Remains of agricultural settlements from the
Bronze Age have been found near the shores of Coniston Water. The
Romans mined copper from the fells above the lake. A potash kiln and two iron bloomeries show that industrial activity continued in medieval times. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Coniston Water was an important source of fish for the monks of
Furness Abbey who owned the lake and much of the surrounding land. Copper mining continued in the area until the 19th century. The lake was formerly known as
"Thurston Water", a name derived from the
Old Norse personal name 'Thursteinn' + Old English 'waeter'. This name was used as an alternative to Coniston Water until the late 18th century. The
Victorian artist and
philosopher John Ruskin owned
Brantwood House on the eastern shore of the lake, and lived in it from 1872 until his death in 1900. Ruskin is buried in the
churchyard in the village of
Coniston, at the northern end of the lake. His secretary the antiquarian
W. G. Collingwood wrote a historical novel
Thorstein of the Mere about the Northmen who settled on the island in the lake. The Victorian and Edwardian artist
Henry Robinson Hall settled in Coniston during the
Great War and is buried in the parish church graveyard.
Arthur Ransome set his children's novel
Swallows and Amazons and the sequels
Swallowdale,
Winter Holiday,
Pigeon Post and
The Picts and the Martyrs around a fictional lake derived from a combination of Coniston Water and
Windermere. The fictional lake resembles Windermere, but the surrounding hills and fells resemble those of Coniston Water. Some of Coniston Water's islands and other local landmarks can be identified in the novels. In particular the books'
Wild Cat Island with its secret harbour is based on
Peel Island. The Amazon River is based on the
River Crake. The
Swallows and Amazons series involve school holiday adventures in the 1930s. The
movie adaptation (2016) of these stories was also partly filmed on Peel Island, Coniston Water. Historically, Coniston was part of
Lancashire (North of the Sands), until Local Government reorganisation in 1974 when Cumbria was created. == Boating ==