except Chetwynde School (Independent) has a sixth form, and this is the same for three schools in Allerdale and South Lakeland, and one in the other districts. Chetwynde is also the only school in Barrow to educate children from nursery all the way to sixth form level.
Colleges of further education in Cumbria include Barrow-in-Furness Sixth Form College, Carlisle College, Cumbria Institute of the Arts, Dallam Sixth form Centre, Furness College, Kendal College, Lakes College West Cumbria, West Cumbria Catholic Sixth Form Centre and Workington Sixth Form College.
The University of Cumbria is one of the UK's newest universities having been established in 2007, it is at present the only university in Cumbria and has campuses across the county.
The M6 is the only motorway that runs through Cumbria. Kendal and Penrith are amongst its primary destinations before it terminates just north of Carlisle. Major A roads within Cumbria include:
- A6 (Luton, Bedfordshire to Carlisle via Kendal and Penrith)
- A66 (Workington to Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire via Keswick, Penrith and Brough)
- A590 (M6 Junction 36 to Barrow-in-Furness via Ulverston)
- A591 (Sizergh to Bothel via Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere and Kewsick)
- A592 (M6 Junction 40 to Staveley via Penrith, Windermere and Bowness-on-windermere)
- A595 (Carlisle to Dalton-in-Furness via Whitehaven and Workington)
- A596 (Carlisle to Workington)
Several bus companies (Stagecoach North West being the largest, its depots are located in Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Kendal and Workington) run services in Cumbria serving the main towns and villages in the county, with some services running to neighouring areas such as Lancaster. Stagecoach's flagship X35 route connects Barrow-in-Furness and Kendal in south Cumbria.
Carlisle Lake District Airport and Barrow/Walney Island Airport are the only two airports in the county. Both airports formerly served scheduled passenger flights and both are proposing expansions and renovations to handle domestic and European flights in the near future. The nearest international airports to south Cumbria are Blackpool International Airport, Manchester Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport, whilst north Cumbria is in closer proximity to Newcastle Airport, Glasgow Prestwick Airport and Glasgow International Airport. Despite Barrow-in-Furness being one of the country's largest shipbuilding centres, the Port of Barrow is only minor and alongside every other port and harbour along the Cumbria coast has no ferry links in place.
The busiest railway stations in Cumbria are Carlisle station, Barrow-in-Furness station, Penrith station and Oxenholme Lake District station. The 399-mile (642 km) long West Coast Main Line runs through the Cumbria countryside adjacent to the M6 motorway, the Cumbrian Coast Line which connects Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle is a vital component in west Cumbrian transportation. Other railway lines solely in Cumbria include the Furness Line, the Settle-Carlisle Railway and the Windermere Branch Line.
The largest settlements in Cumbria
Cumbria's largest settlement and only city, in the north of the county, is Carlisle, with the largest town, Barrow-in-Furness, being slightly smaller. The county's population is largely rural: it has the second lowest population density among English counties, and has only five towns with a population of over 20,000. Cumbria is also one of the country's least ethnically diverse counties, with 95.1% of the population categorised as White British (around 470,900 of the 495,000 Cumbrians).[27] However, the larger towns have an ethnic makeup that is closer to the national average. The 2001 census indicated that Christianity was the religion with the most adherents in the county.
