Burgh by Sands

(See also Burgh by Sands Church of St Michael)

The village of Burgh by Sands is known as the place where Edward I died on July 7, 1307 while on a campaign fighting the Scottish. A footpath leads from the village to Reedy Burgh Marsh where a monument was erected in his honour in 1803. It replaced an earlier one erected by the Duke of Norfolk in 1685.

St Michaels church, where Edward Is body was laid out, is built within a Roman fort, Aballava, on Hadrians wall. It is thought one of the forts central buildings, possibly a granary, was here. Stones from the Roman buildings were used in the churchs construction. Although the dedication of the church goes back to the 12^th century, the date of the present building is not known. The church was restored in 1881.

The western tower, thought to be of the 14^th century, was fortified to serve as a place of refuge during border raids. It was constructed with no exterior door and only arrow slits and small windows. At the other end of the church a fortified house was built for the use of the vicar.

The land around the village is flat and historically was used for farming. The coast from Burgh-by-Sands to Ravenglass is designated part of the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site. Burgh by Sands, pronounced Bruff, lies at the edge of the Solway marsh.

Location Map of Burgh by Sands
Burgh by Sands is on a minor road five miles northwest of Carlisle. (Leave Carlisle by the B5307)

Photos courtesy Graeme Dougal

© 1997-2008 by The Cumbria Directory. Reproduction of this work in whole or in part, including images, and reproduction in electronic media, without documented permission from The Cumbria Directory is prohibited.