Muchland
Encyclopedia
Muchland is a medieval manor in Low Furness in the county of Cumbria
in northern England
. The manor was the seat of the Lords of Aldingham, and included at its peak the villages of Bardsea, Urswick
, Scales, Stainton
, Sunbrick, Baycliff
, Gleaston
, Aldingham
, Dendron
, Leece
and Newbiggin
. The area also features the historic remains of Gleaston Castle, Aldingham Castle, Gleaston Water Mill, the Druids' Temple at Birkrigg, plus many prehistoric remains around Urswick and Scales.
is situated on the eastern side of the Furness Peninsula in south west Cumbria. On its eastern side it is bounded for its entire length by the sands of Morecambe Bay
, the shore of which has eroded considerably since the manor was created. Along the coast lie the villages, from north to south, of:
Muchland derives its name from Micheal's Land after Michael le Fleming who was granted the lands by Henry I sometime between 1107 and 1111. These lands lay eastwards of Abbey Beck and southwards of the moors of Birkrigg and Swarthmoor and stretched right down to the southern-most tip of the peninsula at Rampside. At that time the southern limit of the manor was Walney Channel
, but it was later moved inland to follow the line of Sarah Beck or Roosebeck. This land became the new manor of Aldingham
Aldingham is home to the Church of Saint Cuthbert, who was laid here after death on his journey to be buried. A little further down is the remains of Aldingham Moat and Aldingham Motte, both homes to the Lords of Aldingham in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Newbiggin was once home to Sea Mill, one of the three mills of the manor.
The western boundary of the manor is now the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness
, which was originally land belonging to Stephen of Blois, but belonged to Furness Abbey
from 1127 until 1536 when Henry VIII
dissolved the monasteries. There were numerous debates over the hunting rights between the Lords of Aldingham and the Abbots of Furness in places like Leece and Stainton, which lay at the western boundary of the manor. The small village of Dendron, also on the western boundary, is home to the seventeenth century Saint Matthew's Church where the artist George Romney went to school for a time.
Further east from Dendron is Gleaston, the geographical and administrative centre of the manor from the mid-thirteenth century. The village is dominated by Beacon Hill to the north east, which legend says was used to signal danger to Piel Castle
to the south, which can clearly be seen from the top of the hill. The village boasts the remains of Gleaston Castle and Gleaston Water Mill, the second corn mill of the manor. Gleaston Beck runs through the valley here from Urswick Tarn in the north to the coast at Newbiggin.
North of Gleaston are Scales and Little and Great Urswick. Little Urswick is now home to Low Furness Primary School, but was previously home to a seventeenth century grammar school. Great Urswick, built around two sides of Urswick Tarn, boasts the ancient Church of Saint Mary and Saint Michael. It would seem this area was of considerable activity in the Iron Age.
To the east of Urswick is Birkrigg Common, so called because it was shared in common with the men of Urswick and Aldingham. This rocky hill boasts a great deal of prehistoric archeology, including an ancient stone circle, and offers spectacular views across Morecambe Bay, Furness and the mountains of the Lake District
. On the edge of the common lies the small hamlet of Sunbrick, which is now little more than a few farms and houses, but shelters a small walled Quaker graveyard where leading Quaker Margaret Fell
, who lived at nearby Swarthmoor Hall, is buried.
The northern boundary of the manor generally follows the line of the road leading from Lindal-in-Furness in the west to Conishead Priory on the coast. Beyond it is the market town of Ulverston
and the manor of Pennington.
Besides those villages lost to the sea, several others have disappeared. Perhaps the most interesting is Hart, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Hert. There was later a mill named Hart Mill which is known to have been in the vicinity of Gleaston. Archeological investigations have taken place to discover the site of this early mill around the valley where Gleaston Water Mill now stands, but they have yielded little evidence. The name Hart was probably shortened from Hart Carrs, which means 'marsh of the harts'. To the south of Gleaston, at the end of Carrs Lane, there is a large flat area which has been drained, through which still flows Hart Carrs Beck. It is possible that the village once stood in this area.
Two other villages named in the Domesday Book have also disappeared, but are even more difficult to track down. Crivelton probably stood on the coast between Rampside and Roose but has since been washed away by the sea. The name is recorded as Clivertun in the Domesday Book, which suggests a location on a cliff. Fordbootle was probably situated somewhere around modern day Stank, although its name suggests a location beside a watercourse, possibly further west on the River Yarl. Both Clivertun and Fordbootle were listed in the Domesday Book as vills or townships forming the Manor of Hougun held by Earl Tostig. Around 1153 Roose
, Crivelton and Fordbootle were part of an exchange of land between Muchland and Furness Abbey, suggesting that it was certainly situated in that area.
