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Background
Copeland was one region within the ancient county of Cumberland. The name is most likely to pre-date the conquest in 1066 and gave its name to the family (Copeland / Coupland) who were probably living here when William landed.

Copeland comprised an area of approximately 600 square miles and in 1850 it only had a population of 42,000 people. The district includes the towns of Cockermouth, Workington, Whitehaven, Egremont and Millom, along with Wastwater, Ennerdale, Loweswater, Crummock water & Buttermere lakes as well as the highest mountains found in England.

The definition of that area of Cumberland comprising the ancient Deanery of Copeland can best be described as follows:

It is that area of land lying between the River Derwent in the north and the River Duddon in the south.

The river Duddon was the border between Cumberland & the Furness district of north Lancashire [pre-1974] whilst the modern A66 road from Workington to Keswick etc. approximates well to the northern boundary.

Historical
It should also be noted that the ancient Deanery of Copeland was also known as Allerdale above Derwent, which went on to become an Administrative Ward within the County of Cumberland, and covered the same area as held under the ancient Baronry of Egremont . Care must be taken as Allerdale above Derwent Ward was redefined in 1833 when it became smaller than hithertofore, mainly due to the transfer of Brigham Parish and Cockermouth to Derwent Division.

When the Baronry of Egremont was created to cover the same area as Copeland, the first Baron granted some of his land to his neighbour holding the land to the north of the river Derwent . This grant was for a strip of land along the southern bank of the Derwent that included the five vills of Brigham, Eaglesfield, Dean cum Branthwaite, Greysouthen and the two Cliftons cum Stainburn. This strip of land came to be known as the Honour of Cockermouth.

The modern day Administration Area of Copeland (1974) is quite different to the ancient Deanery.

The Parishes of St.Bees, Millom & Brigham are large in comparison to the others and consequently they developed Chapels within their boundaries for the convenience of the local parishioners. These Chapels are sometimes referred to as Chapels of Ease.
Researchers must be aware that they can be dealing with places many miles from the Parish Church particularly in those cases where only the Parish name is quoted.

One particular example of a township at a distance from its Parish Church, in this case from the Parish Church of Millom, is the area known as Birker & Austhwaite. This comprises that part of the upper Eskdale valley on the south side of the river Esk. The inhabitants of this township had church rights at the Eskdale Chapel of St.Catherines, situated on the banks of the Esk, which was itself in the Parish of St.Bees.

Copeland Today
The modern day Administration Area of Copeland (1974) is different to the ancient Deanery, in that it is smaller. Today the northern border between Copeland District Council and Allerdale District Council lies just to the north of Whitehaven; Moresby & Distington are still in Copeland whereas anything further north is now in Allerdale. Workington is now the administrative centre of the Allerdale district. Currently ‘the powers that be’ are once more re-arranging the way the that Cumbria governs itself so it is quite possible that Copeland will be changed, or even lost, in this process.

The Copeland area is divided into two distinct parts. The eastern part, comprising the mountains (known locally as fells) and the lakes & waters, is sparsely populated and is the area where sheep farming has been the major occupation for hundreds of years. Today this area comprises the western part of the Lake District National Park and the major occupation for the residents is tourism although sheep farming does still continue. The lowland area, consisting of a narrow strip of land bordering the Irish sea, roughly 30 by 4 miles, is where the centres of population are to be found & where the industrial areas were developed.

Industry

The industrialisation of Copeland started with coal mining in the 17th.century in the area about Whitehaven and this activity led to the development of the sea port at Whitehaven which at one point in time was the third largest port in England. The merchants of Whitehaven were major players in the development of the estates on the eastern seaboard of America (tobacco & cotton etc) and the West Indies (rum & spices).
A major port such as Whitehaven needed boats to carry the goods traded from there. Shipbuilding activity started about 1680 and continued until 1891. In 1800 there were five yards working at Whitehaven, they were Brocklebanks, Shepherds, Bowes, Nicholsons and Kirks.

Iron ore, along with lesser amounts of copper, have always been mined in Copeland in the high fell regions where the ore outcropped onto the surface. Starting in the early 19th.century the deep mining of iron ore started as mechanisation developed and large quantities of high-grade haematite ore was taken in the areas around Workington, Cleator, Egremont and Millom; this mining in turn led to the building of blast furnaces for processing the ore at the same places - other than at Egremont. These industries have now been and long gone with only a specialist railway line production unit left from the Workington Iron & Steel company at Workington. The Florence haematite mine at Haile near Egremont is now all that remains of the large mining complex formerly found in this area. The Florence mine produces small quantities of high grade ore for use in both jewellery and pigmentation as well as running as a visitor attraction showing both the history & the impact of mining on the local community. The sites of the Hodbarrow Mining Company (1855-1968) and the Millom Hematite Ore & & Iron Company (1866-19??) are now reclaimed and given over to be wild life reserve. The site of the Cleator Moor Iron Works ( 1842-1926) has become an Industrial estate for smaller & more modern enterprises.

Some of the other major industrial activities were:
1. The nuclear reactor & re-processing industry which was based on the World War 2 Royal Ordnance factories at Sellafield & Drigg.
2. Sulphuric & Phosphoric acid and detergent manufacture (Marchon Industries), based originally upon gypsum, anhydrite & phosphates mined at Kells in Whitehaven
3. Silk fabric manufacture, in 1939 Miki Sekers (Sekers Fabrics) started the development of silk making at Hensingham in Whitehaven; this went on to become the largest employer in Whitehaven after the 1939-45 war.
4. Millers of Yarmouth, the shoe & leather goods manufacturer set up at Cockermouth. This was established in the empty Jonathon Harris flax mill premises in 1934.
5. Kangol, the head wear manufacturer of Cleator Moor.
6. Elbeo, the ladies hosiery manufacturer at Millom.

The position of Copeland, which is separated from the main part of northern England by the lake district mountains, is responsible for its major advantage - in that the area is not overcrowded by either people or motor cars. For those of us who live here then long may it continue this way.

The Population of Copeland in 1961

Municipal Whitehaven = 27,541
Municipal Workington = 29,507
Urban Cockermouth = 5,823

Rural district of Cockermouth = 20,886
Rural district of Ennerdale = 30,870
Rural district of Millom = 15,087

Totals - Copeland = 129,714 and for Cumberland = 223,050