Egremont, Cumbria

Egremont pre-dates the Norman conquest. The Danes first established a fort on the site of Egremont Castle around the end of the first millennium AD.

When William Rufus extended Norman rule into Cumbria in around 1092,[5] control of the area was given to Ivo Taillebois, who was married to Lucy of Bolingbroke, heiress of extensive lands in Lincolnshire. When Ivo died in 1094, this authority passed to Lucy's second husband Roger fitz Gerold de Roumare, who survived for only two more years, then to her third husband Ranulph le Meschines. On his becoming the Earl of Chester, his estates were returned to the Crown towards paying for the earldom. Around 1120, Henry I gave the Barony of Copeland to Ranulph's son William who made his home at Egremont and began to build the castle, which took approximately 150 years to complete. The Barony was inherited by William's son Ranulph . With Ranulph having no male heir, the Barony passed to his sister Alice, who married the Scottish prince, William Fitz Duncan; they had a child who, after his death, became known as "the Boy of Egremont"; again, with no living male heir, William Fitz Duncan's estates passed to his three daughters Annabel, Cecily and Alice.

The estates passed down to Annabel's son Richard de Lucy. Richard's two daughters married two brothers of the de Multon family, Alice (now called de Morville) married Alan de Multon and Annabel (also now called de Morville) married Lambert de Multon. Annabel and Lambert de Multon inherited the Barony of Copeland and again, the castle had a lord in residence.

Around 1205, the tale of Grunwilda was told; she was the wife of Richard de Lucy and was killed by a wolf on a hunting trip; this tale is recounted in the poem "The Woeful Chase". Again leaving no male heir, Richard died and the superstition began that no male heir should inherit Egremont Castle because of the conduct of the forefathers. Egremont was granted its royal charter by Henry III in 1267, with the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair.[6]

When the last male Multon died in 1335, one of the co-heiresses married Thomas Lucy, grandson of Thomas Multon. Anthony, the last Lord Lucy, died in 1369, and the lands passed to his brother-in-law Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, staying with the Percy family and its successors ever since.[3] The present lord is John Max Henry Scawen Wyndham, Baron Egremont and Baron Leconfield, who lives in the family home, one of the earliest Percy possessions: Petworth House in West Sussex. The dowager Lady Egremont, Pamela, lived at Cockermouth Castle until her death in 2013.

Egremont Town Hall

In about 1300, the town was established much as it is seen today, surrounded by agricultural lands. In 1322, Robert the Bruce attacked the town, causing a huge death toll. For the next 100 years or so an uneasy peace followed and the castle fell into ruins.

In 1565, a stone bridge was built over the River Ehen to access the town, which was now smaller because of frequent Scottish raids. Little changed for a century, until new stone buildings appeared on the Main Street, probably built with stone from the castle. In 1683, Edward Benn and his heirs were given land with the provision that they rebuild the stone bridge and maintain it for ever.

In 1748, another bridge was built at Briscoe Mill at a cost of £28-15s-0d (£28.75), paid for by John Pearson, a local hatter. Soon Egremont began to service the Port of Whitehaven and in 1830, iron ore was mined over several sites.

Over the next 60 years new schools and churches were built. Egremont Town Hall was completed in 1890.[7]

New housing estates were also built to accommodate the growing town, with many old parts of the town being demolished in 1968.

In 1964, Wyndham School was built, an early comprehensive school. In 1970, there was a large increase in workers moving into the town to work on the new nuclear site.

In 1990, the Egremont by-pass was opened.

Historically, dyeing and weaving were traditional local industries based around the River Ehen. Iron ore mining and quarrying has been established in Egremont for more than 800 years. Industrial mining of iron ore started around 1830 with many mines being opened, and ended when the Florence Mine closed in 2007.[8]

Around the early 17th century, agricultural lime was mined at Clints Quarry, with more heavy duty mining being undertaken to supply the iron and ore industry in the mid 19th century, finally ending in 1930. Clints Quarry (now a Site of Special Scientific Interest) can be found just north of Egremont town.

In 1950, Rowntrees built a chocolate crumb factory near Christie Bridge and the nuclear industry became established at Sellafield. The Rowntrees site has become a new housing estate, York Place, which is located at the northern end of Main Street.

Egremont's Crab Fair is held on the third Saturday in September annually, and features unusual events – such as the world-famous 'gurning' and greasy pole climbing. This fair is a major local event, with the town's high street being closed to normal traffic for street dancing and a parade, while sports such as Cumberland & Westmorland Wrestling are held on ground nearby.[18] The fair's origins go back to 1267, and it is claimed to be one of the oldest fairs in the world.[19] The Crab Fair did not take place during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is planned to return in 2022.[20]