A final village to be mentioned in the Domesday Book is Alia Lies, meaning 'another Leece'. The position of this lost village is by no means certain, but it may have been in the area of Old Holbeck, to the west of present-day Leece, or nearer the coast to the south of the village.
period and evidence of Upper Paleolithic
habitation has been found in caves at Scales. Remains of prehistoric settlements from the mesolithic to the Bronze Age
have been found at Gleaston and Scales, including a bronze sword and axe head, and human bones. It is believed that a post-glacial lake near Gleaston would have provided food and resources for a small community from the end of the last ice age to the Bronze Age. There is a small stone circle on Birkrigg Common known locally as the Druids' Temple
which revealed a Bronze Age burial urn during excavations [OL6 292741].
In the Iron Age, when the Carvetii
and, later, Brigantes
tribes inhabited the region, there was a great deal of activity on the rocky ground surrounding present-day Urswick and Scales. There are visible remains of a fort to the north of Great Urswick [OL6 274753], a settlement north west of Little Urswick known as Urswick Stone Walls [OL6 260740] and a homestead to the east [OL6 275734] as well as numerous tumuli and burial chambers in the area.
The Romans may also have been present in Urswick during their occupation. Recent archeological investigations in the area may have uncovered the presence of a Roman fort (a claim which has been criticised by leading local archeologists) and it is believed that the parish church of St Mary and St Michael may contain remnants of a sub-Roman
church which could have been the centre of a monastery, although all of these claims are yet to be substantiated by solid evidence. It is possible that the Romans exploited the rich iron-ore resources of the area, which had been utilised in previous times and provided the catalyst for a booming induistrial economy in the area in the 19th century.
In the 4th century AD this part of England belonged to the kingdom of Coel Hen, known as Northern Britain or Kyle, but was later in a division of that kingdom known as Rheged
. Little is known about the local history at this point, but it is known that the area would have remained Celtic until around the 8th century when Rheged was annexed to Northumbria
and English Angles
began to filter in. In 685AD land in south Cumbria was granted to Saint Cuthbert and it was recorded that the area still had a significant British population. Part of an early English cross bearing a runic inscription from around this period is available to view in Urswick church.
The English slowly displaced or assimilated the native Cumbric Celts, although they may have remained in pockets around the region (as is evidenced by place names such as Walney, meaning 'Isle of the British' from Old Norse walna+ey). In 925AD Norsemen began landing on the local shores from Norway
via Ireland
, Man
and Scotland
but they seem to have been peaceable farmers rather than vicious warriors and they settled amongst the English and British in the region, although part of a Norse sword was found in nearby Rampside
. The Norse influence on the area was a significant one, shown not only by the large number of Norse place-names in the area, but also by the discovery of a 12th century inscription at Loppergarth near Ulverston
, which contained a curious mix of both Norse and English runes.
was compiled in 1086 Aldingham had been confiscated from de Poitou for his part in a plot against William I
, but it was returned to him shortly after. By 1102 Aldingham had been confiscated from de Poitou once again, but before this he had built a ringwork near the coast at Aldingham.
Around 1107 Aldingham was granted to Michael le Fleming (or le Flanderensis) and it was he who gave his name to the manor. At this point the manor stretched from Walney Channel around Rampside and Roose north to Sunbrick and Great Urswick. It was Michael or one of his sons that erected the motte at Aldingham on the site of Roger de Poitou's ringwork [OL6 278698].
In 1153, the second Michael le Fleming agreed an exchange of land with Furness Abbey, giving up Roose, Fordbootle and Crivelton for Little Urswick and part of Foss, near Bootle
in Cumberland
, so that the Abbot could get greater access to his port at Piel
.
By the early 13th century the wealth and importance of the manor had increased significantly and the Lord of the manor was granted the right to hold his own courts Leet
and Baron
. The manor of Bardsea was also added to the le Fleming estate. Around this time the seat of the manor of Muchland was moved from the motte at Aldingham to a nearby moated site [OL6 279700], probably due to the advance of the sea and the erosion of the hill on which the motte stands.
In 1227 the overlordship of Muchland was changed from the Duke of Lancaster
to Furness Abbey. This seems to have been an unwelcome decision for the Lords of Aldingham, as the Abbot began claiming rights to lands within the bounds of Muchland. Over coming years, the William le Fleming (aka de Furness) got into several disputes over hunting rights with his neighbour the Abbot of Furness
which eventually resulted in William being exempt from formal attendance at the Abbots Court and the men of Muchland being banned from entering the Abbot's town of Dalton-in-Furness
.
In the mid 13th century Michael de Furness - direct ancestor of the first Lord of Aldingham - died crossing the Leven Sands in Morecambe Bay
after dining at Cartmel Priory
and the manor passed to the Cantsfield family from Lancashire through Michael's sister Alina. It was probably Richard de Cantsfield who initiated the move inland from Aldingham to Gleaston, where a wooden hall was probably built about 0.5 km north of the present village [OL6 262715]. When Alina and Richard's son William was drowned in the River Severn
the manor passed again through a female heir to the de Harrington family from north west Cumbria.
