Northumberland

An early mention of Northumberland as norð hẏmbra land "north of Humber land" in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

The name of Northumberland is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as norð hẏmbra land, meaning "the land north of the Humber". The name of the kingdom of Northumbria derives from the Old English Norþan-hymbre meaning "the people or province north of the Humber",[3] as opposed to Southumbria, south of the Humber Estuary.

Long Crag summit

The land has long been an English frontier zone, and it is now bordered to the north by Scotland. Northumberland has a rich prehistory with many instances of rock art, hillforts such as Yeavering Bell, and stone circles such as the Goatstones and Duddo Five Stones. Most of the area was occupied by the Brythonic-Celtic Votadini people, with another large tribe, the Brigantes, to the south.

During the Roman occupation of Britain most of the present county lay north of Hadrian's Wall. It was controlled by Rome only for the brief period of its extension of power north to the Antonine Wall. The Roman road Dere Street crosses the county from Corbridge over high moorland west of the Cheviot Hills to Melrose, Scottish Borders (Latin: Trimontium). As evidence of its border position through medieval times, Northumberland has more castles than any other county in England,[4] including those at Alnwick, Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh, Newcastle and Warkworth.

Nearly 2000-year-old Roman boxing gloves were uncovered at Vindolanda in 2017 by the Vindolanda Trust experts, led by Andrew Birley. According to the Guardian, being similar in style and function to the full-hand modern boxing gloves, these two gloves found at Vindolanda look like leather bands dating back to 120 AD. It is suggested that, based on their difference from gladiator gloves, the gloves were not used in mortal combat, but rather in a sport for promoting fighting skills. The gloves are currently displayed at Vindolanda's museum.[5]

Present-day Northumberland formed the core of the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia from about 547. It was united with Deira (south of the River Tees) to form the kingdom of Northumbria in the 7th century. The boundaries of Northumbria under King Edwin (reigned 616–633) stretched from the Humber in the south to the Forth in the north. Northumberland is often called the "cradle of Christianity" in England because Christianity flourished on Lindisfarne—a tidal island north of Bamburgh, also called Holy Island—after King Oswald of Northumbria (reigned 634–642) invited monks from Iona to come to convert the English. The monastery at Lindisfarne was the centre of production of the Lindisfarne Gospels (around 700). It became the home of St Cuthbert (about 634–687, abbot from about 665), who is buried in Durham Cathedral.

The Kingdom of Northumbria fragmented into a series of successor states following the Viking invasion. In the south, Viking settlers established the Kingdom of York between the Humber and Tees. However, Viking influence petered out at the Tees, with the river serving as the northern boundary of the Danelaw. Between the Tyne and Tees rivers, the Community of St. Cuthbert or emerged as the successors to the Bishops of Lindisfarne; North of the Tyne, the Earls of Bamburgh, who traced their lineage back to the Kings of Northumbria, continued to exercise authority and governance over this northern expanse. York was eventually integrated as a shire into the unified Kingdom of England by the House of Wessex. However, the West Saxon governmental structures were not extended beyond Tees, leaving the Earldom of Bamburgh and the Community of St. Cuthbert as contested buffer states with the emerging Kingdom of Scotland.[6] [7] After the battle of Nechtansmere, Northumbrian influence north of the Tweed began to decline as the Picts gradually reclaimed the land previously invaded by the Anglian kingdom. In 1018 its northern part, the region between the Tweed and the Forth (including Lothian, which includes present-day Edinburgh), was ceded to the Kingdom of Scotland.

The Earldom of Northumberland was briefly held by the Scottish royal family by marriage between 1139–1157 and 1215–1217. Scotland relinquished all claims to the region as part of the Treaty of York (1237). The Earls of Northumberland once wielded significant power in English affairs because, as powerful and militaristic Marcher Lords, they had the task of protecting England from Scottish retaliation for English invasions.

