Warwickshire ~ England

The first written record of Warwickshire occurs in the 10th century AD when it was known in the Saxon language as 'Waeinewiscscr' meaning the village by the weir. From this we get the modern name of the county. The area that now forms Warwickshire was part of the Saxon kingdom of Mercia. Following the Norman invasion, the area was divided into a number of manors by the new King William as rewards for his followers. The Normans soon built castles as strongholds against rebellion and invasion. Among these fortifications was the magnificent Warwick Castle that still survives today as probably the finest example of medieval military architecture. At this stage in its history, much of the western part of the county was in fact dense forest know as the Forest of Arden that was used as a royal hunting preserve.

Following the Norman Conquest, there was a long period of settlement and new methods of agriculture were introduced as the new overlords took command of their possessions.The region gradually became one of the most prosperous areas in the country, being noted for its fine fleeces and locally produced woollen cloth. This continued well into the middle ages and the town of Coventry developed into a major center for the textile industry. The county enjoyed a long period of prosperity although the period of the English Civil War saw many local battles including the decisive Battle of Edgehill.

The industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries was central to the fortunes of Warwickshire which at this time was home to the major cities of Coventry and Birmingham. These became the sites of some of the vast factories that turned out the products of this new age of technology to be exported throughout the Empire. Both cities were badly damaged by enemy bombing during the Second World War when tragically, Coventry lost its magnificent cathedral to the blitz. These two important Warwickshire cities remained part of the county until boundary reviews in 1974 created them unitary authorities in their own right.

Geography

The county of Warwickshire is situated in the central midlands of England. It is landlocked and shares county boundaries with Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire. It has Warwick as its county town.The north of the county tends to be the more industrialised and heavily populated areas. The Forest of Arden has now gone, having been sacrificed to intensive agriculture and to the need for fuel to stoke the idustrial revolution. The southern parts are still generally rural and are given to agriculture. The county actually contains parts of the Cotswold Hills where it borders Gloucestershire. For the boating enthusiast, Warwickshire has a network of canals that include the Grand Union, the Oxford and the Coventry. The county boasts many beautiful towns among which are the world renown Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespear and Tamworth, home of the famous breed of red pigs.

Industry

Today, the county's industry is chiefly connected to services and leisure. Agriculture still plays a major part as does tourism, with millions of people visiting Shakespear country and Warwick Castle each year. There is still some light and heavy engineering to be found in the districts around Rugby. The textile industry - although much reduced, still exists and is undergoing something of a revival.

Cities, towns and villages within Warwickshire