| Cumbria is located in the North West of England. | | | | place names. |
| The County boundary is naturally defined by the | | | | The disputed ownership of Cumbria and the |
| Irish Sea to the West, from the Solway Firth to | | | | frequently military assaults that took place in the |
| Morecambe Bay, with the Scottish border to the | | | | region between the 11th and 14th centuries |
| north and the Pennine hills to the east. | | | | meant that the purely civil system of |
| In it's history Cumbria has been a fortified and | | | | administration that developed in the rest of the |
| disputed land. | | | | country did not happen. Instead a series of |
| The Romans used Cumbria as a military | | | | military based baronies formed, at the heart of |
| mustering area for incursions into Scotland, and | | | | which was a string of Castles. Political control of |
| also to protect more southerly settlements. | | | | the area by the English was strengthened by |
| Roman fortification culminated in the construction | | | | religion and the establishment of the diocese of |
| of Hadrian's Wall, an 80 mile long defensive | | | | Carlise in the 12th century, even so sporadic raids |
| structure with forts, ditches, encampments and | | | | still continued over the next few hundred years. |
| watch towers. Hadrian's Wall runs from Newcastle | | | | These turbulent times for Cumbria left it |
| upon Tyne in the East to Bowness on Solway in | | | | somewhat isolated from the rest of the country |
| the west, effectively connecting these two | | | | both economically and culturally. The mountainous |
| coasts, separating England from Scotland and was | | | | terrain further isolated the region from industrial |
| built between AD122 and AD138. | | | | development as building canals was difficult, and |
| The Romans left England and Cumbria in the 5th | | | | road transportation was poor relying for a long |
| Century, leaving the county to an influx of | | | | time on pack animals. However the western sea |
| Anglo-Saxon immigrants which in the end drove | | | | ports offered a means of transporting goods to |
| the indigenous population of Celts out of the | | | | the rest of England and the World. Cumbria being |
| fertile lowland plains. | | | | rich in minerals attracted, coal, copper, tin and iron |
| The 7th to 10th centuries saw rival claims from | | | | mining. |
| Scottish and Anglo-Saxon kings for sovereignty | | | | The arrival of the railway was arguably the |
| over much of the county. These battles saw the | | | | greatest factor in ending the social and economic |
| end of the last of the Celtic Kings, Dunmail in 945. | | | | isolation of Cumbria. The first line in the county |
| During this time the region was also being | | | | linked Carlise and Newcastle in the 1830's. Not only |
| colonised by immigrants from Ireland and | | | | did the railways allow the easy export of goods |
| Scandinavia. This mixture of Celts, Anglo-Saxons | | | | and create jobs, but they also allowed people to |
| and Scandinavians, as well as the previous Roman | | | | visit. |
| population gives Cumbria it's diverse array of | | | | |