Northumberland has a history of revolt and rebellion against the government, as seen in the Rising of the North (1569–1570) against Elizabeth I. These revolts were usually led by the Earls of Northumberland, the Percy family. Shakespeare makes one of the Percys, the dashing Harry Hotspur (1364–1403), the hero of his Henry IV, Part 1. The Percys were often aided in conflict by other powerful Northern families, such as the Nevilles and the Patchetts. The latter were stripped of all power and titles by the victorious Parliamentarians after the English Civil War of 1642–1651. After the Restoration in 1660 the county was a centre for Roman Catholicism in England, as well as a focus of Jacobite support. Northumberland was long a wild county, where outlaws and Border Reivers hid from the law. However, the frequent cross-border skirmishes and accompanying local lawlessness largely subsided after the Union of the Crowns of Scotland and England under King James I and VI in 1603.[8]

Northumberland played a key role in the Industrial Revolution from the 18th century on. Many coal mines operated in Northumberland until the widespread closures in the 1970s and 1980s. Collieries operated at Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth, Choppington, Netherton, Ellington and Pegswood. The region's coalfields fuelled industrial expansion in other areas of Britain, and the need to transport the coal from the collieries to the Tyne led to the development of the first railways. Shipbuilding and armaments manufacture were other important industries before the deindustrialisation of the 1980s.

Northumberland remains largely rural, and is the least densely populated county in England. In recent years the county has had considerable growth in tourism. Visitors are attracted both to its scenic beauty and to its historical sites.

River Coquet

The Cheviot Hills, in the northwest of the county, consist mainly of resistant Devonian granite and andesite lava. A second area of igneous rock underlies the Whin Sill (on which Hadrian's Wall runs), an intrusion of Carboniferous dolerite. Both ridges support a rather bare moorland landscape. Either side of the Whin Sill the county lies on Carboniferous Limestone, giving some areas of karst landscape.[11] Lying off the coast of Northumberland are the Farne Islands, another dolerite outcrop, famous for their bird life.

The Northumberland Coalfield extends across the southeast corner of the county, from the River Tyne as far north as Shilbottle. There were smaller-scale workings for coal within the Tyne Limestone Formation as far north as Scremerston.[12][13][14] The term 'sea coal' likely originated from chunks of coal, found washed up on beaches, that wave action had broken from coastal outcroppings.

Hadrian's Wall

Northumberland's green belt is in the south of the county, surrounding Cramlington and other communities along the county border, to afford a protection from the Tyneside conurbation. The belt continues west along the border, past Darras Hall, and on to Hexham, stopping before Haydon Bridge. Its border there is shared with the North Pennines AONB. There are also some separated belt areas, for example to the east of Morpeth. The green belt was first drawn up in the 1950s.

The historic county town was Alnwick, assizes were mainly held in Newcastle with the county gaol in Morpeth.[15] Newcastle became a city in 1400, with county corporate status, with both areas having joint assizes.

From the county council's formation in 1889 until 1981 Newcastle was the county town, being the temporary county town of two counties when the city became a part of the Tyne and Wear metropolitan county in 1974.[16] The county council has been governed from Morpeth since 1981. in 2009 the administration restructured into a unitary authority still called Northumberland County Council. Since 2019, North of Tyne Combined Authority and its elected mayor recreated Newcastle's overall governance of the historic county area; North Tyneside, Newcastle and the Northumberland district.

The county hall

Unitary authority of Northumberland Council, reformed in April 2009, had a two-tier council system for the county and its six districts, both responsible for different aspects of local government. These districts were Blyth Valley, Wansbeck, Castle Morpeth, Tynedale, Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Elections for the unitary authority council first took place on 1 May 2008. The most recent elections, in 2021, had the following results:

Overall Council seats as of 2021
Conservative	Labour	Independents	LibDem	UKIP	Green	Total
34 (1)	21 (3)	7 (0)	3 (0)	0 ()	2 ()	47

Northumberland is divided into four parliamentary constituencies: Berwick-upon-Tweed, Blyth Valley, Wansbeck and Hexham. The 2019 general election produced the following results:

• 
  Ian Lavery Labour MP (Wansbeck)
• 
  Anne-Marie Trevelyan Conservative MP (Berwick upon Tweed)
• 
  Guy Opperman Conservative MP (Hexham)
• 
  Ian Levy Conservative MP (Blyth Valley)

2016 results of the European Union referendum in North East England

On 23 June 2016 Northumberland took part in the UK-wide referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. In Northumberland a majority voted to leave the European Union. The only one of the four parliamentary constituencies in Northumberland to vote Remain was Hexham.

Pharmaceutical, health care and emerging biotechnology companies form a very significant part of the county's economy.[25] Many of these companies are part of the approximately 11,000-worker[26] Northeast of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) and include Aesica Pharmaceuticals,[27] Arcinova, MSD, Piramal Healthcare, Procter & Gamble, Shire Plc (formerly SCM Pharma),[28] Shasun Pharma Solutions,[29] Specials Laboratory,[30] and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The cluster also includes Cambridge Bioresearch, GlaxoSmithKline, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotech, Leica Bio, Data Trial, High Force Research, Non-Linear Dynamics, and Immuno Diagnostic Systems (IDS). The towns of Alnwick, Cramlington, Morpeth, Prudhoe all have significant pharmaceutical factories and laboratories.[31]

Newcastle University and Northumbria University are the leading academic institutions nearby. The local industry includes commercial or academic activity in pre-clinical research and development, clinical research and development, pilot-scale manufacturing, full-scale active pharmaceutical ingredient/intermediate manufacturing, formulation, packaging, and distribution.[32]

Having no large population centres, the county's mainstream media outlets are served from nearby Tyne and Wear, including radio stations and television channels (such as BBC Look North, BBC Radio Newcastle, ITV Tyne Tees and Metro Radio), along with the majority of daily newspapers covering the area (The Journal, Evening Chronicle). It is worth remembering however that although Northumberland, like many administrative areas in England, has been shorn of its geographical regional centre, that centre—Newcastle upon Tyne—remains an essential element within the entity we know as Northumberland. Newcastle's newspapers are as widely read in its Northumbrian hinterland as any of those of the wider county: the Northumberland Gazette, Morpeth Herald, Berwick Advertiser, Hexham Courant and the News Post Leader.

Lionheart Radio, a community radio station based in Alnwick, has recently been awarded a five-year community broadcasting licence by Ofcom.

Ashington has the Alcan Lynemouth Aluminium Smelter, next to the Lynemouth Power Station. Hammerite and Cuprinol are made in Prudhoe by ICI Paints. A Procter & Gamble factory in Seaton Delaval makes Hugo Boss aftershave and Clairol and Nice 'n Easy hair dye at a site formerly owned by Shultons, who originated Old Spice and were bought by P&G in 1990. McQuay UK makes air conditioning systems on the Bassington Industrial Estate at the A1068/A1172 junction in Cramlington, and Avery Dennison UK make labels on the Nelson Industrial Estate off of the A192. Schweppes' Abbey Well mineral water is made by Coca-Cola in the east of Morpeth. The National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) is at Blyth.

NOTE: New parishes have been added since 2001. These are missing from the list, see List of civil parishes in Northumberland.

Although not on this list, the population of Cramlington is estimated at 39,000.

Some settlements that are part historic county of Northumberland now fall under the county of Tyne and Wear:

A precursor of modern football is still seen in the region at some annual Shrove Tuesday games at Alnwick.[34] In 1280 at Ulgham near Morpeth Northumberland, records show that Henry of Ellington was killed playing football when David Le Keu's knife went into Henry's belly and killed him.[35][36] Organised football teams as we know today did not appear until the 1870s. Newcastle United Football Club was formed in 1892 by uniting Newcastle West End FC with Newcastle East End.[37]

Newcastle United were first division champions three times in the early 20th century, reaching the FA Cup Final three times before winning it at the fourth attempt in 1910.[38] Today top quality professional football remains in Northumberland. Since the 2017 – 18 season, Newcastle United is a Premier League team. St James' Park in Newcastle is a first class football venue, often used for international games at all levels. Blyth Spartans A.F.C. have had success and public attention through Football Association Cup runs.

There are many notable footballers from the county, pre Second World War and immediate post war greats were George Camsell and Hughie Gallacher, these were described in the "Clown Prince of Football" by Len Shackleton. The author played for Newcastle United and Northumberland County Cricket Club. Shackleton’s book was controversial when it was first published because chapter 9, named "The Average Director's Knowledge of Football", was produced as a blank page.[39] Notable players after the Second World War included Joe Harvey, Jackie Milburn,[40] Brian Clough[41] and Newcastle's Bobby Moncur who led his team to win the Inter City Fairs Cup in 1969.[42]

Two of Jackie Milburn’s nephews from Ashington, Bobby Charlton and Jackie Charlton are perhaps the two most significant players for England.[43][44] Bobby joined Manchester United and Jackie Leeds United both contributing much to the success and history of their respective clubs. They both became permanent fixtures in Alf Ramsey's 1966 England World Cup winning team.[45] Malcolm Macdonald was a successful Newcastle player of the 1970s. Great national players who played at Northumberland clubs in the 1980s and 1990s include Peter Beardsley, Paul Gascoigne, Chris Waddle and Alan Shearer. Shearer remains the highest scoring player in Premier League history with 260 goals in 441 appearances.[46]

Early races were held at Newcastle's Killingworth Moor from 1632 before moving to the Town Moor. The 'Pitmen's Derby' or Northumberland Plate was held from 1833 and moved to Gosforth in 1882.[47] Modern day horse racing still takes place at Newcastle Racecourse.[48]

Golf is a Scottish import to many countries but it is said to have been played in this region by St Cuthbert on the dunes of the Northumberland coast. The oldest club in Northumberland was at Alnmouth, founded in 1869, it is the fourth oldest in the country and is now Alnmouth Village Club and a 9 hole links course.[49]

There is one old links courses at Goswick. It is a James Braid design masterpiece which is widely acknowledged as a classic Northumberland links course[50] so much so, that the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) chose Goswick as a regional qualifier for the Open Championship for five years from 2008.

During the English Civil War of 1642–1651, King Charles played 'Goff' in the Shield Fields suburb of Pandon during his imprisonment in the town.[51]

Today inland golf courses are abundant in the county,[52]

The county has a professional golfer who has played in many professional golf tour events: Kenny Ferrie from Ashington who has won events on the prestigious European Tour.

A cricket ground in Bamburgh

The annual Great North Run, one of the best known half marathons in which thousands of participants run from Newcastle to South Shields. In 2013 the 33rd Great North Run had 56,000 participants most of whom were raising money for charity.

The flag of the historic county of Northumberland

The historic county of Northumberland has its own flag, which is a banner of the arms of Northumberland County Council. The shield of arms is in turn based on the arms medieval heralds had attributed to the Kingdom of Bernicia (which the first County Council used until it was granted its own arms). The Bernician arms were fictional but inspired by Bede's brief description of a flag used on the tomb of St Oswald in the 7th century.[56]

The current arms were granted to the county council in 1951, and adopted as the flag of Northumberland in 1995.[57]

Ashington was the birthplace of three famous footballers: Bobby and Jack Charlton, born in 1937 and 1935 respectively, and Jackie Milburn, born in 1924. In 1978 the international cricketer Steve Harmison was born in the same town.

Mickley was the birthplace of Thomas Bewick, an artist, wood engraver and naturalist born in 1753, and Bob Stokoe, a footballer and F.A. Cup-winning manager (with Sunderland in 1973) born in 1930.

