1066, the Year of the Normans: THE INVASION

The year is 1066 and the winds of change are brewing across England. Ships filled with knights and noble men sway on the water off the coast of France ready to set sail to English shores. A crown was sought and blood was to be shed before the crown could rest upon the head of a Norman king.

Section of The Bayeux Tapestry, c. 1080. Courtesy of Web Gallery of Art (www.wga.hu)

On the 5th of January 1066 the reigning King of England, Edward the Confessor, passed away. This was the start of a turbulent time for the country. The kings brother in law, the Earl of Essex, Harold Godwin was elected to succeed the late king by the Witan, a council of high ranking Anglo-Saxon men. The crown was soon lain upon the head of Harold, now King of England, but this did not sit well with  Duke William of Normandy across the water in France. He claimed that King Edward had promised the crown of England to him and had even managed to trick the late king, in 1063, into swearing to support his claim to the English thrown.

Duke William swiftly amassed an army ready to set sail and invade England!

Around the time William was amassing his army a problem arouse for Harold in the North of England. His brother Tostig had joined forces with Harold Hardrada, King of Norway, and amassed an army now landing on the East coast of Yorkshire. King Harold gathered his army and marched north to Tadcaster to face this new threat. They caught Tostig's men off guard and after a bloody battle, including the death of both Tostig and Harold Hardrada, they, on September 24th, captured Stanford Bridge thus claiming victory over the attackers.

It was not long however until news that Duke William and his army had arrived on British shores reached the King, they landed on 28th September. A few days later on October 1st Harold and his army, now severely less in number, set off for Kent where William was waiting.

The two opposing armies met on 14th October not far from Hastings and a great battle commenced!

Axes swung from the Saxons, cutting down the Norman attackers. Swords swished and clashed as men from both sides fell to a noble death. Shields were smashed, battered and broken. Spears stabbed as arrows flew. A loose Norman arrow flew through the air and landed, quite by chance, in the eye of King Harold. This arrow gave a fatal injury but it has often been unclear as to what happened to Harold and who killed him. Reports from 1080 by an Italian Monk state that Harold was killed by the arrow to his eye but other accounts report him being cut down by a Norman knight, some saying at the same time the arrow hit. The Bayeux tapestry doesn't offer much help as it shows a man with an arrow to the eye alongside a knight chopping down a man, written over both is the caption 'Here King Harold has been killed'. This could hint towards both the figures shown being Harold, one showing the moment he was struck by an arrow and the next of him being run through by a knight. Either way Harold met his end but the battle didn't stop.

Section of the Bayeux Tapestry showing Harold's death (courtesy of Wikipedia)

It was not long, however, before Harold's remaining men were beaten and killed. This left William the victor, he could now take his place on the English throne and take on a new title; William the Conqueror!

On Christmas day of 1066 William was crowned King of England by Archbishop Ealdred of York and began his rule of England and its people. This brought the new Norman way of life to the land and things would start to change across the country...

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This year marks the 950th anniversary of the great Norman invasion of England and we at Iron Shepherds are celebrating with this series of blog posts, a Norman based weapons display and several events with our Norman encampment!

Our main period of interest is the 1140's, a period of time within the Norman rule of Britain. We have an Anglo-Norman camp which we set up at various events throughout the Summer months. You can next see us and experience Norman life at the Medieval Fair at Furness Abbey on 3rd September, 10am - 5pm.

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Norman Blog Series:

1066, the Year of the Normans: THE INVASION

1066, the Year of the Normans: THE TAKE OVER (coming soon)

1066, the Year of the Normans: NORMANS IN FURNESS (coming soon)

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Victorian Industry in Furness | Life in the Past Festival

During the 1800s England saw massive growth in its industry through, what is now known as, the Industrial Revolution. This growth was seen even here in Furness with new industry starting up from steel works to bobbin mills! Industry which was set to shape the area we know today.

At the start of the 1800s Furness was similar to how it had been for centuries with large towns like Ulverston and Dalton generally thriving with the iron mining industry being one of the main employers. But over the course of the coming century things would start to change, dramatically.