The son of that marriage, John de Harrington was knighted in 1306 and was created First Baron Harrington of Aldingham upon being summoned to Parliament in 1326. It was he who was responsible for the building of Gleaston Castle on the site of the previous hall, which was begun before 1325 and finished around 1340. John seems to have been quite a contradictory character. Not only was he a member of Parliament, he sat on councils, was a Commissioner of array for eight years, sat on various commissions in the north of England, and completed his obligatory military service with the Edward, Prince of Wales
and Andrew de Harcla
. But he was also involved in a faction opposed to Piers Gaveston
and complied in his murder, for which he received a pardon in 1313 and was pardoned again in 1318. His activities with Andrew de Harcla in the Scottish Marches
led to his being outlawed in 1323 on discovery of Harcla's treason, but he was pardoned upon surrender then awarded as custodian of the truce with Scotland
.
During their time as Barons of Muchland the de Harringtons increased their estate greatly, gaining lands in Devon, Cornwall, Leicestershire, Ireland, and further lands in Cumberland
and Westmorland
. In 1460 the only male heir to the manor, William Bonville was killed at the age of 17 along with his father and grandfather at the Battle of Wakefield
leaving behind a new born baby girl, Cecilia. She later married Thomas Grey, 1st Marquis of Dorset, who was grandfather to Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk
, who was father of Lady Jane Grey
who became Queen of England but was beheaded after nine days by Queen Mary
. And so the manor passed to the crown in whose hands it remained until it was given to the Cavendish family of Holker Hall
in the 18th century who held it until 1926 when it was sold off privately.
Michael le Fleming, Lord of Aldingham
| (d.1150)
|
Michael le Fleming m. Christiana de Stainton
(d.1186) |
|
William de Furness m. Ada de Furnys Osulf of Flemingby
(c.1150-1203) | |
| |
Michael de Furness m. Agatha Fitz Henry Robert of Hafrinctuna
(1197-1219) | |
| |
William de Furness Thomas de Harrington
| |
|-----------------------------| |
Michael de Furness Alina m. Richard de Cantsfield Michael de Harrington
(d.1269 crossing Leven Sands) | |
|------------------------| |
William de Cantsfield Agnes m. Robert de Harrington
(drowned in R. Severn) (d.1293) | (d.1297)
|
Joan Dacre m. John de Harrington, First Baron of Aldingham
| (1281-1347)
|
Robert de Harrington
|(d.1334)
|
Joan de Birmingham m. John de Harrington
| (1328-1363)
|
Alice de Greystoke m1. Robert de Harrington m². Isobel Loring
| (1356–1406)
|----------------------------|
John de Harrington William de Harrington m. Margaret
(d.1418) (1390-1457) |
|
William Bonville m. Elizabeth
|
|
William Bonville m. Katherine Neville
(c.1443-1460) |
|
Cecile m. Thomas Grey
|
|
Thomas Grey
|
|
Henry Grey
m. Lady Frances Brandon
|
|
Lady Jane Grey
mikkel meaning 'great' and so became 'Much Land'
Adgarley means 'Eadgar's slope' from Old English Eadgars hlið
Aldingham means 'home of Alda's people or descendants' from the Old English Alda+inga+ham. [Domesday Aldingham]
Bardsea ?unsure. Possibly 'bard's resting place' from Celtic bard eisteddfa [Domesday Berretseige]
Baycliff ?unsure. There are no notable cliffs in the area, despite the village overlooking Morecambe Bay
. [early form Belleclive, 1212]
Birkrigg Common 'ridge with birch trees' from Old Norse birkr hryggr
Bolton probably 'farmstead with a shelter' from Old Norse boðl tun, the Domesday Book records this as Bolton-le-Moors
Crivelton ?unsure. Domesday records this lost village as Clivertun, which probably means 'village on a cliff' from OE clif+ton. There may be an additional Old Norse element meaning 'hill', klif+haugr+tun
Dendron Probably clearing in a valley from Old English denu+rum. [Domesday Dene]
Fordbootle 'dwelling by a ford' from ford+boðl [Domesday fordebodele]
Gleaston means 'green hill farm' from Old Norse glas+haugr+tun. [Domesday Glassertun]
Goadsbarrow means 'Godi's or Gauti's burial mound' with the Old English beorg
Harbarrow There are several explanations. The second element is certainly 'hill' from Old English beorg. The first is probably 'hare' from Old English hara (there is a Hare Hill nearby), but may also be 'herd' from heord, 'oats' from Old Norse hafri, or 'grey' from Old English har.
Hart now lost, this probably just means 'hart' or 'stag' from Old Norse hjortr. It seems likely this is a shortening of the name Hart Carrs, which means 'marsh where harts live' with Old Norse kjarr. Hart Carrs Beck flows through an area of flat, often boggy land. [Domesday Hert]
Holbeck 'stream in a hole' from Old Norse hol-bekkr'
Leece means 'glades' from Old English leahs. [Domesday Lies]
Newbiggin means 'new building' with Old or Middle English biggin
Rampside either 'Hrafn's shieling' from Old Norse Hrafns saetr or 'ram's head' from Old English ramms heofod, referring to the shape of the coast
Roose 'moor' from the Brythonic Celtic ros
Scales means 'huts' from Old Norse skalis
Scarbarrow ?unsure. Possibly 'hill with huts' from Old Norse skali berg, but may also be 'hill with a scar' - there is a small stream which has eroded the hill into a steep gully.
