history of penrith...
The existence of ancient sites at Mayburgh Henge and King Arthur's Round Table indicates prehistoric occupation of the area. The Romans identified the advantageous transport routes, building the fort of 'Voreda' about 6 miles north of Penrith, linked to another at Brougham Castle (Brocavum). From here, the main road continued to Brough and over the Pennines through the Stainmore Gap to York. Another Roman branch road from Brougham headed south-west over the elevated ‘High Street' to Ambleside.
During the 9th and 10th centuries, Penrith was the capital of Cumbria (a semi-independent state that was part of the Strathclyde region of Scotland). In 1295 the town was seized by Edward I of England, and for the next 15 years, Penrith was subject to numerous border skirmishes between the Scots and the English and razed to the ground at least three times during this period. The castle and the narrow streets and passageways evident in the town today were deliberately built as defences against border raids.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester was given the Lordship of Penrith by his brother, Edward IV, and spent much time at Penrith Castle, adding a large banqueting hall, kitchens and other buildings. On the death of Edward in 1483, he became Richard III of England, only to die two years later at the Battle of Bosworth Field.
In the 17th century, Middlegate was inhabited by weavers, tanners and tailors. A pair of shears above the entrance to Williamson Yard indicates an association with the woollen industry. Rowcliffe Lane, a street hardly noticed by people today, was once at the industrial heart of Penrith. Although only 8 feet wide in places, it was filled with tailors, coopers, saddlers, rope-makers and whitesmiths in the 17th century. Wagons and coaches would regularly travel up and down the narrow thoroughfare, and some signs of its industrial past are still evident today.
The Musgrave family owned Musgrave Hall on Middlegate (now occupied by the British Legion) - their coat of arms can be seen on the lintel over the doorway. A clock tower was erected in the centre of Penrith in memory of their eldest son, Philip, who died in Madrid in 1859 at the age of 26.
William Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, attended school in St Andrew's Place, and it was here that he first met Mary Hutchinson, his future wife. Wordsworth's grandparents owned the Moot Hall where his mother died in 1778. The Moot Hall was demolished in the 1830s and replaced by Arnison's drapery shop.
