Aldingham
Encyclopedia
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 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Barrow in Furness, and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Ulverston
. The parish includes the nearby villages of Baycliff
, Dendron
, Leece
, Newbiggin
, Roosebeck, Scales and Sunbrick and, at the 2001 census had a population of 1,187.
Aldingham was once the manorial seat of the Lords of Aldingham and Muchland
and two medieval sites near to the present village were both the sites of manor houses. The first and most visible is Aldingham Motte, which was begun as a ringwork around 1102 by Roger the Poitevin
and was later enlarged into a motte and bailey castle by the le Fleming family. It can still be clearly seen atop a sandy cliff overlooking Morecambe Bay. A little further north, and now surrounded by Moat Farm is a small moat which was intended to surround a second manor house. This would have been built in the early 13th century, although whether it was ever used is uncertain as the Lords soon moved further inland as the sea eroded the coastline and the threat of pirates became more severe.
The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book
as belonging to a local Saxon named Ernulf; it is the only village mentioned as being a single estate in the area and may have been of some importance at this early time. The name is originally Old English, meaning 'home of the descendants of Alda'. Legend has it that the village was once much larger—almost a mile in length—but was washed away by the tide.
gives the names of several places in the area, including Aldingham, where the body of Saint Cuthbert rested when the Saxons
were fleeing from the Danes. It is known that during his life, Cuthbert held lands around Cartmel
, on the neighbouring peninsula across the Leven Estuary, although it is not known if those possessions extended this far west.
The building dates from the mid 12th century, with extensions being made to the chancel in the 13th century, the addition of the tower in 1350 and extensive restoration taking place in the 19th century and again in 1932. In the eastern wall of the chancel is a hole about 5 inches (127 mm) by 3 inches (76.2 mm) that goes right through the wall: it is believed this would once have been a place for local lepers to view the church services without having to enter the building.
South Lakeland
South Lakeland is a local government district in Cumbria, England. Its council is based in Kendal. It includes much of the Lake District.The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972...
district of Cumbria
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...
, 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...
. It is situated on the east coast of the Furness
Furness
Furness is a peninsula in south Cumbria, England. At its widest extent, it is considered to cover the whole of North Lonsdale, that part of the Lonsdale hundred that is an exclave of the historic county of Lancashire, lying to the north of Morecambe Bay....
peninsula, facing into 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,...
, and is about 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Barrow in Furness, and 6 miles (9.7 km) south 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....
. The parish includes the nearby villages of 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...
, 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...
, 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 :...
, Roosebeck, Scales and Sunbrick and, at the 2001 census had a population of 1,187.
Aldingham was once the manorial seat of the Lords of Aldingham and Muchland
Muchland
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...
and two medieval sites near to the present village were both the sites of manor houses. The first and most visible is Aldingham Motte, which was begun as a ringwork around 1102 by Roger the Poitevin
Roger the Poitevin
Roger the Poitevin was born in Normandy in the mid-1060s and died before 1140 . He was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat, who possessed large holdings in both England and through his marriage in France....
and was later enlarged into a motte and bailey castle by the le Fleming family. It can still be clearly seen atop a sandy cliff overlooking Morecambe Bay. A little further north, and now surrounded by Moat Farm is a small moat which was intended to surround a second manor house. This would have been built in the early 13th century, although whether it was ever used is uncertain as the Lords soon moved further inland as the sea eroded the coastline and the threat of pirates became more severe.
The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
as belonging to a local Saxon named Ernulf; it is the only village mentioned as being a single estate in the area and may have been of some importance at this early time. The name is originally Old English, meaning 'home of the descendants of Alda'. Legend has it that the village was once much larger—almost a mile in length—but was washed away by the tide.
St Cuthbert's Church
At the centre of the present village, now on the shores of the Bay, is St Cuthbert's Church. An inscription in Durham CathedralDurham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
gives the names of several places in the area, including Aldingham, where the body of Saint Cuthbert rested when the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
were fleeing from the Danes. It is known that during his life, Cuthbert held lands around Cartmel
Cartmel
Cartmel is a village in Cumbria, England, situated north-west of Grange-over-Sands and close to the River Eea. Historically it was in Lancashire; boundary changes brought it into the newly created county of Cumbria in 1974, yet keeping it within the boundaries of the traditional County Palatine...
, on the neighbouring peninsula across the Leven Estuary, although it is not known if those possessions extended this far west.
The building dates from the mid 12th century, with extensions being made to the chancel in the 13th century, the addition of the tower in 1350 and extensive restoration taking place in the 19th century and again in 1932. In the eastern wall of the chancel is a hole about 5 inches (127 mm) by 3 inches (76.2 mm) that goes right through the wall: it is believed this would once have been a place for local lepers to view the church services without having to enter the building.