Skeldon Moor possibly ridge or ledge from a local word skelf, or 'shell midden' with Old Norse skel dun and Old English mōr
Stainton means 'farm by stones' from Old Norse steinn+tun [Domesday Steintun]
Sunbrick means 'pig slope' from Old Norse svin+brekka [Domesday Suntun, meaning 'pig farm']
Urswick ?unsure. '-wick' could either be related to Latin
vicus meaning 'town', which is a common feature of places along Roman roads (there's evidence of one to the north); or it could be from Old English wick meaning 'farm'
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
in northern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The manor was the seat of the Lords of Aldingham, and included at its peak the villages of Bardsea, Urswick
Urswick
The villages of Great Urswick and Little Urswick, together called Urswick, are located in the Furness peninsula in Cumbria, England. They are situated to the south-west of the town of Ulverston....
, Scales, Stainton
Stainton with Adgarley
Stainton with Adgarley is a small village in Cumbria about 5 miles from Dalton-in-Furness. It is a small farming community.-External links:...
, Sunbrick, Baycliff
Baycliff
Baycliff is a village in the South Lakeland District of Cumbria in England. It is situated south of Ulverston, in the civil parish of Aldingham. At the centre is a village green, and many of its buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries...
, Gleaston
Gleaston
Gleaston is a village with a population of around 400 in the Furness area of South Cumbria, situated between the towns of Barrow-in-Furness, Dalton-in-Furness and Ulverston. The history of the village can be traced as far back as the mesolithic period and it was the centre of the manor of Muchland...
, Aldingham
Aldingham
Aldingham is a village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It is situated on the east coast of the Furness peninsula, facing into Morecambe Bay, and is about east of Barrow in Furness, and south of Ulverston...
, Dendron
Dendron, Cumbria
Dendron is a small village in South Cumbria, around three miles from the town of Barrow-in-Furness. The village was once just a collection of farms, but many of the old farm buildings have now been converted into houses for commuters working in Barrow, Ulverston and Dalton.The village is mentioned...
, Leece
Leece
Leece is a village on the Furness peninsula of South Lakeland in Cumbria, England, situated between the towns of Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness...
and Newbiggin
Newbiggin, Furness
Newbiggin is a village on the A5087 road, in Furness, in the South Lakeland district, in the English county of Cumbria. Nearby settlements include the large town of Barrow-in-Furness, the village of Aldingham and the hamlet of Roosebeck.- References :...
. The area also features the historic remains of Gleaston Castle, Aldingham Castle, Gleaston Water Mill, the Druids' Temple at Birkrigg, plus many prehistoric remains around Urswick and Scales.
The Place
The area that became Muchland in the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
is situated on the eastern side of the Furness Peninsula in south west Cumbria. On its eastern side it is bounded for its entire length by the sands of Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 310 km².-Natural features:The rivers Leven,...
, the shore of which has eroded considerably since the manor was created. Along the coast lie the villages, from north to south, of:
- Bardsea,
- BaycliffBaycliffBaycliff is a village in the South Lakeland District of Cumbria in England. It is situated south of Ulverston, in the civil parish of Aldingham. At the centre is a village green, and many of its buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries...
, - AldinghamAldinghamAldingham is a village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It is situated on the east coast of the Furness peninsula, facing into Morecambe Bay, and is about east of Barrow in Furness, and south of Ulverston...
, - NewbigginNewbiggin, FurnessNewbiggin is a village on the A5087 road, in Furness, in the South Lakeland district, in the English county of Cumbria. Nearby settlements include the large town of Barrow-in-Furness, the village of Aldingham and the hamlet of Roosebeck.- References :...
, - Goadsbarrow.
Muchland derives its name from Micheal's Land after Michael le Fleming who was granted the lands by Henry I sometime between 1107 and 1111. These lands lay eastwards of Abbey Beck and southwards of the moors of Birkrigg and Swarthmoor and stretched right down to the southern-most tip of the peninsula at Rampside. At that time the southern limit of the manor was Walney Channel
Walney Channel
Walney Channel is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water in the Irish Sea which separates Walney Island from Barrow-in-Furness on the Great Britain mainland. The channel forms the head of the Furness peninsula and is approximately in length....
, but it was later moved inland to follow the line of Sarah Beck or Roosebeck. This land became the new manor of Aldingham
Aldingham is home to the Church of Saint Cuthbert, who was laid here after death on his journey to be buried. A little further down is the remains of Aldingham Moat and Aldingham Motte, both homes to the Lords of Aldingham in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Newbiggin was once home to Sea Mill, one of the three mills of the manor.
