Copeland Borough

The Borough of Copeland is a local government district and borough in western Cumbria, England. Its council is based in Whitehaven. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Borough of Whitehaven, Ennerdale Rural District and Millom Rural District. The population of the Non-Metropolitan district at the 2011 Census was 70,603.[1]

The name is derived from an alternative name for the Cumberland ward of Allerdale above Derwent, which covered roughly the same area.

There are different explanations for the name. According to a document issued at the time of the borough’s grant of arms, the name is derived from kaupland, meaning “bought land,” referring to an area of the Forest bought from the estate of St Bees Priory.[2] However, Angus Winchester (1985) holds that the name derives from the time of the Irish-Norse invasion of the area in the tenth century (Wainwright 1975). According to this explanation, the area was purchased from the Kingdom of Strathclyde, possibly with loot from Ireland. Geoffrey Hodgson (2008) argues that this Viking invasion accounts for the high frequency of the surname Hodgson in the area.

(Information from Wikipedia on 27/10/2020, click here for map details)

Copeland Website: https://www.copeland.gov.uk/
Additional licensing? No
Selective licensing? No
Licensing charges: here
Application form: here
Additional information: here
Contact telephone number: 01946 598300
Contact email address: [email protected]

Additional information and links for Local Authority services

Homelessness Prevention Services: homelessness advice scheme here
Discretionary Housing Payment Policy: here
Disabled Facilities Grant: here
Green Improvement Support: here



Have you been in touch with this Local Authority? Do you have any feedback which will help members? If so please use our (members only) form.

Click here for the feedback form

Page created: October 27, 2020
Last modified: May 4, 2022