He wrote that the tower of limestone and sandstone occupying the ancient market place of Dalton emphasised the age of the settlement. Dalton was burned down several times in the 13th century and the 14th. Dalton castle was built towards the mid 14th century - by then the Scots menace was much reduced. Dalton was a Saxon settlement long before the Abbey; later a mix of Saxon and Norse-Irish people sheltering from the frequent raids by Irish pirates. Dalton soon lost out in importance to Ulverston, a town that was at the end of the increasingly important Morecambe Bay sands crossing.