If history is your thing then Maryport is definitely a place to visit.
Stretching back to Roman days, known then as Alauna, Maryport was one of the farthest flung outposts of the Roman Empire but strategically important because of its proximity to Hadrian's Wall.
Next to the Roman fort, which has ongoing excavations,, are the remains of a civilian settlement, currently the largest one that has been found along Hadrian's Wall.
Roman Maryport remains important today. Not only does the Senhouse Roman Museum boast the largest collection of altars from a single site in Britain but the continuing archaeological digs are turning what we thought we knew about Roman military religion on its head.
When the Romans left they took the name with them and Alauna became Ellenfoot - a tiny hamlet on the banks of the River Ellen.
The name Maryport was only adopted in the 17th Century when the Lord of the Manor, Humphrey Senhouse, initiated an Act of Parliament to have the town named after his wife, Mary.
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