The western boundary of the manor is now the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
, which was originally land belonging to Stephen of Blois, but belonged to Furness Abbey
Furness Abbey
Furness Abbey, or St. Mary of Furness is a former monastery situated on the outskirts of the English town of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The abbey dates back to 1123 and was once the second wealthiest and most powerful Cistercian monastery in the country, behind only Fountains Abbey in North...
from 1127 until 1536 when Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
dissolved the monasteries. There were numerous debates over the hunting rights between the Lords of Aldingham and the Abbots of Furness in places like Leece and Stainton, which lay at the western boundary of the manor. The small village of Dendron, also on the western boundary, is home to the seventeenth century Saint Matthew's Church where the artist George Romney went to school for a time.
Further east from Dendron is Gleaston, the geographical and administrative centre of the manor from the mid-thirteenth century. The village is dominated by Beacon Hill to the north east, which legend says was used to signal danger to Piel Castle
Piel Castle
Piel Castle also known as Fouldry Castle, is a castle situated on the south-eastern point of Piel Island, 1 km off the southern tip of the Furness Peninsula, protecting the deep water harbour of Barrow-in-Furness in north west England.....
to the south, which can clearly be seen from the top of the hill. The village boasts the remains of Gleaston Castle and Gleaston Water Mill, the second corn mill of the manor. Gleaston Beck runs through the valley here from Urswick Tarn in the north to the coast at Newbiggin.
North of Gleaston are Scales and Little and Great Urswick. Little Urswick is now home to Low Furness Primary School, but was previously home to a seventeenth century grammar school. Great Urswick, built around two sides of Urswick Tarn, boasts the ancient Church of Saint Mary and Saint Michael. It would seem this area was of considerable activity in the Iron Age.
To the east of Urswick is Birkrigg Common, so called because it was shared in common with the men of Urswick and Aldingham. This rocky hill boasts a great deal of prehistoric archeology, including an ancient stone circle, and offers spectacular views across Morecambe Bay, Furness and the mountains of the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. On the edge of the common lies the small hamlet of Sunbrick, which is now little more than a few farms and houses, but shelters a small walled Quaker graveyard where leading Quaker Margaret Fell
Margaret Fell
Margaret Fell or Margaret Fox was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends. Known popularly as the "mother of Quakerism", she is considered one of the Valiant Sixty early Quaker preachers and missionaries.-Life:...
, who lived at nearby Swarthmoor Hall, is buried.
The northern boundary of the manor generally follows the line of the road leading from Lindal-in-Furness in the west to Conishead Priory on the coast. Beyond it is the market town of Ulverston
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-west England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is located in the Furness area, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay....
and the manor of Pennington.
The Lost Villages of Muchland
It is known that several villages which once existed in Muchland have since disappeared off the map. Local legends are full of tales about villages on the coast being swept away by the encroaching tides, although there is little to substantiate the tales. It is certain that the gravelly coastline must have suffered considerable erosion over the past centuries and that any village too near the shore might have fallen victim to its advances. Aldingham, for example, may once have been up to a mile in length, stretching out into what is now Morecambe Bay with the church at its centre.Besides those villages lost to the sea, several others have disappeared. Perhaps the most interesting is Hart, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Hert. There was later a mill named Hart Mill which is known to have been in the vicinity of Gleaston. Archeological investigations have taken place to discover the site of this early mill around the valley where Gleaston Water Mill now stands, but they have yielded little evidence. The name Hart was probably shortened from Hart Carrs, which means 'marsh of the harts'. To the south of Gleaston, at the end of Carrs Lane, there is a large flat area which has been drained, through which still flows Hart Carrs Beck. It is possible that the village once stood in this area.
Two other villages named in the Domesday Book have also disappeared, but are even more difficult to track down. Crivelton probably stood on the coast between Rampside and Roose but has since been washed away by the sea. The name is recorded as Clivertun in the Domesday Book, which suggests a location on a cliff. Fordbootle was probably situated somewhere around modern day Stank, although its name suggests a location beside a watercourse, possibly further west on the River Yarl. Both Clivertun and Fordbootle were listed in the Domesday Book as vills or townships forming the Manor of Hougun held by Earl Tostig. Around 1153 Roose
Roose
Roose or Roosecote is a suburb and ward of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The word 'roose' is Celtic for "moor" or "heath" and the suffix 'cote' of Roosecote means "hut" or "huts"...
, Crivelton and Fordbootle were part of an exchange of land between Muchland and Furness Abbey, suggesting that it was certainly situated in that area.
A final village to be mentioned in the Domesday Book is Alia Lies, meaning 'another Leece'. The position of this lost village is by no means certain, but it may have been in the area of Old Holbeck, to the west of present-day Leece, or nearer the coast to the south of the village.
