Cumbria
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| File:EnglandCumbria.png | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Status | Ceremonial & Non-metropolitan county |
| Origin | 1974 Local Government Act 1972 |
| Region | North West England |
| Area - Total - Admin. council | Ranked 3rd 6,768 km² Ranked 2nd |
| Admin HQ | Carlisle |
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-CMA |
| ONS code | 16 |
| NUTS 3 | UKD11/12 |
| Demographics | |
| Population - Total (2006 est.) - Density - Admin. Council | Ranked 41st
496,200
/ km² |
| Ethnicity | 96.7% White British 1.7% White Other 0.6% S.Asian 0.5% Mixed Race 0.2% Chinese 0.2% Afro-Carib. 0.1% Other |
| Politics | |
| File:Arms-cumbria.jpg Cumbria County Council http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/ | |
| Executive | Conservative / Liberal Democrats |
| Members of Parliament | |
| Districts | |
Cumbria (IPA: /ˈkʊmbriə/), is a shire county in the extreme North West of England. Cumbria came into existence as a county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. The county consists of six districts, and has a total population of 498,800.
Cumbria, the third largest county in England, is bound 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. Scotland lies directly to the north.
A predominantly rural county, Cumbria is home to the Lake District National Park, considered one of the most beautiful areas of the United Kingdom. The area has provided inspiration for generations of British and foreign artists, writers and musicians. Much of the county is mountainous, with the highest point of the county (and of England) being Scafell Pike at 978 m (3210 ft). All the territory in England that is over 3,000 feet above sea level is in Cumbria.
Parts of Hadrian's Wall can be found in the northernmost reaches of the county, in and around Carlisle.
Contents |
[edit] Boundaries and divisions
Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy areas of Dumfries and Roxburgh in Scotland.
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 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 3 areas - East, West and South. East being the districts of Carlisle and Eden, West - Allerdale and Copeland and South Lakeland and Barrow making up South Cumbria.
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.[1]
The county returns 6 Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, representing the constituencies of Carlisle, Penrith & The Border, Workington, Copeland, Westmorland and Lonsdale and Barrow & Furness.
[edit] History
The county of Cumbria was created in 1974. It was a combination of the area of the administrative counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, the Cumberland county borough of Carlisle, along with the North Lonsdale or Furness part of Lancashire (including the county borough of Barrow-in-Furness), and from the West Riding of Yorkshire, the Sedbergh Rural District. The name "Cumbria" has been used for the territory for centuries.
Following the creation of Cumbria as a non-metropolitan county, some people, particularly those born or brought up in the area, continue to refer to some parts of Cumbria as part of the ancient county boundaries; this includes the Furness area as a part of Lancashire, and the Kendal and surrounding area as a part of Westmorland.
Local papers The Westmorland Gazette and Cumberland and Westmorland Herald are continue to be named on this pre-1974 county basis. Others, including local government, promotional material for the area, the Lake District National Park Authority, and most visitors describe the area as being in "Cumbria". A MORI poll in the county found 79% of those polled identified "very strongly" or "strongly" to Cumbria throughout the county, but dropping to 55% and 71% in Barrow and South Lakeland districts, which incorporate part of historic Lancashire.[2]
[edit] Culture
Cumbria as an English county on the border with Scotland has faced repeated invasion. Resisting such attacks and many attepts by the Kingdom of Scotland to annex it has given Cumbria a strong sense of pride and a very strong Northern English culture, shared with its neighboring counties, particularly Lancashire and Northumberland.
The culture of the area was predominantly Celtic until fairly late after the annexation by the Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria (see Rheged), and the name for the area derives from its name in the Cumbric language. It is etymologically connected to the Welsh term Cymru, meaning "Land of brothers", which is now used as the Welsh name for Wales itself. The Cumbric language has been extinct since about the 11th century.
Cumbria also had very strong links with Norse culture due to Viking invasions. Leaving behind evidence particularly in the genetics of the local population. Studies have shown that the county of Cumbria has one of the most striking signs of Scandinavian genetics in England.
[edit] Dialect
The Cumbrian dialect is spoken throughout the region. There is quite a large variation in accent and words, especially between north and south and west coast.
Many of the traditional dialect words are remnants of Norse settlement, with Norwegian settlers probably arriving in Cumbria in the 10th century via Ireland and the Isle of Man.
[edit] Sport
Carlisle United are the only professional football team in Cumbria. They attract support from across Cumbria. However, Barrow A.F.C., has been one of the best supported non-league football teams in the UK since their relegation in the 1970s. Recently Workington Reds have also made a rapid rise up the non league ladder and now compete with Barrow in the Conference North.
