Piel Island facts for kids
An aerial view of Piel Island
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 Piel Island
Location in the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness
Piel Island
Location in Morecambe Bay
Piel Island
Location in Cumbria
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Morecambe Bay |
| Coordinates | 54°3′50″N 3°10′30″W / 54.06389°N 3.17500°W |
| Archipelago | British Isles |
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United Kingdom
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| County | Cumbria |
Piel Island is a small island located about 1 kilometer (half a mile) off the coast of Cumbria, England. It's part of the Furness peninsula and is famous for its historic Piel Castle. The island is close to the town of Barrow-in-Furness and actually belongs to the people of that town. It was given to them by the Duke of Buccleuch in the early 1900s.
Piel Island is about 50 acres in size. Besides the landlord of the local pub and their family, only a few other people live on the island permanently. These residents live in old cottages that once belonged to harbor pilots.
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Discovering Piel Island's Past
Piel Island has a long and interesting history. In the Middle Ages, it was known as Fowdray Island. This name came from old Norse words meaning "fodder island."
Monks and Castles
The island's story goes back to 1127. At that time, King Stephen gave the island to a group of monks called the Savignacs. Later, these monks joined the Cistercian order. The island then came under the control of the Cistercian monks from nearby Furness Abbey.
In the early 1200s, the monks used Piel as a safe harbor. They built a warehouse there to store important goods like grain, wine, and wool. Some of these goods even came from Ireland. In 1212, King John gave the monks permission to bring in food supplies to help with a local food shortage.
To protect their goods from pirates and raiders, the monks built defenses on the island. First, they had a wooden tower with a ditch and fences. Then, in 1327, they started building a stronger stone fort. This type of fort was called a "peel" or "pile" tower, which is how the island got its modern name. This fort, now known as Piel Castle, was one of the biggest in northwest England at the time. It was likely used as a fortified warehouse. The monks were even accused of using it to avoid customs duties, as smuggling was common back then.
A Royal Visitor
A very important event happened on Piel Island in 1487. A young man named Lambert Simnel arrived from Dublin. Simnel was pretending to be a prince who had a claim to the English throne. He was supported by others who wanted to put a different family, the Yorkists, back in power.
Simnel and about 2,000 German soldiers landed on Piel Island. From there, they marched to fight for the throne. However, they were defeated in a big battle called the Battle of Stoke Field on June 16, 1487.
Piel Island's Role in Trade
After the monasteries were closed down in 1537, Piel Island and its castle became the property of the king. The castle's defenses were made stronger when the Spanish Armada threatened England. Later, during the English Civil War, the Parliamentarian navy used Piel Harbour as a safe place when their enemies, the Royalists, captured Liverpool.
In the 18th century, Piel Island became an important place for trade. Customs officers were always stationed there because smuggling was still a big problem. As the trade of iron ore grew on the Furness Peninsula, the harbor became even more important. Special boatmen were stationed on Piel to guide ships and check for customs. Their old cottages are still there today.
In the 19th century, the famous poet William Wordsworth even wrote a poem about Piel Island.
Piel Island Today
Piel Island is separated from nearby Roa Island by a channel. You can reach Piel by taking a ferryboat from Roa Island pier during the summer. It's also possible to walk to Piel from Walney Island at low tide, but you need to be very careful.
Piel Castle is managed by English Heritage, and you can visit it for free. The castle is an impressive ruin built from stones found on the beach. You can camp near the castle if you want to stay overnight.
The island is also a great place for wildlife. Many different types of seabirds live there. Visitors should be careful not to disturb nesting birds, especially on the beach. There's also a marsh pond in the middle of the island that attracts many other kinds of birds.
The Ship Inn: Home of the King of Piel
The Ship Inn is a famous pub on Piel Island. It has been serving sailors, fishermen, and visitors for a long time. The landlord of the Ship Inn is known as the 'King of Piel'. This special title goes back to the time of Lambert Simnel, who tried to become king of England.
Becoming a Knight of Piel
There's a fun tradition at the Ship Inn called the 'Knighthood of Piel'. Local fishermen have passed this tradition down for centuries. Inside the pub, there's a large oak chair. If you sit in this chair, you can become a 'Knight of Piel'. The King of Piel or another knight performs a special ceremony. To become a knight today, you usually have to buy a round of drinks for everyone present. The cool thing is, if a knight ever gets shipwrecked on Piel, they can demand food and a place to stay from the innkeeper!
The pub was closed for a while in the mid-2000s for renovations. In 2008, a new 'King of Piel', Steve Chattaway, was crowned. This event was even shown on a TV show called Islands of Britain.
The Ship Inn is thought to be over 300 years old. Records show an innkeeper on the island as early as 1746. In 1813, a visitor described the innkeeper as an old Scottish man who was also a guide to the castle ruins. He said the innkeeper relied on sailors and visitors for business, and sometimes felt lonely when no ships were around. The earliest map from 1833 called the inn 'The Herdhouse'. The first person clearly identified as the landlord of the Ship Inn was James Hool in 1841.
Images for kids
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Sir George Beaumont's 1805 painting Peele [sic] Castle in a Storm
