Gosforth, Cumbria
Encyclopedia
Gosforth is a village
and civil parish
in the Lake District
, in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria
, England
. It is situated on the A595 road
between Whitehaven
and Barrow-in-Furness
. It has a population of 1,230.
Gosforth contains an assemblage of Norse
artefacts
in and around St. Mary's church including the tallest and oldest Viking
Cross in England, the Gosforth cross
. Another huge cross was cut down in 1789 to make a sundial
base. Work began on Gosforth Hall, now a Hotel and Restaurant near St. Mary's church, in 1658, by a local gentleman called Robert Copley. The date of completion is not clear, although the date on the Coat of Arms
situated in the bar is 1673. Copley had previously refused to pay the Royal Herald for his own coat of arms and instead, made one up himself.
In his history of "The Gosforth District", Dr. C.A Parker states that Robert Copley in 1658 built "a large handsome house with orchards and gardens suitable", and Parker states that henceforth the house was named Gosforth Hall. With the Hall being within the precinct of the church, it was likely that evidence of earlier occupation might be discovered. In 2005, the present owners of Gosforth Hall commissioned a small archaeological excavation within the grounds. This turned up some interesting finds indicating previous occupation on the site. This preliminary work is to be followed up in 2007 with a further excavation
Gosforth is a small village situated near many other towns and villages including Whitehaven, Egremont, Ravenglass and Wasdale. It is close to Wastwater, the deepest lake in England, and also a 10–15 minutes drive from Seascale village and beach.
Gosforth is the base for two major athletic events each year, a ten mile run and associated fun run in June, and a 10 kilometre race which is on the first Tuesday in September.
On the morning of 2 June 2010, a farmer was shot dead at a farm in the Gosforth area. Within hours, police had identified the killer as 52-year-old local taxi driver Derrick Bird, who killed at least 11 other people on a rampage
in the area before taking his own life.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in 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...
, in the Borough of Copeland in 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 A595 road
A595 road
The A595 is a primary route in Cumbria, in northern England that starts in Carlisle, passes through Whitehaven, and goes close to Workington, Cockermouth and Wigton. It passes Sellafield and Ravenglass before ending at the Dalton-in-Furness by-pass, in southern Cumbria, where it joins the A590...
between Whitehaven
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...
and 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...
. It has a population of 1,230.
Gosforth contains an assemblage of Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
artefacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
in and around St. Mary's church including the tallest and oldest Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
Cross in England, the Gosforth cross
Gosforth cross
upright|thumb|Gosforth Cross outside St Mary's church in Gosforth.The Gosforth Cross is a large stone Anglo-Saxon high cross in the churchyard at Gosforth in the English county of Cumbria. Formerly part of the kingdom of Northumbria, the area was settled by Scandinavians some time in either the 9th...
. Another huge cross was cut down in 1789 to make a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
base. Work began on Gosforth Hall, now a Hotel and Restaurant near St. Mary's church, in 1658, by a local gentleman called Robert Copley. The date of completion is not clear, although the date on the Coat of Arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
situated in the bar is 1673. Copley had previously refused to pay the Royal Herald for his own coat of arms and instead, made one up himself.
In his history of "The Gosforth District", Dr. C.A Parker states that Robert Copley in 1658 built "a large handsome house with orchards and gardens suitable", and Parker states that henceforth the house was named Gosforth Hall. With the Hall being within the precinct of the church, it was likely that evidence of earlier occupation might be discovered. In 2005, the present owners of Gosforth Hall commissioned a small archaeological excavation within the grounds. This turned up some interesting finds indicating previous occupation on the site. This preliminary work is to be followed up in 2007 with a further excavation
Gosforth is a small village situated near many other towns and villages including Whitehaven, Egremont, Ravenglass and Wasdale. It is close to Wastwater, the deepest lake in England, and also a 10–15 minutes drive from Seascale village and beach.
Gosforth is the base for two major athletic events each year, a ten mile run and associated fun run in June, and a 10 kilometre race which is on the first Tuesday in September.
On the morning of 2 June 2010, a farmer was shot dead at a farm in the Gosforth area. Within hours, police had identified the killer as 52-year-old local taxi driver Derrick Bird, who killed at least 11 other people on a rampage
Cumbria shootings
The Cumbria shootings was a killing spree that occurred on 2 June 2010 when a lone gunman, Derrick Bird, killed 12 people and injured 11 others before killing himself in Cumbria, England....
in the area before taking his own life.