Tom Duffy

Cleator Moor Revealed Tom Duffy

This revised and updated version of Cleator Moor Revealed brings to you more content, and images of past times. Tom Duffy discloses the 'highs and lows' of a town which was once at the heart of British Industry, feeding the Industrial Revolution of Great Britain.

Cleator Moor, or Little Ireland, as the local residents affectionately know it, came into being during the 12th Century, with Monks working the land. The town grew from a few farmhouses into an important industrialised centre due to very pure Iron Ore that was held in huge quantities beneath the ground.

From a settlement of 330 in 1688, Cleator Moor grew to house 10,420 souls by 1871 - thirty six percent of whom were Irish. The Irish in Cleator Moor were predominantly Roman Catholic but the general influx into the mines and industry of West Cumbria also brought others of a different persuasion from the same country and with them a particular sectarianism to add to the anti-Catholicism of Victorian England.

For a short period, between 1860 and 1880, West Cumberland haematite held a monopoly control of the market. At that time, Cleator Moor became one of the richest mining areas in the world.

Through the pages of this book, you'll discover important past events that help to preserve an Irish heritage, which is so important to the people and town of Cleator Moor. From the origins of its name through its development as a prosperous mining town, Tom Duffy has searched out all the kind of details that make this a fascinating read.