County Dossier
Derbyshire
A county forged where Saxon and Dane once met.
Derbyshire is an inland county in the Midlands, traversed almost its entire length by the River Derwent (River Derwent).
At a glance
Derbyshire at a glance
A county forged where Saxon and Dane once met.
- c.1048 = 'Derbyscir'
- Domesday (1086): Derbyscire
- Known for the Peak District National Park
- Area 1,017 sq mi 2,634 km²
- Population: 1,148,373
- County top: Kinder Scout 2,087 ft / 636 m
County Geography
Derbyshire rises northward and westward from the Trent-side plain and meets Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire on the eastern and south-eastern side, Staffordshire and Cheshire across the western flank, and Yorkshire to the north. The Derwent and its tributaries help organise the county from south to north.
The transition from lowland to upland gives Derbyshire a strong internal shape.
Map Reference
View Derbyshire on the map
Derbyshire is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Derby, Chesterfield, Matlock, Bakewell, and Buxton show the county from its southern city and north-eastern approach to its upland spa and market-town heart. Together they explain how Derbyshire moves from Midland lowland into the Peak country.
Connections
The Derwent corridor, the roads through the dales, and the passes leading westward out of the county have long shaped movement across Derbyshire. Those routes sit inside a recognisable territorial frame from lowland to Peak country.
Names
- Derbyshire
- County of Derby
- Derbs
County of Derby is the formal historical style. Derbs survives as a shorter documentary form, while Derbyshire itself reflects the shire built around Derby and the early Scandinavian and English history preserved in names such as Derbyscire.