Stott Park Bobbin Mill

During the early to mid 1800s lots and lots of bobbin mills were built across the Lake District and into Furness. Places like Spark Bridge, near Greenodd, had large mills and further up near to Newby Bridge was Stott Park Bobbin Mill, now the last remaining mill in the area and, indeed, the country! These mills would produce thousands of wooden bobbins each year for the booming cotton and wool industries over in Lancashire and Yorkshire. So many were needed as they were basically disposable items, used once then thrown on the fire. This meant there was constant orders coming in for more and more of these lovely and functional items. The mills utilised the fast moving water of the Lake District to power their machinery with the use of water wheels and, often, later water turbines. They also utilised the large amounts of coppice woodland in the area.

Example of a coppiced woodland today

Coppocing was another major industry in the area, growing various types of trees, from hazel to birch, which were regularly cut down to their base to encorage new shoots which will grow tall, straight and fast. These would then be cut down again after a 10-15 year period to grow new shoots again. It was an ongoing cycle which created large amounts of much needed wood. This wood was perfect for the production of bobbins!

They would be cut down and taken onto site where they could be cut to size and turned on lathes to produce, you guessed it, bobbins. The bobbin industry was a huge one but sadly in the 1970's, with the reduction of wool and cotton mills and the invention of plastics, wooden bobbins became obsolite. All the bobbin mills closed their doors and many were knocked down, thankfully though one of these mills, Stott Park, was saved and is now open today as a visitor attraction. It is run by English Heritage and can be visited 7 days a week throughout the summer months for guided tours around the inside of the mill
where you can even see some bobbins being made!

It is safe to say that several of the bobbins being made in the Lake District were going a short distance to Backbarrow where there was a large Cotton Mill. As mentioned previously the wool and cotton industries were booming and mills were springing up across the country, especially in Yorkshire and Lancashire. Furness at the time was indeed part of Lancashire and un-surprisingly had its own Cotton Mill. The mill at Backbarrow ran until 1868 when a large fire broke out causing many of the machines to fall through the floors of the mill destroying them! The mill was re-built but never re-opened.

All that remains of the Dolly Blue Factory

A new woolen mill did however open in part of the rebuilt structure in 1880. Sadly though it didn't last past a couple of years but it wasn't the end of the story at Backbarrow. The whole mill site was bought in 1890 by Johannes Eggestorff who opened a brand new factory producing ultramarine blue powder. This saw the birth of the Lancashire Ultramarine Company, a company which became a huge employer in the area and extremely successful. The factory ran until it sadly closed in 1982 after 92 years of production. The Whitewater hotel now stands where the mill building used to be.

One of the biggest changes to the peninsula in the 1800s was the arrival of the railway and the huge expansion of the small fishing village of Barrow!

Furness Train Tracks

It was in 1844 that the Furness Railway Company began life building rail links from the slate quarries at Kirkby-in-Furness and the Iron Ore mines of Lindal to the deep water harbour at Roe Island. These early rail links were solely for the movement of minerals, i.e. slate and iron ore, to the coast where they could be distributed across England. The first links opened in 1846 and soon expanded up to Broughton-in-Furness, a small market town, and later, in 1854, a link was completed to Ulverston (the biggest town in the area at the time). The railway continued to expand with new links to Lancaster and Carnforth, this meant that the Furness peninsula was, for the first time, easily accessible from the rest of the country.

The Furness Railway went on to help in the huge, and swift, development of the areas newest town, Barrow. 

A chimney similar to what once dotted the skyline of Barrow

The Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Buccleugh, Henry Schneider and Sir James Ramsden were the owners and board members of the Furness Railway. They also owned the slate and ore mines in the area, not just content with owning large profitable businesses and the rail links to transport their goods they decided to build a huge new dock at Barrow, rendering Roe Islands port useless. They also opened steelworks at Barrow where the local ore could be processed. All this development meant new jobs and in turn new housing was required, housing which was built in Barrow. This marked a period of rapid growth in the town, swiftly expanding it from a small fishing village with a minimal number of houses to a grand Victorian boom town, often referred to as ‘The Chicago of the North’.

