Furness
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'''Furness''' ({{IPAEng|ˈfɘˑnəs}}) is a [[peninsula]] in the southern part of [[Cumbria]], in north-west [[England]]. As a socio-cultural unit, it is more loosely defined. At its widest extent, it is considered to cover the whole of [[North Lonsdale]], that part of the [[Lonsdale (hundred)|Lonsdale]] [[Hundred (division)|hundred]] that is an [[exclave]] of the [[Historic counties of England|historic county borders]] of [[Lancashire]], lying to the north of [[Morecambe Bay]].<ref>[http://www.furnessfhs.co.uk/furness_area.htm#LANCASHIRE%20BEYOND%20THE%20SANDS Furness Family History Society], 'Lancashire North of the Sands', Accessed [[August 20]], [[2006]].</ref>
The area is divided into Low Furness and High Furness. Low Furness is the [[peninsula]];<ref> [http://www.explorelowfurness.co.uk/ Explore Low Furness] Accessed [[August 20]], [[2006]] </ref> it juts out into the [[Irish Sea]] and delineates the western edge of Morecambe Bay. The southern end of the peninsula is dominated by the bay's tidal [[mudflat]]s. The long thin island of [[Walney Island|Walney]] lies off the peninsula's south-west coast. High Furness is the northern part of the area, that was part of North Lonsdale but is not on the peninsula itself.<ref>[http://www.furnessfhs.co.uk/furness_area.htm#HIGH%20FURNESS Furness Family History Society] Accessed [[August 20]], [[2006]] </ref> Much of it is within the [[Lake District]] National Park, and contains the [[Furness Fells]]. It borders England's largest lake, [[Windermere (lake)|Windermere]]. Additionally, the [[Cartmel Peninsula]] is often included in definitions of Furness.<ref> [http://www.furnessfhs.co.uk/furness_area.htm#CARTMEL Furness Family History Society] 'Cartmel' Accessed [[August 20]], [[2006]] </ref> Strictly speaking, however, Cartmel is not part of Furness, forming a separate peninsula between the estuaries of the rivers [[River Leven (Cumbria)|Leven]] and [[River Kent|Kent]]. Both areas together form "Lancashire North of the Sands".
The town of [[Barrow-in-Furness]] dominates the region with well over two thirds of its population.<ref> [http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/536/673/1758/38265144918.xls 2003 Cumbria population figures] Accessed [[August 20]], [[2006]] </ref> Other principal settlements of the region are [[Ulverston]], [[Coniston, Cumbria|Coniston]], [[Broughton-in-Furness]], Cartmel, [[Dalton-in-Furness]] and [[Askam and Ireleth]]. The population of Furness stands at around 100,000.
[[Image:EnglandLancashirePre1974.png|right|200px|thumb|Furness is the detached area, "over the sands", north west of the main part of Lancashire]] <!-- Image:EnglandLancashireTrad.png is actually better. But I felt sorry for Image:EnglandLancashirePre1974.png because no-one was using it. -->
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== History ==
The oldest record of its name is ''Fuþþernessa'' about 1150.<ref>A.D.Mills, ''Dictionary of English place-names'', [[Oxford University Press]], ISBN 0 19 280074 4</ref> It probably came from [[Old Norse]] ''Fuðarnes'' = "Fuði's [[headlands and bays|headland]]". The meaning of Old Norse ''fuð'' makes it clear that the man's name "Fuði" is a crude shipboard nickname with sexual reference, and not a formal name given by his parents.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
Evidence of [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] inhabitation has remained low until recently, but archaeological surveys in [[Urswick]] have suggested that the local church dates to this time, and may even have been a monastery. It has also been claimed that this was the site of the birthplace of [[St Patrick]].<ref> [http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=271177 North West Evening Mail] </ref> Furness was part of the [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[Kingdom of Strathclyde]], though it has also been suggested that the local [[Viking]] settlers were actually [[Manx people|Manx]], rather than coming directly from [[Scandinavia]]. By the time of the [[Domesday Book]], Furness was at the very north-western corner of [[William the Conqueror]]'s kingdom, disputed by [[England]] and the Scots.
As the border moved northwards, the status of Furness became more settled and the latter [[Middle Ages]] saw dominance by the monks of [[Furness Abbey]]. They owned much of the local land, and built structures such as [[Piel Island|Piel Castle]]. Buildings from this age are in the traditional [[sandstone]] of the region, which was later used for the [[gothic architecture|gothic]] style town hall of Barrow-in-Furness in the [[Victorian era]]. At one stage, the power and wealth of Furness Abbey was exceeded in the United Kingdom only by [[Kirkstall Abbey]] in Leeds. However, the monastery fell to ruins during the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] in the 1530s. The Abbey's lands in Furness were passed to the [[Duchy of Lancaster]] in 1540.
Furness remained a remote farming and fishing district, accessible only across the dangerous sands of [[Morecambe Bay]]. [[William Wordsworth]] was among those who enjoyed the remote splendour of the area, writing a number of sonnets about local features such as Piel Castle and the [[River Duddon]]. The highland areas of ''High Furness'' began to experience tourism in the late 18th century, before the tourist boom of the [[Victorian era]].
