The Toponymy of Moor Row: A Diachronic Analysis
The Toponymy of Moor Row, West Cumbria: A Diachronic Analysis of Linguistic Origin and Socio-Economic Development
I. Introduction: Framing the Toponymic Inquiry
This analysis presents an exhaustive examination of the toponym Moor Row, a village located in the civil parish of Egremont, within the unitary authority of Cumberland, West Cumbria. The objective of this report is to delineate the precise etymological origins of the name's constituent elements, determine the chronological establishment of the name, and interpret how its initial agrarian function was redefined and solidified by the dramatic industrial and infrastructural transformations of the 19th century.
The study of Cumbrian place-names necessitates an awareness of the layered linguistic and settlement history of the region, which encompasses influences from ancient Cumbric (Celtic), Old Norse (Scandinavian), and Old English (Anglian) languages. Moor Row, situated on the coastal plain south-east of Whitehaven, offers a compelling case study where topographical description, agrarian enclosure, and industrial planning intersect to produce a name of remarkable descriptive permanence. The primary hypothesis addressed is that while the village as it is known today is a product of the mid-19th century mining boom, the name itself is substantially older, rooted in 18th-century land use and administrative necessity.
II. The Linguistic Decomposition: Establishing the Root Elements
The name Moor Row is a compound toponym derived from common Germanic elements, reflecting a straightforward description of the settlement's location and structure.
2.1. Analysis of Moor
The root element Moor stems from the Middle English term more, which itself is a descendant of the Old English (OE) word mōr. In its fundamental sense, mōr signifies "marsh," "fen," "heath," or, critically in the context of land administration, "waste land".
In the uplands of Northern England, including Cumbria, Moor typically refers to areas of marginal land or elevated heathland that were historically less suitable for intensive cultivation. The average elevation of the Moor Row area is 80 metres, with localised peaks reaching 198 metres. This topographical profile supports the interpretation that the name refers to a settlement positioned adjacent to or upon the lower reaches of uncultivated, open waste ground, distinguishing it from lower valley settlements. Historically, such marginal land often constituted Common Land, over which certain individuals held rights for grazing or gathering fuel before the widespread process of enclosure.
In the complex linguistic environment of West Cumbria, this term's usage was reinforced by linguistic overlap. While the etymon is Old English, the Scandinavian settlers who heavily influenced the region used the Old Norse (ON) cognate mor. This near-identical form and meaning between the Anglian and Scandinavian vocabularies ensured the term's continuous intelligibility and adoption in descriptive place-names throughout the medieval and early modern periods.
2.2. Analysis of Row
The element Row is derived from the Middle English rowe, which originates from the Old English term rāw. This word denotes "a line," "a sequence," or, specifically in the context of human settlement, "a row, especially of houses".
The incorporation of Row immediately classifies Moor Row as a habitational name. It explicitly describes a linear arrangement of dwellings. The simple structure of the compound name - a topographical descriptor (Moor) combined with a spatial settlement descriptor (Row) - characterises a naming strategy often employed during periods of settlement expansion onto previously unclaimed or marginalised areas. Although the term Row eventually became synonymous with the dense, terraced housing of the industrial era (see Section IV), its original usage would have been applied to far smaller alignments of buildings, distinguishing them from solitary farmsteads or nucleated villages.
2.3. Toponymic Classification and Comparative Evidence
Moor Row belongs to a typologically common group of descriptive Anglian place-names found across England. Examples of settlements sharing this naming structure include Moor Row in North Yorkshire, Moor Row in Somerset, and Murrow in Cambridgeshire. The existence of these parallels confirms that the compound Moor Row represents a widespread and pragmatic naming convention - a settlement (a Row) located on the waste ground (the Moor).
In the Cumbrian context, where place-names often incorporate intricate layers of Cumbric or Scandinavian elements, the straightforward, purely Anglian/Middle English derivation of Moor Row suggests that it solidified as a place-name relatively late in the region's toponymic history. It is a functional, transparent name, distinguishing it from the earlier, more complex patronymic or topographical names derived from the Viking or pre-Anglian eras.
Table 1: Etymological and Historical Components of the Place Name
| Name Component | Linguistic Origin (O.E./M.E.) | Meaning in Toponymy | Geographical Referent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moor | OE mōr, ME more | Marginal land, heath, or common waste ground | The topographical setting, likely elevated coastal plain near Egremont. |
| Row | OE rāw, ME rowe | A line, specifically an alignment or sequence of dwellings | The structural form of the original settlement. |
III. Agrarian Origins and the Administrative Codification (Pre-1850)
A close examination of local history reveals that the name Moor Row is not an invention of the industrial age but possesses substantial antiquity, firmly rooted in the agrarian administrative landscape of the 18th century.
