Camerton, Cumberland
Historical Description
Camerton, a township and a parish in Cumberland. The township lies on the river Derwent, 3 miles E by N of Workington, and has a station on the L. & N.W.R. Post town, Workington. Acreage of township, 785; population, 245; of ecclesiastical parish, 3474. The parish includes also the township of Seaton, and extends down the Derwent to the sea. Camerton Hall is a chief residence. Coal is largely worked, brick and tile making is carried on, and there are tin-plate and iron works. There are three churches:- the ancient parish church at Camerton, of which the Dean and Chapter of Carlisle are patrons-value, £300 and residence-rebuilt in 1633 at a cost of £15, also rebuilt in 1794, and again in 1892; St Paul's Church, at Seaton, erected in 1883 as a chapel of ease to the former; and Holy Trinity, for the new parish of West Seaton, built in 1893 and endowed to the extent of £340, also provided with a new parsonage. The patronage of Holy Trinity has been vested in trustees. The old church contains the tomb of " Black Tom of the North" who died in 1152. At Seaton there is a Wesleyan chapel.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Cumberland | |
| Poor Law union | Cockermouth | |
| Ward | Allerdale below Derwent |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish registers date from the year 1599.
Churches
Church of England
St. Peter (parish church)
The church of St. Peter, standing at the extreme end of the parish, is an ancient edifice of stone in the Early English style, and Consists of chancel with chapel, nave, and a western tower with spire (added in 1855), and containing one bell: in the chapel is an altar tomb of stone, dated 1500, with the effigy of a warrior, commonly called Black Tom of the North, who was buried at Shap Abbey in Westmorland: the church was thoroughly restored in 1892, at a cost of £700, of which £350 was subscribed by Mrs. Isabella Falcon, of Bath; during the restoration several ancient stones were found: the communion plate includes a silver chalice, dated 1571: the church affords 154 sittings.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Camerton from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Cammerton)
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Cumberland is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Camerton are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Villages, Hamlets, &c
SeatonVisitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Cumberland, 1615 is available on the Heraldry page.