The fortunes of Furness changed dramatically in 1840s and 1850s, when William Schneider found the second largest [[iron ore]] deposits in the [[United Kingdom]] at [[Askam and Ireleth|Askam-in-Furness]]. Further resources were found at [[Dalton-in-Furness]], [[Lindal-in-Furness]] and [[Roose]]. The [[Furness Railway]] was built to transport this ore, providing the area with its first safe transport route to the rest of [[England]].
The iron ore and steelworks were, at their time, the biggest in the world. The population of [[Barrow-in-Furness]] rose from a few hundred to 47,000 by 1881, bypassing [[Dalton-in-Furness]] and [[Ulverston]] as the area's biggest town, and engulfing a number of smaller villages along the way. The Furness Railway expanded to the mining sites at [[Coniston, Cumbria|Coniston]] and [[Greenodd]], and helped develop Barrow along a unique town plan. Mining in Furness reached its peak in 1882, when 1,408,693 tons of ore were won. At the same time, the popularity of tourism in the Coniston and [[Hawkshead]] areas increased, popularised in part by the work of [[John Ruskin]].
Tourism in High Furness was promoted by the writings of [[Beatrix Potter]] in the early part of the 20th century. Potter was one of the largest landowners in the area, eventually donating her many properties to the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]]. In particular, sites such as [[Coniston Water]], [[Tarn Hows]] and [[Windermere (lake)|Windermere]] became popular.
Iron and steel soon gave over to shipbuilding in Low Furness, with Barrow's docks becoming one of the largest in the United Kingdom. In particular, [[submarine]] development became a speciality of the town, with the [[Royal Navy]]'s first submarines built there. During the [[World Wars]], this allowed Furness to escape many of the economic problems that other areas suffered, due to the constant work provided by the military. Although tourism declined, the rural areas of Furness were able to rely on agriculture for survival.
After [[World War II]] demand for ships and submarines remained high, while the development of the [[Lake District]] [[National Park]] fostered tourism further. Attractions such as the [[Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway]], steamers on Windermere and Coniston Water, and fell walking, caused parts of Furness to become dependent on the tourist trade.
In the 1980s, the decline of shipbuilding due to the end of the [[Cold War]] led to mass redundancies in the area. The shipyard's employment figures fell from 20,000 to 3,000 in a twenty year period. However, the shipyard in Barrow remains [[England]]'s busiest and the only [[nuclear submarine]] facility in the country. Tourism has increased even more, with the [[Aquarium of the Lakes]] and [[South Lakes Wild Animal Park]] among the newer attractions.
Transport has become an increasingly controversial issue, with conservation groups and local business clashing over the need for improvements to the [[A590]] trunk road, the main link to the [[M6 Motorway]]. Proposals for a road bridge over [[Morecambe Bay]] have appeared, but are yet to progress beyond the planning stages.
==Geography==
The Furness region consists mostly of low-lying hills, forests and flats, with some higher ground towards the north.
The highest point of the region is [[Coniston Old Man]] at 803 m (2634 [[Foot (unit of length)|ft]]). Other notable summits include [[Dow Crag]], [[Wetherlam]] and [[Swirl How]] which, together with "The Old Man", are known as the [[Furness Fells]]. [[Gummer's How]] is a prominent hill in the east of the region.
Lakes include [[Windermere (lake)|Windermere]], [[Coniston Water]] and [[Esthwaite Water]]. The wide expanse of [[Grizedale Forest]] stands in-between these lakes.
==Demographics==
'''Settlements with population over 10,000'''<br/>
There are only three settlements in Furness with a population over 10,000. [[Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow]] which is home to around three quarters of the areas population, with [[Ulverston]] and [[Dalton-in-Furness|Dalton]] following. Other notable towns with a population under 10,000 are [[Coniston]], [[Broughton-in-Furness|Broughton]], [[Cartmel]], and [[Askam and Ireleth]].
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Town
! Population
! District
|-
| [[Barrow-in-Furness]]
| c60,000
| [[Barrow-in-Furness (borough)|Barrow-in-Furness]]
|-
| [[Ulverston]]
| 11,210
| [[South Lakeland]]
|-
| [[Dalton-in-Furness]]
| 11,000
| [[Barrow-in-Furness (borough)|Barrow-in-Furness]]
|}
There are no official demographic statistics for Furness, as it is not an official district, region or county. For demographics in the largest town - Barrow - [[Barrow-in-Furness#Demography|See here]], or the county - Cumbria - as a whole [[Cumbria#Demographics|see here]].
