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John, king of England

(Encyclopedia)John, 1167–1216, king of England (1199–1216), son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. John, though often cruel and treacherous, was an excellent administrator, much concerned with rendering...

Cumberland, former county, England

(Encyclopedia)Cumberland, former county, N England. In 1974, Cumberland became part of the nonmetropolitan county of Cumbria. ...

Cheshire, former county, England

(Encyclopedia)Cheshire chĕshˈər [key], county, W central England, on the N border with Wales. The county seat was Chester. Other principal population centers included Northwich, Crewe, and Macclesfield. Cheshire...

Cleveland, former county, England

(Encyclopedia)Cleveland, former county, NE England, created under the Local Government Act of 1972 (effective 1974). It was composed of the county boroughs of Hartlepool and Teesside and parts of the former countie...

Smithfield, district, London, England

(Encyclopedia)Smithfield, district of the City of London, England. Beginning in the 12th cent., it was used for fairs, markets, jousts, and executions. During the reign of Queen Mary I (1553–58), Protestants were...

Saint Albans, city, England

(Encyclopedia)Saint Albans sŭnt ôlˈbənz [key], city and district (1991 pop. 76,709), Hertfordshire, E central England. The market city of Saint Albans has printing, engineering, and clothing industries. Many of...

rape, territorial division, England

(Encyclopedia)rape, name applied to each of the six obsolete territorial divisions (Hastings, Pevensey, Lewes, Bramber, Arundel, and Chichester) into which Sussex, England, is divided. ...

Avon, former county, England

(Encyclopedia)Avon, former county, SW England, bordering the Severn estuary and the Bristol Channel. Created in 1974 from S Gloucestershire, Bristol, and N Somerset. it was dissolved in 1996 into four unitary autho...

Æthelred, king of England

(Encyclopedia)Æthelred, 965?–1016, king of England (978–1016), called Æthelred the Unready [Old Eng. unrœd=without counsel]. He was the son of Edgar and the half-brother of Edward the Martyr, whom he succeed...

Whitehall, street, London, England

(Encyclopedia)Whitehall, street in Westminster borough, London, England. Because of the many British government offices on the street, Whitehall has become a synonym for the government. The name derives from Whiteh...