Before the Manor
The area later named Muchland has been inhabited since at least the MesolithicMesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
period and evidence of Upper Paleolithic
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
habitation has been found in caves at Scales. Remains of prehistoric settlements from the mesolithic to the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
have been found at Gleaston and Scales, including a bronze sword and axe head, and human bones. It is believed that a post-glacial lake near Gleaston would have provided food and resources for a small community from the end of the last ice age to the Bronze Age. There is a small stone circle on Birkrigg Common known locally as the Druids' Temple
Birkrigg stone circle
The Birkrigg stone circle, also known as the Druid's Temple is a Bronze Age stone circle two miles south of Ulverston in the English county of Cumbria. It dates to between 1700 and 1400 BC....
which revealed a Bronze Age burial urn during excavations [OL6 292741].
In the Iron Age, when the Carvetii
Carvetii
The Carvetii were a people and civitas of Roman Britain living in what is now Cumbria and North Lancashire in north-west England. They are not mentioned in Ptolemy's Geography or in any other classical text, and are known only from inscriptions found in Penrith and Temple Sowerby in Cumbria...
and, later, Brigantes
Brigantes
The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England, and a significant part of the Midlands. Their kingdom is sometimes called Brigantia, and it was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire...
tribes inhabited the region, there was a great deal of activity on the rocky ground surrounding present-day Urswick and Scales. There are visible remains of a fort to the north of Great Urswick [OL6 274753], a settlement north west of Little Urswick known as Urswick Stone Walls [OL6 260740] and a homestead to the east [OL6 275734] as well as numerous tumuli and burial chambers in the area.
Sub-Roman Britain
Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeological label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity: the term "Sub-Roman" was invented to describe the potsherds in sites of the 5th century and the 6th century, initially with an implication of decay of locally-made wares from a...
church which could have been the centre of a monastery, although all of these claims are yet to be substantiated by solid evidence. It is possible that the Romans exploited the rich iron-ore resources of the area, which had been utilised in previous times and provided the catalyst for a booming induistrial economy in the area in the 19th century.
In the 4th century AD this part of England belonged to the kingdom of Coel Hen, known as Northern Britain or Kyle, but was later in a division of that kingdom known as Rheged
Rheged
Rheged is described in poetic sources as one of the kingdoms of the Hen Ogledd , the Brythonic-speaking region of what is now northern England and southern Scotland, during the Early Middle Ages...
. Little is known about the local history at this point, but it is known that the area would have remained Celtic until around the 8th century when Rheged was annexed to Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
and English Angles
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
began to filter in. In 685AD land in south Cumbria was granted to Saint Cuthbert and it was recorded that the area still had a significant British population. Part of an early English cross bearing a runic inscription from around this period is available to view in Urswick church.
The English slowly displaced or assimilated the native Cumbric Celts, although they may have remained in pockets around the region (as is evidenced by place names such as Walney, meaning 'Isle of the British' from Old Norse walna+ey). In 925AD Norsemen began landing on the local shores from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
via Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
but they seem to have been peaceable farmers rather than vicious warriors and they settled amongst the English and British in the region, although part of a Norse sword was found in nearby Rampside
Rampside
Rampside is a village in Cumbria, England, located a few miles south-east of the town of Barrow-in-Furness, in the north-western corner of Morecambe Bay on the Furness peninsula.-History:...
. The Norse influence on the area was a significant one, shown not only by the large number of Norse place-names in the area, but also by the discovery of a 12th century inscription at Loppergarth near Ulverston
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-west England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is located in the Furness area, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay....
, which contained a curious mix of both Norse and English runes.
The le Flemings
After the Norman Conquest in 1066 the small manor of Aldingham was granted to Roger de Poitou as part of a much larger holding which included land across much of the north of England. At that time the area was on the very fringe of Norman England. When the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
was compiled in 1086 Aldingham had been confiscated from de Poitou for his part in a plot against William I
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
, but it was returned to him shortly after. By 1102 Aldingham had been confiscated from de Poitou once again, but before this he had built a ringwork near the coast at Aldingham.
Around 1107 Aldingham was granted to Michael le Fleming (or le Flanderensis) and it was he who gave his name to the manor. At this point the manor stretched from Walney Channel around Rampside and Roose north to Sunbrick and Great Urswick. It was Michael or one of his sons that erected the motte at Aldingham on the site of Roger de Poitou's ringwork [OL6 278698].
In 1153, the second Michael le Fleming agreed an exchange of land with Furness Abbey, giving up Roose, Fordbootle and Crivelton for Little Urswick and part of Foss, near Bootle
Bootle, Cumbria
Bootle is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria, England. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 745. Historically within Cumberland, the village is in the Lake District National Park, and is close to the Irish Sea coast...
in Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, so that the Abbot could get greater access to his port at Piel
Piel Island
Piel Island lies half a mile off the southern tip of the Furness Peninsula in the administrative county of Cumbria, though historically within Lancashire north of the sands. It is located at . It is one of the Islands of Furness in Northern England...
.
