Urswick

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The villages of Great Urswick and Little Urswick, together called Urswick, are located in the Furness peninsula in Cumbria, England. They are situated to the south-west of the town of Ulverston.

Great Urswick is situated along the north and west sides of Urswick Tarn, a modest body of water (c. 1100 feet by 600), although the largest such natural body in Low Furness. The tarn is fed from the surrounding hills and feeds Gleaston Beck to the south, the water is said to have a red hue due to the iron content of the surrounding land. Little Urswick, the smaller of the two settlements, stands further south on the lower slopes of a limestone outcrop known as Bolton Heads.

1 Toponymy
2 History
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Toponymy

No satisfatory explanation has been found for Urswick's name. The '-wick' element suggests Old English wic meaning 'farm', an element commonly found in settlements on or near Roman roads (see below). It has been suggested that the first element may mean 'bison lake' from Old English ur + sǣ^[1].

The name 'Great Urswick' originated as 'Much Urswick', not because of its size but because of its association with Michael le Fleming. The village was an original part of Michael's lands, granted to him before 1111 by Henry I, whilst Little Urswick belonged to Stephen of Blois and later Furness Abbey. The name 'Much Urswick', meaning 'Michael's Urswick', was used to differentiate between the lands of Michael and Furness Abbey.

[edit] History

Urswick has visible remains of several Iron Age settlements, including a univallate hill fort known as Skelmore Head, on the hills overlooking the village. There can be little doubt that the history of the village dates back to the Bronze Age or further, given the wealth of ancient sites in the local area.

The history of Roman presence in the village, as with the rest of Furness, is not properly understood although the presence of the -wick element in the village's name (cognate with Latin vicus) has caused much speculation. It has long been thought that the Romans were mining haematite in the area and sporadic Roman items have been found, although there is no evidence of major settlement or military occupation. In 2005 excavations began on what was thought to be the site of an early Roman fort, although the project and its findings have received criticism from professionals in the field^[2].

There has been research to suggest that some of the fabric of the present St Mary & St Michael's Church (previously St Mary's) may date back to the sub-Roman period and that it was part of a later, early medieval monastery. It was also claimed that the village may be the birthplace of St Patrick: a theory which was discredited by professionals^[3].

Urswick does not appear to have been recorded in the Domesday Survey, although it has been suggested that it may be Chiluestreuic, previously thought to refer to the now lost Killerwick near Dalton-in-Furness. The 'chil-' element, probably representing Old Irish cill, referring to a monastery or hermit's cell, certainly fits if Urswick was home to an early monastery.

In the 12th century, Great Urswick became part of the manor of Muchland, whilst Little Urswick remained within the Liberty of Furness belonging to Stephen of Blois who later granted it to Furness Abbey. The Abbey also claimed rights to the already ancient St Mary's Church, which led to a long running dispute with the lords of Muchland, finally settled in the Abbey's favour. In the 13th century Little Urswick was part of an exchange of land between the Abbey and Muchland and was ceded to the latter.

Nowadays, Urswick has largely become a commuter village for the towns of Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness. However, agriculture also remains important, with the villages surrounded by farms.