Cheshire
Cheshire (/ˈtʃɛʃər, -ɪər/ CHESH-ər, -eer)[2] is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south, and the Welsh counties of Flintshire and Wrexham to the west, with a short coastline on the Dee Estuary. Warringtonis the largest settlement.
The county has an area of 905 square miles (2,344 km2) and a population of around 1,059,271. After Warrington (212,000), the largest settlements are Chester (86,011) and Crewe (71,722). The south and east of the county are primarily rural, while the north is more densely populated and includes the settlements of Runcorn, Widnes, and Ellesmere Port, which is part of Birkenhead built-up area. The county is governed by four unitary authorities: Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Halton Borough Council, and Warrington Borough Council.
The landscape of the county is dominated by the Cheshire Plain, an area of relatively flat land divided by the Mid-Cheshire Ridge. To the west it contains the south of the Wirral Peninsula, and to the east the landscape rises to the Pennines, where the county contains part of the Peak District National Park. The River Mersey runs through the north of Cheshire before broadening into its wide estuary; the River Dee forms part of the county's border with Wales, then fully enters England and flows through city of Chester before re-entering Wales upstream of its estuary. Red Triassic sandstoneforms the bedrock of much of the county and was used in the construction of many of its buildings.
The county's culture has impacted pop culture by producing actors (Daniel Craig, Tim Curry, Pete Postlethwaite), athletes (Shauna Coxsey, Tyson Fury, Paula Radcliffe), authors (Lewis Carroll), comedians (John Bishop, Ben Miller) and musicians (Gary Barlow, Ian Curtis, Matty Healy and Harry Styles). Most places are involved in agriculture and chemistry, leading to Cheshire's reputation for the production of chemicals, Cheshire cheese, salt and silk.[3]
Cheshire's name was originally derived from an early name for Chester, and was first recorded as Legeceasterscir in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,[4] meaning "the shire of the city of legions".[5] Although the name first appears in 980, it is thought that the county was created by Edward the Elder around 920.[5] In the Domesday Book, Chester was recorded as having the name Cestrescir (Chestershire), derived from the name for Chester at the time.[4] A series of changes that occurred as English itself changed, together with some simplifications and elision, resulted in the name Cheshire, as it occurs today.
Because of the historically close links with the land bordering Cheshire to the west, which became modern Wales, there is a history of interaction between Cheshire and North Wales. The Domesday Book records Cheshire as having two complete Hundreds (Atiscross and Exestan) that later became the principal part of Flintshire. Additionally, another large portion of the Duddestan Hundred later became known as English Maelor (Maelor Saesneg) when it was transferred to North Wales.[6] For this and other reasons, the Welsh language name for Cheshire (Swydd Gaerlleon) is sometimes used.[7]
Towns historically in Cheshire – orange.