Warwickshire or West Midlands?

If I can throw my twopenneth in as someone who didn't come to Coventry until the early 70's. I have always been amused by the strong feelings this discussion causes. I first knew it as the West Midlands although the postcodes are confusing due to the CV code extending well into Warwickshire. As mentioned earlier all that is needed to deliver anything to the correct address is the house number and postcode (it's how most online forms work) so from that point of view the county becomes irrelevant. However I must admit the pedant in me still insists on putting Cheylesmore as part of the address

I'm with you - I swear allegiance to no-one, even the country, as undoubtedly some of the things it stands for and supports I do not, whereas it's highly likely an 'enemy' of the nation will also have elements that I think are worthwhile. My point was if you are someone who does feel they can/should swear allegiance to someone, I just wondered why they decided the Queen was acceptable but being an EU citizen was not? For the time being we ARE EU citizens and have been for decades. The only difference is the length of time each has existed for. As for the WMCA, I think it has elements that would be good for the region. However, I do firmly believe that those in Birmingham have every intention of treating it as a means of expanding their own 'name' and intend to slowly bring 'Greater Birmingham' into general usage. As you say, the only metropolitan area given a city name was Manchester and look at the growth they've experienced in that time. There are other factors such as the exposure of the city due to the football team(s) (though mainly the rise of Man U) and as unfortunate as it was the massive amount of redevelopment that got kickstarted after the terrible bombing. Birmingham have always noted that and the inroads Manchester have made on their 'second city' status. They want in on the action and that means a Greater Birmingham. I'm not sure I've ever been a fan of the WM name, and for the new CA I thought Arden could be acceptable. The (really) old area known as Arden was extensive and covered much of the CA area, it gives an impression of greenery rather than a sprawling urban wasteland and also allows you to tap into the Shakespeare name for PR reasons, as it is undoubtedly the most recognisable name from the region.

When I bought my house in Coventry in the late 1980's I had West Midlands Gas and East Midlands Electricity (you didn't have a choice in those days). Labels only mean what you want them to mean (BT Advert). Peter.

The County of the City of Coventry I have been researching into the events of June and July 1842 regarding what was known as "The Boundary Case". This was a case brought by the Mayor of Coventry against Lythall and others and was heard in the Exchequer Court in Westminster Hall on 22nd and 23rd June 1842. The case and its decision reveals a great deal about the status of Coventry and Warwickshire over the centuries. Background Coventry was historically part of Warwickshire from the time of Alfred the Great until it was split from the county, administratively, in the reign of Richard II. In 1345 Coventry was incorporated as a City under a charter granted by Edward III, where rights were conferred to Queen Isabella, the Queen Mother, and The Black Prince ("In Camera Principis") to the Villa of Coventry, and Manor of Cheylesmore. Furthermore in 1451 an Act of Henry VI created the County of the City of Coventry - this comprised the City (the parishes of Holy Trinity and St Michaels, including St Johns) and the suburbs (The parishes of Foleshill, Exhall, Wyken, Ansty, Stowe, Stivichall, Stoke and the Hamlet of Keresley). Over the centuries Coventry established its own political and judicial system, separate from that of Warwickshire. The County of Warwick had no jurisdiction over the "City and Suburbs" and Coventry had both town and county councils and courts. Following the Reform Act of 1832 Coventry became a Municipal Borough and the County of the City of Coventry was abolished in November 1842. Significant arguments had arisen as to where the boundary between Coventry and Warwickshire fell. The problem largely occurred because the electorate of the County of the City of Coventry had to either be freemen (i.e. have served an apprenticeship within the City of Coventry) or own land within the city. (Freemen did not even have to live in the city and many travelled from London and other cities to vote.) However the land owners in the suburbs were disenfranchised, but they were still liable to pay tax in the form of the "County Rate". Hence the court case. The case of 1842 settled the matter in favour of the "suburbs" and the City of Coventry was subsequently restricted to the municipal boundaries. It took nearly 100 years for the City to expand to take over the "lost" parishes. Ansty never did return and remains part of the borough of Rugby to this day. Following the 1972, Local Government Act, the municipal borough of Coventry became part of the Metropolitan County of West Midlands together with Birmingham, which had become a municipal borough in 1838 and others. A timeline c850 - c1380 Part of historic Warwickshire 1345 Incorporated as a City under Edward III 1451 The County of the City of Coventry created by Henry VI ("City and Suburbs") 1832 The Reform Act 1835 - 1842 disputes over the extent and powers of the City and County November 1842 The County of the City of Coventry is abolished. The suburbs return to Warwickshire and the City becomes a Municipal Borough within Warwickshire, but administratively separate from Warwick 1890 Boundary extended to Earlsdon, Radford and Red Lane 1899 Boundary extended to include Stoke and part of Foleshill 1928 Boundary extended to include the rest of Foleshill (Holy Trinity without), St Michael without, parts of Allesley and Stoke Heath. 1931 Last extensions including Exhall, Coundon, Keresley, remainder of Allesley, Stivichall, Wyken, Walsgrave, Willenhall and Binley (Binley Woods remained part of Rugby in Warwickshire) 1974 Coventry becomes part of West Midlands.

