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Midlands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, seeMidlands (disambiguation).

The Midlands

The Midlands region shown in England
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
Major citiesBirmingham
Coventry
Derby
Leicester
Lincoln
Nottingham
Stoke
Wolverhampton
Worcester
Principal settlements
A'Metro' cities
BOther 'cities'
Area
• Total28,627 km2(11,053 sq mi)
Highest elevation
703.6m (2,308 ft)
Population
(2021 census)
• Total10,831,000
• Density380/km2(980/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Midlander, Mercian
Time zoneUTC+0(Greenwich Mean Time)
• Summer (DST)UTC+1(British Summer Time)

TheMidlandsis the central part ofEngland,bordered byWales,Northern England,Southern Englandand theNorth Sea.The Midlands correspond broadly to the early-medieval kingdom ofMercia,and later became important in theIndustrial Revolutionof the 18th and 19th centuries. They are now split into two official regions, theWest MidlandsandEast Midlands.The Midlands' biggest city,Birmingham,is the second-largest in theUnited Kingdom.Other important cities includeCoventry,Derby,Leicester,Lincoln,Nottingham,Stoke-on-Trent,Wolverhampton,andWorcester.

Symbolism

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Asaltire(diagonal cross) may have been used as a symbol ofMerciaas early as the reign ofOffa.[1][better source needed]By the 13th century, the saltire had become theattributed armsof the Kingdom of Mercia.[2]ThearmsareblazonedAzure, a saltire Or,meaning a gold (or yellow) saltire on a blue field. The saltire is used as both a flag and a coat of arms. As a flag, it is flown fromTamworth Castle,the ancient seat of theMercian kings.[1]

The officially recognised version of theSt Alban's Crossattributed toMercia.[3]

The flag also appears on street signs welcoming people toTamworth,the "ancient capital of Mercia". It was also flown outsideBirmingham Council Houseduring 2009 while theStaffordshire Hoardwas on display in the city before being taken to theBritish Museumin London. The cross has been incorporated into a number ofcoats of armsof Midlands towns, includingTamworth,LeekandBlaby.It was recognised as the Mercian flag by theFlag Institutein 2014.[4]

Extent

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There is no single definition for the Midlands. If defined as being made up of thestatistical regionsofEast MidlandsandWest Midlands,[5]it includes thecountiesofDerbyshire,Herefordshire,Leicestershire,most ofLincolnshire(with the exception ofNorthandNorth East Lincolnshire),Northamptonshire,Nottinghamshire,Rutland,Shropshire,Staffordshire,Warwickshire,Worcestershireand the West Midlands metropolitan boroughs.

Other definitions include a slightly larger area and the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, describesGloucestershireas "West Midland",Bedfordshireas "South Midland", andHuntingdonshireas "East Midland" counties respectively.Cheshireis also occasionally recognised as being in the Midlands, while a lot of what was historically part of southern Mercia (Gloucestershire,Oxfordshire,Buckinghamshire,Bedfordshire,Hertfordshire,Huntingdonshire,andCambridgeshire) is often labelled as "Central England", typically used interchangeably with "the Midlands".

Additionally, there are two informal regions known as theSouth MidlandsandNorth Midlands,which are notNUTS statistical regions of the United Kingdomand their definition varies by using organisation. The former includes the southern parts of the East Midlands and northern parts ofSouthern England.[6]The latter covers the northern parts of the West and East Midlands, along with some southern parts ofNorthern England.[7][8][9]

Divisions

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TheWest MidlandsandEast Midlandsregions areNUTS 1 statistical regionsand were formerlyconstituenciesof theEuropean Parliament.Local government in the Midlands is as follows:

The Midlands

The unitary authorities ofNorth LincolnshireandNorth East Lincolnshire(not shown), while classed as part of the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire, actually come under theYorkshire and the Humberregion and are therefore not in the officially recognised East Midlands region.

