Introduction: The Last Frontier

By Dylan Potter

 

It was the end of the road for the Romans. The fierce, wild men of the north would not be subdued. So they built a wall, Hadrian’s Wall, to keep them out and in doing so, drew a line at the edge of their Empire. This is where our route ends, at the edge of England and at the ancient border of greater Rome.

 

Cumbria, the southern part of which was once part of Lancashire (and considered by some to still be so), with its coasts and its proximity to another land (Ireland) bears similarities to the heritage of Kent. So in some ways, the end of our journey reflects our beginning. The missions of the saints associated with this region, most famous of whom is St Patrick, resemble that of St Augustine in Canterbury, who gave spiritual guidance to the sea-bound explorers who departed from here to chart the world.

 

Hiram Maxim, inventor of the machine-gun, is associated with both the airfields of Sheppey and the docks of Barrow-in-Furness. Half our stories in this section are focused around this area. It’s this town that provides a curious portrait of our heritage; one vastly associated with warfare. Being an island, not only have we been easily invaded, but for many centuries we were capable of sustaining the world’s greatest navy. Barrow’s fortunes, whose workers have built so many of the ships and submarines for the British Navy (and now run by BAE Systems), rise and fall with war. During wartime there is mass employment, where as during peacetime, there is mass unemployment.

 

Interesting, then, that we profile two regions most associated with pacifism and the peace movement. We look at the Quakers, whose founder George Fox established himself in nearby Ulverston, and the Buddhists who more recently arrived in the same town.  We also explore the ghosts of Furness Abbey, the story of John Barrow and the cruel tides of Morecambe Bay.

 

It is here in Cumbria that we finally touch upon King Arthur, that great figure of national legend, who is associated with sites in every region of Britain. Arthur, perhaps, a more recognisable figure to most of us than St George our patron saint, tells us a great deal about our national identity. While predominantly mythical, he symbolises our nationality. He is the great unifying king, bringing together not only the regions but also the old ways and the new; triumphing over the invading forces. No wonder we all want a part of him.

 

One of the greatest journeys of all time comes from the Arthurian stories, and more specifically the story of Lancelot’s quest for the Holy Grail. Lancelot’s birthplace is associated with Cumbria and if we were to follow his trail, we might begin another journey, along ancient tracks leading elsewhere through our history. And who knows what new tales we might discover?