Millom Castle and Holy Trinity Church Archaeology Project

Phase One: Geophysical Survey

As most of you know local historian Duane Farren and metal detectorist Josh Carr amongst others have found lots and lots of artefacts in the fields around Millom Castle and Holy Trinity Church. These objects date from Prehistoric and Roman times, through Tudors, Stuarts and up to Victorian Times.

Their findings are Portable, in other words, they could have been dropped by someone just walking through, or perhaps visiting the weekly market or annual fair that began in the 12th Century (not the Romans or our Prehistoric ancestors of course). We are not sure exactly where the market and fair were held. However, there are also crop marks in the field below the castle which could be Neolithic (or Iron Age/Romano-British) as well as the footprints Duane has been taking folk to see down on Duddon foreshore. And now we can add to this list the amazing bronze axe heads Josh has found, again not too far from the Castle and Holy Trinity Church. So we know that people have been in this area for millenia.

Cumbria County Council's Historic Environment Service shows several early historic sites, it also identifies a medieval village near the Castle. We certainly know that there was a vicarage close by which was pulled down during the Civil Wars to stop rebel forces using it against the Castle.

There is even a suggestion, from evidence found in 1930, that there was probably an earlier religious building prior to Holy Trinity Church which is dated from the 12th Century.

In order for us to progress we really need to conduct some geophysical surveys to highlight areas suitable for possible further archaeological investigation; here is a link to explain more: Geophysical Survey.

And here is a link which briefly explains three types of geophysical surveys.

What we are looking for is hard evidence (not portable) of Prehistoric remains (possibly a settlement), that the Romans were here, that there was an earlier religious building or evidence of the Medieval Village or weekly market and annual fair.

Military historian, author and film-maker, Peter Barton is making a series of films about the Lake District which includes Millom. Peter is very interested in the history of Millom and has been working with Duane Farren. He commissioned a geophysical survey (magnetometer) from Cranfield University (Cranfield Forensic Institute Report No 178, 2022, Peter Masters) of the field below Millom Castle with the cropmark and here is a screenshot of the findings:

Peter Masters' analysis of the survey suggests there are a few significant anomalies of an archaeological nature: a strong linear anomaly on the southern side of the field probably denotes the remains of a track or road of unknown origin (but which postdates the cropmark); a large dipolar anomaly denoting a kiln of unknown date which is later than the road. Masters also identified a probable ditch which aligns with the cropmark circle as well as a sub-circular weakly magnetic response. There also appears to be a further sub-rectangular response which might be a large pit. He recommends further work using other techniques that might be more conducive to the conditions such as electromagnetic induction and ground penetrating radar.

At the end of January 2023 Josh Carr made an incredible discovery: three bronze axe heads and a few days later he found another three. This is significant as there have never been any such finds in the Millom peninsula before. It could signify a Prehistoric settlement or hillfort.

There is so much to pursue in the vicinity of Millom Castle and Holy Trinity church but in order to take all this a stage further and develop a community archaeological project we need to attract funding. We are extremely grateful to the farmers, Mr & Mrs Park, for giving us permission to conduct the surveys on their land.

Great news: we have been awarded five and a half thousand pounds from Copeland Borough Council (UK Shared Prosperity Fund). We already have volunteers and a reserve list. The project will start on Saturday, 1st April, 1-4 pm at Holy Trinity church when volunteers will meet each other, learn more about the project and why the area has been chosen. It is anticipated actual surveys will begin end of April or during May when the weather is a bit better and, of course, it is convenient for the farmer. We will be organising an event on 24th June to share the findings.

Twelve volunteers met on 1st April. We began by introducing ourselves: names, where from, any previous relevant experience, what we hoped to gain from volunteering. From this exercise we learnt there is a significant amount of knowledge and experience within the group of volunteers; all had one thing in common: their interest in the history of Millom. Here is a photograph of some of the volunteers:

And here is a PDF of the overview Jan gave. This prompted a great deal of fascinatng discussion: Overview.

Desk Top Assessments

Several people volunteered to conduct desk-top assessments for the different periods. Here is a list of possible links that will help with this exercise - some of these have already been done, e.g. maps, LiDAR. Archaeologists usually conduct these assessments before moving onto geophysical surveys.

Using the term "Millom Castle" a search on CASCAT came up with the following references. Some were too long to fit onto a power point slide: Archive 17; Archive 20; Archive 25; and Archive 29.

