Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was 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. The county included the city of Carlisle, part of the Lake District and North Pennines, and the Solway Firth coastline.
Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974, when it was subsumed into the non-metropolitan county of Cumbria together with Westmorland and parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire. In 2023, the non-metropolitan county of Cumbria was dissolved and a new unitary authority area of Cumberland was created, which has similar boundaries to the historic county of Cumberland but excludes Penrith.
Early history In the Early Middle Ages, Cumbria was part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde in the , or "Old North", and its people spoke a Brittonic language now called Cumbric. The first record of the term Cumberland appears in AD 945, when the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded that the area was ceded to Malcolm I, king of Alba (Scotland), by King Edmund I of England. As with , the native Welsh name for Wales, the names Cumberland and Cumbria are derived from in Common Brittonic, which originally meant 'compatriots'.
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.
In AD 1092, King William Rufus of England invaded the Carlisle district, settling it with colonists. He created an Earldom of Carlisle, and granted the territory to Ranulf le Meschin. In 1133, Carlisle was made the see of a new diocese, largely identical with the area of the earldom. However, on the death of King Henry I of England in 1135, the area was regained by King David I of Scotland. He was able to consolidate his power and made Carlisle one of his chief seats of government, while England descended into a lengthy civil war. The Cumbric language is believed to have become extinct in the 12th century. W. F. H. Nicolaisen, Scottish Place Names, p. 131
The area returned to the English crown in 1157, when Henry II of England took possession of the area (from Malcolm IV of Scotland). Henry II formed two new counties from the former earldom: Westmorland and Carliol – originally an abbreviation of the Latin '[bishop] of Carlisle'. Westmorland also included areas formerly part of the Earldom of Lancaster. The lead- and silver-mining area of Alston, previously associated with the Liberty of Tynedale was later also added to the new county of Carliol for financial reasons. By 1177, Carliol had become known as Cumberland. The border between England and Scotland was made permanent by the Treaty of York in 1237.
The population of Cumberland in the 1841 census was 178,038.
Geography 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 Scafell Pike, at , the highest mountain in England. Carlisle is the county town.
Sub-divisions
The Earldom of Carlisle was partitioned into baronies. When the County of Cumberland was created, the baronies were subdivided as wards, a county sub-division also used in Durham, Northumberland and Westmorland. These originated as military subdivisions used to organise the male inhabitants for the county's defence from Scottish troop incursions.
Each ward was composed of a number of parishes, areas originally formed for ecclesiastical administration. In common with other northern England counties, many ancient parishes in Cumberland were very large, often consisting of a number of distinct townships and hamlets. Many of these ancient parishes eventually became civil parishes and form the lowest level of local government. Allerdale above Derwent ParishesThe wards and their constituent parishes were as of 1821. NotesArlecdon Beckermet St John Included part of township of Calder & Beckermet or Calderbridge Beckermet St Bridget Included townships of Ennerdale & Kinniside, Eskdale & WasdaleBootle Brigham Included townships of Blindbothel, Buttermere, Cockermouth, Eaglesfield, Embleton, Greysouthen, Mosser, Setmurthey, Whinfell Cleator Corney Crosthwaite (part) Included township of Borrowdale Dean Drigg and Carlton Egremont Gosforth Included township of Bolton Haile Harrington Irton with Santon Included township of Santon & Murthwaite Lamplugh Included townships of Kelton & Winder, Murton Lorton Included townships of Brackenthwaite, Wythop Loweswater Millom Included hamlet of Birker with Austhwaite, township of Ulpha Moresby Included township of Parton Muncaster Ponsonby Included part of township of Calder & Beckermet or CalderbridgeSt Bees Include townships of Hensingham, Lowside Quarter, Netherwasdale, Preston Quarter, Rottington, Sandwith, Wheddicarr, Whitehaven Waberthwaite Whicham Whitbeck Workington Included townships of Great Clifton, Little Clifton, Stainburn, Winscales Allerdale below Derwent ParishesNotes Allhallows Aspatria Including townships of Hayton & Mealo, Oughterside & Allerby Bassenthwaite Bolton Including townships of Bolton Gate, Bolton Wood & Quarry