North Midlands

The North Midlands is a loosely defined area of England. It is typically held to include the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and in some definitions also covers southern Cheshire, parts of Lincolnshire and Staffordshire.

History

A North Midlands region was first defined for the 1881 UK census. It was defined as the entirety of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland. A new definition of the region appeared in 1939, for various government statistical purposes: Derbyshire without High Peak, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland and the Soke of Peterborough. In 1942, High Peak was added, but it was removed again in 1946. In 1962, it was merged into a new Midlands statistical region.

The North Midlands has remained in use as an informal term for part of the area, covering South Yorkshire, North Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, even though South Yorkshire never formed part of the statistical region. For example, in the 1960s, Sheffield was described in an official publication as "the vigorous shopping and cultural centre of the North Midlands".