Derby

Derby (ˈdɑrbi ) is a city and unitary authority area on the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. The county is named after Derby, which was its original county town. As a unitary authority, Derby is administratively independent from Derbyshire County Council. The city's population was 261,400 in 2021. The Romans established the town of Derventio, which was later captured by the Anglo-Saxons and then by the Vikings who made Djúra-bý one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw. Initially a market town, Derby grew rapidly in the industrial era and was home to Lombe's Mill, an early British factory, Derby contains the southern part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. With the arrival of the railways in the 19th century, Derby became a centre of the British rail industry. Despite having a cathedral since 1927, Derby did not gain city status until 1977. Derby is a centre for advanced transport manufacturing. It is home to engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and Alstom (formerly Bombardier Transportation) has a production facility at the Derby Litchurch Lane Works; Toyota's UK headquarters is located in the south-west of the city at Burnaston. Timeline of Derby The Roman camp of Derventio is considered to have been at Little Chester/Chester Green (), the site of the old Roman fort. Later, the town was one of the "Five Boroughs" (fortified towns) of the Danelaw, until it was captured by Lady Æthelflæd of Mercia in July 917, after which the town was annexed to the Kingdom of Mercia. The Viking name Djúra-bý, recorded in Old English as Deoraby, means "village of the deer". However, the origin of the name Derby has had multiple influences: a variation of the original Roman name Derventio with pronunciation of the letter "v" as "b", becoming Derbentio, and later Derby, along with a link to the river Derwent – from the Celtic meaning "valley thick with oaks" – which flows through the city, triggering a shortened version of Derwent by, meaning 'Derwent settlement'. The town name appears as Darbye on early maps, such as that of John Speed, 1610.