According to the 2001 census[1] it had a population of 2,028, increasing to 2,151 at the 2011 Census.[2]
Etymology
'Dearham' is an Old Anglian compound of 'dēor' and 'hām'.[3]
Old Anglian is Old English. 'Dēor' means 'deer', 'hām' is 'homestead' or 'village' or 'estate'.
History
With its resources of coal and easy access to railways, Dearham is part of Cumberland's former coal mining industry.[4] It saw its population increase from 515 in 1821 to 2,598 in 1891 due to the expansion of coal mining. However, with the decline of deep mining and, later, open cast working, the coal industry ceased to be a source of employment in the area.
Historically, Dearham was in the Workington division of the County of Cumberland, in the ward of Allerdale below Derwent. It belonged to the Derwent Petty sessional division, Cockermouth Union and the County Court district of Cockermouth and Workington.
St Mungo's Church, was erected in the early 12th century, is a building of stone, with 13th-century chancel, nave, south porch and a 14th-century Pele tower.
During restoration work carried out on the church in 1882, two stones were discovered:-
The first is the 4-foot-high (1.2 m) Adam Stone, which depicts the Fall and Redemption of man and dates from 900 AD;
The second is the Kenneth Cross, which depicts the legend of the 6th-century hermit, St. Kenneth/ Cenydd.
^Armstrong, A. M.; Mawer, A.; Stenton, F. M.; Dickens, B. (1950). The place-names of Cumberland. English Place-Name Society, vol.xxi. Vol. Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 283.
