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DURHAM is a maritime county, bounded on the east side, from the mouth of the river Tees to Tynemouth, by the German Ocean; on the north, by the county of Northumberland; on the west, by that of Cumberland and a small part of Westmoreland; and on the south by Yorkshire. The greatest extent of the county, from Shields on the north-east to Sockburn on the south, is about thirty-six miles; its greatest length from the peninsula of Hartlepool on the east, to the mouth of Crookburn on the west (at the point where the counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland meet this county), is about forty-five miles: its circumference is nearly 180 miles, and its superficial area includes about 1,060 square miles or 679,000 statute acres. In size Durham ranks as the twentieth county in England and in population as the twenty-first.
SOIL and PRODUCE. - The general aspect of Durham is hilly and mountainous, particularly the west angle, which is a bleak region, crossed by the ridge of hills termed the 'English Appenines'; the eastern and central parts include some beautiful and fertile valleys, interspersed with hill and dale. The SOILSare various: near the river Tees, and in some spots bordering the other rivers and brooks, the soil is loamy, or a rich clay; at a further distance from the waters, the soil is of a poorer nature, commonly termed 'water-shaken', with spots of gravel intermixed; the hills between the sea, and an imaginary line drawn from Barnard Castle to Alansford, are, for the most part, covered with a dry loam, the fertility of which varies in proportion to its depth; from this line west, the summits as well as the sides of the hills are moorish wastes. The county possessing such diversity of soil, the PRODUCE is of course proportionably various. As an agricultural shire, Durham, though not ranking with the most valuable in the kingdom, is by no means unimportant in its productions: under this head the eastern and central districts are alternately appropriated to the growth of corn and to pasturage; wheat, barley, oats and pease are the chief products - but the harvests are hazardous, and the crops precarious in value. The cattle of Durham are in great repute - not being inferior to any in England for form, weight, quickness in fattening, or value to the dairy; the sheep, in general, are the improved Tees-water breed. The woodlands are not of any considerable extent, and are mostly confined to the parks and seats of the nobility; the banks of the rivers and brooks are, however, fringed with wood of long growth, particularly in the vicinity of the city: the best wooded part is in the vale of Derwent. The CLIMATE is esteemed healthy; and, although the air is sharp in the western parts, it is mild and genial towards the sea; the saline vapour from the German Ocean mitigating the cold.
MANUFACTURES, MINES and MINERALS. - The MANUFACTURES of this county are numerous, various and important. At Durham are manufactured worsteds, carpets, waistcoatings and paper; at Darlington, stuffs, carpets and coarse linens - as also flax spinning, grinding optical glasses, and iron works; at South Shields are salt works; at Stockton, Sunderland and North Shields, sail-cloths, glass, and other articles are manufactured; at South Shields, Sunderland and Hartlepool, are ship building yards; and cottons are manufactured in several districts - whilst in others there are extensive iron foundries, and works for the making of steel proper for sword blades. MINES and MINERALS. - The east and north-east parts of the county are famous for their extensive coal-mines: the supply of this important article is so great as to prohibit accurate calculation; but the number of men employed in this trade, on the river Wear, are estimated as approaching nearly 20,000 - and it is calculated that more than 30,000 persons are supported entirely by the coal works. In the vicinity of Wolsingham a beautiful black spotted lime-stone is procured, which is wrought into hearths, chimney-pieces, and various ornaments: superior mill-stone, and many excellent quarries of slate and fire-stone, are found in different parts of the county; and Gateshead Fell produces what have long obtained the appellation of 'Newcastle grind-stones'. The principal lead-mines are situated in Teesdale and Weardale.
NORTHUMBERLAND is a maritime county, and the most northerly of all English counties. It is bounded on the east by the German Ocean, on the west by Scotland and Cumberland, on the north by the river Tweed and the Cheviot hills, and its southern parts are irregularly bordered by Cumberland and Durham. Mountains and rivers are its general inland natural boundaries; and its form is a triangle, the sides of which are unequal: its greatest length is nearly seventy miles - its breadth, at the southern extremity, from east to west, about forty eight; and its circumference about two hundred and thirty miles. Part of the county is occupied by certain hundreds included in the county of Durham, viz. Northamshire, Islandshire and Bedlingtonshire. In the work printed by order of parliament in 1831, containing the population returns, &c, the area of Northumberland is stated to comprise 1,871 square miles or 1,097,440 statute acres. In size it ranks as the fifth county in England and in population as the twenty-fourth.