3.1. Chronological Anchor: The Pre-Industrial Settlement
The history of Moor Row reaches back significantly earlier than the mid-19th century mining boom that formed the modern village. Government records and local histories confirm the existence of residential occupation in the area between Summerhill Mansion and Woodend with Cleator before 1762. These early habitations were specifically identified as the homesteads of Low Moor Row and High Moor Row.
This establishment date is critical, as it places the name’s origin squarely within the pre-industrial era, confirming that the term Row initially described small, linear alignments of dwellings adjacent to or on the Moor. The use of the prefixes Low and High further defines these as distinct, sequential points along a track or road, reinforcing the linear nature implied by the Row component.
3.2. Land Use: The Moor and the Enclosure Context
To understand why a descriptive name like Moor Row became fixed, the prevailing system of land tenure must be considered. In the 18th century, much of the upland and marginal territory in Cumbria remained unenclosed Common Land, referred to as "the waste". The Moor element in the place name signifies that the original 18th-century homesteads were built at the boundary or edge of this common, less fertile territory.
Beginning in the Tudor period, and accelerating rapidly after the 1750s, parliamentary enclosure became the standard method for converting communal open fields and common land into individually owned and hedged holdings. These acts were driven by landowners seeking to maximise estate rental and agricultural potential. The administrative process of enclosure often required detailed surveys and maps to define new boundaries and formalise land ownership, leading to the necessary codification of localised descriptive names.
3.3. The Role of the Dalzell and Wildridge Families in Codification
The connection between the early settlement and land administration is demonstrated through the historical association of the Wildridge and Dalzell families. The Wildridge family resided at the Low Moor Row homestead. Following the deaths of the Wildridges, their daughter Elizabeth and her husband, Thomas Dalzell, a local gardener, took control of the estates. The Dalzells were later noted as owning parcels of land extending toward Woodend and Frizington.
The evidence of Thomas Dalzell’s land survey conducted in 1798 is instrumental. This plan, which detailed his land at Moor Row, including the house and a potential nursery, is historically interpreted as being prepared specifically because of prevailing Inclosure legislation. This event represents a crucial causal link between topography and toponymic permanence. The necessity to formally survey and define property rights on land adjacent to the waste ground required the administrative codification of the descriptive, locally used name, Moor Row. This official process ensured the name was legally fixed in records well before the massive industrial infrastructure arrived. The name's survival is therefore not accidental; it was secured by 18th-century agrarian administrative geography.
Table 3: Chronological Anchors and Pre-Industrial Naming
| Date | Event Significance | Name Form(s) Recorded | Origin of Naming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-1762 | Establishment of original residences on the Moor edge. | Low Moor Row, High Moor Row | Descriptive agrarian term rooted in Old English mōr and rāw. |
| 1798 | Thomas Dalzell Land Survey prepared. | Thomas Dalzell’s Land at Moor Row | Survey likely necessitated by Inclosure, formalising the name on official documents. |
| 11th-18th Century | Regional Linguistic Context | Mōr/Mor, Rāw/Rowe | Name stems from Anglian descriptive compounds common in late-medieval/early modern settlement expansion. |
IV. Industrial Transformation and Semantic Appropriation (Post-1850)
While the name Moor Row originated in the 18th-century agrarian context, its geographical scope and permanent identity were radically enlarged and cemented by the industrial revolution, which provided a powerful physical justification for the inherited toponym.
4.1. The Iron Ore Economy and Population Shock
The mid-19th century witnessed the explosive development of the West Cumbrian haematite iron ore field, with villages like Moor Row, Frizington, and Bigrigg rising rapidly to house the arriving workforce. The Montreal Mines near Moor Row were among the most productive in the region, extracting 250,000 tons of ore annually and employing between 1,000 and 1,200 people locally.
The resulting high-density demand for labour and accommodation utterly transformed the landscape surrounding the earlier Low and High Moor Row homesteads. The workforce included specialist labour, such as Cornish tin miners, whose presence is commemorated today in internal village street names like Penzance Street. This demographic shift demonstrates the direct relationship between the industrial economy and the adoption of new, internal naming conventions, while simultaneously reinforcing the utility of the old descriptive name for the overall settlement.