Rugby league is a very popular sport in West Cumbria. Whitehaven RLFC, Workington Town and Barrow Raiders all compete in the National Leagues. Carlisle RLFC played in the national competitions between 1981 and 1997, Carlisle today has Carlisle Centurions in the Rugby League Conference. There are amateur BARLA teams playing in the National Conference, notablely Wath Brow Hornets and Millom as well as a Cumberland League and Barrow & District League.
Rugby union is very popular in the east of the county with teams such as Carlisle RUFC, Kendal RUFC, Kirkby Lonsdale RUFC, Keswick RUFC, Upper Eden RUFC and Penrith RUFC (who have recently been promoted to the National Leagues) competing in many local and national competitions.
'Wrestling
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 practiced at the Grassmere 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,[3][4] while other historians associate it with the Cornish and Gouren styles[5] indicating that it may have developed out of a longer-standing Celtic tradition.[6]
[edit] Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added 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[7] | Agriculture[8] | Industry[9] | Services[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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[7] | Agriculture[8] | Industry[9] | Services[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,246 | 63 | 1,294 | 888 |
| 2000 | 2,415 | 53 | 1,212 | 1,150 |
| 2003 | 2,870 | 60 | 1,420 | 1,390 |
[edit] Education
Although Carlisle 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. Sixth-form provision is good (mainly as schools in the county's rural areas are far apart, so education has to be less geographically spread out). The exception is Barrow-in-Furness district where no schools have sixth forms, and this is the same for three schools in Allerdale and South Lakeland, and one in the other districts. Carlisle, Allerdale and South Lakeland all have the largest school population by year of about 1250, with Eden the smallest. In general, year sizes are low, with six schools having year sizes under 50. In England, 45.8% of pupils gain 5 good GCSEs including Englsh and Maths; for Cumbria LEA's 6100 pupils taking GCSE at 16, it is 45.3% - slightly under the average. This is misleading as in the rural areas, the schools generally get good results. The best comprehensive school at GCSE is the Cockermouth School with 68%, followed by the Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale with 64% and the William Howard School in Brampton with 61%. The worst is the Alfred Barrow School in Barrow in Furness with 17%. The catholic schools in Whitehaven and Barrow-in-Furness are the best schools by far in the towns, as most are underperforming in these two towns. The school system in Carlisle has five underperforming schools, with the rest doing much better; not unlike a selective system. The same could be said for Allerdale district. At A-level, like at GCSE, Cumbria performs exactly at the England average. The best state school (in 2006), understandably is the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. The better comprehensive schools do very well at A-level, with the Queen Katherine School in Kendal being the best, followed by Keswick School. The best overall at A level is Casterton School, a girls school in Casterton.
[edit] GCSE results by district council (%)
2006 results for % of state school pupils gaining grades A-C at GCSE including English and Maths; compare to average house price.
- South Lakeland 54.9
- Eden 54.8
- Allerdale 47.4
- Carlisle 39.8
- Barrow-in-Furness 38.4
- Copeland 38.0
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Towns and Villages
Carlisle is the largest and only city in the county, whilst Barrow-in-Furness (the largest town) is between 2 and 3 times larger than the second largest town (Kendal).
The twelve most populated settlements in Cumbria are listed below:
| Rank | Town | Population | District | Percentage of Cumbria's population |
| 1 | Carlisle | 105,200 | Carlisle | 21.1% |
| 2 | Barrow-in-Furness | 71,980 | Barrow-in-Furness | 14.4% |
| 3 | Workington | 32,849 | Allerdale | 5.5% |
| 4 | Kendal | 27,521 | South Lakeland | 5.1% |
| 5 | Whitehaven | 25,500 | Copeland | 5.0% |
| 6 | Penrith | 14,756 | Eden | 3.0% |
| 7 | Maryport | 11,275 | Allerdale | 2.3% |
| 8 | Ulverston | 11,210 | South Lakeland | 2.2% |
| 9 | Dalton-in-Furness | 11,000 | Barrow-in-Furness | 2.2% |
| 10 | Cockermouth | 7,787 | Allerdale | 1.6% |
| 11 | Cleator Moor | 6,963 | Copeland | 1.4% |
| 12 | Harrington | 5,000 | Copeland | 1.0% |
| 13 | Brampton | 4,001 | Carlisle | 0.8% |
| 14 | Grange-over-Sands | 4,000 | South Lakeland | 0.8% |
| 15 | Bowness-on-Windermere | 3,814 | South Lakeland | 0.8% |
| 16 | Egremont | 3,707 | Copeland | 0.7% |
| 17 | Sedbergh | 3,691 | South Lakeland | 0.7% |
| 18 | Silloth | 3,305 | Allerdale | 0.7% |
| 19 | Aspatria | 3,266 | Allerdale | 0.7% |
| 20 | Longtown | 3,000 | Carlisle | 0.6% |
[edit] Density
Cumbria as a whole is the second least densely populated county in England with only 73 people per square kilometre. Despite it being the third largest in area (6,768 km²), about a third of the county is taken up by the Lake District National Park. Below is a table listing each district by population density.
