About Warwickshire
Country: England
Region: West Midlands
Established: 927
Area: 1,741 km2 (672 sq mi)
Population: 609,200
Largest Settlement: Worcester
Worcestershire is a county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands county to the north, Warwickshire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south, and Herefordshire to the west.
A hand axe was discovered in 1970s in Hallow. Itis thought that it is possibly the first Palaeolithic artefact from the West Midlands.
Worcestershire was first inhabited around 700,000 years ago. The area was predominantly agricultural in the Bronze Age.
By the Iron Age, hill forts dominated the landscape. This ended durting the Roman occupation of Britain.
The Roman period saw establishment of the villa system in the Cotswolds and Vale of Evesham. Droitwich (Salinae) was probably the most important settlement in the county in this period, due to its product of salt. There is also evidence for Roman settlement and industrial activity around Worcester and King's Norton.
The area which became Worcestershire formed the heartland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Hwicce. It was absorbed by the Kingdom of Mercia during the 7th century and became part of the unified Kingdom of England in 927.
Worcestershire was established as an administrative and defensive unit in the early tenth century. Its purpose was to take into account and defend the estates within the northern area of historic Worcester.
The last known Anglo-Saxon Sheriff of Worcestershire was Cyneweard of Laughern.
During the Middle Ages, much of the county's economy was based on the wool trade. Many areas of its dense forests, such as Feckenham Forest, Horewell Forest and Malvern Chase, were royal hunting grounds subject to forest law.
After the Norman conquest of England, the Domesday Book noted that in 1086 seven of the twelve hundreds covering Worcestershire, the Crown had no authority. The Crown's authority was replaced by the Bishop of Worcester and the Abbots at Pershore, Westminster and Evesham.
William the Conqueror gave to his allies and friends manors and parishes captured from the Anglo-Saxons. Despite the Norman Conquest, the rest of the county was still held by the Abbeys of Pershore and Evesham, the Bishop of Worcester and Priory.
The first Norman Sheriff Urse d'Abetot, built the castle of Worcester and seized much church land. and was in dispute with the Bishop of Worcester over the rights of the sheriff.
Bishop Wulfstan was the last Anglo-Saxon bishop in England, and remained in post until his death in 1095. Under his tenure Worcester Cathedral began major reconstruction, and he opposed political interventions against William and the Normans. He was later made a saint.
The county suffered from being on the Royalist front line, as it was subject to heavy taxation and the pressing of men into the Royalist army, which also reduced its productive capacity. The northern part of the county, which was already a centre of iron production, was important for military supplies. Parliamentarian raids and Royalist requisitioning both placed a great strain on the county.
The county is also home to the world's oldest continually published newspaper, the Berrow's Journal, established in 1690.