- For other places with this name, see Northumberland
Northumberland is a county in England, on the border with
Scotland.
The county's largest boundaries were from the river Humber in the south, to the
Forth in the North, as the kingdom of Northumbria under King Edwin. At present,
however, the county extends covers a much smaller area. Until 1974 it included Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the traditional county town of Northumberland, but that is now part of Tyne and Wear. The county town is now Morpeth.
For some purposes, particularly wildlife recording and many sporting organisations, the 1974 boundary changes are not followed, retaining Newcastle-upon-Tyne and North Tyneside within Northumberland. The official county borders on Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Cumbria and the Lieutenancy area of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale in Scotland.
Northumberland has a long and complicated history, as it was the scene of many wars between England and Scotland, dating back
to the times before the Roman Empire. This explains the many castles in
Northumberland, including among the better-known those at Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh,
Warkworth and Alnwick - see Castles in England for a full list.
Northumberland is called the "cradle of Christianity" in England because it was on Lindisfarne, a tidal island north of Bamburgh, also called
Holy Island, that Christianity flourished when monks from Iona were sent to convert the English, and set up camp there. Lindisfarne was also the home of the
Lindisfarne Gospels (presently situated in the British Library, London) and also
of Saint Cuthbert who is buried at Durham Cathedral.
Bamburgh Castle is the historic capital of Northumberland, the "royal" castle from before the unification of England under one
monarch. The capital of Northumberland now, however, may be thought to be the market town of Alnwick, mainly because the Duke of
Northumberland has his home there; or may be thought of as Morpeth, since Northumberland County Council's offices are in that
town.
Northumberland has a history of revolt and rebellion against the government, as seen in the Pilgrimage of Grace and the
Rising of the North
in Tudor times. These revolts were usually led by the then Dukes of Northumberland, the Percy family. Most of these Dukes would betray their comrades in whatever rebellion they were leading, give the
information to the government, and get away scot-free. Shakespeare mentions one of the Percys, Harry
Hotspur. The county was also a centre for Catholicism in England, as well
as of Jacobite feelings after the Restoration. Northumberland became a sort of
wild county, where outlaws and border reivers hid from the law, as it was largely rural and unpopulated. However, after the union of the
crowns of Scotland and England under King James VI and I,
Northumberland became much more peaceful, though it still had its moments.
Today Northumberland is still largely rural - the least populated county in Britain - and no longer commands any sort of power
in British affairs. Its power was largely derived from the border conflicts, as the Lords of the Marches were entrusted with
making sure England was not invaded by the Scots, and so became powerful. At present there is a movement to attract tourism to
Northumberland, by pointing out the beauty of the scenery - coastal and rural - and the many castles and the important role
Northumberland played in English history. Nowhere is this more to be seen than on Lindisfarne. Attempts to raise the level of awareness of Northumbrian culture to that of Scottish culture have also started, with the formation of a Northumbrian Language Society
to preserve the unique dialects (Pitmatic and Northumbrian) of this region, as well as to promote home-grown talent.
Famous Northumbrians include:
- Fred Reed, a dialect poet
- Basil Bunting, another poet
- Lord Grey, author of the Reform Bill
- Admiral
Collingwood
- Lord Armstrong, present
owner of Bamburgh Castle
- William Armstrong, industrialist and the
builder of Cragside
Note: some of these places are no longer in Northumberland
Towns, villages
- Alnwick, Amble
- Bamburgh Bardon Mill Belford, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Brandon, Northumberland
- Chesters Chollerford Corbridge Craster
- Dalton, Hexham, Northumberland, Dalton, Ponteland, Northumberland
- Elsdon Embleton
- Falstone
- Greenhaugh Greenhead
- Haltwhistle, Hartley, Haydon Bridge Hexham Highfields, Horsley, Prudhoe, Northumberland, Horsley, Redesdale, Northumberland, Housesteads
- Ingram
- Langley, Linton, Longhorsley, Lowick, Lynemouth
- Mindrum, Morpeth, Murton
- Newcastle upon Tyne, Netherton
- Once Brewed
- Rothbury
- Seahouses, Shipley,
Northumberland, Stonehaugh
- Vindolanda
- Warkworth, Wooler
Places of interest
Options for change
On May 25, 2004 the Boundary Committee for England published its
final recommendations for systems of Unitary Authorities to be
implemented if proposals for elected Regional Assemblies are approved by referendums in three northern Regions of England. They put forward two options for each County Council area, which the
electorate will be asked to choose between at the same time as the Assembly Referendums.
For Northumberland the options are
- a single authority for the existing County
- two authorities for the existing County
Option 1
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Option 1 (left)
- Northumberland Council
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Option 2
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Option 2 (right)
- Rural Northumberland
- South East Northumberland
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