Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire, a county in the west of England, bounded on the north by Worcestershire and Warwickshire, on the south by Somerset and Wilts, on the east by Oxfordshire, and on the west by Monmouthshire and Herefordshire. It has an area of 1,258 square miles. The Cotswold Hills in the north and centre of the county are the source of the Thames. Their highest point is over 1,000 feet. Between them and the Severn extend the Vales of Gloucester and Berkeley; and west of the Severn is the Forest of Dean. There is much good pasture, and cheese and cider are largely made. In the Forest of Dean and near Bristol are large coalfields, and building-stone is quarried. The Wye flows between the county and those of Monmouth and Hereford. The chief towns are Gloucester, Bristol, Cheltenham, and Stroud. Gloucestershire returns five members to Parliament.