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Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial county in North East England, on the border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumbria to the west, and the Scottish Borders council area to the north. The town of Blyth is the largest settlement. Northumberland is the northernmost county in England.
The county has an area of and had an estimated population of in , making it the least-densely populated county in England. The south-east contains the largest towns: Blyth, Cramlington, Ashington, Bedlington, and Morpeth, the last of which is the administrative centre. The remainder of the county is rural, the largest towns being Berwick-upon-Tweed in the far north and Hexham in the south-west. For local government purposes Northumberland is a unitary authority area. The county historically included the parts of Tyne and Wear north of the River Tyne.
The west of Northumberland contains part of the Cheviot Hills and North Pennines, while to the east the land becomes flatter before reaching the coast. The Cheviot (), after which the range of hills is named, is the county's highest point. The county contains the source of the River North Tyne and much of the South Tyne; near Hexham they combine to form the Tyne, which exits into Tyne and Wear shortly downstream. The other major rivers in Northumberland are, from south to north, the Blyth, River Coquet, River Aln, River Wansbeck and River Tweed, the last of which forms part of the Scottish border. The county contains Northumberland National Park and two national landscapes: the Northumberland Coast and part of the North Pennines.
Much of the county's history has been defined by its position on a border. In the Roman era most of the county lay north of Hadrian's Wall, and the region was contested between England and Scotland into the Early Modern era, leading to the construction of many castles, and , and the early modern fortifications at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Northumberland is also associated with Celtic Christianity, particularly the tidal island of Lindisfarne. During the Industrial Revolution the area had significant coal mining, shipbuilding, and armaments industries.
During the Roman occupation of Britain, most of the present county lay north of Hadrian's Wall. It was controlled by Rome only for the brief period of its extension of power north to the Antonine Wall. The Roman road Dere Street crosses the county from Corbridge over high moorland west of the Cheviot Hills to Melrose, Scottish Borders (). As evidence of its border position through medieval times, Northumberland has more castles than any other county in England, including prominent ones at Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Dunstanburgh, Newcastle, and Warkworth Castle.
Nearly 2,000-year-old Roman boxing gloves were uncovered at Vindolanda in 2017 by the Vindolanda Trust experts, led by Andrew Birley. Being similar in style and function to the full-hand modern boxing gloves, those found at Vindolanda look like leather bands dating back to 120AD. It is suggested that, based on their difference from gladiator gloves, the gloves were not used in mortal combat, but rather in a sport for promoting fighting skills. The gloves are currently displayed at Vindolanda's museum.
Present-day Northumberland formed the core of the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia from about 547. It was united with Deira (south of the River Tees) to form the kingdom of Northumbria in the 7th century. The boundaries of Northumbria under King Edwin (reigned 616–633) stretched from the Humber in the south to the River Forth in the north. Northumberland is often called the "cradle of Christianity" in England because Christianity flourished on Lindisfarne—a tidal island north of Bamburgh, also called Holy Island—after King Oswald of Northumbria (r. 634–642) invited monks from Iona to come to convert the English. The monastery at Lindisfarne was the centre of production of the Lindisfarne Gospels (around 700). It became the home of St Cuthbert (, abbot from ), who is buried in Durham Cathedral.
The Kingdom of Northumbria fragmented into a series of successor states following the Viking invasion. In the south, Viking settlers established the Kingdom of York between the Humber and Tees. However, Viking influence petered out at the Tees, with the river serving as the northern boundary of the Danelaw. Between the Tyne and Tees rivers, the Community of St. Cuthbert emerged as the successors to the Bishops of Lindisfarne; north of the Tyne, the earls of Bamburgh, who traced their lineage back to the Kings of Northumbria, continued to exercise authority and governance over this northern expanse. York was eventually integrated as a shire into the unified Kingdom of England by the House of Wessex. However, the West Saxon governmental structures were not extended beyond Tees, leaving the Earldom of Bamburgh and the Community of St. Cuthbert as contested buffer states with the emerging Kingdom of Scotland. After the battle of Nechtansmere, Northumbrian influence north of the Tweed began to decline as the Picts gradually reclaimed the land previously invaded by the Anglian kingdom. In 1018, its northern part, the region between the River Tweed and the Forth (including Lothian, which includes present-day Edinburgh), was ceded to the Kingdom of Scotland.
Northumberland has a history of revolt and rebellion against the government, as seen in the Rising of the North (1569–1570) against Elizabeth I. These revolts were usually led by the earls of Northumberland, the Percy family. Shakespeare makes one of the Percys, the dashing Harry Hotspur (1364–1403), the hero of his Henry IV, Part 1. The Percys were often aided in conflict by other powerful Northern families, such as the Nevilles and the Patchetts. The latter were stripped of all power and titles by the victorious Parliamentarians after the English Civil War of 1642–1651.
