Boundary post, Maryport and Carlisle Railway, cast iron, about 1836 - 1845.

Maryport & Carlisle Railway cast iron boundary post, dating from about 1836 to 1845.

Boundary markers like this were used to clearly identify the limits of railway land and to distinguish them from adjacent property. They were typically used where it was difficult to install a fence or hedge, where there was a risk of encroachment by other landowners, or where there had been a dispute over land ownership. They also delineated one railway company’s territory from another’s, for instance to make it clear who was responsible for maintaining a particular stretch of line.

The Maryport & Carlisle Railway was founded in 1836 to connect collieries in Cumberland (now part of Cumbria) with the docks at Maryport on the Solway Firth. The railway connecting Carlisle with the coast was built between 1840 and 1845. It then expanded with new branch lines that served mines extracting coal and iron ore. The railway also ran passenger services. In 1923 the Maryport & Carlisle Railway was absorbed into the newly formed London, Midland & Scottish Railway.

The boundary marker is a practical design in cast iron, probably made in a local foundry in the early years of the railway. The inscription on the front explains its function and reads "M & C Ry Boundary" with the letters picked out in black paint on a white background. The finger-shaped post has a long base that was buried deep in the ground, to discourage any disgruntled landowners from surreptitiously digging it up and moving it.