Cumbria ( KUM-bree-ə) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Carlisle.
Cumbria is predominantly rural, with an area of 6,769 km2 (2,614 sq mi) and a population of 510,680; this makes it the third-largest ceremonial county in England by area but the eighth-smallest by population. Carlisle is located in the north; the towns of Workington and Whitehaven lie on the west coast, Barrow-in-Furness on the south coast, and Penrith and Kendal in the east of the county. For local government purposes the county comprises two unitary authority areas, Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland. Cumbria was created in 1974 from the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, the Furness area of Lancashire, and a small part of Yorkshire.
The interior of Cumbria contains several upland areas. Together they fringe the Vale of Eden, the wide valley of the River Eden, which runs south-east to north-west across the county and broadens into the Solway Plain near Carlisle. To the north-east are part of the Border Moors, and to the east part of the North Pennines; the latter have been designated a national landscape. South of the vale are the Orton Fells, Howgill Fells, and part of the Yorkshire Dales, which are all within the Yorkshire Dales national park. The south-west contains the Lake District, a large upland area which has been designated a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It includes England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike; its longest and largest lake, Windermere; and its deepest lake, Wast Water. The county has long coast to the west which is bordered by a plain for most of its length. The north-west coast is part of the Solway Firth, a national landscape, and the south coast includes the Cartmel and Furness peninsulas. East of the peninsulas, the county contains part of Arnside and Silverdale, another national landscape (Full article...)
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William Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett, PC (6 September 1883 – 10 February 1962), was a British barrister, judge, politician and preacher who served as the deputy British judge during the Nuremberg Trials.
Birkett received his education at Barrow-in-Furness Higher Grade School. He was a Methodist preacher and a draper before attending Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1907, to study theology, history and law. Upon graduating in 1910 he worked as a secretary and was called to the Bar in 1913. (Full article...)
The following are images from various Cumbria-related articles on Wikipedia.
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Image 1Loki stone, Kirkby Stephen parish church, part of a 10th-century Viking-age cross-shaft. But does it show Loki or Satan? (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 2Topographic map of Cumbria (from Cumbria)
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Image 3A Tesco store underwater in Carlisle during the January 2005 floods (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 4'Giants Grave', St. Andrew's churchyard, Penrith, an unusual arrangement of two Viking-age cross-shafts with four hogbacks (in the foreground). In addition, there is a smaller, Viking-age, wheel-headed cross just visible in the background (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 5The historic counties shown within Cumbria Boundary of Cumbria (from Cumbria)
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Image 6The Eden Valley between Appleby and Penrith, an area referred to affectionately as the heartland of Rheged in the praise poems of Taliesin (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 7Brunton Park, the home of Carlisle United (from Cumbria)
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Image 8Claife Station on the western shore of Windermere – built in the 1790s with tinted windows angled to take in all the aesthetically pleasing views (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 9Cairn circle, Oddendale (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 10Carlisle Cathedral : founded in 1133 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 11Kentmere Hall, an example of a Cumbrian Pele tower (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 13Swinside stone circle (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 14Wray Castle – built by a Liverpool doctor who had married a rich wife. Constructed in 1840 at the head of Windermere. Associated with two key players of the National Trust : Canon Rawnsley and Beatrix Potter (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 16Gateway to the College at Kirkoswald (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 18The Crosby Garrett Helmet – (private collection) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 19Workington Hall, the Curwens' family seat (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 21The Stanegate line is marked in red, to the south of the later Hadrian's Wall. (n.b. Brocavum is Brougham, not Kirkby Thore as given in the map) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 22The Flag of Cumbria, adopted in 2025 (from Cumbria)
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Image 23The northeastern Irish Sea, showing new settlements with Norse place names. (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 24Fibulae from the Penrith Hoard, 10th century (British Museum) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 25Dove Cottage (Town End, Grasmere) – home of William and Dorothy Wordsworth, 1799–1808; home of Thomas De Quincey, 1809–1820 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 26Galava Roman fort, Ambleside (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 28Swarthy Hill, near Crosscanonby on the Solway coast – possible site of Iron Age hillfort, later the site of mile-fortlet 21 in Roman times (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 29This map of cities and towns of Northern England shows the relative lack of urbanisation in Cumbria (shown here as the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland) compared to the rest of the region (from Cumbria)