After the Restoration in 1660, the county was a centre for Catholic Church in England, as well as a focus of Jacobitism support. Northumberland was long a wild county, where outlaws and Border Reivers hid from the law. However, the frequent cross-border skirmishes and accompanying local lawlessness largely subsided after the Union of the Crowns of Scotland and England under King James I and VI in 1603.
Northumberland played a key role in the Industrial Revolution from the 18th century on. Many Coal mining operated in Northumberland until the widespread closures in the 1970s and 1980s. Collieries operated at Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth, Choppington, Netherton, Ellington, and Pegswood. The region's coalfields fuelled industrial expansion in other areas of Britain, and the need to transport the coal from the collieries to the Tyne led to the development of the first railways. Shipbuilding and armaments manufacture were other important industries before the deindustrialisation of the 1980s.
Northumberland remains largely rural, and is the least densely populated county in England. In recent years, the county has had considerable growth in tourism. Visitors are attracted both to its scenic beauty and to its historical sites.
About a quarter of the county forms the Northumberland National Park, an area of outstanding landscape that has largely been protected from development and agriculture. The park stretches south from the Scottish border and includes Hadrian's Wall. Most of the park is over above sea level. The Northumberland Coast is also a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). A small part of the North Pennines AONB is also in the county.
There is a variety of nature reserves in Northumberland including Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve and Farne Islands National Nature Reserve. Moreover, 50% of England's red squirrel population lives in the Kielder Water and Forest Park.
Natural England recognises the following natural regions, or national character areas, that lie wholly or partially within Northumberland:
The Northumberland Coalfield extends across the southeast corner of the county, from the River Tyne as far north as Shilbottle. There were smaller-scale workings for coal within the Tyne Limestone Formation as far north as Scremerston. The term 'sea coal' likely originated from chunks of coal, found washed up on beaches, that wave action had broken from coastal outcroppings.
From the county council's formation in 1889 until 1981 Newcastle was the county town, being briefly the county town of two counties when the city became a part of the Tyne and Wear metropolitan county in 1974. The county council has been governed from Morpeth since 1981. In 2009 the county council became a unitary authority when the county's districts were abolished and the county council took on their functions.
Elections for the unitary authority council first took place on 1 May 2008. The most recent elections, in 2021, had the following results:
| 47,645 | 31,038 | 8,549 | 9,063 | N/A | 5,285 | 104,188 |
| 34 (1) | 21 (3) | 7 (0) | 3 (0) | 0 () | 2 () | 67 |
| +General Election 2019 : Northumberland ! Liberal Democrats !! Labour !! Conservative !! Christian Peoples Alliance !! Green ! Brexit ! Turnout | ||||||
| 17,018 +855 | 57,567 −16,665 | 83,663 +6,764 | 178 Did not stand in 2017 election | 3,673 −3,167 | 6535 New party | 103,677 |
| +Overall numbers of seats as of 2024 ! Labour !! Conservative | |
| 4 Ian Lavery David Smith Joe Morris Emma Foody | 0 |
| +EU Referendum 2016 : Northumberland !Leave !Remain !Majority ! Turnout | |||
| 96,699 54.11% | 82,022 45.89% | 14,677 8.22% | 178,721 |
In 2001 there were 130,780 households, 10% of the population were retired, and one-third rented their homes. Northumberland has an ethnic minority population at 0.985% of the population, far lower compared to the average of 9.1% for England as a whole. In the 2001 UK Census, 81% of the population reported their religion as Christianity, 0.8% as "other religion", and 12% as having no religion.Office for National Statistics, 2001. " KS07 Religion: Census 2001, Key Statistics for local Authorities ."
Being primarily rural with significant areas of upland, the population density of Northumberland is only 66 persons per square kilometre, giving it one of the lowest population density in England.
Tourism is a major source of employment and income in Northumberland. In the early 2000s the county annually received 1.1 million British visitors and 50,000 foreign tourists, who spent a total of £162 million.
Coal mining in the county goes back to Tudor period. Coal mines continue to operate today; many of them are open-cast mines. Planning approval was given in January 2014 for an open-cast mine at Halton Lea Gate near Lambley.Hexham Courant 10 January 2014 'Villagers admit defeat after 15 years battling opencast'
A major employer in Northumberland is Hexham-based Egger (UK) Limited.
Newcastle University and Northumbria University are the leading academic institutions nearby. The local industry includes commercial or academic activity in pre-clinical research and development, clinical research and development, pilot-scale manufacturing, full-scale active pharmaceutical ingredient/intermediate manufacturing, formulation, packaging, and distribution.
