Westmorland

This article is about the English county. For the new unitary authority, see Westmorland and Furness. For other uses, see Westmoreland.

Westmorland
Historic county

Flag

Ancient extent of Westmorland
Area
 • 1831485,990 acres (1,966.7 km2)[1]
 • 1911505,330 acres (2,045.0 km2)[2]
 • 1961504,917 acres (2,043.33 km2)[2]
Population
 • 191163,575[2]
 • 196167,180[2]
History
 • OriginBarony of Kendal,
Barony of Westmorland
 • Created13th century
 • Succeeded byCumbria
StatusHistoric county (current)[3][4][5]
Ceremonial county (until 1974)
Administrative county (1889–1974)
Chapman codeWES
GovernmentWestmorland County Council (1889-1974)
 • HQAppleby (historic county town)
County Hall, Kendal (1889-1974)
Arms of the former Westmorland County Council
Arms of Westmorland County Council
Subdivisions
 • TypeBaronies and Wards
 • UnitsWestmorland:
•East •West
Kendal:
•Kendal •Lonsdale
Wards of Westmorland

Westmorland (/ˈwɛstmərlənd/, formerly also spelt Westmoreland[6]) is a historic county in the north west of England. People of the area are known as Westmerians.[7] The area includes part of the Lake District and the southern Vale of Eden.

The county had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974, when it was subsumed into Cumbria together with Cumberland, the Sedbergh area of Yorkshire, and the Furness area of Lancashire. It gives its name to the Westmorland and Furness unitary authority area, which covers a larger area than the historic county.[8]

  1. ^ 1831 Census cited in Vision of Britain - Ancient county data
  2. ^ a b c d Vision of Britain – Westmorland population (density and area)
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference CLG-EP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ind-EP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ABC-EP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British Isles. Vision of Britain
  7. ^ Join the Westmorland Association
  8. ^ "Names for two controversial Cumbria councils revealed". BBC News. 5 November 2021.