WESTMORLAND, a northern county of England, bounded N. and N.W. by Cumberland, S. and S.W. by Lancashire, S. S.E.; E., and N.E. by Yorkshire, and for a short distance N.E. by the county of Durham. It lies between 54' 10' and 54° 42' N. lat., 2° 9' and 3° 10' W. long. The form of the county is irregular : the greatest dimension or length is from north-north-east to south-south-west, a little more than 41 miles : the greatest breadth, measured at right angles to the length, is about 32 miles. The area of the county is 758 square miles ; the population in 1841 was 56,454 ; iu 1851 it was 58,287.
Surface and Geology.—Westmorland is wholly mountainous. The eastern side is traversed by the great Pennine Chain, and the western side stud the centre are occupied by the mountains of the Cumbrian group, which aro separated from the Pennine Chain by the valley of the Eden.
The principal ridge of the Pennine Chain enters the county across its northern border just to the south of Cross Fell, and extends across Milburn Forest to the border of Yorkshire : it then turns south-south west, and runs, above Kirby Stephen, to the head of the valley of the Eden. On the west side of this ridge the mountains have a steep and almost precipitous descent into the valley of the Eden ; on the east they extend a considerable distance, far beyond the boundaries of Westmorland, subsiding more gradually into the wide valley or plain of the Tees, which occupies the south-east of the county of Durham and the north of Yorkshire. On each side of the ridge numerous transverse valleys are drained by small streams : those on the west side falling into the those on the east forming the upper waters of the Tees, the Swale, the Ure or Yore. The principal moun tains of the Pennine Chain in Westmorland, from north to south, are Dun Fell, Dufton Fell, Eagles' Chair, Scordale Head, Warcop Fell, Middle Fell, Musgrave Fell, and Helbeck Fell, all north of the depres sion through which the river Below passes. South of that depression is a number of summits grouped together, and forming the district of Arkengarth Forest, of which the Nine Standards (2136 feet high), Dowphin Seat, Brownber Fell, and Hugh's Seat, the last on the border of Westmorland and Yorkshire, are among the principal.
The principal ridge of the Cumbrian Mountains reaches the border of the county on the west side near Helvellyn (3055 feet high), which is just within the border of Cumberland, and runs south-east to Kirk stone Fell, at the head of the valley drained by the Coldrill, or Gold rill, otherwise the Hartsop Beck, which flows into Ulleswater : from Kirkstone Fell it runs east by south, to the head of the valley of the Eden, on the eastern side of the county ; by which valley, here very narrow, it is separated from the Pennine Chain. The ridge about midway between Kirkstone Fell and the valley of the Eden is divided into two parts by a depression through which the Lune passes.
Among the principal mountains along the ridge aro Grisedale Brow (988 feet high), and Dow Crags, between Helvellyn and Kirkstono Fell; High-street and Harter Fell, near the head of Kentmere; and Birkbeck Fella and Hause Hill, near the head of Borrowdale.
On the north side a principal branch is thrown off from the main ridge at High-street, a short distance cast of Kirkstone Fell, of which branch Dod Hill, Place Fell, Aldsay Pike, Kidsty Pike, the peaks in Martindale Forest, and Swarth Fell are summits. This branch extends nearly to the bank of the Eamout, a principal feeder of the Eden, opposite Penrith. Ulleswater Lake, the upper part of which belongs wholly to Westmorland, while its lower part is on the border of Cumberland and Westmorland, is about 7 miles long, with an average breadth of half a mile. The upper part of the lake is in the valley of Patterdale, into which open other dales or valleys, including Glen coin, Glenridden, Grisedale. and Deepdale. which are formed by the short branches thrown off towards the lake by the semicircle of mountains which here surrounds it. Martindale opens at its northern end upon the south-east side of Ulleswater• it lies between the hills of Martindale Forest on the east, and a mountain or hill on the west. These dales are watered by mountain streams flowing into Ulleswater, from the lower extremity of which the Eamont flows.