Lionheart Radio, a community radio station based in Alnwick, has been awarded a community broadcasting licence by Ofcom.
| + Parishes of Northumberland
! Name !! Population (2001) !! Former district/borough |
| Alnwick |
| Tynedale |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Tynedale |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Tynedale |
| Tynedale |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Tynedale |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Tynedale |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Tynedale |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Alnwick |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Alnwick |
| Alnwick |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Castle Morpeth |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed |
Although not on this list, the population of Cramlington is estimated at 39,000.
Newcastle United were first division champions three times in the early 20th century, reaching the FA Cup Final three times before winning it at the fourth attempt in 1910. Today, top quality professional football remains in Northumberland. Since the 2017 – 18 season, Newcastle United is a Premier League team. St James' Park in Newcastle is a first class football venue, often used for international games at all levels. Blyth Spartans A.F.C. have had success and public attention through FA Cup runs.
Two of Jackie Milburn's nephews from Ashington, Bobby Charlton and Jackie Charlton are perhaps the two most significant players for England. Bobby joined Manchester United and Jackie Leeds United both contributing much to the success and history of their respective clubs. They both became permanent fixtures in Alf Ramsey 1966 England World Cup winning team. Malcolm Macdonald was a successful Newcastle player of the 1970s. Great national players who played at Northumberland clubs in the 1980s and 1990s include Peter Beardsley, Paul Gascoigne, Chris Waddle and Alan Shearer. Shearer remains the highest scoring player in Premier League history with 260 goals in 441 appearances.
There is one old links course at Goswick. It is a James Braid design which is widely acknowledged as a classic Northumberland links course; so much so, that the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) chose Goswick as a regional qualifier for the Open Championship for five years from 2008.
During the English Civil War of 1642–1651, King Charles played 'Goff' in the Shield Fields suburb of Pandon during his imprisonment in the town.
Today inland golf courses are abundant in the county,
The county has a professional golfer who has played in many professional golf tour events: Kenneth Ferrie from Ashington, who has won events on the prestigious European Tour.
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Cramlington Learning Village has almost 400 pupils in each school year, making it one of the largest schools in England. The Blyth Academy in southeast Northumberland can hold 1,500 students throughout the building. Astley Community High School in Seaton Delaval, which accepts students from Seaton Delaval, Seaton Sluice and Blyth, has been the subject of controversial remarks from politicians claiming it would no longer be viable once Bede Academy opened in Blyth, a claim strongly disputed by the headteacher.
The county of Northumberland is served by one Catholic high school, St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy in Bedlington, which is attended by students from all over the area. Students from Northumberland also attend independent schools such as the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle.
The border ballads of the region have been famous since late mediaeval times. Thomas Percy, whose celebrated Reliques of Ancient English Poetry appeared in 1765, states that most of the minstrels who sang the border ballads in London and elsewhere in the 15th and 16th centuries belonged to the North. The activities of Sir Walter Scott and others in the 19th century gave the ballads an even wider popularity. William Morris considered them to be the greatest poems in the language, while Algernon Charles Swinburne knew virtually all of them by heart.
One of the best-known is the stirring "Chevy Chase", which tells of the Earl of Northumberland's vow to hunt for three days across the Border "maugre the doughty Douglas". Of it, the Elizabethan courtier, soldier and poet Sir Philip Sidney famously said, "I never heard the old song of Percy and Douglas that I found not my heart moved more than with a trumpet". Ben Jonson said that he would give all his works to have written "Chevy Chase".
Overall the culture of Northumberland, as with the North East of England in general, may have more in common with Scottish Lowland culture than with that of Southern England. Both regions have their cultural origins in the old Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria, a fact borne out by the linguistic links between the two regions. These include many Old English words not found in other forms of Modern English, such as bairn for child (see Scots language and Northumbrian dialect).
The lands just north or south of the border have long shared certain aspects of history and heritage; it is thus thought by some that the Anglo-Scottish border is largely political rather than cultural.
Attempts to raise the level of awareness of Northumberland culture have also started, with the formation of a Northumbrian Language Society to preserve the unique dialects (Pitmatic and other Northumbrian dialects) of this region, as well as to promote home-grown talent.
Northumberland's county flower is the bloody crane's-bill ( Geranium sanguineum) and its affiliated Royal Navy ship is its namesake, .
The current arms were granted to the county council in 1951, and adopted as the flag of Northumberland in 1995.
Mickley was the birthplace of Thomas Bewick, an artist, wood engraver and naturalist born in 1753, and Bob Stokoe, a footballer and F.A. Cup-winning manager (with Sunderland in 1973) born in 1930.
Other notable births include:
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