By the early 13th century the wealth and importance of the manor had increased significantly and the Lord of the manor was granted the right to hold his own courts Leet
Court leet
The court leet was a historical court baron of England and Wales and Ireland that exercised the "view of frankpledge" and its attendant police jurisdiction, which was normally restricted to the hundred courts.-History:...
and Baron
Court baron
A Court baron is an English or Scottish manorial court dating from the Middle Ages.It was laid down by Sir Edward Coke that a manor had two courts, "the first by the common law, and is called a court baron," the freeholders being its suitors; the other a customary court for the copyholders...
. The manor of Bardsea was also added to the le Fleming estate. Around this time the seat of the manor of Muchland was moved from the motte at Aldingham to a nearby moated site [OL6 279700], probably due to the advance of the sea and the erosion of the hill on which the motte stands.
In 1227 the overlordship of Muchland was changed from the Duke of Lancaster
Duke of Lancaster
There were several Dukes of Lancaster in the 14th and early 15th Centuries. See also Duchy of Lancaster.There were three creations of the Dukedom of Lancaster....
to Furness Abbey. This seems to have been an unwelcome decision for the Lords of Aldingham, as the Abbot began claiming rights to lands within the bounds of Muchland. Over coming years, the William le Fleming (aka de Furness) got into several disputes over hunting rights with his neighbour the Abbot of Furness
Furness Abbey
Furness Abbey, or St. Mary of Furness is a former monastery situated on the outskirts of the English town of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The abbey dates back to 1123 and was once the second wealthiest and most powerful Cistercian monastery in the country, behind only Fountains Abbey in North...
which eventually resulted in William being exempt from formal attendance at the Abbots Court and the men of Muchland being banned from entering the Abbot's town of Dalton-in-Furness
Dalton-in-Furness
Dalton-in-Furness is a small town of 8,394 people, north east of Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria, England.-History:Dalton is mentioned in the Domesday Book, written as "Daltune" as one of the townships forming the Manor of Hougun held by Earl Tostig. Historically, it was the capital of Furness...
.
The de Harringtons
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 310 km².-Natural features:The rivers Leven,...
after dining at Cartmel Priory
Cartmel Priory
Cartmel Priory is the parish church of Cartmel, Cumbria . The priory was founded in 1190 by William Marshal, later 1st Earl of Pembroke for the Augustinian Canons and dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Michael. It was first colonised by a Prior and twelve monks from Bradenstoke Priory in...
and the manor passed to the Cantsfield family from Lancashire through Michael's sister Alina. It was probably Richard de Cantsfield who initiated the move inland from Aldingham to Gleaston, where a wooden hall was probably built about 0.5 km north of the present village [OL6 262715]. When Alina and Richard's son William was drowned in the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
the manor passed again through a female heir to the de Harrington family from north west Cumbria.
The son of that marriage, John de Harrington was knighted in 1306 and was created First Baron Harrington of Aldingham upon being summoned to Parliament in 1326. It was he who was responsible for the building of Gleaston Castle on the site of the previous hall, which was begun before 1325 and finished around 1340. John seems to have been quite a contradictory character. Not only was he a member of Parliament, he sat on councils, was a Commissioner of array for eight years, sat on various commissions in the north of England, and completed his obligatory military service with the Edward, Prince of Wales
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
and Andrew de Harcla
Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle
Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle , alternatively Andreas de Harcla, was an important English military leader in the borderlands with Scotland during the reign of Edward II. Coming from a knightly family in Westmorland, he was appointed sheriff of Cumberland in 1311...
. But he was also involved in a faction opposed to Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of King Edward II of England. At a young age he made a good impression on King Edward I of England, and was assigned to the household of the King's son, Edward of Carnarvon...
and complied in his murder, for which he received a pardon in 1313 and was pardoned again in 1318. His activities with Andrew de Harcla in the Scottish Marches
Scottish Marches
Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during the late medieval and early modern eras—from the late 13th century, with the creation by Edward I of England of the first Lord Warden of the Marches to the early 17th century and the creation of the Middle Shires, promulgated...
led to his being outlawed in 1323 on discovery of Harcla's treason, but he was pardoned upon surrender then awarded as custodian of the truce with Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
During their time as Barons of Muchland the de Harringtons increased their estate greatly, gaining lands in Devon, Cornwall, Leicestershire, Ireland, and further lands in Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
and Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
. In 1460 the only male heir to the manor, William Bonville was killed at the age of 17 along with his father and grandfather at the Battle of Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
leaving behind a new born baby girl, Cecilia. She later married Thomas Grey, 1st Marquis of Dorset, who was grandfather to Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, KG was an English nobleman of the Tudor period and the father of Lady Jane Grey.-Henry VIII's reign:...
, who was father of Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
who became Queen of England but was beheaded after nine days by Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
. And so the manor passed to the crown in whose hands it remained until it was given to the Cavendish family of Holker Hall
Holker Hall
Holker Hall is a country house with a celebrated garden situated on the Cartmel Peninsula, which was historically part of the county of Lancashire, but is now part of the county of Cumbria....
in the 18th century who held it until 1926 when it was sold off privately.