4.2. Railway Infrastructure and Institutionalisation
The growth of Moor Row was inextricably linked to the transportation requirements of the mining industry. The village was intentionally developed to house employees of the new Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway (WC&ER).
The railway station opened on 1 July 1857 and served primarily to transport iron ore, coal, and workers. More significantly, Moor Row quickly became a major junction point for three different lines, earning the designation Moor Row Junction. This location served as western Cumberland’s most crucial junction and goods yard until the decline of the industry post-World War II.
The official decision by the railway company to label this critical nexus as "Moor Row Junction" constitutes a profound act of institutional reinforcement. By featuring the name on maps, timetables, and official signage, the railway system conferred administrative authority upon the existing local descriptive term. This action solidified Moor Row as the definitive identity for the rapidly expanding settlement, ensuring its longevity and public recognition over competing localised names such as Low Keekle or Ingwell View.
4.3. The Physical Reinforcement of the Row Element
The industrial architecture of the mid-19th century provided a physical embodiment that perfectly matched the linguistic roots of the place-name. The earliest workers’ cottages, often built around 1860 on streets such as Dalzell Street (named after the local landowning family) and Scalegill, were constructed as terraced housing, universally known as rows.
This outcome reveals a remarkable phenomenon in toponymic history: semantic appropriation. The original Row referred to a handful of isolated 18th-century homesteads. The subsequent industrial expansion, which housed over a thousand people, built extensive physical rows of houses, radically increasing the scale of the referent while maintaining the essential linear descriptive meaning of the name. The name did not need to be changed or modernised because the physical reality of the new industrial settlement continued to fit the ancient toponymic structure perfectly.
4.4. Persistence of Local Names
Despite the dominance of "Moor Row" as the official and institutional name, government records, including census reports, also documented several localised or overlapping alternative names. These include Moorroe, Low Keekle, Ingwell View, and Scalegill. The persistence of these names illustrates the dynamic process of toponymic consolidation, where older, smaller place-names for specific areas (such as Ingwell Hall on the outskirts) compete with or become subsumed by the primary designation applied to the major industrial and transport centre.
Table 4: Toponymic Elements and Industrial Reinforcement
| Toponymic Element | 18th Century Referent (Agrarian) | 19th Century Reinforcement (Industrial) | Impact on Name Permanence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moor | Adjacent unenclosed or common land (waste ground) | Geographical setting for massive iron ore extraction and new settlement | Established the location's official position. |
| Row | Isolated linear homesteads (Low/High Moor Row) | Extensive, linear terraced housing built for railway and mine workers | Dramatically amplified the meaning, ensuring descriptive accuracy. |
| Junction | N/A | Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway nexus (opened 1857) | Institutionalised the name, fixing it on official maps and records. |
V. Synthesis and Conclusion
5.1. Definitive Etymological Synthesis
The name Moor Row is a concise and highly descriptive compound, derived from the Old English/Middle English elements mōr (unenclosed land) and rāw (a line or row of houses). Its establishment is fundamentally rooted in a duality of chronological pressures:
- Administrative Genesis: The name originated as a localised, agrarian descriptor for two small homesteads, Low Moor Row and High Moor Row, situated on the edge of the common land before 1762. This descriptive nomenclature was formally codified in the late 18th century through land surveys, such as the one commissioned by Thomas Dalzell in 1798. The necessity of defining property boundaries under the pressure of potential Inclosure legislation transformed an informal topographical description into a fixed administrative toponym.
- Industrial Confirmation: The name was decisively elevated in the mid-19th century by the iron mining boom and railway development. The site became the highly important Moor Row Junction (1857), and the entire settlement was constructed using industrial terraced architecture - the definitive rows. This industrial morphology provided complete semantic justification for retaining the name, ensuring that the village, despite its radical expansion, remained precisely "The Row on the Moor."
5.2. Significance in Cumbrian Historical Geography
Moor Row serves as a distinct example in Cumbrian toponymy, where a simple, practical name, secured by the administrative requirements of the agrarian era, maintained its descriptive relevance across a period of profound socio-economic rupture. The enduring accuracy of the name, despite the shift from two isolated homesteads to a dense community of hundreds, underscores the powerful role of basic topographical language in defining settlement patterns and highlights the institutional strength provided by 19th-century railway expansion in permanently fixing local identities. The name thus stands as a monument to both early modern land tenure practices and the later industrial consolidation of West Cumbria.
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| Moor Row Steam Train Illustration |
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