We will need to visit the various archives to access these. You will have to join the Archive system. This link tells you all you need to know but you must complete the form before attending the Archive. You will also need to book an appointment and tell them what it is you want to view so they can get the relevant documents out of the archives. Note, Archives only open Wednesday to Friday and close for lunch - check times from above link.

Volunteer Jonathan Brind went to the archives at Barrow and retrieved (and transcribed) two articles that had been written by James Melville, one, Millom Castle - A South Cumberland Stronghold, the other, Millom Castle, a report on a speech given by Mr W T McIntire.

Jonathan also visited Carlisle archive and took photos of one of the documents identified. This is an original document from about 1659 about various actions Sir Wildred Lawson took during the first civil war, including the siege of Millom Castle. The Society paid to have it transcribed and it is a very important document. This, along with other evidence we have uncovered, will form the basis of a new project, a booklet: Millom Castle, the Huddlestons and the English Civil Wars.

Initial Survey

The initial survey began on Monday, 24th April and lasted two days. Archaeologists from Phase Site Investigations surveyed fields 1 and 2.

Survey with Volunteers

On 26th and 27th May field 3 was completed with volunteers. A compilation of photos of the survey can be found here.

Phase Site Investigations Report

Here is a link to the archaeological geophysical survey report.

Project Report

Here is a link to the report which gives the background to the project and the results.

Presentation Event

Sixty-seven people attended the event held at Holy Trinity church on Saturday, 24th June 2023.

The event kicked off with the chair of the History Society, Jan Bridget, outlining the background for the project.

Daniel Elsworth, archaeologist, Greenlane Archaeology, Ulverston, explained the findings of the survey.

Jan explained her wish-list for the Society.

Attendees enjoyed a wonderful buffet put on by the hosts, Margaret and Geoff Edmondson.

Josh Carr and David Harley shared their finds.

The event was rounded off by fascinating talk by Iain McNichol, Historical Interpreter and Entertainer.

All in all a very successful event and feedback has been excellent. A learning point for future events, all speakers need to use/wear a microphone as, sadly, when Iain gave his talk we forgot to wire him up so some people could not hear him.

Here are some photographs of the event taken by Jonathan Brind.

Phase Two: Drone Survey

With funding from Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society (CWAAS) SUMO Services were commissioned to conduct drone surveys of the back field (we could not do a geophysical survey because of cattle); the actual castle; and the axe field. These are very specialist surveys and could not, therefore, involve volunteers.

The survey took place on 26th February 2024. Here is a link to the 3D survey of the fields surrounding the castle.

And here a link to the 3D survey of the castle.

The full report is available on request.

Phase Three: Community Dig

With a grant of just under £30,000 from Cumberland Council as part of the government's Levelling Up scheme, 31 volunteers took part in Digging for Millom, phase three of our community archaeology project.

Volunteers underwent training with Greenlane Archaeology, Ulverston in May and June - here is a link to the presentation, Why Dig Here? - and the dig began in the second week of June.

Through the geophysical and drone surveys, twelve sites had been identified to dig investigative trenches. Unfortunately two of the three farmers decided to refuse permission to dig - as we had conducted phases one and two we believed we had permission for the final phase of digging trenches. We were devastated. But the funding was still available and we had the volunteers all ready to go, so Plan B was devised.

The third farmer, Paul Tyson, allowed us to sink a trench in an upper field near to where we had hoped there mights be an Iron Age hillfort; what we found was an ancient field boundary.

Paul also allowed us to sink three trenches in the 'urn' field, where, in the mid 19th century one or two Bronze Age urns with bones had been found - on finding two similar urns in Allithwaite in 2004 an archaeological dig was conducted and found a Bronze Age cremation cemetery. However, all that was found here was a tiny Prehistoric flint and some charcoal.

Digging for Millom, trenches 3, 4, 5, 6.

Carlisle Diocese gave us permission to dig trenches (one, two and seven) in the playing field next to the Old Holy Trinity School and the garden of the School Master's House, both close to Millom Castle. These were kept open throughout the dig and revealed hundreds of finds, the earliest being a King Edward 1st penny dating from 1280-83:

Judging from the amount of rubble and stones found in both trenches, it seems highly likely that the old vicarage which was pulled down in the English Civil War to stop the Parliamentarians having an easy position to fire on the Castle was, as Rev. Sykes said, where the old school now stands.

