Cockermouth, Cumbria: archaeological investigation of three burgage plots in Main Street

Leech, Roger and Gregory, Richard (2012) Cockermouth, Cumbria: archaeological investigation of three burgage plots in Main Street (Cumbria Archaeological Research Reports, 3), vol. 3, Kendal, GB. Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, 80pp.

Abstract

In 1980 and 1981, three former burgage plots on Main Street, Cockermouth, opposite the road to the Harris Bridge over the River Derwent, and almost opposite William Wordsworth's birthplace, became available for excavation by the then Cumbria and Lancashire Archaeological Unit. The site may have been occupied from c 1200 continuously to the present day and, after a variety of ownerships, became part of the Lowther estate from 1761. Opportunities for intensive examination of a significant area at the core of an urban centre are rare, and the three plots proved rewarding. In keeping with burgage plots elsewhere, domestic dwellings fronted the street, while to their rear there were ancillary buildings, refuse pits, and a well, and behind those, elements of buildings used for agricultural or industrial purposes. Building materials included timber and then clay, followed by brick and stone, and with some evidence of roofing slate. Careful examination of the excavation evidence revealed successive rebuildings, particularly around 1700, and a variety of forms of stairs, hearths, and windows. The findings have been analysed and written up by Oxford Archaeology North in association with Roger Leech (a former director of the organisation and the site director), and with an historical background by Angus Winchester that puts their development in context. They both enhance our knowledge of the early history of Cockermouth and contribute valuable comparative material about the development of urban settlements in the region.

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