Nearby Viking Age finds confirm settlement well before the 12th century in the area surrounding the mouth of the river Derwent.

[2] 11th-century texts describe the arrival of monks from Lindisfarne, carrying the bones of St Cuthbert, in Workington (then called Derwentmouth) following the destruction of the kingdom of Northumbria by the Vikings in 875.

[3] It is presumed the monks stayed at the monastery on the site currently occupied by St Michael's Church before leaving Derwentmouth by boat.

Effigies of Sir Christopher Curwen and his wife, dated 1450, are located within the church.

Fire once more destroyed much of the church in 1994, this time closing it for seven years, before it was reopened and rededicated in 2001.