Back in 1974, the counties of Westmorland and Cumberland merged together with parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire to form the present county of Cumbria. Thirty years on there is talk in the air of even more radical changes, which will merge district and county councils into unitary authorities and create a regional assembly for the North West of England. I went online in search of the changing shape of our region.

Tracking the origins of Westmorland is tricky, but the web provides a few clues, suggesting when the county first came into being. Kendal Parish Church's website features an interesting timeline of Kendal and Cumbria, which looks back at notable local events over the past 1,000 years. This dates the creation of Westmorland County Council to 1889.

However, the 1911 Encyclopaedia website's detailed history of the country reveals that the first mention of Westmorland as an administrative area was way back in 1131.

To get a visual image of how the county once looked, visit the Westmorland Genealogy site, which features maps from both 1780 and 1900. There's also a link to photos and paintings of old Kendal and the surrounding area at the bottom of the page.

The 20th Century saw some of the greatest alterations in county boundaries, with the abolition of boroughs and alteration of many counties taking place in 1974. Jonathan Rawle's website provides a detailed background to the reorganisation, featuring maps of Britain both before and after the changes came into effect. This largely produced the administrative map of Britain we know today.

County and administrative boundary changes did not take place without a great deal of controversy and objections. Even today, groups are lobbying for old county lines to be brought back into use. The Friends of Real Lancashire want to see areas such as the Furness peninsula return to their pre-'74 home of Lancashire.

However, with plans of devolution from Westminster on the cards, the greatest changes to the administration of the region may be yet to come.

The Boundary Committee has recently produced draft proposals for the creation of unitary authorities in the North West in advance of the creation of a regional assembly. Two options were drawn up, the first a county council comprising the current Cumbria County Council area, while the second would create an authority for North Cumbria and a second for South Cumbria and Lancaster. Responses to the proposals are being asked for by February 23 and a referendum on the preferred options would take place at a later date. For full details on the proposals visit their website.

The proposed North West Regional Assembly would create an administrative area stretching from Cumbria to Cheshire. The assembly's website explains the planned changes there's a handy FAQ to boot.

Taking the opposite side of the argument is the North West Says No website, which is campaigning against the proposed assembly on the grounds that the people of the region hold their identity with their county, in being Cumbrian or Lancastrian, but do not regard themselves as North Westerners.

Whatever the outcome, it seems the drawing of county lines will always be a contentious issue.