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Image 30Kents Bank, Cumbria (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 32Napes Needle on Great Gable, a favourite of the early climbers (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 33Approximate extent of Domesday coverage : the district of Hougun, if indeed it was a district, may have covered the three peninsulas at the left of the pink area (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 34Little Meg – a Bronze Age ring cairn with spiral rock art (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 35Yanwath hall – a semi-fortified house near Penrith (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 36Neolithic stone axe with handle from Ehenside Tarn (now in the British Museum) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 37The Gosforth Cross, 10th-century Viking-age sculpture. (A replica of 1887, with clearer depictions of the decoration, may be found in the churchyard at Aspatria, along with a replica of another cross, the original of which is at Dearham) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 38Iron Age roundhouse reconstruction (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 39So-called "Saint's tomb" (left), and "Warrior's tomb" (right), two hogbacks in St. Mary's church, Gosforth. Typically high and narrow Cumbrian style, in the shape of a building with a roof, eaves and walls. The Saint's tomb has a crucifixion on the end, the Warrior's tomb has a procession of armed men (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 40Hadrian's Wall (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 41Milefortlet 21 at Crosscanonby on the Cumbrian coast, with later, 18th-century, saltpans across the road to the left (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 42Penrith Castle : Richard, Duke of Gloucester, (later Richard III of England), was based here when Sheriff of Cumberland in the 1470s (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 43Calder Abbey (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 44The Rere or Rey Cross on Stainmore (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 45Possible position of Rheged (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 47Birdoswald – showing partial blockage of main (east) gateway (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 48The Irton Cross, Irton, Cumbria, early 9th century, Anglian (pre-Viking) sculpture (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 49The University of Cumbria's Fusehill Campus in Carlisle (from Cumbria)
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Image 50Cumbria within England (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 51Walls Castle, Ravenglass: the possible site of the Arthurian Lyons Garde or St Patrick's birthplace (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 52Furness Abbey, founded in 1123 by Stephen, King of England, attacked by the Scots in 1322 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 54Rydal Mount – home to Wordsworth 1813–1850. Hundreds of visitors came here to see him over the years (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 55Greta Hall, Keswick – home of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1800–1804; home to Robert Southey, 1803–1843 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 58St Mary's Church, Abbeytown : all that is left of Holmcultram Abbey, founded by David I, King of Scots, and his son, Earl Henry, in 1150 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 59Roman milestone still in situ by the A66 near Kirkby Thore (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 60The Fish Hotel, Buttermere – where Mary Robinson worked (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 61BAE Systems Submarine Solutions in Barrow-in-Furness has a workforce of around 14,500 people (from Cumbria)
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Image 62The Staffordshire Moorlands Pan – an enamelled cooking and serving vessel, engraved with the names of four Hadrian's Wall forts sited in Cumbria (2nd century AD). See also the article on the Rudge Cup and Amiens skillet. (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 63Craven Park, home of Barrow Raiders (from Cumbria)
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Image 64The historic counties shown within Cumbria Boundary of Cumbria (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 65St Laurence's Church, Morland : with "the only tower of Anglo-Saxon character in the NW counties", according to Pevsner. Tower possibly built by order of Siward, Earl of Northumbria, sometime between 1042 and 1055; nave possibly later (1120) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 66Scots' Dike (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 67The Anglo-Scottish marches (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 68The entrance to Whinlatter Forest Park (from Cumbria)
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Image 70The Castlerigg stone circle dates from the late Neolithic age and was constructed by some of the earliest inhabitants of Cumbria (from Cumbria)
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Image 71Hardknott Roman Fort (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 72Brantwood, overlooking Coniston Water, viewed from the steam yacht 'Gondola' – note the angled, corner windows designed to take in the views (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 73Wetheral Priory Gatehouse – all that remains of Wetheral Priory, founded by Ranulf le Meschin in 1106 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 76Carlisle Castle – begun by William Rufus in 1092; rebuilt in stone under Henry I, 1122–35, and David I of Scotland, 1136–1153 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 78The banks of Brocavum Roman fort in the foreground; Brougham Castle is in the background (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 80The Ormside bowl, probably late 8th century and made in Northumbria; possibly looted from York by a Viking warrior and buried with him at Great Ormside (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 81Great Langdale, site of the Langdale Axe Factory (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 82Greystoke Castle. Held by the Greystoke family, then by the Dacres and inherited by the Howard family during Elizabeth I's reign. Photo:Simon Ledingham (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 83Location of Inglewood Forest, stretching from Carlisle to Penrith; it was the most northerly of the Royal forests (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 84A Border Reiver : statue in Carlisle (from History of Cumbria)
Great Gable from Yewbarrow. The crag at centre is the Great Napes. Great Gable is a mountain in the Lake District, United Kingdom. It is named after its appearance as a pyramid from Wasdale, though it is dome-shaped from most other directions. It is one of the most popular of the Lakeland fells, and there are many different routes to the summit. Great Gable is linked by the high pass of Windy Gap to its smaller sister hill, Green Gable, and by the lower pass of Beck Head to its western neighbour, Kirk Fell. (Full article...)
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Cumbria Buildings and structures in Cumbria Deputy lieutenants of Cumbria Local government in Cumbria Organisations based in Cumbria Science and technology in Cumbria Tourist attractions in Cumbria
WikiProjects related to Cumbria:
- WikiProject Geography
- WikiProject Europe
- WikiProject England
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Lancashire and Cumbria
WikiProjects about things important to Cumbria:
- WikiProject Mountains
- WikiProject Lakes
- WikiProject Travel and Tourism
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