The two regions of the Midlands have a combined population of 10,350,697 (2014 mid-year estimate),[10]and an area of 11,053 sq mi (28,630 km2).

The largest Midlandsconurbation,which includes the cities ofBirminghamandWolverhampton,is roughly covered by themetropolitan countyof theWest Midlands(which also includes the city ofCoventry); with the relatedCity Regionextending into neighbouring areas ofShropshire,Staffordshire,WarwickshireandWorcestershire.

Various parts of the Midlands, particularly Warwickshire and Leicestershire, are on occasion referred to as the Heart of England, especially in tourist literature given that the geographic centre of England is generally considered to lie within this arc.

Different areas of the Midlands have their own distinctive character, giving rise to many local history and industrial heritage groups.Nottinghamplayed a notable part in theEnglish Civil War,which is commemorated in a number of place names (Parliament Terrace, Parliament Street, Standard Hill). Areas such as Derbyshire'sAmber ValleyandErewashcombine attractive countryside with industrial heritage and are home to historic canals and sites associated with the mining industry. TheBlack Country,broadly the boroughs ofDudley,Sandwell,WolverhamptonandWalsall,played an important part in theIndustrial Revolution.[citation needed]

Historic counties

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Main article:Historic counties of England
Midlands historic counties

The historic counties ceased to be used for any administrative purpose in 1899 but remain important to some people, notably forcounty cricket.

Geography

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The area is predominantly low-lying and flat apart from isolated hills such asTurners Hillwithin the Black Country conurbation at 271 m (889 ft) and theWrekinjust south ofWellingtonin Telford at 407 m (1,335 ft). Upland areas lie in the west and north of the region with theShropshire Hillsto the west, close to theEngland–Wales borderand thePeak Districtarea of the southernPenninesin the north of the region. The Shropshire Hills reach a height of 540 m (1,771 ft) atBrown Clee Hilland includes theLong Mynd,Clee HillsandStiperstonesridge.Wenlock Edge,running through the middle of the Shropshire HillsArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty(AONB), is a long, low ridge, which extends for over 15 miles (24 km).[11]The Peak District reaches heights of between 300 m (1,000 ft) and 600 m (2,000 ft);Kinder Scoutis the highest point at 636 m (2,086 ft).[12]Further south, the Welsh border reaches over 700 m (2,000 ft) high, atTwyn Llech(Black Mountain), which at 703 m (2,306 ft) is thus the highest point inHerefordshire.

ThePrecambrianMalvernsare formed of some of the oldest rock in England (dating from theCryogenianperiod, at around 680 million years old) and extend for 8 miles (13 km) through twoWest Midlandscounties (WorcestershireandHerefordshire) as well as northernGloucestershirein thesouthwest.The highest point of the hills is theWorcestershire Beaconat 425 m (1,394 ft) above sea level (OS Grid reference SO768452).[13][14]

TheCotswolds– designated an AONB in 1966.[15]– extend for over 90 miles (140 km) throughOxfordshire,Gloucestershire,Wiltshire,Somerset,Warwickshire,andWorcestershire.They reach a highest point of 330 m (1,082 ft) atCleeve Hill.

Areas of lower hills, in the range 200 m (600 ft) - 300 m (1000 ft), includeCharnwood ForestinLeicestershire,Cannock ChaseinStaffordshire,and theLincolnshire Wolds(100 m (300 ft) - 200 m (600 ft)); the latter having some prominence despite their modest altitude given their location in typically low-lyingLincolnshirenear to the east coast.