== Employment ==
Industry is the largest employer in the Furness region, and has been for over 100 years. Currently the biggest employers in the area are:
{|class="wikitable"
|-
||Employer||Company Info||No of people employed||Location
|-
|[[BAE Systems]]||UK Based [[defence contractor]] (Fourth Largest in world) works on [[land, sea and air defence]]||5,000 ||Along the [[Walney Channel]], takes up a vast area of the south western tip of the town
|-
|[[GlaxoSmithKline]]|| British based [[pharmaceutical]], biologicals, and [[healthcare]] company||570||On the outskirts of [[Ulverston]].
|-
|[[Kimberly Clark]]||[[United States|American]] [[corporation]] that produces mostly [[paper]]-based consumer products||470||Park Road - Industrial Outskirts of [[Barrow-in-Furness]]
|}
==Administration==
Furness was a detached part of the [[Historic counties of England|historic county]] of [[Lancashire]] bordering [[Cumberland]] to the north-west and [[Westmorland]] to the north-east (see [[Three Shire Stone (Lake District)|Three Shire Stone]]). It is known as "Lancashire beyond the sands [of Morecambe Bay]" or "north of the sands" or "over the sands" as in Grange-over-Sands. The area formed the northern part of the hundred of [[Lonsdale (hundred)|Lonsdale]].
In 1974 Furness became part of the [[shire county]] of [[Cumbria]]. At the district level it now consists of [[Barrow-in-Furness (borough)|Barrow Borough]] and part of [[South Lakeland]].
Some people, particularly those born or brought up in the area, prefer to retain the designation "Lancashire".
==Towns and villages==
Towns and villages in Furness include:
*[[Aldingham]], [[Askam and Ireleth|Askam-in-Furness]]
*[[Backbarrow]], [[Bardsea (Furness)|Bardsea]], [[Barrow-in-Furness]], [[Baycliff]], [[Bouth]], [[Broughton-in-Furness]]
*[[Coniston, Cumbria|Coniston]], [[Colton, Cumbria|Colton]]
*[[Dalton-in-Furness]], [[Dendron, Cumbria|Dendron]]
*[[Furness Abbey]], [[Foxfield, Cumbria|Foxfield]]
*[[Gleaston]], [[Great Urswick]] and [[Little Urswick]], [[Greenodd]]
*[[Haverthwaite]], [[Hawkshead]]
*[[Askam and Ireleth|Ireleth]]
*[[Kirkby-in-Furness]]
*[[Lakeside, Cumbria|Lakeside]], [[Leece]], [[Lindal-in-Furness]]
*[[Marton, Cumbria|Marton]]
*[[Newby Bridge]], [[Near Sawrey]] and [[Far Sawrey]], [[Newton-in-Furness]]
*[[Roose]], [[Rampside]], [[Roa Island]]
*[[Satterthwaite]], [[Scales, South Lakeland|Scales]], [[Stainton with Adgarley]], [[Swarthmoor]]
*[[Torver]]
*[[Ulverston]]
*[[Walney Island]]
See also the [[Islands of Furness]]
==Rivers and lakes==
*[[River Brathay]] — forms the northern boundary along with [[Wrynose Pass]]
*[[Coniston Water]]
*[[River Crake]]
*[[River Duddon]] — forms the western boundary
*[[Esthwaite Water]]
*[[River Leven (Cumbria)|River Leven]]
*[[Rusland Pool]]
*[[Windermere (lake)|Windermere]] is part of the eastern boundary of Furness <!-- mere means lake - don't call it Lake Windermere -->
*[[River Winster]] — forms the remainder of the eastern boundary
==Railways==
*[[Cumbrian Coast Line]]
*[[Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway]]
*[[Furness Line]]
*[[Furness Railway]]
==Famous people==
*[[Sir John Barrow]] was born and lived in Ulverston
*[[George Fox]] and [[Margaret Fell]] lived at [[Swarthmoor Hall]] near Ulverston
*[[Emlyn Hughes]], captain of [[Liverpool F.C.]] was born in Barrow
*[[Stan Laurel]] was born in Ulverston
*[[Beatrix Potter]] lived in Near Sawrey
*[[St Patrick]] — it has been suggested that he was born in the area{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
*[[George Romney (painter)|George Romney]], famous portrait painter was born at [[Dalton-in-Furness]] and educated at [[Dendron, Cumbria|Dendron]] and [[Rampside]]
* [[Lambert Simnel]], a 15th-16th century pretender to the throne, landed at [[Piel Island]]
*[[Steve Dixon (newsreader)|Steve Dixon]] was born in Barrow and lived in Newton-in-Furness
*[[Keith Tyson]], artist and [[Turner Prize]] winner, was born in Ulverston and educated in Dalton and Barrow
*[[William Wordsworth]], poet, stayed at Rampside and wrote about Piel Island.
*'''Over 35 famous people were born or have resided in Barrow-in-Furness, for complete list [[List of famous residents of Barrow-in-Furness|see here]]'''
*'''see [[Coniston Water]] for more people'''
==Buildings==
*[[Holker Hall]]
== See also ==
* [[Mountain Rescue England & Wales|Duddon & Furness Mountain Rescue Team]]
*[[Furness College, Lancaster University|Furness College]] - a constituent college of the University of Lancaster.
==References==
<references/>
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