2010 ONS estimates placed the number of foreign-born (non-United Kingdom) people living in Cumbria at around 14,000 and foreign nationals at 6,000.[28] The 2001 UK Census showed the following most common countries of birth for Cumbrians that year:
 England – 454,137 Scotland – 16,628 Wales – 3,471 Northern Ireland – 2,289 Germany – 1,438
|
 Republic of Ireland – 1,359 South Africa – 603 Canada – 581 Australia – 531 United States – 493
|
 India – 476 Hong Kong – 417 Italy – 249 New Zealand – 241 France – 197
|
 Poland – 193 Cyprus – 174 Netherlands – 167 Spain – 166 Singapore – 160
|
| Population totals for Cumbria |
| Year |
Population |
|
Year |
Population |
|
Year |
Population |
| 1801 |
173,017 |
|
1871 |
365,556 |
|
1941 |
456,833 |
| 1811 |
193,139 |
1881 |
410,856 |
1951 |
471,897 |
| 1821 |
225,555 |
1891 |
434,867 |
1961 |
473,706 |
| 1831 |
242,320 |
1901 |
437,364 |
1971 |
475,669 |
| 1841 |
255,603 |
1911 |
440,485 |
1981 |
471,693 |
| 1851 |
274,957 |
1921 |
441,483 |
1991 |
489,191 |
| 1861 |
320,257 |
1931 |
442,693 |
2001 |
487,607 |
Pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that now comprise Cumbria
Source: Great Britain Historical GIS.[29] |
The table below has divided the settlements into their local authority district. Each district has a centre of administration; for some of these correlate with a district's largest town, while others are named after the geographical area.
| Ceremonial county |
Administration borough/district |
Centre of administration |
|
Other towns, villages and settlements |
| Cumbria |
Allerdale |
Workington |
 |
Aspatria, Cockermouth, Harrington, Keswick, Maryport, Silloth, Wigton |
| Barrow-in-Furness |
Barrow-in-Furness |
 |
Askam and Ireleth, Dalton-in-Furness |
| Carlisle |
Carlisle |
 |
Brampton, Dalston, Longtown |
| Copeland |
Whitehaven |
 |
Cleator Moor, Egremont, Millom, St Bees |
| Eden |
Penrith |
 |
Alston, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Kirkby Stephen |
| South Lakeland |
Kendal |
 |
Ambleside, Bowness-on-Windermere, Coniston, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Heversham, Kirkby Lonsdale, Milnthorpe, Sedbergh, Ulverston, Windermere Rosside |
Copeland is the only district in Cumbria not to contain a settlement with a twin town/sister city, whilst Barrow-in-Furness is the largest town in the county not to have such an arrangement.
| Settlement |
District |
Twinned settlement |
| Carlisle |
Carlisle |
Flensburg, Germany and Słupsk, Poland |
| Cockermouth |
Allerdale |
Marvejols, France |
| Dalton-in-Furness |
Barrow-in-Furness |
Dalton, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Kendal |
South Lakeland |
Killarney, Ireland and Rinteln, Germany |
| Penrith |
Eden |
Penrith, New South Wales, Australia |
| Sedbergh |
South Lakeland |
 Zreče, Slovenia |
| Ulverston |
South Lakeland |
Albert, France |
| Windermere |
South Lakeland |
Diessen am Ammersee, Germany |
| Workington |
Allerdale |
Selm, Germany and Val-de-Reuil, France |
The arms of Cumbria County Council were granted by the College of Arms on 10 October 1974. The arms represent the areas from which the new county council's area was put together; the shield's green border has Parnassus flowers representing Cumberland interspersed with roses; red for Lancashire (the Furness district) on white for Yorkshire (Sedbergh is from the West Riding). The crest is a ram's head crest, found in the arms both of Westmorland County Council and Barrow County Borough, with Cumberland's Parnassus flowers again. The supporters are the legendary Dacre Bull (Cumberland) and a red dragon (Appleby in Westmorland), with a hint of the ancient Kingdom of Rheged. They stand on a base compartment representing Hadrian's Wall (in Cumberland), crossed with two red bars (from the Westmorland arms).[30]
The county council motto: "Ad Montes Oculos Levavi" is Latin, from Psalm 121; ("I shall lift up mine eyes unto the hills").[30]
The county flag of Cumbria is a banner of arms of Cumbria County Council.[31]
Carlisle United are the only professional football team in Cumbria and currently play in League One (3rd Tier in the English football pyramid). They attract support from across Cumbria and beyond, with many Cumbrian "ex-pats" travelling to see their games, both home and away. Whilst home attendances are usually 7,000 to 10,000, the away support is often 1,000 to 2,000. This is one of the highest proportions of away-home support in England.
