Investigation of Lowther’s medieval castle and village to start

The project, funded by the Castle Studies Trust, aims to reveal how the Normans conquered and colonised the region and what this process was like for inhabitants, and to chart the origins of the Lowther estate.

Preliminary work suggests that the remains of Lowther’s medieval castle and its adjoining village may date to the late eleventh or early twelfth century.

If so, the site might provide rare evidence of the conquest of Cumbria by King William Rufus and his brother, King Henry I – a generation after the Normans seized control of the rest of England.

The project is led by Dr Sophie Thérèse Ambler, a Reader in Medieval History and Deputy Director of the Centre for War and Diplomacy at Lancaster University.

The first phase of the month-long dig will include a geophysical survey. Then two metre by ten metre trenches will be opened across the earthworks of the castle and village.

This will involve three weeks of intensive investigations in the hope of uncovering important new evidence of when the castle was built, its relationship to the adjoining village, and how the site changed over the centuries.

Dr Ambler says: “We’re very excited to start the project at Lowther as there’s little written evidence for Cumbria in the early and central Middle Ages

“Archaeology offers a fantastic opportunity to uncover this chapter in Cumbria’s past – and bring to light important new evidence for castle building and its role in conquest and colonisation across Britain.”

The investigation will run from June 26 to July 21

Jim Lowther, the owner of Lowther Castle, says: “The Lowther family has been on this site for many hundreds of years but our knowledge of their buildings and history only really starts from the late 16th century. It will be fascinating to learn more about the estate’s early past.

The remains of the medieval castle and village lie immediately north of Lowther’s nineteenth-century castle.

Visitors to Lowther Castle and Gardens will be able to view the excavations, and the findings will be used to share the story of the estate’s medieval past.

READ MORE: 10 large ceramic daffodils from Lowther Castle up for charity auction | News and Star

Unlike the rest of England, Co. Cumbria was not conquered by the Normans in 1066. The region was historically part of the Kingdom of Cumbria, which stretched from Strathclyde across the Solway.

Then, while the Normans were conquering lowland England, the area from Lowther northwards was conquered by the Scottish king Máel Coluim III.

Cumbria was only annexed by the Normans in 1092, when William the Conqueror’s son, William Rufus, led an expedition to the area. 

In offering a case study of castle building, settlement and village life in the region, the new investigation is set to make a significant contribution to our knowledge of Britain’s medieval past.