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One and a half miles from Whitehaven stands Moresby Hall...though today it is a private guest house.
Anyone well versed in the mysterious Druid Lore would be advised to pay a visit, for says legend, a vast fortune lies buried here somewhere...guarded so it is said by fairies...and the information only being released to someone who has that special Druid knowledge.
However there are two other prerequisites necessary before that special person can lay claim to the fortune.
Firstly he must be there at the right time, that is on the one night of the year when an enchanted lake forms in the vaults beneath the house, from the fairy fountain, and secondly he must hear the dirge-like song wailed by the swan who glides across the lake, lamenting the extinction of the Moresbys.
The person fortunate enough to fulfill all three conditions will then have the power to enter the vaults, stop the flow of water, and retrieve the treasure.... Now, that doesn't sound too difficult does it?
Apparently there has been a settlement at Moresby since these days of the Roman occupation...possibly long before. The Romans built a fort here but were so strongly influenced by the Celtic culture that they built altars not only to their Roman Gods but to the Celtic Gods Rosmerta and Sylvanue too.
With the departure of the Romans and the arrival of the Christian missionaries Moresby again found itself in a sphere of influence for one of the nunneries dedicated to St Bridget was founded here in the sixth century.
The present day church of St Bridget lies within the ruins of the Roman fort and at one time an underground secret passage connected the church and Moresby Hall. The church is a formal little place with many pictures in its windows, and paintings on the pulpit of Christ teaching and Matthew and Paul with their books. On each side of the chancel arch is a bishop's head. A holy-water stoup, a stone coffin lid marked with shears and a cross, and a stone-head, all came from the old church, whose 13th century chancel arch stands in the churchyard.
The Moresby family came into prominence after the Norman Conquest. The Moresby of the day found it expedient to offer his loyalty to the new ruling House in exchange for the privilege of retaining his land and property. From that point on the Moresby's never looked back. Advantageous marriages and loyal service to king and countries didn't do them any harm either...and increased their holdings. Several of them made their mark in other ways too, such as the Moresby youth who ganged up with other wild individuals and raided Fountains Abbey, making off with a haul of gold plate and jewels. He was apparently hastily packed off to the wars where he distinguished himself at Agincourt.
A few generations later a daughter lived to inherit Moresby...a pattern that was to be repeated in Tudor times. The heiress was unfortunate in her choice of husband, for he became romantically involved with Anne Boleyn, and Henry VIII certainly had no compunction in sending him to a similar fate that had befallen others who had upset him. it was this lady's son who sold Moresby Hall to the Fletchers of Cockermouth.
The Fletchers must have had a soft spot for the Royal Stuarts of Scotland... One earned fame in 1568 when Mary Queen of Scots sought refuge in England after the Battle of Langside. Because Cockermouth was unfit at that time to offer accommodation to the illustrious refugee, Henry Fletcher was asked to provide lodgings for her. He went the extra distance, he also gave her a rich velvet gown in which to receive all the wealthy folk from the district who called to pay their respects, a kindness which paid off in the next generation for Mary's son James knighted Henry's son when he became James I of England.
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