Cheshire

Map of the Cheshire Area

The county itself is mostly rural with many small towns and villages that are agricultural in economic activity. It is historically famous for the production of salt, chemicals, silk and Cheshire Cheese (source: Ingham, A. (1920). Cheshire: Its Traditions and History.). However, the modern economy is diverse and includes not only agriculture but also bio-technological, ICT and automotive sectors. A large portion of the land is devoted to the dairy and cattle trade (in 2005 20.29 km squared was devoted to this industry (source: Agricultural Holdings - Land and Employment - Cheshire - 2002 to 2005. Cheshire County Council. Retrieved on 2007-06-03.)). The chemical industry in the county dates back to the Roman times when the mining of salt became prevalent in Northwhich and Midllewhich.

The name Cheshire comes from Anglo Saxon origins and means the "shire of the city of legions" and is thought to have been founded by Edward the Elder in around 920 CE (source: Crosby, A. (1996). page 31.). There is a history of interaction between Cheshire and Wales due to the close land links between them. A large portion of the original county became part of Wales (source: Harris, B.E. and Thacker, A.T. (1987). pages 340-341) which is why the Welsh name for Cheshire (Swydd Gaerlleon (source: Welsh dictionary entry for Cheshire. www.geriadur.net website (Welsh-English / English-Welsh On-line Dictionary ). Department of Welsh, University of Wales, Lampeter. Retrieval Date: February 21, 2008)) is often used by those in that area.

The physical geography of Cheshire is mostly made up of boulder clay plains which were formed as a consequence of the of the receding ice glaciers. Prehistoric burial grounds can be located at The Bridestones and Robin Hoods Tump and there are also the remains of Iron Age hill forts within the county.

Cheshire has several football teams who play league games, the largest and most notable being Crewe Alexandra and Chester City. It has also been home to many famous footballers including Dean Ashton (West Ham), Michael Owen (Newcastle United and England), Peter Crouch (Liverpool and England), and Wayne Rooney ((Manchester United and England). Lewis Coral also came from Cheshire and this was the origin of the book the "Cheshire Cat".