Holme Low became a separate parish in 1845, after St. Paul's church was constructed in Causewayhead, and was known as Low Holme or Holme St. Paul's. It had previously been part of the parish of Holme Cultram. In the mid-late 19th century, the parish of Holme Low also included the town of Silloth, as well as Skinburness and other areas which are now part of the civil parish of Silloth-on-Solway. However, the parish's history can be traced back even further. In Roman times, when the entire Solway coast was fortified to defend against incursions across the sea, a series of milefortlets were constructed beyond the western end of Hadrian's Wall. Remains of one of these have been discovered near Beckfoot, just beyond the parish's southern boundary. A Roman road also ran through the parish at that time. In the early 14th century, a castle was built at Wolsty to defend Holme Cultram Abbey from attacks by Scots, who would frequently raid across the Solway. Not much remains of the castle today; it was already in a ruined state by 1572, and had been entirely demolished by the 18th century. From 1862 until the Beeching Axe in the 1960s, the Carlisle and Silloth Bay railway line ran through Holme Low. Within the parish itself there was a single station, Blackdyke Halt, which closed with the rest of the line in the 1960s. In 1954, this line was the first in Britain to replace its steam locomotives with diesel ones, so for a short while, Holme Low was one of the only places in the country to see diesel-fuelled trains.
Holme Low Parish Council usually meets four times a year, once per quarter, in February, May, August, and November. Meetings are open to the public, and the county councillor responsible for the parish and representatives of the localpolice force are invited to attend. Parish councils in England have certain duties and responsibilities to the communities they serve, and Holme Low is no exception. The council is responsible for liaising with Cumbria County Council on a variety of issues which affect residents, including highways, footpaths and bridleways, public transportation, and planning applications. It is also responsible for its own budget and assets, and communicating with Cumbria Constabulary on policing issues within the parish. Holme Low Parish Council also maintains a website with detailed minutes of meetings and financial information, all of which is freely available to residents of the parish.
