or WESTMORELAND, one of the lake-counties of England, is bounded by Cumberland on the north-west and north, by Durham and Yorkshire on the east, and by Lancashire on the south and west. It has one sea-inlet, about five miles of its boundary line being washed by the waters of Morecambe Bay. Its form is very irregular; its greatest length is 40 miles, and its greatest breadth 25 miles. The superficial area is 758 square miles, or 485,432 acres, of which 180,000 are arable and pasture. It extends from 54.10. to 54.42. N. lat., and from 2.9. to 3.10. W. long.

This county is wholly mountainous, and its various geological strata are found in a very disturbed state. The appearance aspect of the lake-district generally, as seen from the mountain summits, has been compared to that of an ocean in a storm. "On the outskirts," says Professor Sedgwick, "the mountains have a dull outline, and a continual tendency to a tabular form; but those of the interior have a much more varied figure, and sometimes present outlines which are peaked, jagged, or serrated." The whole series of slate rocks of the district may be subdivided thus:—1. Skiddaw slate (which does not extend into Westmorland); 2. Green roofing slate and porphyry; 3. Dark-coloured slate and flagstone, alternating with bands, and sometimes with thick beds, of siliceous gritstone. The second of these divisions, and therefore the oldest of the stratified rocks of Westmorland, is described by Professor Sedgwick as rising into the highest and most rugged mountains of the whole region. It contains two distinct classes of rock—aqueous and igneous; but they are piled one upon another in tabular masses of such regularity, and are so interlaced and blended, that we are compelled to regard them as the effects of two distinct causes, acting simultaneously during a long geological period. The igneous portions present almost every variety of felstone and felstone porphyry; sometimes passing into greenstone, and rarely into masses with a structure like that of basalt. All the aqueous rocks have more or less a slaty structure, and pass in their most perfect form into the finest roofing slates. The third and latest division, which alone is fissiferous, is made up of four well defined groups—Coniston limestone, Coniston flags, Coniston grit, and Ireleth slates. Above these in several places appears the old red sand- Westmorland; then the carboniferous series, which yields in Westmorland but little coal; and lastly the magnesian limestone and conglomerate, and new red sandstone. Immediately on the last-mentioned rests the boulder clay and drift, leaving a wide gap in the geological features of this district, as compared with other parts of England. An immense mass of granite, known as Wasdale Crag, protrudes on Shap Fells, boulders from which have been carried far to the south, and even over the Pennine chain into Yorkshire, and to the shores of the German Ocean. Several clefts or "faults" traverse these mountains, the principal of which is known as the Pennine fault. On the east of this the carboniferous beds are lifted to the height of 3000 feet, and on the other side are deeply buried beneath the new red sandstone and alluvion of the Eden. Igneous dykes of porphyry abound in this region.

The eastern side of Westmorland is traversed by the Pennine chain. On the west enters a ridge of the Cambrian group, commencing with Helvellyn, and crossing towards the Pennine, from which it is separated only by a narrow valley. Numerous branches extend through the county, a remarkable one being that which includes Shap Fells. The principal mountains are Helvellyn, on the border, which is claimed for Westmorland, 3055 feet in height; Fairfield, 2950; Bow Fell, 2914; Rydal Head, 2910; High Street, 2700; Hill Bell, 2500; Harrison Stickle, 2400; Pike o' Stickle, 2300.

The lakes are picturesque and beautiful. Windermere (anciently Wymanderingmere), on the border of Lancashire, is considered a Westmorland lake. It is the largest in England, being 12 miles long, and in some parts 1 mile broad, and is beautifully margined with woods, shrubberies, and cultivated grounds, interspersed with villas. Next in size is Ullswater, 9 miles long, and nearly 1 mile in breadth, on the Cumberland border. The head of this lake is surrounded by majestic mountains. Hawes Water, 3 miles in length, differs from the other lakes in being situated entirely amidst uncultivated scenery. Rydal Water, Grasmere, and Brother's Water are also in this county. Windermere and Ullswater have several small, flat islands; and during the summer months steam-boats ply on both lakes the entire length. There are numerous tarns, or small lakes, among the mountains.

The rivers are not important or navigable. In the Pennine chain rises the Eden, which, passing north, enters Cumberland after a course of 30 miles. The Eamont flows from Ullswater, and, separating Cumberland and Westmorland, joins the Eden. The Lowther, a tributary of the Eamont, rises in the neighbourhood of Hawes Water, and has a most picturesque course through Lowther Park and woods. The Kent takes its rise at the foot of High Street, and passing through Kendal, after a course of 23 miles, flows into Morecambe Bay. The Lune rises in Ravenstonedale, passes through Kirkby Lonsdale, and enters Lancashire after a course of 27 miles. The Belo and the Winster or Pool may also be mentioned. The mountains abound with rivulets. Several waterfalls, called "forces" in the district, form objects of attraction to the tourist; the principal are Colwith Force, which has a fall of 150 feet; Stockgill Force, 152; Dungeon Gill, 90; and Rydal Fall, 70.

There is one canal, which commences near Kendal, at a height of 144 feet above the level of the sea, and passes southward as far as Preston. It has a course of 12 miles in Westmorland, with a few locks, and a short tunnel. The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, which passes through this county, was opened in December 1846, having been completed for £22,000 per mile. It passes through Shap Fells with a deep, open cutting, a mile in length, and attains an elevation of 1000 feet above the level of the sea, and 888 feet above its own level near Morecambe Bay. Docker Gill and Lowther viaducts are fine stone structures on this line, the latter being nearly 100 feet in height. Its construction was a matter of vast importance to the district, and on the whole it has continued to be one of the best managed lines in the kingdom. The Kendal and Windermere forms a junction with the above at Oxenholme, and proceeds from thence through Kendal to Birkwith, about a mile from the lake. The South Durham and Lancashire, a new line, joins the Stockton and Darlington at one end, and, passing through Kirkby Stephen, forms a junction with the Lancaster and Carlisle at Tebay in Westmorland. Near Kirkby Stephen the Eden Valley, also a new line, unites with the Durham and Lancashire, and, passing through Appleby, joins the Lancaster and Carlisle at Clifton in Westmorland. The two last-mentioned lines, when opened for traffic, will almost complete the system of railway communication in this county. The turnpike roads also are excellent, considering the surface of country they traverse.

Much more than an average quantity of rain falls in this county. In the winter snow accumulates on the fells to a great depth, and inundations of the low grounds are only too frequent. Notwithstanding this superabundance of wet, the district is healthy, and the inhabitants are long-lived. There are, however, some localities in which fevers often prevail, rheumatism and dropsy being also very general ailments. Numerous cases of goitre occur, in great part, if not altogether, among females.

Considerably more than one-half the area of Westmorland is mountain and waste. Yet the valleys are fertile, and much has been done of late years in the draining and reclaiming of marshes, and the enclosing of commons. Upwards of a thousand acres have thus been brought into cultivation in the dreary district of Shap within a short time. Dry stone fences, straggling up the mountain side, are a remarkable feature in this region. Guano and artificially manures are now much used. Sheep-feeding is extensively carried on, and turnips are in consequence much grown. The principal breeds of sheep are the black-faced and white-faced, with a mixed breed between these two—Herdwicks, Cheviots, Leicesters, and some Southdowns have also been introduced. Silverdale, near Milnthorpe, gave its name to a breed of sheep once much spoken of in this county. The fattening of cattle is better understood than formerly, and shorthorns have almost entirely replaced the older breeds. Barley and oats are much grown, and enter largely into the food of the people, a peculiar kind of oatmeal bread, named "clap-cake," being made here, and highly relished. The class of small proprietors, called statesmen, was once numerous in this county. On this subject, Miss Martineau observes:—"The decline of the domestic fortunes is regular and inevitable when it has once set in. The land is mortgaged; the 'statesmen' ('estatesmen' originally) haunt the fairs and markets, losing more and more, and too commonly resorting to the old solace on such occasions, and coming home drunk. The amount of intemperance among that class, both in the villages and the dales, is something incredible to strangers, and by far the most painful feature of the transition stage. As the mortgages grow more oppressive, the heirs sell the land; estates which have belonged to the same names for centuries have changed hands, and the old names are found everywhere among the shop-boys, domestic servants, and labourers of the towns and villages. The old yeomanry of the district have nearly passed away, and strangers have come into their place." At Brough Hill is held the principal fair of the county, on the last day of September and 1st of October, and great numbers of horses, sheep, and cattle are brought there for sale.

The rivers and lakes still abound with trout and char. During the last century, it is said, it was usual to provide in indentures that apprentices should not be fed on salmon oftener than twice a week. This is now changed, and owing to the destruction of smolts, the discharging of poisonous matter into the rivers, &c., salmon has almost disappeared from the county. Westmorland is justly famed for its butter, of which large quantities are sent to London and other parts of England. The fattening of hogs and curing of bacon are carried on here successfully, and the hams are much in request. The quarries are an inexhaustible source of wealth, producing some of the best slates in England. The lead mines at Greenside employ upwards of 300 men. Lime is abundant, but coal is little worked. There are many mills for the manufacture of bobbins, and the coppice woods are consequently more prized than formerly, being largely drawn on for this purpose. Paper-making is carried on near Milnthorpe, and there are some powder-mills in the south of the county. The seat of the principal manufactures is at Kendal.

Westmorland is included in the northern Circuit, and belongs to the diocese of Carlisle, and province of York. It is divided into the barony of Kendal, in the south, and the barony of Westmorland, in the north; called also the "bottom of Westmorland." There is some diversity in the customs of inheritance in the baronies. The latter of these divisions is subdivided into East Ward and West Ward, and the former into the Kendal and Lonsdale Wards. The principal town of the county is Kendal. (See Kendal.) The assizes are held at Appleby, the county town, on the river Eden, 270 miles from London; population in 1851, 1294. The other market towns are Kirkby Lonsdale, population 1675; and Kirkby Stephen, population 1339. Besides these, there are the nominal market towns—Ambleside, Brough, Burton-in-Kendal, Milnthorpe, Orton, Ravenstonedale, and Shap; but at all these places the markets are now unimportant, or wholly discontinued.

The county returns two members to parliament. The population in 1851 was 58,287 (females in excess of males 129), showing an increase of 43 per cent. in the last fifty years; inhabited houses, 10,849; uninhabited, 875; and 39 in process of erection.

its Latinized form, Westmeria, the west moor country, was probably so called to distinguish it from the moorlands on the other side of the Pennine. Its earliest inhabitants, as far as any traces remain, were principally, though not exclusively, Celts of the Cambrian division. Early in the second century this part of England was overrun by the Romans, who established their power by means of numerous forts and well constructed roads. From Yorkshire a branch of the great Roman way, known to antiquaries as Watling Street, entered this county, and, passing through Brough and Kirkby Thore, turned northward in the direction of "Old Penrith" and Carlisle. Traces of a main road have also been discovered leading from Ambleside towards "Old Penrith," and passing over one of the highest hills of Westmorland, thence called High Street. Principal forts were erected at Ambleside and Brough, small forts at Millburn, Kirkby Thore, Yanwath, Brougham, Orton, and Water Crook, near Kendal, Hincaster, Muncaster, and Casterton, by their names indicate that they too were Roman stations. The Itineraries of Antoninus and the Notitia Imperii (410) afford little certain information, except that the names given to the forts by the natives were invariably adopted by the conquerors. From the withdrawal of the Romans to the coming in of the Angles and Danes, the history of Westmorland is a complete blank. The invasion of the former people, who appear to have penetrated along the lines of the Roman roads, probably commenced about the close of the seventh century, and soon after the Northmen, when driven from the other parts of England, took refuge in Westmorland, and extensively occupied the parts capable of cultivation. Westmorland, with other northern counties, was either held or claimed during some centuries by Scotland, and thus continued for a long time a cause of contention between the two countries. At the Conquest this county was divided by William between two of his vassals, Ranulph de Meschines receiving the barony of Westmorland, together with Cumberland, and Ivo de Tailbois the barony of Kendal. Finally, in the year 1237, the King of Scotland was induced to give up his claim to the northern counties; in consideration of a grant of lands in Cumberland and Northumberland. From this time to the period of the civil war of the reign of Charles I., Westmorland enjoyed comparative tranquillity. In the year 1648, Sir Marmaduke Langdale raised a force of upwards of 4000 men, chiefly in Cumberland and Westmorland. They were joined by the Scots, who remained in the latter county until they were compelled to remove out of it for want of provisions; and during their stay, and until the final retreat of the royalists, this district was reduced to extreme distress. In 1715, the adherents of the Stuart family passed through Westmorland on their way to Preston. And again in 1745, Prince Charlie, with his Highland followers, marched through the county in his invasion of England. During the retreat of this ill-fated expedition, in December of the same year, the rear of the Highlanders was overtaken by the Duke of Cumberland's horse on Clifton Moor, when a sharp skirmish ensued. The clansmen took post behind some hedges, and, awaiting the attack of the dismounted English dragoons, repulsed them with loss. The effect of the engagement at this point was to check the advance of the English for the moment, and to hasten the retreat of the rebels. The Duke passed the night in Clifton, at the house of one Savage, a quaker, but in the morning continued the pursuit.

Primitive manners linger in the remote districts of this county, and various old customs still survive. Rushbearing is annually observed at Ambleside and Warcop, "Pace-eggging" at Easter is very general, and the curfew is still rung at Kirkby Stephen.

At Kentmere Hall, in this county, was born in 1517 Worthies, Bernard Gilpin the reformer, well known as the "Apostle of the North." The wild district of Stainmore gave birth to Sir Cuthbert Buckle, a vintner in London, who became lord mayor in 1593. Christopher Bainbridge, a native of Warcop, became archbishop of York in the reign of Henry VIII. Near Kendal was born Barnaby Potter, bishop of Carlisle, 1578. Milnthorpe has given to the church Richard Watson, bishop of Llandaff, and William Preston, bishop of Ferns, both in the eighteenth century. Hogarth, the greatest of dramatic English painters, belongs by descent to this county, Troutbeck being the birthplace of his father. Near Heversham was born Ephraim Chambers, the compiler and publisher of the first Encyclopaedia. John Gough, celebrated as a naturalist, was born at Kendal, 1757. The last, and not the least of the "lake poets," Wordsworth, the late poet-laureate, died at Rydal Mount in 1850, having resided here for the last thirty-seven years of his life. His grave in Grasmere churchyard forms a centre of attraction to all lake tourists. Elleray, near Windermere, is pointed out as once the residence of Professor Wilson (Christopher North), and Dove Nest, near Ambleside, as for a short time the residence of Mrs Hemans.

Numerous Roman remains, consisting of altars with inscriptions, urns, coins, &c., besides the forts and roads, and may have been discovered in this county. Several objects of considerable extent. Not far from this, in the direction of Yanwath, is Maybrough—the "May Castle," an enclosure Weston, formed with an embankment of pebbles taken from the super-Mare beds of the rivers. Carl Lofts, near Shap, consisted of two lines of stones of unhewn granite, enclosing an area of half a mile in length and from twenty to thirty yards broad. Very little of this monument now remains. Some stone circles, popularly called Druidical temples, are still in existence, more or less perfect. Barrows, or tumuli, are also found. Near Kirkby Stephen, on the border of the county, is a monument of nine large blocks of stone set upright, called Nine Standards. In the secluded vale of the Lowther, about the year 1150, was founded Shap Abbey, for the maintenance of canons of the Premonstratensian order. A part of the church tower is all that now remains. The most considerable ruin in the county is that of Brougham Castle, at the confluence of the Eamont and Lowther, near Penrith. Not far from this stands the Countess’s Pillar, erected by the Countess of Pembroke in memorial of her parting with her mother. Brougham Chapel, at Brougham Hall, is also an attractive object. In the neighbourhood of Shap is a saline spa, of some note, called Shap Wells.

Westmorland gives the title of earl to a descendant of the Nevilles of Raby, Lonsdale confers an earldom, and Brougham the title of baron on the Baron of Brougham and Vaux.

Lowther Castle, the seat of the Earl of Lonsdale, a new Gothic building standing in a noble park of 600 acres, is one of the finest mansions in the north of England. About two miles distant stands Brougham Hall, the seat of Lord Brougham, a castellated mansion, partly old and partly restored in ancient style. The Castle of Appleby, the occasional residence of Sir Richard Tutton, Bart., is yet in excellent preservation. The greater part was rebuilt in 1686. The keep, called Caesar’s Tower, is still surrounded by a moat. In the south of the county are—Sizergh Hall, the seat of W. Strickland, Esq.; and Leven’s Hall, with its gardens in the old French style, the seat of the Hon. Mrs. Howard. Dallam Tower, G. E. Wilson, Esq.; Rydal Hall, Lady le Fleming; Underley Park, Mrs Thompson; and Augill Castle, J. B. Pearson, Esq., must also be mentioned.

Camden’s Britannia; Nicholson and Burn’s History of Westmorland and Cumberland; Parson and White’s History of Cumberland and Westmorland; Lysons’s Magna Britannia; Saye’s History of Westmorland; Wedgworth’s Scenery of the Lakes; Prof. Sedgwick’s Geology of the Lake District; Ferguson’s Northmen in Cumberland and Westmorland; Sullivan’s Cumberland and Westmorland, Ancient and Modern; Whellan’s History of Cumberland and Westmorland. (7 s.)