New town of Cleator Moor laid out on former common from 1880s. By 1861 population stood at 3,995; it peaked at 10,420 in 1881. It then declined, to 8,120 by 1901 and to low point of 6,411 in 1951, after which it rose to 7,686 by 1971; in 2001 it stood at 6,939.