Chapel Island
Spit of Chapel Island
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| Geography | |
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| Location | South Lakeland |
| Coordinates | 54°10′N 3°2′W / 54.167°N 3.033°W |
| Archipelago | British Isles |
| Administration | |
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United Kingdom
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| County | Cumbria |
Chapel Island is a limestone outcrop that lies in the Leven estuary of Morecambe Bay in England, less than one mile (1.6 km) from the shoreline at Bardsea in the area known as Ulverston Sands. It is located at 54°10′N 3°2′W / 54.167°N 3.033°WCoordinates: 54°10′N 3°2′W / 54.167°N 3.033°W (OS grid ref. SD 321759). It is one of the Islands of Furness in the county of Cumbria, in the area of the historic county of Lancashire ("Lancashire north of the sands"). The island is approximately 450 yards (400 m) long and just over 100 yards (100 m) at its widest. Its area is about 7.5 acres (3 ha).
Chapel Island, known as Harlesyde Isle in 1593, got its present name in 1795. The name was coined by Mrs. Radcliffe in her book ‘Tour of the Lakes’.
In the 14th century Cistercian monks from nearby Conishead Priory built a small chapel on the island to serve the needs of travellers and fishermen working in the Leven fisheries. The Island lies on the path of the ancient crossing from Cartmel to Conishead and would have been a place of haven to travellers caught out by the tide. Tradition describes its purpose to be the meeting for prayers with the travellers who cross the bay. In 1843 Jopling notes that the crossing passed to the south of the island, implying that the route past the island varied over time.
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