22 March 1749
It is common belief that the 1749 Act of Parliament established the planned town of Maryport.
While the 1749 Act laid the foundation for expanding the coal trade through the development of Ellenfoot’s harbour, the growth of Maryport as a planned town was driven by economic opportunity rather than legislative decree.
The Act’s focus was on trade, but the town emerged as a natural consequence, shaped by those who saw and seized the potential in its booming economy.
The Act for repairing, enlarging and preserving, the Harbour of Ellenfoot, in the County of Cumberland was first presented for debate before Parliament on 10 November 1747.