All this growth led to James Ramsden, in 1871, founding the Iron Shipbuilding Company, which would later, in 1897, become Vickers Shipyard and subsequently BAE Systems. This new company was created to build large ships in the port of Barrow using the processed steel from the local steelworks. These ships could then be distributed around the country and later the globe. This industry grew and grew in the area expanding the town further and today the shipyard is still the main employer of this truly Victorian town.

What remains of a Lime Kiln in Scales

Another industry popular at the time was quicklime production. Large kilns known as Lime Kilns were used to fire limestone to upwards of 900°c to produce Calcium oxide, or quicklime as it was commonly known as, a white powder substance which could be used in mortar and agriculturally. You can still see many lime kilns dotting the landscape around Furness, the one pictured here is just outside the village of Scales.

We've only spoken about a few of the vast amount of industries in this area, if we were to go into detail about them all I'm sure we would be here for days! However some of the other industries include - rope works, iron works, jute works, slate mines (Kirkby slate mine is still operational), iron mines, brickworks (Askam brickworks opened in 1845 and is still in use today), charcoal burning, tanneries (leather making) and of course fishing!

You can find a host of evidence across the peninsula of these long lost industries from the massive slag banks at Askam to the street names of Barrow. Be sure to keep an eye out the next time you are about in the area and do take a mintue to remember the truly idustrial past of Furness!

 

How To Make a Thaumatrope (optical illusion toy) | Life in the Past Festival

Optical illusion toys were extremely popular during the Victorian period giving fun and excitement to children and adults alike. In this post we will take a look at how to make one of these toys, the thaumatrope.

The thaumatrope is a simple disc with images on each side which, when the disc is spun around, merge into one image. One of the most popular choices for these toys was a bird in a cage image and this is what we are going to use here.

What You Will Need:

• paper
• card
• scissors
• protractor
• pencil
• glue
• hole punch
• string

Step One:

Take your paper and mark out two circles with a protractor. Following this mark out a slightly bigger circle on your card and cut all out. This will leave you with two paper discs and one of card.

Step Two:

Draw a bird cage (or whatever you like) on one of the paper discs, trying to keep it nice and central. Once you have finished the cage take your other paper disc and draw a bird on it. Be sure to centre it and measure it so it can fit inside the cage.

Step Three:

Take your first disc, with the cage on, and glue it down in the centre of the card disc. Having done this flip the card disc over (the cage will then be upside down on the underside) and stick the bird disc to the centre of the card.

Step Four:

Use a hold punch to create two holes either side of the paper disc, roughly inline across the centre of the circle. This is where we will thread some string.

Step Five:

Cut two equal lengths of string. Fold over to create a loop at one end. Thread this loop through a hole in the disc. Take the other end of the string and thread it through the loop then pull it back on itself to tighten around the edge of the disc. Repeat this process on the other side.

Step Six:

Have a good old play! Hold onto the ends of both stings on either side of the disc, spin it around several times to twist up the strings. Once ready pull outwards and watch the disc. This bird image should appear inside the cage as the disc spins. A simple and wonderful optical illusion!

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Victorian Tourism in Furness

During the 1800s Furness was opened up to the rest of the country in a new way by the arrival of the railway. This meant tourists from afar could now access the area much more easily than before and thus tourism boomed. The likes of William Wordsworth helped to make the Lake District popular with his guide to the Lakes but he also mentions places in Furness, such as the romantic ruins of St Mary's abbey, which drew more people down from the lakes into the peninsula.

The Furness Railway was established in 1844 as a means of transporting slate and iron ore to the port of Barrrow. It later extended and started to have passenger trains in 1846 with later editions to the railway linking it to Coniston, Lakeside and Carnforth. This opened the peninsula up to people across England in a much easier to travel way. It also linked the area to the near by Lake District, which was a booming tourist destination. This meant the countryside of Furness and its historic sites could become key visitor destinations.

