The history of Cumbria Lake District

THE HISTORY OF
CUMBRIA AND THE LAKE DISTRICT

Pre Roman
Stone Circles
and Earth Works.

Roman
Hadrian's Wall,
forts and the
occupation.

Border history
A guide to the
centuries of
fighting that
afflicted the area.

Castles
A description of
all the castles
open to the
public.

Religious
Buildings
Descriptions of
the important
religious
architecture in
the county.

Links
A list of links to
other history sites.

A list of all the
pages in this
guide.

We will not be dealing here with such things as geology and the effects of the Ice Age. The majority of the sites mentioned are open to the public, though in the case of Stone Circles only two are not on private land. It is essential to gain permission from the landowner, usually a farmer who will have no objection and can usually be found when you turn up. Always obey the Country Code and do not disturb crops or livestock.

Hadrian's Wall and a great many Roman forts are open to the public. So are all but one of the Castles: most are in the care of English Heritage. Lanercost Priory and Carlisle Cathedral are still in use as places of worship: the other Abbeys and Priories seen here are not, and once again English Heritage is in charge of their maintenance. Churches are too numerous to be included in the Religious Buildings section: we will be adding a list of those of most interest with locations and nearest towns when not obvious.

The Roman and Border Wars sections describe the relevant periods in history and in the case of the Roman section also give map references for most Roman forts in the area.

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Bewcastle Cross
carved in the late C7th
(14'6"/4.4m tall)
OS ref NY565746.

Bewcastle Cross
carved in the late C7th
( 14' 6"/4.4m tall)
OS ref NY565746.

Main
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THE HISTORY OF CUMBRIA AND THE LAKE DISTRICT

THE HISTORY OF
CUMBRIA AND THE LAKE DISTRICT