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Archiver > POWYS > 1998-04 > 0891599659


From: "John Ball" <>
Subject: English Midlands
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 1998 11:34:19 +0100


Hi Glenda,

I can't resist adding my two-pennyworth to the debate on what is meant by
"The Midlands" (I'm not so sure about "The Marches").

I was born and raised in Birmingham which is in the heart of the Midlands.
My understanding is that the Midlands encompasses the area covered by the
old counties of Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire,
Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and
Warwickshire. Some might add Northamptonshire (and possibly Oxfordshire) to
this list.
The Midlands tends to be split into the East Midlands (Derbyshire,
Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire) and the West Midlands
(the remaining 6 counties).

Leeds (Yorkshire) and Manchester (Cheshire) are definitely NOT part of the
Midlands. I don't consider Cheshire or Yorkshire to be Midlands' counties.
To me, they are in "The North".

The description may vary according to which part of the country one lives
in. Londoners often consider anything north of Watford as "The North".

Regarding the Marches, I believe the term covers what we now know as the
county of Monmouthshire, which at one time was considered part of England,
but is now part of Wales. But I'd like to see an definitive explanation of
exactly what is meant by "The Marches".

Regards,

John (now in Ystalyfera, near Swansea, South Wales)

Welsh Family History Archive:
http://homepages.enterprise.net/johnball/wales/index.htm

-----Original Message-----
From: DGMattesUK <>
To: <>;
<>
Date: 02 April 1998 5:59
Subject: Midlands & Marches

>Good Question!
>I live in the Midlands which seems to extend from somewhere east of
Leicester
>to somewhere west of Birmingham and north to Leeds and Manchester.
Includes
>the counties of Leicester, Nottingham, Stafford, Derby.
>
>The Marches, I think, refer to the counties bordering Wales - Shropshire,
>Cheshire, Hereford...
>
>But I'm American and still learning - any natives out there to help. I'd
like
>to know, too!
>
>Glenda Mattes
>
>
>

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