Other notable births include:

• Thomas Addison, the physician who first described Addison's Disease, born at Longbenton in 1793
• George Airy, Astronomer Royal and geophysicist, born at Alnwick in 1802
• Alexander Armstrong, comedy actor and presenter, born at Rothbury in 1970
• Mary Bell, murderer, born at Corbridge in 1957
• Allan Boardman (1937–2018), British physicist[58]
• Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, landscape and garden designer, born at Kirkharle in 1715
• Basil Bunting, poet, born at Scotswood-on-Tyne in 1900
• Eric Burdon, singer and leader of The Animals and War, born at Walker-on-Tyne in 1941
• Josephine Butler, social reformer, born at Milfield in 1828
• Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood, naval commander at the Battle of Trafalgar, born at Newcastle upon Tyne in 1748
• Grace Darling, sea-rescue heroine, born at Bamburgh in 1815
• Pete Doherty, musician, born at Hexham in 1979
• Bryan Donkin, engineer and industrialist, born at Sandhoe in 1768
• Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, poet, born at Hexham in 1878
• Daniel Gooch, engineer and politician, born at Bedlington in 1816
• Alistair Graham (1942–), trade unionist and civil servant
• Tom Graveney, former England cricketer and President of the Marylebone Cricket Club 2004/5, born in Riding Mill in 1927.
• Robson Green, actor and singer, born at Hexham in 1964
• Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, British Prime Minister, born at the family seat of Howick Hall in 1764
• William Hewson,[59] British physician, the "Father of Haematology", at Hexham, 14 November 1739
• Jean Heywood, actress, born at Blyth best known for Our Day Out and All Creatures Great and Small.
• Ray Kennedy: Footballer, Liverpool F.C.
• Marie Lebour (1876–1971), British marine biologist
• Robert Morrison (1782–1834), Protestant missionary and sinologist
• Ross Noble, stand-up comedian, born and raised in Cramlington in the 1970s and 1980s
• Matt Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley, peer, science writer, and businessman
• John Rushworth (1793–1860), historian, born at Acklington Park, Warkworth
• George Stephenson, pioneering railway engineer, born at Wylam in 1781
• Trevor Steven, footballer born in Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1963
• Percival Stockdale, poet and slave-trade abolitionist, born 1736 in Branxton, Northumberland
• Hugh Trevor-Roper (1914–2003), Oxford historian, born at Glanton
• William Turner, ornithologist and botanist born at Morpeth in 1508
• Sid Waddell, sports commentator and children's television screenwriter, born at Alnwick in 1940
• Veronica Wedgwood (1910–1997), historian, usually published as C. V. Wedgwood
• Kevin Whately, actor, born in Humshaugh, near Hexham in 1951
• N. T. Wright, Anglican theologian and author, former Bishop of Durham, born in Morpeth in 1948
• Billy Younger (1940–2007), footballer

Algernon Charles Swinburne, the poet, was raised in Northumberland

• William Armstrong, engineer and inventor, born at Newcastle in 1810, built Cragside, one of the first houses powered by hydroelectric technology, near the town of Rothbury in Northumberland.
• Thomas Burt, one of the first working-class members of parliament and was secretary of the Northumberland Miners' Association in 1863
• Matthew Festing, 79th Grand Master, the Order of Malta.
• Kitty Fitzgerald (born 25 September 1946) is an Irish born writer living in Northumberland.
• Allan Holdsworth, guitarist, originated from Newcastle upon Tyne before moving to California.
• Mark Knopfler, guitarist and frontman of Dire Straits, was raised in his mother's hometown of Blyth, Northumberland.
• Charles Algernon Parsons, inventor of the steam turbine while living in Wylam, Northumberland
• Henry 'Hotspur' Percy (1365–1403), borders warlord and rebel
• Billy Pigg, a 20th-century musician who was vice-President of the Northumbrian Pipers Society
• Alan Shearer footballer, lives in Ponteland.
• Gordon Sumner, better known by his stage name of Sting, a schoolteacher turned musician was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1951
• Algernon Charles Swinburne, a poet raised at Capheaton Hall
• Kathryn Tickell, a modern-day player of the Northumbrian smallpipes
• J. M. W. Turner, Thomas Girtin, and John Cotman all painted memorable pictures of Northumberland
• Jonny Wilkinson, English rugby player, currently lives in rural Northumberland.