Barrow and Workington A.F.C - who are always known locally as "the reds" - are well supported non-league teams, having both been relegated from the Football League in the 1970s, with Barrow being one of the best supported non-league football teams in England. Recently Workington A.F.C have made a rapid rise up the non league ladder and in 2007/08 competed with Barrow in the Conference North (Tier 6). Barrow were then promoted to the Blue Square Premier (Tier 5) in 2007/08.
Rugby league is a very popular in South and West Cumbria. Barrow, Whitehaven and Workington play in the Rugby League National Leagues and Carlisle in the Rugby League Conference. Amateur teams Wath Brow Hornets, Askham, Egremont Rangers and Millom play in the National Conference.
Rugby union is popular in the east of the county with teams such as Workington RUFC, Carlisle RUFC, Kendal RUFC, Kirkby Lonsdale RUFC, Keswick RUFC, Upper Eden RUFC and Penrith RUFC.
Cumberland County Cricket Club is one of the cricket clubs that constitute the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure. The club, based in Carlisle, competes in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The club also play some home matches in Workington, as well as other locations.
Cumbrian club cricket teams play in the North Lancashire and Cumbria League.
Workington is home to the ball game known as Uppies and Downies,[32] a traditional version of football, with its origins in Medieval football or an even earlier form.[33] Players from outside Workington do take part, especially fellow West Cumbrians from Whitehaven and Maryport.[34]
Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling is an ancient and well-practised tradition in the county with a strong resemblance to Scottish Backhold.
In the 21st century Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling along with other aspects of Lakeland culture are practised at the Grasmere Sports and Show, an annual meeting held every year since 1852 on the August Bank Holiday.
The origin of this form of wrestling is a matter of debate, with some describing it as having evolved from Norse wrestling brought over by Viking invaders,[35] while other historians associate it with the Cornish and Gouren styles[36] indicating that it may have developed out of a longer-standing Celtic tradition.[37]
Cumbria is also home to the Carlisle Border Reivers an amateur American Football team, despite a relatively low level of interest in the sport throughout the County.
Cumbria Kart Racing Club is based at the Lakeland Circuit, Rowrah, between Cockermouth and Egremont [1]. The track is currently a venue for rounds of both major UK national karting championships [2]. Formula One world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button both raced karts at Rowrah many times in the formative stages of their motor sport careers [3], while other F1 drivers, past and present, to have competed there include Johnny Herbert, Anthony Davidson, Allan McNish, Ralph Firman, Paul di Resta and David Coulthard, who hailed from just over the nearby Anglo-Scottish border and regarded Rowrah as his home circuit, becoming Cumbria Kart Racing Club Champion in 1985 in succession to McNish (di Resta also taking the CKRC title subsequently) [4].
Two evening newspapers are published daily in Cumbria, the News and Star focuses largely on Carlisle and the surrounding areas of north and west Cumbria while the North-West Evening Mail is based in Barrow-in-Furness and covers news from across Furness and the South Lakes. The Cumberland and Westmorland Herald and The Westmorland Gazette are weekly newspapers based in Penrith and Kendal respectively.
Due to the geographic extent of Cumbria the county spans two television zones; BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Tyne Tees & Border in the north and BBC North West and Granada Television in the south. The Bay, CFM Radio and Lakeland Radio are the most popular local radio stations throughout the county, with BBC Radio Cumbria being the only station that is aimed at Cumbria as a whole.
See also: List of people from Carlisle, List of people from Barrow-in-Furness, List of people from Kendal
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Boroughs or districts |
|
|
| Major settlements |
|
|
| Topics |
|
|
Coordinates: 54°30′N 3°15′W / 54.5°N 3.25°W / 54.5; -3.25
.svg){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
