•  Worcestershire, England

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In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Worcestershire like this:

Worcestershire, west-midland co. of England, bounded N. by Shropshire and Staffordshire, E. by Warwickshire, S. by Gloucestershire, and W. by Herefordshire; greatest length (not including the detached parts), NW. and SE., 36 miles; greatest breadth, NE. and SW., 45 miles; area, 472,453 ac., pop. ...

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380,283. Worcestershire lies almost entirely in the basin of the Severn, which receives the Stour, Teme, and Avon. The surface is a broad undulating plain, broken in the NE. by hills of moderate height, and in the SW. by the Malvern Hills, which reach an altitude of 1395 ft. The soil, chiefly clay and loam, is very fertile. Wheat is extensively grown, and there are numerous hop-gardens and orchards. Large quantities of cider and perry are made. There are several extensive and beautiful valleys (notably that of the Severn), with rich pastures, and great numbers of cattle and sheep are fattened. (For agricultural statistics, see Appendix.) The strata consist for the most part of new red sandstone, lias, and oolite; other formations are visible in the Malvern Hills and some other districts. Coal and iron are found in the Dudley district, and the mfr. of iron and steel and of hardware is extensive. Carpets and rugs are made at Kidderminster, glass at Dudley and Stourbridge, gloves and porcelain at Worcester, and needles and fish-hooks at Redditch and Feckenham. Immense quantities of salt are obtained from the brine springs at Droitwich. The Birmingham and Worcester and other canals connect the Severn basin with those of the Trent and Mersey. The county contains 5 hundreds, 243 pars., the parliamentary and municipal boroughs of Kidderminster (1 member) and Worcester (1 member), part of the parl. and mun. bor. of Dudley (1 member), and the mun. bors. of Bewdley, Droitwich, and Evesham. It is almost entirely in the diocese of Worcester. For parliamentary purposes it is divided into 5 divisions - viz., Western or Bewdley, Southern or Evesham, Mid or Droitwich, Northern, and Eastern, 1 member for each division; the parliamentary representation was increased from 4 to 5 members in 1885.

Worcestershire through time

Worcestershire is now part of Worcestershire county. Click here for graphs and data of how Worcestershire has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Worcestershire itself, go to Units and Statistics.

Worcestershire -- but you should check this covers the area you are interested in.

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