History of Northumberland

Northumberland, as its boundaries are today, shown here within England

Northumberland, England's northernmost county, is a land where Roman occupiers once guarded a walled frontier, Anglian invaders fought with Celtic natives, and Norman lords built castles to suppress rebellion and defend a contested border with Scotland. The present-day county is a vestige of an independent kingdom that once stretched from Edinburgh to the Humber, hence its name, meaning literally 'north of the Humber'.[1] Reflecting its tumultuous past, Northumberland has more castles than any other county in England,[2] and the greatest number of recognised battle sites. Once an economically important region that supplied much of the coal that powered the industrial revolution, Northumberland is now a primarily rural county with a small and gradually shrinking population.[3]

  1. ^ englandsnortheast.co.uk/PlaceNameMeaningsKtoO
  2. ^ Long, B. (1967). Castles of Northumberland. Newcastle, UK: Harold Hill.
  3. ^ Dowson, J. (2009) Northumberland's Economy 2009. Northumberland Information Network http://www.northumberlandinfonet.org.uk/EconomicAssessment/documents/NorthumberlandsEconomy2009ExecutiveSummary.pdf Archived 12 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine