 The county of Gloucestershire lies on the northern edges of the south west and the southern midlands in the United Kingdom. The county town is the city of Gloucester. Gloucestershire is approximately 1000 square miles in area and includes some of the most attractive and varied countryside in Britain officially containing the nation's largest single designated area of outstanding natural beauty within its borders. The name Gloucestershire is thought to have derived from the old British/Celtic word 'Glouiu' meaning bright or shining fortress. The area was later settled by the Romans who called the area 'Glevum' and left behind the record of their occupation in the ruins of their abandoned homes that liberally cover the county, including some of the most complete mosaic floors ever discovered. The first written record at the start of the 11th century shows that the area was known as Glaucestrescir and formed part of the lands belonging to the Saxon King Harold. Following the Norman Conquest where Harold lost his life, the shire passed into the hands of a succession of Norman nobles and a vast area - The Forest of Dean - became a royal hunting preserve. The Earls of the county seem to have been at the forefront of political machinations through history and the county has seen much turmoil during the civil wars and religious troubles between Catholic and Protestant faiths. Berkeley Castle, to the west of the county was the scene of the murder of King Edward II in the 14th century. During the middle ages, the area prospered thanks to the increasing demand for the local wool and much of the county was given over to sheep farming. Iron, tin and even some precious metals have been mined in the area. The Forest of Dean was found to hold extensive seams of coal and coal mining became an important part of the county's economy. Geography Geographically, the county is effectively three separate areas comprising of the Cotswolds, the Royal Forest of Dean and the Severn Valley. The county's main cities and towns are Gloucester, Stroud, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Cirencester. The Cotswolds are chalk hills, wooded and grass covered, that form the rolling vistas across the centre of the county and into neighbouring Oxfordshire. The region has long been prized for the famous mellow golden Cotswold stone from which many of the picturesque cottages and churches that liberally cover the area are built. To the west, the county borders the Bristol Channel and the landscape becomes quite rugged and wild. The Forest of Dean still retains signs of being major British woodland of ancient broadleaf trees but has become somewhat de-forested over the centuries and consists of large, open commons and meadow land.Industry Gloucestershire is primarily a rural county and although tourism is by far the most important factor to its economy it is still dependant on its agriculture. The county has long been notable for its farming (especially wool production and pig breeding), forestry and horticulture. Today, the county's main products are cereals, fruit, and dairy products, although there is a small engineering industry and the last remains of coal mining in the Forest of Dean. |
