Cheshire uk

Cheshire (pronounced /ˈtʃɛʃə/; also known, archaically, as the County of Chester)^[1] is a county in North West England. The county town, and the location of the county council, is the city of Chester,^[2] although Cheshire's largest town in terms of area and population is Warrington. Other major towns include Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Widnes, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich, and Wilmslow.^[3] The county is bordered by Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south, Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales to the west.

The ceremonial county has an overall area of 2,344 square kilometres (905 sq mi) and has a population of about 993,200.

The county is mostly rural with a number of small towns and villages that support an agricultural industry. It is historically famous for the production of Cheshire cheese,^[4] salt, bulk chemicals and the weaving of silk.

Cheshire's name was originally derived from an early name for Chester and first occurred as Legeceasterscir in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.^[5] Its name meant the shire of the city of legions.^[6] It was first recorded in 980, but it is thought that the county was created by Edward the Elder around 920.^[6] In the Domesday Book, Chester was recorded as having the name Cestrescir, (Chestershire) which was also derived from the name for Chester in use at the time.^[5] A series of changes that occurred as English itself changed, together with some simplifications, resulted in the name Cheshire, as it occurs today.

Because of the historical close links with the land bordering Cheshire to the west, which became Wales, there is a history of interaction between Cheshire and Wales. The Domesday Book records Cheshire as having two complete Hundreds (Atiscross and Exestan) which later became entirely part of Wales. Additionally, another large portion of the Duddestan Hundred later became known as Maelor Saesneg when it was transferred to Wales.^[7] For this and other reasons, the Welsh name for Cheshire (Swydd Gaerlleon)^[8] is sometimes used within Wales and by Welsh speakers.