The dig also discovered that the moat had been much wider than it appears on maps as the side of it was discovered in Trench One - it is possible it might have even gone across where the main road is which would suggest the field on the other side may well have been, as old maps suggest (Town Croft) the abandoned Medieval village. Three old sand pits were found in Trench Two and an ancient field boundary in Trenches Seven and Six.

Other finds included:

A stunning little copper alloy stirrup shaped strap fitting dated 13th-14th century:

The largest ever Medieval pottery sherds (12th-14th Centuries) including this rim with what looks like the imprint of the potter's thumbs:

Four musket balls were discovered:

Lots of animal bones, including what looks like the teeth of a pig:

From the Victorian period, a writing slate with incised lines and two slate pencils:

Part of a cup with the words Millom School:

From the time when the Boy Scouts used the Old School as their headquarters, we found this woggle:

A probable livery badge (as worn by retainers, possibly related to Margaret Neville, illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Warwick whose personal motto is revealed):

And a wonderful tiny clay pipe with the image of an African boy:

Here is access to videos of the finds, they are ordered Post Medieval, Medieval and divided by trenches. Digging for Millom: Findings

Here are a series of short videos covering the different trenches on different days:

Trench One, Day 1.

Trench One, Day 2.

Trench One, Day 3.

Trench Two, Days 1,2,3.

Trenches One and Two, Day 4.

Trenches One and Two, Day 5.

Trench Two, Day 6.

Trench Two, Day 7.

Trenches Two, Day 8.

Trenches One and Two, Day 9.

There were no photographs taken on days 10 and 11 as Day 10 was a visit from Millom High School and day 11 was an open day.

Trenches One and Two, Days 12, 13.

Trenches One and Two, Days 14, 15.

There were no photographs for day 16 as it was an open day.

Trenches One and Two, Days 17, 18.

Trenches One,Two and Seven, Day 19.

Trenches One,Two and Seven, Day 20.

Trenches One and Two, Day 21.

As noted, students from Millom High School visited on Day 10. Captain Shaw's school came on Day 13 and St James' school on Day 17; Millom Boy Scouts also came on Day 17 but in the evening. All of the schools were given a presentation then some of the students went round the church looking for musket ball impacts, to see parts of the Castle, and to take part in the dig.

It was exciting to have Digging for Britain attend the dig on Day 19 - Josh Carr will be going down to the Cotswolds in September to present his six axe heads to Alice Roberts in 'the tent.' It is because of Josh's axe head finds that they visited us.

We also had visits from the two Finds Liaison Officers for Cumberland and Lancashire, as well as the archaeologist for Cumberland Council.

There were four Open Days to which the public were invited and when presentations were given at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Volunteers came from varied backgrounds; most came from Millom but some came from local villages as well as Cleator Moor, Barrow-in-Furness and Kirby-in-Furness. The oldest was 76 and many were aged 60+. Several had disabilities.

Finds Day

Volunteers were asked to complete an evaluation form, all but four did this; feedback was excellent and is included in the Final Report accessible here.

About 70 people attended the Finds Day. Here is a link to Jan's overview.

Here is a link to Dan's presentation and his notes.

And here is a link to Edward's presentation.

The project concludes at the end of August and, if permission is granted from the farmers and funding can be acquired, it is possible we may dig again next year.

Final Report

Here is the final report from Greenlane Archaeology.

Here is a link to the talk I gave in November at Kirkby History Group: presentation.

Useful Articles

Millom Castle and the Hudlestons, H.S. Cowper, TWAAS Transactions, 1924 Vol 24 p181-234

Publication of Four Prehistoric Objects from Millom Area, Marjorie Cross, CWAAS Transactions, Vol 39, 1939.

1937 Mary C Fair The Church of the Holy Trinity Millom

Millom Castle, Rev Canon Knowles, TWAAS Transactions, 1870 Vol 1 p275-277

1924 Rev WS Sykes The Parish Church of Millom

Siege Archaeology of the English Civil Wars: Establishing a methodology to unlock the archaeology of attack and defence at early modern siege sites,Richard Jeffrey Leese, 2020

1931 Frank Warriner Newly-discovered sculptured and inscribed stones at Millom

2020 Andrew White: Traces of the Civil War at Hornby