Lincolnshireis the only coastal county in the Midlands as the region is bordered byWalesto the west. It is also where the Midlands' lowest points can be found as some places fall below sea level, with the lowest points being nearThorpe TilneyinNorth KestevenandStickfordinEast Lindsey.[16]

Climate

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The Midlands has a temperatemaritime climate,with cold, cloudy, wet winters and comfortable, mostly dry, mostly sunny summers.[17]The temperature usually ranges from −0.4 °C (31.3 °F) during winter nights to 24.1 °C (75.4 °F) during summer days. Due to its geographical location, which is furthest away from the coast than anywhere else in England, it typically receives mostly light winds, with warm days and cold nights. Sometimes the Midlands can have very cold nights such as a minimum of −18.7 °C (−1.7 °F) inPershoreon 20 December 2010. The previous day had a maximum of only −8.2 °C (17.2 °F), also in Pershore. Hot days are also possible, such as a maximum of 34 °C (93 °F) in Pershore on 19 July 2006. There can also be very mild winters nights, such as inBidford-on-Avonwhen the temperature at 6 pm was as high as 15.2 °C (59.4 °F) on 9 January 2015. At 8 am the following morning the temperature was still at 13 °C (55 °F).[18][19][20]Both the highest and lowest temperature ever recorded in England were in the Midlands, the former on19 July 2022aroundConingsbyin Lincolnshire where it reached a maximum temperature of 40.3 °C (104.5 °F),[21]and the latter on10 January 1982aroundNewportin Shropshire where it dropped to a minimum of −26.1 °C (−15.0 °F).

Climate data for Midlands
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.7
(44.1) 		7
(45) 		9.7
(49.5) 		12.5
(54.5) 		15.9
(60.6) 		18.8
(65.8) 		21.1
(70.0) 		20.8
(69.4) 		17.8
(64.0) 		13.7
(56.7) 		9.6
(49.3) 		6.9
(44.4) 		13.4
(56.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1
(34) 		0.8
(33.4) 		2.4
(36.3) 		3.7
(38.7) 		6.5
(43.7) 		9.4
(48.9) 		11.5
(52.7) 		11.3
(52.3) 		9.3
(48.7) 		6.5
(43.7) 		3.5
(38.3) 		1.3
(34.3) 		5.6
(42.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 74
(2.9) 		54
(2.1) 		58.8
(2.31) 		59.1
(2.33) 		58.5
(2.30) 		62.3
(2.45) 		60.8
(2.39) 		66.9
(2.63) 		66.2
(2.61) 		82
(3.2) 		77.1
(3.04) 		78.7
(3.10) 		798.4
(31.36)
Average rainy days(≥ 1 mm) 12.9 10.2 11.5 10.6 10.2 9.7 9.4 10 9.7 12.2 12.5 12.4 131.3
Mean monthlysunshine hours 52.1 71.4 104.8 147 183.2 174.7 189.6 177.6 132.2 99.4 61.2 45 1,438.2
Source: Met Office[22]

Midlands named concepts

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The "midland" name has been used for:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Photo-gallery: Saxon trail across Mercian Staffordshire".BBC News.7 April 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 7 May 2011.
  2. ^College of Arms Ms. L.14, dating from the reign ofHenry III
  3. ^Flag Institute: Mercia, St Alban's Cross.
  4. ^Flag Institute: Mercia, St Alban's Cross.
  5. ^"Why the East Midlands and West Midlands must join forces".Birmingham Mail.Retrieved22 February2019.
  6. ^"South Midlands Region".Council for British Archaeology.Retrieved22 February2019.
  7. ^North Midland Country: A Survey of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire.Harold Ingram. 1948. pp. 0–116.Retrieved22 February2019.
  8. ^The Rise of the English Regions?.Irene Hardill, Paul Benneworth, Mark Baker, Leslie Budd. 3 October 2006. p. 173.ISBN9781134306084.Retrieved22 February2019.
  9. ^Graham Turner,The North Country,p.15
  10. ^"Office for National Statistics – Dataset finder – MYEDE Population Estimates for High Level Areas".ONS.30 June 2015.Retrieved18 April2016.East Midlands 4,637,413 West Midlands 5,713,284
  11. ^"Some Shropshire Hills…".Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.Retrieved23 June2016.
  12. ^"Peak District National Park Facts & Figures".Wheeldon trees Farm.Retrieved23 June2016.
  13. ^"The Malvern Hills".Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark. Archived fromthe originalon 21 July 2011.Retrieved23 June2016.
  14. ^"Malverns Complex".Herefordshire and Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust.Retrieved23 June2016.
  15. ^"The Cotswolds".The Cotswolds.Retrieved23 June2016.
  16. ^"Experiencing the highs and lows".BBC News.Retrieved9 July2023.
  17. ^Calculated using data from WorldClim.org.Hijmans, R.J.; Cameron, S.E.; Parra, J.L.; Jones, P.G.; Jarvis, A. (2005). "Very high resolution interpolated climate surfaces for global land areas. International Journal of Climatology".25:1965–1978.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  18. ^Snow and low temps 2010http:// metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/dec2010
  19. ^December 2010http:// metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/summaries/2010/december
  20. ^Record heat July 2006http:// metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/july2006/
  21. ^"UK heatwave: New UK record as temperature hits 39.1C - with 41C expected this afternoon".Sky News.Retrieved19 July2022.
  22. ^Office, Met."Ragley Hall climate".metoffice.gov.uk.

