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All the United Kingdom England Ecclerigg Longmire's Rocks

Longmire's Rocks

These curious rocks located in the Lake District include several strange inscriptions of famous names.

Ecclerigg, England

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katieeagleton
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The largest of Longmire’s Rocks.   katieeagleton / Atlas Obscura User
Some are easier to read than others.   katieeagleton / Atlas Obscura User
The national debt hidden under a pile of leaves.   katieeagleton / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Lake District is of course known for its beautiful scenery and creative people, but during the 1840s people may have been drawn to the area for a more unusual sight.

On the lakeshore at Ecclerigg Crag is a group of large rocks neatly carved with an eccentric selection of names. The names of poets such as Wordsworth and Burns, polar explorers Ross and Parry, and scientists including Isaac Newton and James Watt are all present. There are even the names of politicians and military men, along with references to the Battle of Waterloo and Magna Charta. One rock is even dedicated to a complaint about the size of the national debt that describes money as "THE SINEW OF WAR."

According to 19th-century guides and guidebooks, the rocks were carved by a stonemason named John Longmire, from nearby Troutbeck during the 1830s. They were carved in situ, and are still visible today in the now-disused lakeside quarry.

Sometimes covered with moss or partly-covered with leaves, half the fun is discovering the names by clearing the debris. It's fairly easy to spot four of the large inscribed rocks, but there's apparently a few more around, including some in the lake itself.

Related Tags

Rocks History & Culture Petroglyphs Geology

Know Before You Go

There are fairly clear paths down from the car park of the Cragwood Country House Hotel. Longmire's Rocks are on the hotel grounds, so check with staff to be certain it's okay to visit before heading down from the car park to the lakeshore. You'll find the rocks at the bottom of the wooden steps.

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Added By

katieeagleton

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March 19, 2020

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Sources
  • http://lakesguides.co.uk/html/lgaz/lk32909.htm
  • https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/saras-rock-the-rock-of-names
  • Blake Tyson, ‘Quarry Floor Inscriptions at Ecclerigg Crag, Windermere,’ in Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society 25 (1981)
  • http://lakesguides.co.uk/html/lgaz/lk32909.htm
  • https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/saras-rock-the-rock-of-names
  • Blake Tyson, ‘Quarry Floor Inscriptions at Ecclerigg Crag, Windermere,’ Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society 25 (1981)
Longmire's Rocks
1 Crag Wood Cottages
Ecclerigg, England, LA23 1LQ
United Kingdom
54.39775, -2.940569
Get Directions

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miles away

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

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