SOIL and CLIMATE. - The face of the country, in this extensive district, is varied, but in the aggregate it has a naked aspect; and, although agricultural industry and perseverance have accomplished much, and overcome difficulties of magnitude, many parts still continue sterile, and to the farmer or grazier almost valueless. The mountainous parts, unavailable for tillage, comprise nearly one-third of the land. The most fertile tracts are those on the east side, in the vales through which the rivers run in their course to the sea; and the vale of Coquet is particularly noted for its fertility. Woods are chiefly confined to the banks of rivers. The Cheviot Hills, near the north angle, are the most valuable of the mountainous sections, affording pasturage to innumerable flocks of sheep peculiar to them. The south-west angle is an extremely dreary and barren district, but its lead-mines compensate for its sterility. To the north of this, around the hilly regions, are some fertile dales, but the country about Redesdale is so boggy, as to be nearly an impassable desert. The central part of the county stretches into melancholy wastes, on which arise a few rocky hills of no great elevation. - The CLIMATE is subject to much variation; but the air is not so cold as might be expected from its situation, so far to the north: for as it lies between the German and Irish Seas, in the narrowest part of England, it has the advantage of being warmed by the sea vapours; and hence the snow never lies long except in the most northern parts and on the tops of lofty mountains. The air is also more salubrious than might be imagined in a country bordering on the sea; and the inhabitants are remarked for their strength, robust health and longevity.
PRODUCE and MANUFACTURES. - The PRODUCTS of this county are cattle, sheep, wool, corn, lead and coals - the last-named article being more prominent in consequence than any of the others: it is computed that upwards of ten thousand persons are employed in the collieries, which abound in the north-east parts, and that subsistence is given through their means to more than twenty thousand souls. A considerable source of wealth is also found in the rivers, which abound with various sorts of excellent fish, particularly trout and salmon, the Tweed being celebrated for the latter: great quantities of this fine fish are dried and pickled for exportation; in the latter state it is in high estimation in the metropolis. The principal MANUFACTURES are those chiefly depending on the collieries - such as glass-works, potteries and iron foundries.
CUMBERLAND is a maritime and northern county, bounded on the west by the Irish Sea, on the east by the counties of Northumberland and Durham, on the south by those of Westmoreland and Lancashire, and on the north it is separated from Scotland by the waters of the Solway, the Scots' Dyke and the river Liddal. The greatest extent of the county is about 80 miles, but its mean length is not more than 60; its general breadth is 35, and its circumference 224 miles. It contains 970,000 acres; of these about 342,000 comprise the mountainous districts - 470,000 are enclosed, and chiefly under cultivation - 150,000 are in low commons, capable of improvement - and 8,000 in lakes and waters. The surface of this county is broken and irregular: to the south-east, gigantic mountains towers in solemn grandeur, above lovely valleys, expansive lakes, and wide-spread woodlands; on the eastern side, a second range stretches away to Scotland; and along the western shore is a narrow strip of land, which, through cultivated and planted, has a bleak and barren aspect. Several of the mountains, Skiddaw among the number, exceed the altitude of 3,000 feet above the level of the sea. In size Cumberland ranks as the twelfth county in England, and in population as the twenty-eighth.
SOIL and CLIMATE &c. - The SOILS are various: along the western boundary they have been classed under the divisions of fertile clays, or strong loams, which occupy but a small portion of the county, and are chiefly appropriated to the growth of wheat; dry loams and light sandy soils prevail, with wet loam, through other parts; and black peat earth in the mountainous districts. One of the peculiarities of the soil of Cumberland is the production of cranberries, which are so abundant on the moors as to be an article of trade. The CLIMATE varies considerably: the lower parts of the county are mild and temperate - while on the higher grounds, and upon the mountains and their vicinity, the air is cold and piercing; but all parts are healthy, though subject to great and frequent falls of rain, particularly in the autumn, which renders the harvests precarious. The cattle are small and long-horned, intermixed with the Galloway breed: the sheep, before they were crossed with other species, had black faces and coarse wool; the quality of wool still continues coarse, but the face is commonly pieballed.