Further reading

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  • Allen, R.C.Enclosure and the Yeoman: the Agricultural Development of the South Midlands 1450-1850(Oxford UP, 1992)
  • Beckett, John V.The East Midlands from AD 1000(Addison-Wesley Longman, 1988).
  • Bennett, Michael J. "Sir Gawain and the green knight and the literary achievement of the north-west Midlands: the historical background."Journal of Medieval History5.1 (1979): 63–88.
  • Betteridge, Alan.Deep Roots, Living Branches: A History of Baptists in the English Western Midlands(Troubador Publishing Ltd, 2010).
  • Dewindt, Edwin Brezett, and Edwin Brezette DeWindt.Land and people in Holywell-cum-Needingworth: structures of tenure and patterns of social organization in an East Midlands village, 1252-1457(PIMS, 1972).
  • Donnelly, Tom, Jason Begley, and Clive Collis. "The West Midlands automotive industry: the road downhill."Business History59.1 (2017): 56-74online.
  • Finberg, H.P.R.The early charters of the West Midlands(Leicester University Press, 1972).
  • Gelling, Margaret.The West Midlands in the Early Middle Ages(Leicester UP, 1992).
  • Hilton, R. H.A Medieval Society: The West Midlands at the End of the Thirteenth Century(1987)online review
  • Jones, Peter M.Industrial Enlightenment: Science, technology and culture in Birmingham and the West Midlands, 1760–1820(2017)online.
  • Laughton, Jane, Evan Jones, and Christopher Dyer. "The urban hierarchy in the later Middle Ages: a study of the East Midlands."Urban history(2001): 331–357.
  • McWhirr, A. L. A. N.The Early Military History of the Roman East Midlands(1970)online.
  • Money, John. "Birmingham and the West Midlands, 1760-1793: Politics and Regional Identity in the English Provinces in the Later Eighteenth Century."Midland History1.1 (1971): 1–19.
  • Money, John.Experience and Identity: Birmingham and the West Midlands, 1760-1800(Manchester University Press, 1977).
  • Rowlands, Marie B.The West Midlands from AD 1000(3 vol, Longman, 1987).
  • Somerset, Alan. "New Historicism: Old History Writ Large? Carnival, Festivity and Popular Culture in the West Midlands."Medieval & Renaissance Drama in England5 (1991): 245–255.online
  • Stafford, Pauline.The East Midlands in the Early Middle Ages( Leicester University, 1985).
  • Stobart, Jon. "Regions, Localities, and Industrialisation: Evidence from the East Midlands Circa 1780–1840."Environment and Planning A33.7 (2001): 1305–1325.
  • Tompkins, Matthew.Peasant society in a midlands manor, Great Horwood 1400-1600(PhD Diss. U of Leicester, 2006)online.
  • Townsend, Claire. "County versus region? Migrational connections in the East Midlands, 1700–1830."Journal of Historical Geography32.2 (2006): 291–312.
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