Cambridgeshire (historic)
52°20′N 0°8′E / 52.333°N 0.133°E
| Cambridgeshire (historic) | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Cambridgeshire shown within Great Britain | |
| Area | |
| • 1831 | 536,853 acres (2,172.57 km2) |
| Population | |
| • 1831 | 143,849[1] |
| • 1851 | 185,405[2] |
| • 2011 | 460,621[3] |
| History | |
| • Created | 10th century |
| Status | Historic county |
| Chapman code | CAM |
Cambridgeshire, archaically known as the County of Cambridge, was one of ninety-two historic counties of the United Kingdom. It corresponded approximately to the eastern half of the present-day non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire.
The southern part of the county contained the city of Cambridge, seat of the University of Cambridge. The northern part was known as the Isle of Ely, a Liberty around the cathedral and city of Ely, controlled by the Abbot of Ely and later by the Crown,[4] with its own Quarter Sessions.
Under the Local Government Bill of 1888, which proposed the introduction of elected county councils, the Isle of Ely was to form part of Cambridgeshire. However, following the intervention of the local member of parliament, Charles Selwyn, it was constituted a separate administrative county in 1889. The county was small in terms of both area and population and its abolition was proposed by the Local Government Boundary Commission in 1947,[5] but the report was not acted upon and it survived until 1965. Following the recommendations of the Local Government Commission for England,[6] Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely merged on 1 April 1965 to form Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely.[7]
Armorial bearings
Cambridgeshire never had a traditional symbol as some other counties did. The Justices of Cambridge were wont to use a seal showing the arms of the then Borough of Cambridge and although Cambridgeshire County Council was created in 1889, it was granted arms only in 1914, on a novel pattern.[8]
See also
- History of Cambridgeshire
- Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies
- Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
- High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire
- Custos Rotulorum of Cambridgeshire
References
- ^ Vision of Britain - 1831 Census
- ^ Vision of Britain - 1851 Census
- ^ "Wikishire: Counties of the United Kingdom".
- ^ Liberty of Ely Act 1837 (7 Will 4 & 1 Vict c.53)
- ^ "Town and county boundaries - First decisions of the Commission", The Times, 2 May 1947
- ^ LGCE Report and Proposals for the East Midlands General Review Area (Report No.3), 31 July 1961 and Report and Proposals for the Lincolnshire and East Anglia General Review Area (Report No.9), 7 May 1965
- ^ The Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Order (SI 1964/366)
- ^ Civic Heraldry of England and Wales
- Cambridgeshire on A Vision of Britain