Camerton

Camerton is a small village and civil parish dating back at least to Medieval times situated about north-east of Seaton in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria. The village is linked by road to Seaton, Great Broughton and Flimby, and there was a small footbridge over the river to Great Clifton however this was destroyed by the floods of November 2009. It has a population of 172, increasing slightly to 174 at the 2011 Census.

Railways

Two railway lines once served Camerton. The line and railway station in the valley bottom were built by the Cockermouth and Workington Railway (CWR) which was eventually extended eastwards to , giving national connections and even the "Lakes Express", a through train to London, though this passed straight through Camerton. The station closed in 1952 and the line in 1966. In 2013 the station master's house was still in use as a private residence. The former railway embankment could still be seen, but the supports and pier of the former bridge over the river were washed away during the 2009 Workington floods, leaving no trace.

A second line ran on higher ground to the north of the village, this was the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway's (C&WJR) "Northern Extension" which was part of a wider venture to connect west Cumbrian ironworks with Scotland. Camerton never had a public station on that line, the nearest being at and , though their lives as passenger stations were very short. Although this line lost its meagre passenger services past Camerton as early as 1908 and was closed and lifted north of Buckhill Colliery in the 1930s, trains still passed Camerton along it until 1992 to serve the naval armaments depot at Broughton.

Collieries

Camerton once had two pits, both of which mined both coal and clay. Camerton No. 2 Colliery was north of the village next to the C&WJR line where an unadvertised workmen's halt was provided. This colliery appears to have been abandoned in 1908.

Camerton No. 1 Colliery was next to the river. It was connected to the CWR line. It is unclear when it was abandoned.

Both pits had associated brickworks.

Walking

There are good walking opportunities in the area including the nearby Scaw Bank wood.

Scar Bank wood.jpg|Scaw Bank Wood, Camerton

Etymology

'Tūn' is Old English for 'homestead' 'village'. The first element in the name might be a personal name (possibly 'Cāfmǣr') or else Welsh 'cym(m)er' 'confluence' that might refer to nearby stream and river, "but the phonology would offer difficulties, and the stream running into the Derwent is insignificant." So, the name means perhaps 'the village of Cāfmǣr', or 'the village by the confluence of waters'.

St Peter's church

St Peter's church is located south-east of the village on a meander of the River Derwent. The church building partly dates from the mid-19th century, but "parts of the structure could be medieval, for instance, the transept arch with its step and chamfer."

The church contains the tomb of 'Black Tom', an old 'lord' of Camerton. According to local legend, Black Tom's ghost haunts the churchyard. Black Tom is also the name of the village pub. Legend has it that a blue pig was seen one night by someone leaving the pub.