Cockermouth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Historical information about Cockermouth focused on the history relevant to the Farndale family genealogy

 

 

 

  

Home Page

The Farndale Directory

Farndale Themes

Farndale History

Particular branches of the family tree

Other Information

General Sir Martin Farndale KCB

Links

 

Dates are in red.

Hyperlinks to other pages are in dark blue.

Headlines of the history of the Cockermouth are in brown.

References and citations are in turquoise.

Contextual history is in purple.

 

The Farndales of Cockermouth

 

The following Farndales are associated with Cockermouth:

 

Charles Masterman Farndale (FAR00429) of the Kilton 1 Line

 

John William Farndale (FAR00454) of the Great Ayton 2 Line

 

Mary Ann Farndale (FAR00465) of the Great Ayton 2 Line

 

You can best see the association through the Great Ayton 2 Line.

 

Cockermouth

 

Cockermouth is an ancient market town and civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, so named because it is at the confluence of the River Cocker as it flows into the River Derwent. In 1823, it was described as a considerable borough and market town, about 13 miles from Whitehaven, 26˝ from Carlisle, and 314 from London (Magna Britannia: Volume 4, Cumberland. Originally published by T Cadell and W Davies, London, 1816).

 

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1868

 

Historically a part of Cumberland, Cockermouth is situated outside the English Lake District on its northwest fringe. Much of the architectural core of the town remains unchanged since the basic medieval layout was filled in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

 

The Romans built a fort at Derventio Carvetiorum, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall.

 

The Normans occupied the former Roman fort, and built Cockermouth Castle closer to the river crossing.

 

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Cockermouth Castle

 

The market town developed its distinctive medieval layout, of a broad main street of burgesses' houses, each with a burgage plot stretching to a "back lane": the Derwent bank on the north and Back Lane (now South Street), on the south. 

 

The town market pre-dates 1221, when the market day was changed from Saturday to Monday. Market charters were granted in 1221 and 1227 by King Henry III, although this does not preclude the much earlier existence of a market in the town. 

 

By 1670s, Sir Daniel Fleming called Cockermouth ‘the best Market Towne in this part of the county’, with many fine buildings and ‘no small reputation’.

 

Water power led Cockermouth’s transformation into industrial centre in eighteenth and ninenteenthh centuries, adding mills and factories to its market function.

 

There was a paper mill at Simonscales by 1760s, which became a flax mill in mid-nineteenth century; a corn mill at Rubby Banks, which became textile mill by mid-19th century.

 

By the later nineteenth century, the mainstays of town were flax and woollen mills and agricultural service industries.

 

Prosperity and industrial growth were reflected in increase in population to 2,652 in 1785 and 2,865 in 1801, with doubling to 5,775 in 1851.

 

In first half of nineteenth century there were over 40 industrial sites: 5 corn millers, 7 tanners, 14 textile manufacturers, 2 dyers, 4 hat manufacturers, 5 nail makers, 3 brick makers, 4 brewers and maltsters, as well as spectrum of smaller businesses typical of a market town, from clog makers to clockmakers and tinsmiths to tailors.

 

The arrival of railways from Workington in 1847; and from Penrith and Keswick in 1864 saw the town expand to the south of its medieval confines, with new housing on The Moor.

 

The population levelled at around 5,300 from 1861 to 1951.