Ruins, like those of St Mary's, were hugely popular attractions in this time and a visit to the ruins at Furness were considered essential to any trip out. All classes enjoyed visiting such places and the romantic nature of these sites created an enticing prospect for visitors. Although the ever growing numbers of tourists could lead to problems.

In 1881 a man wrote annonomously to The Times to vent his frustration at the sight which awaited him at Furness Abbey:

"Permit me to draw the attention of those who are interested in the preservation of ancient monuments to the present state of things at Furness Abbey. I was present in the ruins for three hours this Thursday afternoon last, and was extremely shocked at the spectacle I witnessed. The place was filled with a rough and noisy crowd of excursionists, and large numbers of children, apparently under no control, were climbing in and out of the beautiful sadilia and over the sculptured capitals of the fallen pillars, which lie on the ground in the ancient Chapter-house, to the extreme danger and, I fear, destruction of most exquisitely carved work." - 26 August 1881.

Ruins had never been as popular and this could lead to damage being done, something Mr Anonymous was clearly worried about. Another aspect of Victorian tourism which caused what today would be seen as damage was graffiti!

Today graffiti is generally frowned upon but back in Victorian times it was seen customary to leave your mark on an ancient ruin. Many would leave their initials with the date, a lasting reminder that they were once there. This is a tradition still upheld in modern day China, if you visit the great wall of Chine for example you are encouraged to carve your name onto the wall. Visit any historic site in Furness and you will no doubt find some Victorian graffiti wonderfully carved into the stone, unlike todays scrawling scratches.

As mentioned earlier William Wordsworth had a big impact on tourism in the area with the publication of his book 'A Guide Through the District of the Lakes in North England' in 1835. This brought the history of the Lakes and Furness to life for readers and informed them of many historic and naturally beautiful sites. Following is an extract which mentions Furness Abbey alongside Urswick and Conishead Priory-

“They who wish to see the celebrated ruins of Furness Abbey, and are not afraid of crossing the Sands, may go from Lancaster to Ulverston; from which place take the direct road to Dalton; but by all means return through Urswick, for sake of the view from the top of the hills, before descending into the grounds of Conishead Priory. From this quarter the Lakes would be advantageously approached by Coniston; thence to Hawkshead, and by the Ferry over Windermere, to Bowness: a much better introduction than by going direct from Coniston to Ambleside, which ought not to be done, as that would greatly take off from the effects of Windermere.” - William Wordsworth, A Guide Through the District of the Lakes in the North of England, 1835.

Wordsworth also wrote an autobiographical poem called The Prelude which included passages about Furness. Read a section of this poem here.

Of course Wordsworth was not the only famous writer to produce books about the Lake District. At the very close of the Victorian era, in 1901, Beatrix potter released her first childrens book entitled The Tale of Peter Rabit, and would go on to write many books set in the Lake District. Beatirx and her family visited the Lakes for three months every year of her childhood staying in large country houses, like Wray Castle to the north west of Windermere. This was a common practice for many wealthy families living in London and other large cities of England. A break away in the Lakes was the best way to escape the smog of the city and to enjoy nature in breathtaking scenery and many would have traveled down the peninsula to see the sights of Furness. It was on such holidays that Beatrix nurtured her love of story telling, writing little stories to send to her cousins. She also developed a love for nature and especially the Lake District. This led to her buying up huge amounts of farm land across the district to protect it from development and in doing so helped to save the natural beauty of the area, later donating her land to the newly formed National Trust.

It wasn't just historic sites that became popular tourist destinations but also towns! Ulverston and Dalton were popular places to visit, easily accessible by the railway. Towns and villages like near by Grange and Cartmel also became popular. In 1900 the Furness Railway released a book called 'The Illustrated Guide to the Holiday Resorts on the Furness Railway', which showcased the various towns and attractions accessible along the railway route. This had large sections about Ulverston, Dalton, Furness Abbey, Grange and Cartmel all illustrated with wonderful photographs. Barrow is mostly neglected with in its pages as the town is, at this point, mainly industrial and not yet seen as a tourist destination, especially being a relatively new town, although later the beaches of Walney became very popular. The book goes into detail about each towns history and makes mention of the interesting places which exist within them. Famous past residence are made mention of, like George Romney of Dalton and Sir John Barrow of Ulverston. This would have no doubt acted as a handy guide for any Victorian tourist visiting this hummble part of the world.

