The 14th century castle with its massive keep, inner and outer baileys, and curtain walls and towers. Property owned and managed by English Heritage

The Furness area has always had a varied and chequered history in spite of its relative remoteness. One of the more colourful places is Foundry Island, also know as Piel Island, taking it’s name from the castle. The castle and its island have been witness to some of the greatest events in history.

Piel Island was probably visited by the Celts and later by the Romans during their conquest of Britain. The first recorded name for the island came from the Scandinavian settlers to the area. The name Foundry or Fotheray may come from the Old Norse “foder or fouder” meaning fodder and “ay or oy” meaning island. Therefore, Foudrey may have been used as a foddering place for the settlers’ grazing animals.

In 1127 the island was given to the Savignac monks as part of their original land grant for an abbey form King Stephen. After the Savignacs merged with the Cistercians in the middle of the century, Furness Abbey started to grow and the need for a safe harbour was felt. Foudrey seemed to be the ideal answer as it was protected, was close to the Abbey and there was land to build a warehouse in order to keep cargoes safe.

In 1212 King John granted the Abbey a license to land one cargo of “wheat, flour and other provisions” in order to stave off a famine caused by the failure of the local harvest. Thus the first wooden tower was built on the island. An unlimited cargo license was granted in 1232 and in 1258, the Abbeys’ own ships came under royal protection.

The current motte and bailey “castle” with its defence ditches was built in the early part of the fourteenth century and was the largest of its kind in the Northwest. It was probably intended to be used as a fortified warehouse to keep cargoes safe from pirates and other raiders. The Abbey soon discovered that it did not just keep the pirates out, the “Pile of Fotheray” also kept the King’s customs men at a distance. It was widely known at the time that the Abbey was active in the smuggling business. High tariffs on many items caused a lucrative trade in contraband to flourish.

It was during this time the legend of the “goose barnacle” started. The story originated when it was observed that a certain type of barnacle had “feathers” and “legs” hanging down from the opening in it’s shell. As the barnacles always seemed to occur where one kind of goose was seen, it was assumed that geese hatched from the barnacles - hence the name of the “barnacle goose”.

Although Piel was held by King Henry IV for a short period, the island continued to be a focal point for the smuggling trade in Furness until 1487. On June 4th of that year, Lambert Simnel, a merchant’s son, under the guidance of the Earl of Lincoln, landed at Piel. Simnel claimed that he was Earl of Warwick and therefore, was, the rightful King of England. With his army of German and Irish mercenaries, Simnel set off across Furness to march on London. He did finally arrive in London, but only as the prisoner of Henry VII after being defeated by the King’s forces at the Battle of Stoke on June 16th. After the invasion, the re-fortification of Piel was discussed, but life soon returned to its normal routine of trading and smuggling.

It was the dissolution of the monasteries that caused the next great change as the island passed from the Abbey to the King.  Some effort to upgrade the castle occurred when the Spanish Armada was threatening to invade but with its defeat, the “Pile of Fouldrey” went into relative obscurity.

In the next century Piel saw the Parliamentarian fleet anchored just off its coast after the Royalists captured Liverpool. With Furness being a Parliamentarian stronghold, Piel Harbour was the safest place for the fleet to anchor.

Revenue Officers first came officially to Piel in 1669 as smuggling again increased. A report from 1727 indicated that these men were very capable as it stated that the “fraudulent trade” was almost destroyed. Also at this time, the merchants using Piel Harbour petitioned the King complaining that they had to ride “across 2 dangerous sands” in order to fetch the Customs House Officer from Lancaster. They claimed to have enough trade to warrant their own Customs House. Their petition was granted and eventually there were three officers and the Revenue agent at Piel.  Records from the time show that as many as 250 ships were anchored in Piel Harbour at any one time.

The island and harbour continued in use as shipping and the iron industry grew in Furness.  Houses for pilots and a public house were built on Piel in the late eighteenth century. The Pilots houses are now used as holiday homes by modern day sailors and the Ship Inn still caters for the hungry and thirsty.

The landlord of the Ship Inn is traditionally know as the “King of Piel”. The title comes from the time of Lambert Simnel when he declared himself king. This tradition has also given rise to the “Knights of Piel”. In the Ship Inn is an old oaken chair and anyone who sits in it becomes a “Knight of Piel”.   The “Knighthood” ceremony must be performed by the “King” or another “Knight”. The new Knight must then carry out his duties which include buying everyone a drink, being a moderate smoker, an ardent lover of the opposite sex and of good character. One of the rights of a “Knight” is if he finds himself shipwrecked on Piel he may go to the Inn and demand a night’s free lodging and as much as he can eat and drink.

The haunting remains of Piel Castle still hold a fascination for many people who see the island floating in the distance.  It retains its sense of remoteness although it is just half a mile by sea from Roa Island and can be reached by ferry.

Text from Barrow in Furness Tourist Information flyer, original source unknown.