| District | Population Density | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow-in-Furness | 924 / km² | 71,980 | 77.87 km² |
| Carlisle | 101 / km² | 105,200 | 1,039.97 km² |
| Copeland | 97 / km² | 71,500 | 737.59 km² |
| Allerdale | 77 / km² | 96,300 | 1,553.39 km² |
| South Lakeland | 66 / km² | 102,900 | 1,257.79 km² |
| Eden | 24 / km² | 52,800 | 2,156.45 km² |
[edit] Ethnicity
The data below is based on recent available 2005 estimates.
| District | White British | White Other | Mixed Race | S. Asian | Chinese | Afro-Caribbean | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allerdale [1] | 97.3% | 1.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Barrow-in-Furness [2] | 96.7% | 1.8% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Carlisle [3] | 96.5% | 1.7% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Copeland [4] | 97.1% | 1.3% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Eden [5] | 97.1% | 1.6% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| South Lakeland [6] | 95.6% | 2.3% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Cumbria Average | 96.7% | 1.7% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
Increase
Cumbria has previosuly been considered an almost all white county, however since the millenium, the county has experienced one of the UK's largest increases in the population of non-indigenous communities. Below is a table noting the percentage change for each respective ethnic group between 2004 and 2005 compared to England as a whole. Altough please note that this table does not reflect how many people of each race recide in each district, large percentage increases in such places as Copeland and Eden often mean that a community could have just increased from 30 to 37 [7].
| Ethnic Group | % Change for Cumbria | % Change for England | District with smallest increase | District with largest increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White British | -0.1% | 0.0% | Allerdale -0.4% | Eden 0.1% |
| White Irish | 1.7% | -1.7% | Barrow-in-Furness -0.4% | Eden 6.5% |
| Other White | 12.3% | 7.2% | Copeland 9.1% | Barrow-in-Furness 15.9% |
| White and Black Caribbean | 11.5% | 3.2% | Barrow-in-Furness 9.1% | Eden 16.0% |
| White and Black African | 11.1% | 6.4% | South Lakeland 6.7% | Eden 20.4% |
| White and Asian | 11.0% | 6.0% | Allerdale 9.1% | Copeland 14.9% |
| Other Mixed | 9.3% | 5.6% | South Lakeland 7.7% | Copeland 14.0% |
| Indian | 22.3% | 5.1% | Allerdale 18.7% | Copeland 27.0% |
| Pakistani | 21.2% | 3.8% | Allerdale 16.4% | Copeland 23.6% |
| Bangladeshi | 11.9% | 3.6% | Copeland 6.0% | Eden 23.7% |
| Other Asian | 17.1% | 6.4% | Barrow-in-Furness 8.4% | Copeland 28.4% |
| Black Caribbean | 18.9% | 0.7% | South Lakeland 15.1% | Allerdale 27.1% |
| Black African | 27.4% | 6.1% | Barrow-in-Furness 21.8% | Copeland 32.0% |
| Other Black | 15.4% | 3.2% | Barrow-in-Furness 10.5% | Allerdale 24.5% |
| Chinese | 14.8% | 10.2% | Allerdale 8.2% | South Lakeland 17.8% |
| Other Ethnic Group | 17.8% | 8.2% | Copeland 14.7% | Eden 21.9% |
Notable Non-Indigenous Ethnic Communities
- Carlisle - 1,600 Poles[11]
- Carlisle - 170 Chinese[12]
- Carlisle - 1,470 Mixed Race (Around 1/2 of Cumbria's Mixed Race population - see above)
- Barrow-in-Furness - 390 Afro-Caribbeans (60% of Cumbria's Black population - see above)
- Barrow-in-Furness - 140 Filipinos[13]
- Barrow-in-Furness - Kosovars (Most distinct Kosovar community in Britain)[14]
- Barrow-in-Furness - 120 Latin Americans
[edit] People of interest
- Ade Gardner
- Phil Jackson
- Nella Last
- Jimmy Lewthwaite
- Harry Hadley
- Shana Haji
- Willie Horne
- Mick Hucknall
- Nigel Kneale
- Ian McDonald
- Frank McPherson
- Vic Metcalfe
- Dave Myers
- Jack Pelter
- Peter Purves
- Constance Spry
- Gary Stevens
- Dame Stella Rimington
- Thomas Round
- Adam Roynon
- Karen Taylor
- Keith Tyson
- Len Wilkinson
- Aim
- Sir John Barrow
- Norman Birkett
- Chris Bonington
- Donald Campbell
- Glenn Cornick
- Wayne Curtis
- Steve Dixon
- Maurice Flitcroft
- Melvyn Bragg
- British Sea Power
- Fletcher Christian
- Lady Anne Clifford
