Ewanrigg Hall, Maryport (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Unerigg; vnerigg

In the civil parish of Maryport.
In the historic county of Cumberland.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Cumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY046353
Latitude 54.70382° Longitude -3.48410°

Ewanrigg Hall, Maryport has been described as a certain Pele Tower.

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains.

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Ewanrigg Hall was founded in 1368, rebuilt c.1640 and the ruin completely demolished in 1903. There may have been a pele-tower, and possibly traces of 14th C. work remain (Curwen; Collingwood).
A curving bank with ditch, centred at NY 0437 3544, are visible on air photographs to the north of Ewanrigg Hall and probably represent a boundary to the estate. The boundary is respected to the north by post medieval ridge and furrow cultivation, this together with the fact that the boundary is fairly well-preserved, indicates a post medieval date. It is recorded on Ordnance Survey mapping dating from 1873. (PastScape)

Formerly a late C18 mansion, now reduced to provide a farmhouse and buildings. Only intact portion is present farmhouse to the right, of 2 storeys in red sandstone ashlar with slated roof. 3 windows above triple-arcaded ground floor with 2 windows with later hung sashes with glazing bars and centre door of 6 fielded panels with 3-light rectangular fanlight. Moulded eaves cornice. To the left of this, a portion of the former novae has been cut down, projecting ends with 2 windows each, centre of window-door-window. Band between this storey and remains of upper storey with 2-3-2 windows. Ground floor has moulded round head with triple keystone to centre door. Band at around floor cills. To the left, arcaded treatment of 3 bays on 1 storey contains 3 windows. There was a house on this site in 1368 (probably a pele) rebuilt circa 1640 and demolished 1903. (Listed Building Report)

The old house, "built castlewise (Mr. T. Denton, writing in 1688, says, Mr. Ewan Christian hath built a good house out of the shell of an old tower.)," spoken of by Nicolson, has been taken down, and a modern mansion, which commands a fine sea view, built on the site. (Lysons)

To the south east of Maryport stood Ewanrigg Hall Pele Tower (SMR 823) which was founded in 1368 and rebuilt and enlarged in 1640. The ruins of the building were completely demolished in 1903 (Pevsner, 1967). (Extensive Urban Survey)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1144672
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 8986.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 823.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Old Cumbria Gazetteer
Books
- Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 51
  Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 13
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1
  Pevsner, N., 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth: Penguin)
  Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 13) p. 369
  Lysons, Daniel and Samuel, 1816, 'Parishes: Dacre - Drigg' Magna Britannia Vol. 4: Cumberland p. 94 online transcription
Periodical Articles
- Tyson, Blake, 1982, 'Unerigg Hall, Maryport, Cumbria' Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society Vol. 26 p. 68-93
  Collingwood, W.G., 1923, 'An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Cumberland' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 23 p. 249 online copy
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Sandford, E. c. 1675, in R.S. Ferguson (ed), 1890, A Cursory Relation of the all the Antiquities and Familyes in Cumberland (Kendal: CWAAS Tract Series 4) p. 22 online copy
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- English Heritage, 2006, Extensive Urban Survey - Cumbria (Cumbria County Council) Download copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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