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Article #177: A brief history of Cumbria

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






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