Three Shires Stone, Wrynose Pass

The Three Shires Stone, at the top of Wrynose Pass near Little Langdale, marks the historic boundary of the old counties of Lancashire, Cumberland and Westmorland. The boundaries changed with local government reorganisation in 1974 when the counties of Cumberland, Westmorland and parts of Lancashire and parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire were combined to form Cumbria. The Three Shires Stone is a limestone monolith, carved and dated 1816. However, it was not put into position here until c1860. It was erected as a memorial to William Field (1770-1860) of Cartmel who served as Bridge-master and High Constable and commissioned the work originally.[1] The Three Shires Stone is Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England.

Once there were 3 separate shire stones here - marked on Saxton's 1610 map of Westmorland. These were each about 1 ft high and were arranged in a triangle 1 ft apart, each occupying a different county (Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands).[2] These stones are no longer extant, but today there are smaller stones marked with 'L', 'C', and 'W' respecively. The Three Shires Stone is a popular starting point for walkers. The Three Shires Inn in nearby Little Langdale takes it's name from this historic boundary.