Hill, Bolton Lowside, Isel Old Park, Sunderland Bridekirk Including townships of Dovenby, Great Broughton, Little Broughton Bromfield (part) Including townships of Allonby, Langrigg & Mealrigg, Papcastle, Tallentire, Westnewton Caldbeck (part) Camerton Including township of Seaton Crosscanonby Including townships of Birkby & Canonby, Blennerhasset & Kirkland, Crosby, Maryport Crosthwaite (part) Included townships of Castlerigg St John's & Wythburn, Keswick, Ribton, Underskiddaw Dearham Including township of Ellenborough & Ewanrigg Flimby Gilcrux Holme Cultram Including townships of Abbey Quarter (or Holme Abbey), Holme East Waver Quarter, Holme St Cuthbert's Quarter, Holme Low Quarter Ireby Including townships of High Ireby, Low Ireby Isel Including township of Blindcrake and Redmain Plumbland Torpenhow Including townships of Bewaldeth and Snittlegarth, Bothel & Thrupland Uldale West Ward
Eskdale ParishesNotes Arthuret Included townships of Braconhill, Lineside, Longtown, Netherby Bewcastle Brampton Castle Carrock Crosby High & Low Cumrew Outside and Inside Cumwhitton Included township of Northsceugh East Farlam Hayton Included townships of Little Crosby, Fenton & Faugh, Talkin Irthington Included townships of Kingwater, Laversdale, Newby, Newtown Kingmoor (hamlet) Extra-parochial liberty belonging to the Corporation of Carlisle Kirkandrews upon Esk Included townships of Kirkandrews Moat, Kirkandrews Nether Quarter, Kirkandrews Upper Quarter, Nichol Forest Kirklinton Included townships of Hethersgill, Westlinton (or Levington) Lanercost Included townships of Askerton, Burtholme & Banks, Lineside Nether Denton Scaleby East and West Stanwix Stapleton Included townships of Belbank, Solport Quarter, Trough Upper Denton Walton High and Low West Farlam Leath
ParishesNotesAddingham Included townships of Gamblesby, Glassonby, Hunsonby & WinskillAinstable and RushcroftAlston with GarrigillIncluded the Chapelry of Garrigill Caldbeck (part) Township of Mosedale Carlisle, St Mary's (part) Township of Middlesceugh & BraithwaiteCastle SowerbyCroglinDacreEdenhallIncluded township of LangwathbyGreat SalkeldGreystokeIncluded townships of Berrier & Murrah, Bowscale, Hutton John, Hutton Roof, Hutton Soil, Matterdale, Mungrisdale, Threlkeld, WatermillockHesket in the ForestHutton in the ForestKirkland Included townships of Culgaith, Kirkland & BlencarnKirkoswald Included township of StaffieldLazonby Included township of Plumpton WallMelmerbyNewton Reigny Included township of CatterlenOusbyPenrith RenwickSkirwith
Cumberland Ward Cumberland Ward included Carlisle and Wigton as well as parts of Inglewood Forest. The parish of Stanwix just to the north of Carlisle was partly in both Eskdale and Cumberland wards. ParishesNotesAiktonBeaumontBowness Included townships of Anthorn, Drumburg, FinglandBromfield (part)Included townships of Blencogo, Dundraw Burgh by Sands Carlisle, St Mary's (part)* Townships of Caldewgate Quarter, Cummersdale Quarter, Wreay Carlisle St Mary Within* Included township of Rickergate Quarter Carlisle St Cuthbert's Within* Carlisle St Cuthbert's Without* Dalston Eaglesfield Abbey* Grinsdale Kirkandrews upon Eden Kirkbampton KirkbrideOrton Included township of BaldwinholmeRockcliffeSebergham Low and High Quarters Thursby Warwick Wetheral Wigton Included townships of Oulton Water, Waverton High & Low, Woodside Quarter * 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 poor law, which was carried at parish level. The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 provided for the grouping of parishes into poor law unions, each with a central workhouse and an elected board of guardians. Cumberland was divided into nine unions: Alston with Garrigill, Bootle, Brampton, Carlisle, Cockermouth, Longtown, Penrith, Whitehaven and Wigton.
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 cholera, the Public Health Act 1848 (11 & 12 Vict. c. 63) and the Local Government Act 1858 allowed for the formation of local boards of health in populous areas. Local boards were responsible among other things for water supply, drainage, sewerage, paving and cleansing. Eleven local boards were initially formed at Brampton, Cleator Moor, Cockermouth, Egremont, Holme Cultram, Keswick, Maryport, Millom, Penrith, Whitehaven, Wigton and Workington.
Further reform under the Public Health Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c. 55) saw the creation of sanitary districts throughout England and Wales. The existing municipal boroughs and local boards became "urban sanitary districts", while "rural sanitary districts" were formed from the remaining areas of the poor law unions.
Three more local boards were formed: Arlecdon and Frizington in 1882, Harrington in 1891 and Aspatria in 1892. In addition Workington and Whitehaven received charters of incorporation to become municipal boroughs in 1883 and 1894 respectively.
Local government acts of 1888 and 1894