Genealogy
Descendants of Michael le Fleming. Lords of Aldingham are highlighted in boldMichael le Fleming, Lord of Aldingham
| (d.1150)
|
Michael le Fleming m. Christiana de Stainton
(d.1186) |
|
William de Furness m. Ada de Furnys Osulf of Flemingby
(c.1150-1203) | |
| |
Michael de Furness m. Agatha Fitz Henry Robert of Hafrinctuna
(1197-1219) | |
| |
William de Furness Thomas de Harrington
| |
|-----------------------------| |
Michael de Furness Alina m. Richard de Cantsfield Michael de Harrington
(d.1269 crossing Leven Sands) | |
|------------------------| |
William de Cantsfield Agnes m. Robert de Harrington
(drowned in R. Severn) (d.1293) | (d.1297)
|
Joan Dacre m. John de Harrington, First Baron of Aldingham
| (1281-1347)
|
Robert de Harrington
|(d.1334)
|
Joan de Birmingham m. John de Harrington
| (1328-1363)
|
Alice de Greystoke m1. Robert de Harrington m². Isobel Loring
| (1356–1406)
|----------------------------|
John de Harrington William de Harrington m. Margaret
(d.1418) (1390-1457) |
|
William Bonville m. Elizabeth
|
|
William Bonville m. Katherine Neville
(c.1443-1460) |
|
Cecile m. Thomas Grey
Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset
Thomas Grey, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and 1st Marquess of Dorset, KG , was an English nobleman, courtier and a man of mediocre abilities pushed into prominence by his mother Elizabeth Woodville's second marriage to the king, Edward IV.-Family:Thomas was born about 1455,...
|
|
Thomas Grey
|
|
Henry Grey
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, KG was an English nobleman of the Tudor period and the father of Lady Jane Grey.-Henry VIII's reign:...
m. Lady Frances Brandon
|
|
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
Toponymy
Muchland was originally 'Michael's Land', which changed to 'Mickle Land' from the local version of Michael, which was confused with another local term from the Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
mikkel meaning 'great' and so became 'Much Land'
Adgarley means 'Eadgar's slope' from Old English Eadgars hlið
Aldingham means 'home of Alda's people or descendants' from the Old English Alda+inga+ham. [Domesday Aldingham]
Bardsea ?unsure. Possibly 'bard's resting place' from Celtic bard eisteddfa [Domesday Berretseige]
Baycliff ?unsure. There are no notable cliffs in the area, despite the village overlooking Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 310 km².-Natural features:The rivers Leven,...
. [early form Belleclive, 1212]
Birkrigg Common 'ridge with birch trees' from Old Norse birkr hryggr
Bolton probably 'farmstead with a shelter' from Old Norse boðl tun, the Domesday Book records this as Bolton-le-Moors
Crivelton ?unsure. Domesday records this lost village as Clivertun, which probably means 'village on a cliff' from OE clif+ton. There may be an additional Old Norse element meaning 'hill', klif+haugr+tun
Dendron Probably clearing in a valley from Old English denu+rum. [Domesday Dene]
Fordbootle 'dwelling by a ford' from ford+boðl [Domesday fordebodele]
Gleaston means 'green hill farm' from Old Norse glas+haugr+tun. [Domesday Glassertun]
Goadsbarrow means 'Godi's or Gauti's burial mound' with the Old English beorg
Harbarrow There are several explanations. The second element is certainly 'hill' from Old English beorg. The first is probably 'hare' from Old English hara (there is a Hare Hill nearby), but may also be 'herd' from heord, 'oats' from Old Norse hafri, or 'grey' from Old English har.
Hart now lost, this probably just means 'hart' or 'stag' from Old Norse hjortr. It seems likely this is a shortening of the name Hart Carrs, which means 'marsh where harts live' with Old Norse kjarr. Hart Carrs Beck flows through an area of flat, often boggy land. [Domesday Hert]
Holbeck 'stream in a hole' from Old Norse hol-bekkr'
Leece means 'glades' from Old English leahs. [Domesday Lies]
Newbiggin means 'new building' with Old or Middle English biggin
Rampside either 'Hrafn's shieling' from Old Norse Hrafns saetr or 'ram's head' from Old English ramms heofod, referring to the shape of the coast
Roose 'moor' from the Brythonic Celtic ros
Scales means 'huts' from Old Norse skalis
Scarbarrow ?unsure. Possibly 'hill with huts' from Old Norse skali berg, but may also be 'hill with a scar' - there is a small stream which has eroded the hill into a steep gully.
Skeldon Moor possibly ridge or ledge from a local word skelf, or 'shell midden' with Old Norse skel dun and Old English mōr
Stainton means 'farm by stones' from Old Norse steinn+tun [Domesday Steintun]
Sunbrick means 'pig slope' from Old Norse svin+brekka [Domesday Suntun, meaning 'pig farm']
Urswick ?unsure. '-wick' could either be related to Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
vicus meaning 'town', which is a common feature of places along Roman roads (there's evidence of one to the north); or it could be from Old English wick meaning 'farm'