Warwickshire – formerly a border region then industrialized

Because of its location between the borders of two kingdoms, Warwickshire had to create a defence against the threat of Danish invasion. This task was carried out by Ethelfleda, “Lady of the Mercians” and daughter of King Alfred, who was responsible for building the first parts of Warwick Castle. Defences against the Danes were also built in Tamworth (Tamworth Castle).

Historically, much of western Warwickshire, including areas now part of Birmingham and the West Midlands, was covered by the Forest of Arden. For this reason, many place names in the north-western part of Warwickshire end in the ending “-in-Arden”. Most of this forest was cut down from the 17th to 19th centuries to provide fuel for industrialization.

The Forest of Arden is a former woodland and culturally defined area in the English West Midlands, which in ancient times and into the early modern period covered large parts of Warwickshire and parts of Shropshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, and Worcestershire. It is associated with William Shakespeare as the territory of his youth and the setting for some of his plays.

The Forest of Arden area was initially mapped using the Roman roads that conceptually bounded it: to the west by Icknield Street, to the south by the Salt Road (today's Alcester to Stratford Road), to the east by the Fosse Way, and in the North on Watling Street.

During the 18th and 19th centuries Warwickshire became one of the leading industrial counties. The coal mines of northern Warwickshire were among the most productive in the country and fuelled the industrial growth of Coventry and Birmingham.

At the end of the 19th century, Birmingham and Coventry were large industrial cities, so the administrative boundaries had to be changed. In 1889 the administrative county of Warwickshire was formed and Coventry and Birmingham became county boroughs.