MINES, MINERALS and MANUFACTURES. - The mineralogical productions of this county are rich and varied, and include lead, copper and iron ores, zinc, cobalt, antimony and black lead. The lead mines are chiefly in Alstone moor; the most considerable copper mines are near Caldbeck, at Hesket Newmarket, in Borrowdale, and at Newlands, in the vicinity of Keswick. At Crowgarth, in the parish of Egremont, is an iron mine, which is unrivalled for productiveness in Great Britain: in 1791-2 upwards of 20,000 tons were supplied to the Carron foundry and some other places. The famous black lead or 'wadd' mines are situate at the head of Borrowdale, in a place difficult of access; and the richness and quality of the substance is unrivalled by any mine of the like material in the world. Valuable seams of coal are found in several parts: the chief colleries are those of Whitehaven and Workington - the former the most extensive, perhaps, in the kingdom; those about twelve miles to the east of Carlisle are productive, and of superior quality. Near Whitehaven are several quarries of red and white freestone, much of which is exported to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man; and about eight miles south-east of Carlisle is an immense bed of gypsum, or plaster of Paris, which is profitably worked.
The principal MANUFACTURES of Cumberland are the spinning and manufacturing of cotton into various fabrics, and calico printing; coarse linens, checks, woollens, &c. are also produced in several of the towns, and Carlisle has long been famous for its ginghams: several paper-mills are established in different parts of the county, earthenware is manufactured near Dearham and other parts; hats are also manufactured to a considerable amount. The trade of the county will be much improved when all the projected lines of railway are completed: that from Carlisle to Newcastle has been opened some time, and a line from Carlisle to Maryport is projected.
WESTMORELAND (or WESTMORLAND) is an inland county, being bounded on the north and north-west by Cumberland, on the north-east by Durham, on the south and south-west by Lancashire, and on the east and south-east by Yorkshire. From north to south it is about thirty miles in length; and in breadth, from east to west, as its narrowest part, it does not exceed twelve miles, while its greatest width is about thirty-six; the ambit of the country is computed at about 145 miles, and, according to the government survey, it contains 763 square miles, or 488,320 statute acres. In size it ranks as the twenty-ninth English county, and in population as the thirty-eighth.
Brathay Bridge, Ambleside
SOIL and CLIMATE. - This county is divided into two unequal portions, called 'the Baronies of Westmoreland', and 'Kendal': the former, although abounding with hills, and characterised by a general inequality of surface, is, nevertheless, comparatively an open country; the latter is extremely mountainous, containing numerous bleak and barren hills, usually designated the 'Fells'. Within the last half century scarcely one-fourth part of the whole county was under cultivation; the parts productive are chiefly applied to the growth of oats, the proportion of wheat and barley being very small. Some of the mountains yield good pasturage for sheep, and are stored with grouse, which induces an influx of sportsmen in the shooting season. The CLIMATE of this county, taken generally, must be considered as healthy; the air is pure, and varies in its keenness according to local situation; upon the hills it is sharp and piercing - in the valleys it is mild, genial and serene. The proximity of the western sea, and the great prevalence of westerly winds, cause an exuberant humidity.
PRODUCE and MANUFACTURES. - The valleys in which the rivers run are tolerably fertile; and it is in such districts that dairying is pursued to advantage, and a great deal of fine butter is made for the London markets. The western mountains contain mines of copper, and in some places have been discovered veins of gold, but not sufficient to answer the expense of working. Slate and lime-stone quarries are in this county productive; and near to Kendal a beautiful variegated marble is found, which is susceptible of a very high polish, and is worked into chimney-pieces, ornaments, &c. The hams of Westmoreland, as a delicacy, are in high estimation, and are cured in many of the towns. On the hills graze herds of black cattle, and on the moors great numbers of geese are bred. The MANUFACTURES of Westmoreland are of a similar character to those of its neighbouring county, York, being woollen goods of different kinds. The principal manufactories are at Kendal, where are produced kerseymeres, serges, baizes, carpetings, knit woollen caps and jackets, waistcoatings, &c. The marble works at this place are a very important branch, and embrace all the purposes of statuary. Paper and gunpowder, likewise, are also manufactured, to some extent, in the neighbourhood of Kendal; as are carpets and blankets at Kirkby-Lonsdale, and knit hose and gloves at Kirkby-Stephen.