Hi Malvern. Interesting piece, but I thought the last extension to Coventry's boundary was in about 1965 when Upper Eastern Green was annexed. When I moved there in 1981 the local shops still had their half day closing on Wednesday, unlike Coventry's on Thursday. The half day closing law was repealed as late as 1994.

The Coventry boundary marker on Bennetts Road South was just opposite Keresley County Infant school, now a health centre, next door to The Coronation Club. However in 1965 it moved to just beyond Penny Park Lane. Significant for me because it meant we lived in Coventry, so I could now get a bus pass to and from school all the way to Sandpits Lane, whereas previously I would have had to get on and off at The Shepherd & Shepherdess.

For me I will always class Coventry as being part of Warwickshire and proud of it. My birth certificate a has stamp on it, MERIDEN, County of Warwickshire. WM is like a big bunion that has split the county, north, south, east of Coventry is Warwickshire. To go north to south, you have to go via WM. I now live in North Warwickshire and have done for the last 30+ years, my address has far as I am aware not been changed, BUT for some strange reason our TWO villages have now become one in the West Midlands. To top it off we have a CV postcode, even though we have two sorting offices closer to the area than Coventry. That's my little moan about Warwickshire versus West Mids.

Hi Lolipop. If, like me, your birth certificate has Meriden on it, then you may have been born in Warwickshire but you weren't born in Coventry. If, like me, you were born in Keresley Hospital it was at that time in the Meriden Rural District, which was abolished in 1974. If you were born at Gulson Road Hospital you would have been born in Coventry, which at the time would still have been in Warwickshire. I'm guessing that, like me, you are older than 46.

As PeterB says in the above post, "Labels only mean what you want them to mean". They're forever messing about thinking up new names/labels and moving boundaries for the sake of it. They don't know what they're doing. Nothing is gained by it. Actually, they do know what they're doing. There's an army of people keeping themselves in a job. It's the way of the world. There are a lot of "jobs" which in my book are non-jobs (traffic wardens, compliance officers...) It says Meriden on my birth certificate, yes, Keresley Hospital, so that means I'm from Coventry. County of West Midlands! No such thing.

Sorry Slim, Keresley Hospital was never in Coventry. You may have been conceived in Coventry and lived all your life there but you weren't born in Coventry. On another note, I once read that that half the population of Nottingham was conceived in either Skegness or Mablethorpe. I wonder the situation for Coventry? Was it Weston? Rhyl? Benidorm?

Don't be sorry, Belushi. I'm not sorry I was born there as I had no say in the matter. Or where or whether I was conceived for that matter. Number one, I'm older than 46; considerably older! Number two, I did not say Keresley Hospital was in Coventry. But it was so close to the boundary and in Coventry's environs and general area to be, to all intents and purposes, as good as part of Coventry. And "In 1942, it was made part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital." (source: Coventrylive), so in practice it's in the general area of Coventry, whatever the official line says. I don't have much time for government office workers drawing thin pencil lines on maps. As for my conception, it quite probably took place in Blackpool. And that is certainly not within the Coventry boundary!

Hi Slim. I could never work out why some Cov kids were born in Gulson Rd Hospital and why some in Keresley Hospital. Was Coventry split into two halves geographically or was it something to do with where the spare beds were? And you'll be telling me next that Birmingham is in Coventry because Coventry City play there!

I guess it was a question of what facilities were available. I was a Caesarean. On several occasions, whilst working in southern locations, Bristol, Devon, Barth and Landun, I have been accused of being a Brummy (which does not offend me as I have a bit of Brummy ancestry, and I have worked there in the past), because of my Coventry accent.