Historically a part of Westmorland, Grayrigg and its surrounding area have provided evidence of an ancient Roman camp. During the Middle Ages Grayrigg formed a chapelry and township centred on the chapel dedicated to St John the Evangelist, which is still in use.
Railway accidents
Grayrigg's 20th and 21st century history is marked by two high-profile major train crashes.
On 23 February 2007, Lambrigg Crossovers (54.358507,-2.655958), south of Grayrigg was the site of the Grayrigg derailment, a fatal derailment involving a Virgin Trains West Coast service from London Euston to Glasgow Central.[4]