The Victorian period really saw the birth of modern tourism and started the country's long lasting facination with history and those enigmatic ruins left behind as reminders. There is a wealth of history and facinating places in England and many wonderful sites here in the Furness Peninsula, which are all well worth visiting. So next time you are wanting something to do of a weekend why not be like a Victorian and pop along to one of these local gems!


Experience a truly Victorian day out on 23rd July 2017 at our Victorian Fun & Games event at Furness Abbey.

The Dissolution of the Monasteries | Life in the Past Festival

The dissolution of the monasteries was a major event lasting many years which changed the landscape of British religion forever. The many abbeys and priories of the country were wiped out leaving but ruins of what once was. The lives of monks and nuns were changed in an instant and many abbots and priors lost their lives. A massive change for England brought on by the greed of a king.

Henry VIII became king in 1509 and at this point corruption had become a major issue within religious houses across Europe, and was being attacked from many angles by critics and protestant reformers alike. It seemed that a reformation was fast approaching. Henry was Catholic and was a defender of the Pope in Rome at the start of his reign but as time went on, and the need for a divorce became pressing, Henry started to break away from Rome and the Pope.

In 1534 the Act of Supremacy was passed making Henry the head of the English Church. Up to this point Henry had been excessive with his wars, which were extremely costly. This had used up all of his fathers inheritance so money had become a pressing concern.

It was in 1535 that King Henry VIII commissioned a survey of ‘his’ Church and its wealth, a survey called the Valor Ecclesiasticus (Church Valuation). This was the first time that the net wealth of monasteries had been assessed and here in Furness the Abbey of St Mary was found to have an annual income of £805, making it the second richest of the Cistercian houses in England. In total the religious sites of the country controlled around four million acres, about 16 per cent, of the productive land in England and 12 per cent of the total land area, this equated to a huge amount of wealth.

In 1536 Thomas Cromwell put forward an act of reform, known as the Suppression or Dissolution Act, for the smaller monastic houses earning under £200 a year. Cromwell had declared these houses were “sunk irredeemably in iniquity” and that they had “resisted all attempts at reform for 200 years or more”. He came to the conclusion that they should be shut down and the “idle and dissolute monks and nuns” be distributed amongst the larger, greater abbeys where they could become more disciplined and “mend their ways”. The properties and any riches they held could then be transferred to the King, who, according to the Act, would convert the endowments to better uses. Something that never happened, in fact most of the money went into the government funds.

As one would expect there was a considerable amount of hostility building towards the government, especially here in the north. This led to a rebellion in October 1536 known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. York and Lincoln were seized by rebels for a short time as a protest against the dissolution and various other grievances. The restoration of the suppressed abbeys was one of the highest demands of the rebels.

This uprising didn’t last long, the king waited as the rebels fell out amongst themselves before he crushed them without mercy. A close friend to the king, Robert Radcliffe, was despatched to Lancashire to quell the rebellion and his arrival was marked by a series of executions. Several large abbeys who had been helping the rebellion were now at great danger, one of these being Furness Abbey. Radcliffe suggested to the abbot of Furness at the time, Roger Pyle, that he should surrender the abbey as a ‘voluntary discharge of conscience’ or suffer the consequences and be executed. The abbot took the advise and in April 1537, along with 28 monks and the prior (the abbot’s deputy), signed the deed of surrender. This passed the abbey, its wealth and its lands to the crown. It wasn’t long before Thomas Cromwell’s men arrived to dissolve the monastery…

 

The Timetable of a Monk | Life in the Past Festival

The lot of a medieval monk living in one of the many abbeys across Britain was not an easy one. Men did not become monks for an easy life, they became monks to worship the lord with their work, prayer and devotion. They often perceived themselves as soldiers engaged in a spiritual war against their imperfect, fallen nature. This made for a hard life with each day was a long one, packed full of worship and work.

