Scandinavian identity in Cumbria, c. 900-1250

The Scandinavian migrants who settled in Cumbria from about the early tenth century entered an already ethnically layered society open to English, Gaelic and British influence. This study aims to measure the extent and persistence of Scandinavian identity in Cumbria, establishing the extent to which Scandinavian migrants retained separate cultural and ethnic identities from pre-existing populations. It also seeks to address whether the impact of the Norman Conquest on Cumbria overturned the existing ethnic fabric and displaced any persisting Scandinavian identity, or merely injected another layer into an established ‘melting pot’ society. The methodology draws on a wide range of material and linguistic evidence: place-names, stone sculpture, metalwork and post-conquest personal names. Using these sources as indexes of cultural assimilation, the work seeks to map cultural identity in Cumbria by using GIS mapping tools to export the datasets of evidence to explore their spatial distributions and relationships. Depending on how consistent a pattern emerges from these comparisons, new impressions might be gained of how extensive cultural exchange was between Scandinavian settlers and locals in Cumbria. This has implications for understanding the strength of Scandinavian identity as well as the status of cultural practices as markers and identifiers of ethnicity. The research presents an alternative case study to previous research into Scandinavian identity in England by offering a multi-layered context in which to consider ethnic identity.