A small village, off the beaten track, historically in the County of Lancashire until the reorganisation of 1973 moved it to Cumbria. The village is centred on the Priory Church of Saint Mary and Saint Michael, founded, and very generously endowed, in 1189 as a community of Augustinian Canons, originally from Bradensbroke Priory in Wiltshire, by William Marshal, Earl Marshal of England, Earl of Pembroke. Earl Marshal is credited with being the force behind Magna Carta, being the only man with sufficient influence among the barons and with King John to bring about a settlement. The Priory was dissolved in 1536 when several Canons were hanged for supporting the Pilgrimage of Grace. For a detailed history of the Priory go to: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol2/pp143-148
