In 1789, a surgeon by the name of Rigg employed a group of labourers to level a mound called Beacon Hill, situated close behind his house at Aspatria.

After reaching a depth of about one metre they dug into a cavity walled around with large stones and found the skeleton of a Viking chief.

At the head of the skeleton lay a sword almost five feet in length, with a remarkably broad blade, ornamented with a gold and silver handle.

The workmen also unearthed several pieces of armour, a dirk with a silver studded handle, a golden buckled belt, and a breast plate.

Awarded by Ranulph de Meschines, grantee of the whole of Cumberland from William the Conqueror, to Waltheof, son of Gospatrick, Earl of Dunbar, from whom the obsolete name of Aspatrick, may have been derived.

It remained in this family through eleven generations before passing by the marriage of Lady Elizabeth, sole daughter and heiress of Josceline Percy to Charles Seymour, sixth Earl of Somerset.

The Brayton Domain Collieries sank five different pits around the town at various times and there were also mines near Mealsgate, Baggrow and Fletchertown.

His memorial stands in the market square, topped by a bronze effigy of St George slaying the dragon – said to represent the demon drink.

When Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins passed through the town in 1857 they referred to the name Spatter which is not too dissimilar to 'Speatrie' the name locals prefer.

"[13] There is a legend that the name comes from the ash tree that grew when St. Patrick's staff, the Bachal Isu, took root in the ground because it took so long for him to manage to convert the people from this area to Christianity.

[14] The town is in the parliamentary constituency of Penrith and Solway, and is represented by Markus Campbell-Savours of the Labour Party since the 2024 general election.

[16] Prior to Brexit for the European Parliament residents in Aspatria voted to elect MEPs for the North West England constituency.

[17] Prior to the opening of the Brayton Domain Collieries the people of Aspatria had two places of worship, the long established Anglican parish church of St. Kentigern's and a non-conformist chapel of the Congregationalist persuasion, built by Sir Wilfrid Lawson, in 1826.

Twenty years later, to cater for their expanding congregation they built a new chapel, with adjoining manse for the minister, at the junction of Queen Street and Brayton Road, while retaining the original building for use as a Sunday school.

There is a small industrial area next to the railway station where:- Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Border.

Aspatria FC are the town's football club who compete in the Tesco Cumberland County Premier League.