What follows is the basic timetable for a Cistercian choir monk living in a medieval abbey during the summer months:

2.00am –         A choir monks day would start early with the first of 8 services, Matins. The monks would gather in the church and stand in the choir stalls. Here they would celebrate the night office with singing. Two monks, the precentor and succentor, lead the singing and keep their eyes on the other monks to make sure no one nods off.

2.45am –         Matins ends and the monks can rest in the cloister for a time. Sadly they aren’t allowed back to bed.

3.00am –         Monks return to church for Lauds, the second service of the day. This one is to celebrated daybreak.

3.15am –         Lauds ends and the monks can return to the cloister to read for 45 minutes.

4.00am –         At sunrise it’s time for Prime to mark the first hour of the day. Another short service lasting only 15 minutes.

4.15am –         It is now time for the chapter meeting. Monks would meet in the chapter house daily. They would sit on benches around the walls while they watch and listen to the Abbot as he says a prayer and reads a chapter of the Rule of St Benedict.

Following this all the monks must confess there faults and sins. They would then be punished accordingly often having to lie flat on the ground in front of the others, a practice known as prostration. In some cases some may have to fladulate, in other words whip, themselves.

Announcements follow this and the meeting ends with Psalm 129 and prayers before tasks are given out to all the monks.

4.45am –         The monks leave the chapter house to go about their daily tasks for around 2 and a half hours

7.30am –         Time for the monks to return to the cloister for half an hour of reading.

8.00am –         Terce, the third service of the day. The monks return to the church to take up position in the choir stalls. Mass is this time spoken for the monks to listen too and once a week wine and bread are taken to symbolize the body and blood of Christ.

9.00am –         Monks return to the cloister for further reading although priests stay in church for private mass.

11.00 am –      Church again for the forth service of the day, Sext. The name sext comes from latin for six and it is so called because it was originally celebrated on the sixth hour of the day.

11.30am –       Time for dinner. All the monks gather in the refectory, or frater, where the main meal of the day is served. They stand for blessings before sitting down to eat. Beans covered in vegetable juice is often popular at this time and each monk has a serving of bread for the day, their daily bread. Over the course of the meal a monk stands in a large pulpit and reads from scripture.

12.00pm –       Following dinner the monks join the procession of thanksgiving in the church before being allowed to take a nap in the dormitories or read.

2.00pm  -        Now comes the time for None which involves more singing in the church.

2.30pm –         Following None the monks return to their work, be that in the kitchen, out in the herb gardens or working the land with the lay brother. This last for around 3 and a half hours.

6.00pm –         A return to church for Vespers, the seventh service of the day.

6.30pm -         During the summer months monks are allowed two meals a day and now is the time for the second, although it isn’t as big as the first. They are given vegetables and fruit to eat with whatever is left of their daily bread.

7.15pm –         The collation reading. Monks gather in the north cloister walk and listen to a reading by the reader of the week.

7.30pm –         Back to church for Compline, the last service of the day. At the end of this services the abbot sprinkles the monks with Holy Water.

8.00pm –         Bed time. After a long and tiring day of work, reading and singing the monks are allowed to return to bed for six hours of sleep.  Then it’s time for Vigils again and the start of another day.

As you can see there is a lot for a monk to fit into his day and it certainly isn’t an easy life for them. The days were long with out much rest, meals were scarce and not the most delicious. Nearly every day was spent in the same way never leaving the precinct wall of their monastery. Is it a life you would want to lead?

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Life in the Past | Living History Festival | Announcement

Hi there!

We at Iron Shepherds are very pleased to announce a brand new living history festival based in Furness called Life in The Past!

We have been busy creating this festival which will run from May through to August 2016. It will consist of a variety of events at various loctions covering different periods of Furness history from the 13th Century to the 1920s.

Alongside our events there will be a selection of talks by archeologists and a host of online materials. We will also be running a couple of competitions for you to get involved in!

We will be releasing more info soon alongside a brand new website at - http://lifeinthepast.co.uk In the mean time keep an eye out at the Life in the Past Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/LifeinthePast/

We can't wait to share more with you very soon!!