Rutland

Locator map for the English administrative region of Rutland.

Unitary authority in central England, formerly the smallest English county, which was part of Leicestershire 1974–1997.

Area 394 sq km/152 sq mi

Towns and cities Oakham (administrative headquarters), Uppingham

Physical rivers Chater, Eye, Gwash, and Welland

Features Rutland Water, a large reservoir in the valley of the Gwash at Empingham, with outdoor leisure facilities (sailing, cycling, birdwatching); historic villages and churches, including Braunston-in-Rutland, Preston, Wing, and Exton

Agriculture cereals (barley, wheat), sugar beet, potatoes; sheep and cattle are reared, and Stilton cheese is produced

Industries clothing, engineering, and plastics; limestone and ironstone are quarried

Population (2001) 34,550

Famous people Charles Boys, Robert of Ketton

Topography Rutland is bounded to the north and east by Lincolnshire; to the north and west by Leicestershire; and on the southeast by Northamptonshire. The surface is broken by low hills forming valleys, of which the chief is the Vale of Catmose. Between Oakham and Uppingham the county was at one time covered by Lyfield or Leafield Forest, part of which formed the hunting land of Beaumont Chase.

Rutland

Town and administrative headquarters of Rutland County, south-central Vermont; population (1990) 18,200. It is situated on Otter Creek, at the south edge of the Green Mount National Forest, 80 km/50 mi southwest of Montpelier. Founded in 1759 as a military outpost, it was an early marble quarrying and railway centre. Stone finishing and the manufacture of stoneworking machinery are now important to the local economy, along with tourism and diverse manufacturing. The College of St Joseph (1954) and Green Mount National Forest headquarters are located in the town.