County Durham (County Durham)
County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England. The ceremonial county was created from the historic County Palatine of Durham in 1853.
In 1974, a large part of the county was lost when Gateshead, Jarrow, South Shields, Washington, Sunderland, Houghton-le-Spring, Hetton-le-Hole and other surrounding villages and towns near these settlements were moved into the Tyne and Wear county forming the modern boroughs of Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland. In 1996, the county gained part of the abolished ceremonial county of Cleveland and also saw Darlington along with Stockton-on-Tees and Hartlepool become unitary authorities but remaining part of the county for ceremonial purposes. The county town is the city of Durham.
The county borders Cumbria to the west, North Yorkshire to the south, and Tyne and Wear and Northumberland to the north. Boundaries initially aligned to the historic county, stretching between the rivers Tyne and Tees. The County Borough of Teesside formed in 1968, the ceremonial boundaries adjusted while the historic boundaries remained. The Local Government Act 1972 in 1974 further separated the boundaries. The largest settlement is Darlington (92,363) followed by Hartlepool (88,855) and Stockton-on-Tees (82,729).
The ceremonial county is officially named Durham, but the county has long been commonly known as County Durham and is the only English county name prefixed with "County" in common usage (a practice common in Ireland). Its unusual naming (for an English shire) is explained to some extent by the relationship with the Bishops of Durham, who for centuries governed Durham as a county palatine (the County Palatine of Durham) outside the usual structure of county administration in England.
The situation regarding the formal name in modern local government is less clear:
* The 2009 structural change legislation created the present unitary council (that covers a large part – but not all – of the ceremonial county) refers to "the county of County Durham" and names the new unitary district "County Durham" too.
* Later amendment to that legislation refers to the "county of Durham" and the amendment allows for the unitary council to name itself "The Durham Council".
* The council retains the name as Durham County Council. With either option, the name does not include County Durham.
* The former postal county was named "County Durham" to distinguish it from the post town of Durham.
In 1974, a large part of the county was lost when Gateshead, Jarrow, South Shields, Washington, Sunderland, Houghton-le-Spring, Hetton-le-Hole and other surrounding villages and towns near these settlements were moved into the Tyne and Wear county forming the modern boroughs of Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland. In 1996, the county gained part of the abolished ceremonial county of Cleveland and also saw Darlington along with Stockton-on-Tees and Hartlepool become unitary authorities but remaining part of the county for ceremonial purposes. The county town is the city of Durham.
The county borders Cumbria to the west, North Yorkshire to the south, and Tyne and Wear and Northumberland to the north. Boundaries initially aligned to the historic county, stretching between the rivers Tyne and Tees. The County Borough of Teesside formed in 1968, the ceremonial boundaries adjusted while the historic boundaries remained. The Local Government Act 1972 in 1974 further separated the boundaries. The largest settlement is Darlington (92,363) followed by Hartlepool (88,855) and Stockton-on-Tees (82,729).
The ceremonial county is officially named Durham, but the county has long been commonly known as County Durham and is the only English county name prefixed with "County" in common usage (a practice common in Ireland). Its unusual naming (for an English shire) is explained to some extent by the relationship with the Bishops of Durham, who for centuries governed Durham as a county palatine (the County Palatine of Durham) outside the usual structure of county administration in England.
The situation regarding the formal name in modern local government is less clear:
* The 2009 structural change legislation created the present unitary council (that covers a large part – but not all – of the ceremonial county) refers to "the county of County Durham" and names the new unitary district "County Durham" too.
* Later amendment to that legislation refers to the "county of Durham" and the amendment allows for the unitary council to name itself "The Durham Council".
* The council retains the name as Durham County Council. With either option, the name does not include County Durham.
* The former postal county was named "County Durham" to distinguish it from the post town of Durham.
Map - County Durham (County Durham)
Map
Country - United_Kingdom
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| Flag of the United Kingdom | |
The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which included Wales, annexed in 1542) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707 formed the Kingdom of Great Britain. Its union in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Most of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which formally adopted that name in 1927. The nearby Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey are not part of the UK, being Crown Dependencies with the British Government responsible for defence and international representation. There are also 14 British Overseas Territories, the last remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's landmass and a third of the world's population, and was the largest empire in history. British influence can be observed in the language, culture and the legal and political systems of many of its former colonies.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP | Pound sterling | £ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EN | English language |
| GD | Gaelic language |
| CY | Welsh language |