The Gatehouse website record for Peel Island

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Montagu Island, Coniston Water

In the civil parish of Colton. In the historic county of Lancashire North of the Sands (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

Excavated by Collingwood in 1896 who found 'foundations of rough walling and chambers partly cut into the rock, which seemed to indicate dwelling and fortifications of a rude type' he also found iron nails and rivets and apparently medieval pottery. Isolated island is an odd site for post-Conquest medieval English fortification but not unknown. The name is suggestive and the site may represent a temporary retreat from (or for) bandits.
Collingwood's excavation seemed to suggest a fortified iron smelting site. The economics of transporting fuel and ore to such a site has been questioned (although water transport in this area must be easier than land transport) but the produce of such a site would have value worth protecting, although Collingwood seems to be suggesting the Iron smelting site (of post-Conquest date) was sited in an earlier fortified site (presumably of Dark Age date and basically a crannog).

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SD29529190

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 38836
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 1506; 20023 (NT SMR) 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

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