Stockdale Moor is an area of fell land of about 1,000 hectares lying with westerly aspect between the River Bleng and the River South Calder (Wormgill) in south west Cumbria. It is wedged between Kinnisde Common to the north and Wasdale Common to the south. It rises from 200 metres at the Scalderskew fell gate to 700 metres on its summit on Caw Fell and Gowder Cragg.
The land type varies from blanket peat, mire and rushes to white bent/tussock grasses on drier slopes to heather/bleaberry scrub on the screes and crags of Caw Fell and Bleaberry Gill. There are few trees and little bracken. Although it is not the most scenic area and little visited (the tourist hordes preferring Wasdale and Ennerdale), it can certainly claim its fair share of history. In fact close inspection of its abundant historic relics and monuments presents English history in a microcosm.
Man’s earliest stone buildings are in evidence at ‘Sampson’s Bratful’ a large, long stone burial tumuli of the Neolithic era around 3,500 B.C. Nearby to the east are large Bronze Age round stone barrows from around 2,000 B.C. Ceramic funeral urns have been discovered by archaeologists investigating these monuments. The peoples of this time also left countless burial cairn fields within and without their ancient field enclosure systems – these were early attempts at stock farming in the wooded clearances.
There is some evidence of Roman farming in a Romano-British settlement at Wormgill with square walled enclosures and evidence of cultivation. In contrast, there are few physical remains of the Anglo Saxons and Vikings, other than in the names in the area. For example Blengdale is Celt/ Viking, Bleaberry Gill (Viking) Pensonby Fell (Angle/Viking).
1066 and the Norman Conquest brought big changes to ‘Corpland Forest’ as the west Cumbrian fells were referred to at the time. These changes have made up the foundations of what we still see and do today. The Barony of Corpland or Egeremont Castle was founded in 1092, and in 1134, sponsored by the Baron of Corpland the Benedictine monks founded an Abbey at Calderbrideg. They proceeded to establish cattle ranges (vaccaries) and sheep farms on castle ‘wastes’ and ‘demenses’ mostly in the forest. By the mid 13th century drove roads were established to move summered stock to lower farms and population centres, well away from the improved enclosures in the lowland. These can still be seen at Wormgill, Sergeants Ford and the Hawse, as can the overnight drove enclosures. By 1538 Henry VIII suppressed the Abbey and sold it to his friend Thomas Leigh, who sold the roof lead and let the Abbey fall into ruin. The castle at Egremont went the same way shortly after.
The Forest continued to evolve in hand with the former Abbey and Castle farms retaining sheep grazing and fuel rights, albeit for a rent. The Baron of Cockermouth and Earl of Egremont (Algernon Whyndham later descended to Lord Leconsfield) established a Court Leat in the 1600s which endured to the mid 1900s. The Castle and Abbey farms were favoured and paid nominal rents annually for rights to graze and take fuel. Other farms were allowed summer grazing rights and had to pay a headage (tithes) at autumn clearance gathers. Court Leat records show summering stock from as far afield as St Bees to Ravenglass with stock ranging from geese to pigs and geld horses. Game interests are evidenced by grouse shooting butts at Goose Green.
Evidence of industrialisation is also seen on the moor. Horse skulls attest to the many pit ponies reared on the common until the 1950s when the nearby coal and iron ore mines became fully mechanised. The water intakes and pipeline at Bleaberry Gill/ Wormgill are a testament to 20th century industrialisation and Forestry Commission coniferous woodland abuts the boundary of the common at Blangdale. Attempts to afforest the moor in the 1950-60s were thwarted by the Friends of the Lake District and the National Trust.
