History of Lune Estuary
The Lune is an ancient, at times bleak and evocative landscape, forming a long low peninsula. The surrounding hamlets and villages appear to be intrinsically linked to the landscape, with their prosperity ebbing and flowing through time.
The largest village in the area is Cockerham, it’s name thought to be Celtic in origin means ‘homestead by a winding river’ (CPC, undated). The village can be traced back to the Doomsday book (entered as Cocreham) and was owned by Norman Barons following the conquest (Rootsweb, undated). References are made following an antiquarian expedition commissioned by Henry VIII referring ‘to its dangerous sands and to a curious salt gathering plan in vogue on the coast which the river traverses in its way to the Lune estuary’ (ibid.). Salt gathering and the sands obviously playing an important part in the areas prosperity.
The treacherous sands were also important to the area up until 1857, when guided crossing across the eight mile stretch were replaced by the opening of the railway. The environment has played a large part in the areas’ successes and failures, strong winds attributed to the twice burning and raising of the local mill in 1802 and 1849. The area is so mysterious it is even said to have been visited by the devil, who was thwarted in a game of riddles by the local schoolmaster. This time it was the landscape that saved them. (Rootsweb, undated)
‘Now the poor fellow’s was a pitiful case.
As plain might be seen from his long length of face.
"Now, make me, dear sir, a rope of your sand,
Which will bear washing in Cocker, and not lose a strand."
The devil and mate then went down to the strand,
In a jiffy they twisted a fine rope of sand,
And dragged it along with them over the land;
But when they brought the rope to be washed,
To atoms it went- the rope was all smashed.
The devil was foiled, wroth, and gave him a shaking;
Up he flew to the steeple- his frame a;; a-quaking,
With one horrid frig- his mind very unwilling,
He stride to the brig o’er Broadfleet at Pilling.’
(Rootsweb, undated)
 | Fig 1: Lune estuary, Lancashire, England, 1975-76. A typical estuary tree at Cockersand Abbey. Copyright: David Bradbury |
Estuarine environment, tidal character and climate
Climate of North West England
Temperature – 9°C is the annual average, with January the coldest (2°C along the coast) and July the warmest (around 20°C).
Sunshine – average annual sunshine is about 1500 hours on the coast, compared to 1200 hours in high Pennine areas and 1750 on the south coast of England.
Rainfall – whilst rainfall is generally well-distributed through the year, there is a seasonal pattern. The driest season is spring whilst there is an autumn/winter maximum.
Wind – winds are at their strongest and most frequent from December to February.
(Meteorological Office, undated)
Lune Estuary Tidal Character
The Lune Estuary is a relatively small macro-tidal, flood dominated estuary located within Morecambe Bay, a large single area of continuous intertidal mudflats and sandflats, with a spring tidal range of 9m. (Joint Nature Conservation Committee, undated)
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| Figure 2 – Morecambe Bay (National Biodiversity Network, undated) | Figure 3 – The Lune Estuary Lancaster (Geograph British Isles, 2005) |
The outer reaches of the Lune Estuary are characterised by large intertidal areas and a meandering low water channel. Within the middle reaches, training walls constrain the channel and large areas of saltmarsh have formed. Within the inner reach, intertidal areas are more limited and the channel is confined. (North West England and North Wales Coastal Group, 2008)
Environment of typical estuary
Estuaries are partly enclosed coastal bodies of water in which river water is mixed with seawater, an estuary is thus defined by salinity rather than geography.
Estuaries provide habitats for a large number of fish and are the means by which migratory fish species make the transition between marine and freshwater environments, (Joint Nature Conservation Committee, undated), they also provide a habitat and breeding ground for large numbers of permanent and migratory bird populations. Estuaries are rich sources of invertebrates such as, lugworms, cockles, shrimps, and crabs.
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| Figure 4 - A pink footed goose which uses Morecambe Bay (Lune estuary) to stop on its migration to and from the arctic (Phil Hut, undated). |
References:
Landform, geology and use
Natural England (undated JCA No31 - Morecambe Coast and Lune Estuary [online] (URL http://www.naturalengland.net/ourwork/farming/funding/ecs/sitings/areas/031.aspx) (accessed 13.10.2009).
History of Lune Estuary
CPC (undated)The village of Cockerham [online] (URL http://www.cockerham-pc.org.uk/ [accessed 08.10.2009].
Rootsweb (undated) Cockerham Village, in Lancashire UK [online] (URL http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rosdavies/DAVIES/LancsCockerham.htm [accessed 08.10.2009].
Fig 1: Home (undated) Lune estuary, Lancashire, England [online] (URL http://www.trochos.freeserve.co.uk/photog/lune/lune1.htm) [accessed 08.10.2009].
Bibliography:
GENUKI (2009) Cockerham [online] (URL http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LAN/Cockerham/ [accessed 08.10.2009].
Estuarine environment, tidal character and climate
Author unknown (undated), Meteorological Office [online] (URL http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/nw/) [accessed 12.10.2009].
Author unknown (undated), Joint Nature Conservation Committee [online] (URL http://www.jncc.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/habitat.asp?FeatureIntCode=H1130) [accessed 12.10.2009].
Fig 2: National Biodiversity Network (undated) [online] (URL http://data.nbn.org.uk/siteInfo/siteSpeciesGroups.jsp?useIntersects=1&allDs=1&engOrd=1&srcKey=UK0013027&srcDsKey=GA000327) [accessed 12.10.2009].
Fig 3: The Lune Estuary Lancaster, Author unknown (2005), Geograph British Isles [online] (URL http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/57135 [accessed 12.10.2009].
North West and North Wales Coastal Group (2008) North West England and North Wales Shoreline Management Plan (URL http://mycoastline.org/documents/Intro1.pdf ) [accessed 12.10.2009].
Fig 4: Phil Hut (undated) [online] (URL http://philhutt.com/USERIMAGES/PINK-FOOTED%20GOOSE.jpg) [accessed 12.10.2009].
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