Four Centuries of Moor Row: From Common Land to the Energy Coast

Nestled in the heart of West Cumbria, Moor Row is a village that grew out of the mud and heather. While it is a residential community today, its history is a dramatic graph of peaks and valleys - driven by the "red gold" (haematite) beneath its feet.

1625–1750: The Age of the "Great Moor"

In 1625, "Moor Row" was not a village. It was a literal row of enclosures - scattered longhouse style farmsteads clinging to the edge of the Great Moor of Egremont.

The Ruin on the Hill

By this time, Egremont Castle was already a ruin, "slighted" in 1569. Yet, it remained the administrative heart of the area. Tenants from the moor would trek to the castle to attend the Manorial Court, which was still held in a single surviving chamber. Here, "Turnmen" (local representatives for the Lowside Quarter) were appointed to settle disputes over grazing rights and "turbary" (the right to cut peat for fuel).

The Pioneers: The Wildridge Family

The ground where you might now walk your dog was once the private "parcels" of a few hardy families. One of the most significant early names is the Wildridge family.

  • John Wildridge held land at "Low Moor Row" (near the modern Church Street area) in the 1700s.
  • His daughter, Elizabeth, inherited these lands and married Thomas Dalzell in 1768. The Dalzells were the bridge between the old farming world and the new industrial one; the village’s main thoroughfare, Dalzell Street, still bears their name.

🔍 Archive Deep Dive

To understand how the "Great Moor" transitioned from isolated farmsteads to an industrial powerhouse, explore the specific history of the Summerhill site. This analysis covers the early mineral excavations and the landscape changes that defined the village's northern boundary during the Victorian era.

1783–1850: The Great Enclosure

The 18th century brought the Egremont Enclosure Award of 1783. This legal act carved up the wild "Great Moor" into the rectangular fields we see today. Ancient grazing rights were replaced by private ownership, creating the formal road layouts that eventually allowed the village to expand.

1850–1900: The Iron Ore "Big Bang"

If you lived in Moor Row in 1825, you were a farmer. By 1875, you were likely a miner or a railway worker. The discovery of high-grade haematite transformed the village overnight.

  • The Industrial Boom: The opening of the Montreal Mine and the Whitehaven, Cleator, and Egremont Railway turned Moor Row into a vital strategic junction - the "Spaghetti Junction" of Victorian West Cumbria.
  • A Growing Village: Terraced streets like Penzance Street were built to house miners from Cornwall and Ireland. By the late 19th century, the village had swelled to several hundred residents, gaining its own school in 1877.

1920–1980: The Transition to the Atomic Age

When the iron ore seams began to fail—with the massive Montreal Mine closing in the 1920s - the village faced a demographic crisis. However, its proximity to the coast and the birth of the Sellafield site in the late 1940s provided a new economic anchor. Modern housing estates were built, shifting the population from labourers to skilled technicians.

Moor Row in 2025: The Modern Village

Today, the population is estimated to be around 750 residents. The heavy thrum of the iron ore trains has been replaced by the quiet of the C2C cycle path (the old railway line).

Era Estimated Population Primary Driver
1625 ~30–50 Manorial Tenancy & Grazing
1783 ~80–100 Enclosure of Common Land
1891 ~500+ Iron Ore Mining & Railway Junction
2025 ~750 Residential Commuting & Energy Coast

Final Thoughts

From the lonely hearths of the Wildridge family to the "Big Bang" of the industrial era, Moor Row’s story is a microcosm of West Cumbrian resilience. It is a village that moved from the shadow of a ruined castle to the cutting edge of the global energy industry.

Moor Row, 1625, Illustration
Location: Moor Row CA24, UK

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ARCHIVE HIGHLIGHTS

About Moor Row

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Hello, and welcome. This Internet site is about the village of Moor Row in West Cumbria. The history of Moor Row is one intrinsically linked to the industrial boom that transformed West Cumbria. While the area's roots stretch back to before 1762, when the homesteads of Low Moor Row and High Moor Row dotted the landscape between Summerhill Mansion and Woodend with Cleator, the true genesis of the modern village lies in iron ore and the mighty railway.  From Homestead to Hub The early landscape was characterised by family landholdings, such as the estate of the Wildridge family at Low Moor Row, located on what would become Church Street. The marriage of Elizabeth Wildridge to the local gardener, Dalzell, and his subsequent inheritance of the estates, is a pivotal local event. This link is preserved today, not just through family lore but in the village's street names, a testament to the enduring influence of the early landowners. The Railway Catalyst The mid-19th century witnes...
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Deep History: 6000 Years Of Moor Row

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For the modern visitor, Moor Row appears as a product of the nineteenth-century industrial revolution - a landscape of red-brick terraces built to house the miners of the West Cumberland iron ore boom. However, to view this village only through the lens of industry is to overlook a human story that stretches back six millennia. Before the first mine shaft was sunk, this was a "row" of dwellings on the edge of the great Egremont Waste, held by families whose roots reached back to the very foundations of England. Searching Historic Records In historical Cumbrian records, the Bailiwick of Egremont refers to the administrative and judicial division of the Barony of Egremont (also known as the Barony of Copeland). ​Before 1600, a "bailiwick" was the area of jurisdiction for a Bailiff - an officer appointed by the Lord of the Manor (the Percys) to manage the land, collect rents, and enforce local laws.   ​1. Administrative Structure ​The Bailiwick was the "middle ma...
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The 1871 Iron Register: Mapping the Miners of Moor Row

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The "Cornish Diaspora" in West Cumberland is a fascinating, often overlooked chapter of industrial history. While Penzance Street in Moor Row is the most visible legacy, the human stories behind it reveal a mass migration driven by necessity. ​ Here is a deep dive into the Cornish connection in Moor Row, using census data to track the movement of families. ​ Why Moor Row? In the mid-19th century, the Cornish mining industry (tin and copper) entered a terminal decline due to crashing prices and foreign competition. Conversely, West Cumberland was experiencing a "Haematite Boom." The high-grade iron ore found near Cleator Moor and Moor Row was essential for the Bessemer steel-making process. ​ Cumbrian mine owners actively recruited Cornish miners because they possessed the specific hard-rock mining skills required for deep-shaft haematite extraction - skills that local coal miners or agricultural labourers lacked. ​ The Legacy of Penzance Street ​ Penzance Street is ...
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The Genesis of Industry: Summerhill Mansion and the Dalzell Legacy in Moor Row

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The story of Summerhill Mansion in Moor Row begins long before the deafening roar of the Whitehaven Cleator and Egremont Railway and the deep excavations of the iron mines. Archival research confirms the property's existence prior to 1762, placing it firmly in the agrarian era of West Cumberland. ​The Mansion was not merely a large house; it was the original, definitive geographical boundary and an anchor for the earliest settlement, which included the Low Moor Row homestead. It was the ancestral seat of the Wildridge family and represented the fixed, respectable wealth of the rural landscape. It is the story of how a single country estate, located on what became Church Street , became the essential financial and geographical launchpad for the entire industrial expansion of this West Cumbrian village. Once established at Summerhill Mansion, the Dalzell family leveraged their land to become industrial pioneers. As the 19th-century iron ore boom exploded, Moor Row rapidly expan...
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