Welcome to the Cumbria County pages. Cumbria is situated in the very North West of England and is an archaeologically rich and diverse area with multiple finds from every period. Through the objects reported to PAS the historical and archaeological map of Cumbria is changing and indeed for many periods is actually being filled in. You can join the PAS Database where you can view finds by period and their details in Cumbria here
You can also access advice on conservation and finds identification and learn about the Treasure Act. Where possible treasure find spots are being investigated and two Late Bronze Age Hoards both deposited into mounds have recently been excavated.
Details of the archaeology of Cumbria can be found by contacting the Historic Environment Record Office (HER) here. Important archaeological sites in Cumbria include:
- Little Meg and Long Meg Bronze Age stone circles and Shap Stone Avenue.
- Mayburgh Neolithic Henge.
- Hadrian’s Wall, which starts in Carlisle and crosses through much of Cumbria. The Roman forts of Ambleside, Hardknott and Birdoswald are situated along the Wall. You can also visit the remains of Ravenglass Roman bath house.
- Dog Hole Cave, which is an important Roman-British to early medieval site, and the Anglo Saxon crosses at Gosforth and Bewcastle.
- A wealth of castles and abbeys dating from the Norman period and later, such as Cockermouth, Brougham and Egremont castles and the abbeys of Calder and Furness.
Explore artefacts and coins from Cumbria and recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database. There’s even more about Cumbria finds on our blog.
To get involved, try one of the museums, clubs or societies or come to a local event. Or contact us to learn more about volunteering for the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
