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A History of Cumberland and Westmorland By William Rollinson

Publisher's Synopsis

Cumbria was created as a new county in 1974, when the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland officially cease to exist.  However, the fierce pride and independence of the old counties is not easily eradicated, for reasons deep in their respective histories which Dr Rollinson here traces, in an integrated narrative.  Many people visit this corner of north west England for the scenery, but equally varied and fascinating is the evidence on the landscape of man's activities - lonely, windswept Bronze Age stone circles, remains of Roman forts and roads,  Hadrian's Wall,  surely one of the most impressive monuments to the might of Rome ever built; ruined Norman castles and beautifully situated medieval monasteries, evidence of the wealth and power of the barons and the Church.  Here, too,  are the tangible remains of border warfare in the form of solid, square peles and fortified church towers, gaunt reminders of a bitter and long-standing hostilities between England and Scotland.  On the coastal plain and in the fells the overgrown spoil tips, dripping, moss grown adits and fenced off shafts of the former mining areas tell a different story;  while the dry stone walls, snaking and dipping over the fells, are an eloquent testimony not only to the Agricultural Revolution but also to the remarkable men who built them. Indeed, the story of Cumberland and Westmorland emerges clearly from this gripping account as a human struggle, by successive generations of men and women to overcome a hard, if beautiful, environment and hostile neighbours. It makes a book that will interest the students and the general reader, the resident and the visitor alike.  The concise and lucid text is supported by copious illustrations in colour and monochrome, with marginal line drawings by David Kirk, and by  specially drawn maps, all of which add great visual impact to make this one of those attractive books on the area ever produced.

 

Philimore & Co. Ltd.; 1978. First edition. Hardcover with clipped dust cover. Spine a little sunned. Drawings by David Kirk. Cartography by Alan Hodgkiss & Joan Treasure.  The Darwen County History Series. Very good condition. Preowned. ISBN: 0850333156.

A History of Cumberland and Westmorland By William Rollinson

SKU: 0105198
£6.50Price
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