Drumburgh Castle

In the 14th century a pele tower house known as Drumburgh Castle was built here by Thomas, Lord Dacre, whose coat of arms are placed over an entrance at second-floor level. Licence to crenellate the preceding tower had been granted in 1307 to Robert le Brun. It passed by marriage in the 15th century to Jacob Harington, but by 1480 it was ruinous. It again needed urgent repairs in 1580 and by 1593 it was simply a fortified farmhouse, occupied by a bailiff, with a datestone over the upper doorway that was inscribed 1518.

In 1646 Cuthbert Orfeur, a tenant of the Earl of Arundel, complained that he had been forcibly removed from the old castle by Lord Dacre's agent. In 1678 the Duke of Norfolk sold the building to John Aglionby and by 1696 Sir John Lowther was the owner and during his time alteration works were carried out. After a long period of neglect it was fully restored as a private dwelling in the 1970s.^[6] It has extremely thick walls built with stones taken from Hadrian's Wall.^[7]

Canals

The Carlisle Navigation Canal (1821–1853) ran in a straight cut from Burgh by Sands to Drumburgh before turning east to avoid Drumbugh Hill and reaching the Solway at Port Carlisle.^[8] The Port Carlisle Railway Company filled in the canal and rail passenger services commenced in 1854.^[9]

Railways

Drumburgh railway station was a junction for Port Carlisle on the old branch line to Silloth. It had an island platform and a signal box.^[10] A horse-drawn passenger service was provided between Drumburgh and Port Carlisle from 1856, replaced in 1914 by steam propulsion until a steam railmotor 'Flower of Yarrow' was introduced, running until the branch closed in 1932.^[9]