Rutland

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The smallest county in England (measuring just 16 by 16 miles), Rutland has a population of only 33,000 in central England. The county town is Oakham.

Geography

Rutland has a rolling landscape and is very rural with unspoilt small fields and woodlands. It is primarily an agricultural county. In the centre is Rutland Water, a very large artificial reservoir created in the late 1970s to provide water to the surrounding industrial cities. Apart from the two market towns of Oakham and Uppingham, Rutland is a county of 54 small largely unspoilt, picturesque villages.

Industry

Iron ore and limestone are extracted from Rutland, which also manufactures cement, clothing, electrical products, and plastics. Tourism is an important part of the local economy in this very lovely county, with Rutland Water being a very popular venue for walkers, cyclists and bird watchers as it is famous for the variety of birds that are attracted each year to the major inland water.

History

Rutland was created as Shire County in the 12th Century, although its history goes back much further. Many of the town and village names date back to the early Anglo Saxon period, around the 7th Century. A 12th-century castle and a 14th-century church are in the vicinity. Rutland was the birth place of Jeffery Hudson, who was born in Oakham and was only 18 inches tall until he was 30 years of age. He then started to grow again but he never exceeded 3 feet 6 inches. He died in prison in 1682 at the age of 63 but had led a very colourful and exciting life.