- Mark Cueto
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- John Dalton
- Thomas DeQuincey
- Douglas Ferreira
- Margaret Fell
- Willie Horne
- Francis Howgill
- Emlyn Hughes
- Thomas Henry Ismay
- Joanna Kyles
- Stan Laurel
- Hugh Lowther
- Joss Naylor
- Norman Nicholson
- Saint Ninian
- Catherine Parr
- John Peel
- Beatrix Potter
- Scott James Preston
- Sir James Ramsden
- Hardwicke Rawnsley
- Will Ritson
- George Romney
- John Ruskin
- Rory Thomas Sewell
- Montagu Slater
- Richard T. Slone
- Robert Southey
- John Sowerby
- Gary Stevens
- Stuart Stockdale
- Edward Troughton
- Keith Tyson
- Josefina de Vasconcellos
- Alfred Wainwright
- Lord Soulsby
- John Wilkinson
- Dorothy Wordsworth
- William Wordsworth
- Carl George Dalton
[edit] Places of interest
| Key | |
| | Abbey/Priory/Cathedral |
| | Accessible open space |
| | Amusement/Theme Park |
| | Castle |
| | Country Park |
| | English Heritage |
| | Forestry Commission |
| | Heritage railway |
| | Historic House |
| | Museums (free/not free) |
| | National Trust |
| | Zoo |
See also: List of castles in Cumbria
- Low Mead
- Bassenthwaite Lake
- Bewcastle
- Black Combe
- Brantwood
- Brough Castle
- Brougham Castle
- Brougham Hall
- Broughton in Furness
- Brougham Castle
- Buttermere
- Cartmel Priory
- Carlisle Castle
- Carlisle Cathedral
- Castlerigg Stone Circle
- Cockermouth, "Gem" Town
- Coniston Water
- Crummock Water
- Cumbria Coastal Way long distance footpath
- Cumbria Way long distance footpath
- Dales Way long distance footpath
- Dalton Castle
- Derwent Water
- Dock Museum
- Egremont Castle
- Eden Valley Railway — heritage railway
- Ennerdale Water
- Fell Foot Park
- Firbank Fell
- Fisher Tarn Reservoir
- Furness
- Furness Abbey
- Haig Colliery Mining Museum
- Harrison Stickle
- Hadrian's Wall
- Paul Lomas
- Hartley Castle
- Haweswater
- Hawkshead Grammar School Museum
- Hoad Monument
- Hodbarrow Nature Reserve
- Holker Hall
- Kendal Castle
- Kentmere
- Killington Reservoir
- Kirkby Lonsdale
- Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway
- Langwathby station and Brief Encounters Cafe
- Windermere (the lake)
- Lanercost Priory
- Laurel & Hardy Museum
- Levens Hall
- The former site of the Beast Banks post office in Longsleddale.
- Millom
- Millom Folk Museum
- National Nature Reserves in Cumbria
- Pennine Way long distance footpath
- Penrith Castle
- Piel Island
- Quaker tapestry, Kendal
- RAF Millom Museum
- Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway — heritage railway
- Rheged
- Rydal Water
- Seathwaite Tarn
- Sellafield Nuclear Reprocessing Facility
- Silecroft
- Sizergh Castle & Garden
- Staveley
- Swarthmoor Hall
- Thirlmere
- Ullswater
- Vickerstown
- Wast Water
- Whitehaven
- Whinfell Forest
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ County council votes to pursue a single council for Cumbria. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ [http://www.boundarycommittee.org.uk/files/dms/REPCUMB_12840-9355__E__.pdf Local Government Review in the Cumbria County Council Area]. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ Kronos; A Chronology of the Martial Arts and Combative Sports. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ Cinaet Scothack. Wrestling in Gaelic Culture. Retrieved on 2--7-02-24.
- ^ Amateur Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ Kronos; A Chronology of the Martial Arts and Combative Sports. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ a b Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
- ^ a b includes hunting and forestry
- ^ a b includes energy and construction
- ^ a b includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
- ^ Polish immigrants in Carlisle
- ^ Chinese immigrants in Carlisle
- ^ Filipino immigrants in Barrow
- ^ Kosovan immigrants in Barrow
[edit] External links
- Official Tourist Board Website
- Cumbria Tourist and Historical Website
- BBC Cumbria Digital Lives Project
- Carlisle Diocese (Church of England)
- Rydal Hall - Carlisle Diocesan Retreat and Conference centre
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