Eamont Bridge is typical of many villages in northern England, the houses being built along both sides of the road. This practice dates from the time of the border raids when the animals would be driven into the main street, then at the first sign of marauding Scots, the street would be blocked off and defended from both ends.
Many of the houses date from the 16th &17th century when the inhabitants of the old village of Brougham moved into Eamont Bridge. The medieval village was mostly demolished and the stone used to improve the walls of the park owned by James Bird. At least nine households were moved, their tenements are shown on Machells plan of 1686.
Eamont (EAMOTUM or EIMOT) was possibly the boundary between Strathclyde and Northumbria in 927 with Cumbria being ruled by its own British Kings. It was the site of the first great imperial council of the 10th century. On the 12th of July in 927 the northern kings —King Owain of Strathclyde and Cumbria—King Constantine of the Scots–Hywel Dda of Deheubarth South Wales and Ealdred of the Bamburgh dynasty gave up their kingdoms and were reinstated as tributaries in a ceremony on what was the northern border of the English Kingdom.Eamont was a great Roman road junction and Athelstan was establishing his frontier along the River Eamont, Ullswater and down the Duddon to the sea. They established a covenant of peace with pledges and oaths described in the Anglo Saxon Chronicles, and then separated in concord. The kings gave each other rich gifts and Athelstan pictured left-received Constantines son from the font having ordered him to be baptised.
But to fully appreciate the History of Eamont Bridge we must go back a little further…
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