an inland county of England, the smallest in size of the whole, bounded on the N.E. by Lincolnshire, S.E. by Northamptonshire, W. and N.W. by Leicestershire; length, from N.E. to S.W., about 20 miles; greatest breadth, 16; area, 150 square miles, or 95,805 acres. It is divided into five hundreds, and contains two market-towns, Uppingham and Oakham, and fifty-seven parishes, besides two extra parochial districts.

It gives only one title at present, that of duke, to the family of Manners; two former peerages, that of Ferrars of Okeham, and Noel of Exton, being extinct. Only two members are returned to the House of Commons from the county, and none from either of the towns. In judicial affairs it is on the midland circuit of the judges; and in ecclesiastical matters it has formed, since the year 1541, a portion of the bishopric of Peterborough.

The appearance of this small county is pleasing to the traveller. It is much diversified by ranges of moderate hills running from east to west, in some parts well wooded. Between these ranges of hills, the valleys, of about half a mile in breadth, are luxuriant and verdant. The principal vale, called Catmoss, is in the centre of the county, having to the north a tract of table-land overlooking the well-wooded plains of Leicester, Lincoln, and Nottinghamshire. The rivers of Rutlandshire all discharge their waters into the estuary called the Wash. The largest of them is the Welland, which flows in a N.E. direction along the border of the county, separating it from that of Northampton. The Chater, the Wash, the Eye, and the Wreck are all affluents of the Welland, flowing from W. to E., through various valleys in Rutlandshire. The geological formations of the county belong to the lower part of the oolite series of deposits. Limestone is the prevailing rock in the table-land that occupies the northern and also in the south-eastern part of the county. The south-western portion is mostly occupied by the reddish sands that separate the oolitic formation from the lias that underlies it. There are good stone quarries at Ketton, on the south-east border of the county.

The soil on the eastern and south-eastern parts is chiefly shallow, resting upon a basis of limestone, composed of clays and loams. The other parts consist principally of a tensive but fertile loam; but the vale of Catmose enjoys a most fertile soil of good clay, or red loam, or a grateful mixture of both these earths. A peculiarity of the soil is a redness, which generally prevails, and which tinges all the waters of the country. A great part of the area, especially in the west, is laid out in pasture; the eastern portion is mostly occupied by farms; and hardly any part is waste.

The woods of this county were far more extensive in former ages than they are at present, but they are still estimated to cover nearly 3000 acres. The climate is generally accounted peculiarly soft and healthy; and the elevation is of that medium kind which equally exempts it from the pernicious effects of moist exhalations and cold mountain fogs.

The agriculture, though it has partaken of some modern improvements, is not upon the whole conducted in the best manner. Large crops of wheat and barley are reared; but it is chiefly for its pastures that Rutlandshire is remarkable. The cattle are for the most part short-horns; but other breeds are also to be met with. The cows are remarkable for the richness of their milk, though they yield but a small quantity. The rich cheese commonly known as Sutton is chiefly made in the dairies of this county. Most of the sheep are of the Leicester breed. Hogs of the Berkshire and the Suffolk breeds are raised; and many strong dray horses are sent from Rutlandshire to London. The farms have for the most part an extent of 15 acres and upwards, and the farm-houses are good old-fashioned buildings.

Rutlandshire is neither a manufacturing nor a mineral district, but depends exclusively on its agriculture. It is traversed by numerous roads, by a canal from Melton Mowbray to Oakham, and by lines of railway connecting Peterborough with Leicester and Rugby. The principal seats of noblemen and gentlemen in the county are Exton Park, belonging to the Earl of Gainsborough; Normanton Hall, to Baron Aveland; Cottesmore, to the Earl of Longsdale; Glaston, to the Earl of Harborough; and Burley, to G. Finch, Esq. The last-mentioned place belonged at one time to the Duke of Buckingham, who entertained here on several occasions James I. and Charles I. It was afterwards purchased by the Earl of Nottingham, who erected the present splendid mansion. There are few remains of antiquity in the county; and these are mostly to be found in the churches, some of which are of Norman architecture, and beautifully ornamented. According to the census of 1851, the county contained in all 91 places of worship, with 17,399 sitting. Of the former, 53 belonged to the Church of England, 18 to Wesleyan Methodists, 12 to Baptists of various denominations, 6 to Independents, and 1 each to Quakers and Moronites. According to the same returns, Rutlandshire contained 39 public day schools and 74 private ones—in all, 113; attended by 3405 children. Of the public schools, 2 were workhouse schools, supported by taxation, 15 were supported by endowments, and 22 by the Church of England. There were also 58 Sunday schools, with 3038 scholars. The only literary institution is the Rutland Farmers' and Graziers' Club, which has 40 members, and a library of 80 volumes. By the returns of 1801, the inhabitants were 16,300; in 1811 the numbers were 16,380; in 1821 they were 18,487; in 1831 the numbers were 19,385; in 1841, 21,302; and in 1851 22,983.