The History of Lothersdale
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Dedicated to the people of Lothersdale, past and present Acknowledgements The members of The Parish Council of Lothersdale express their indebtedness to the following individuals who have contributed towards the publication of this volume. The instigator of the idea to produce a History of Lothersdale was Mr. Kenneth Wilson, and it is primarily due to his many years of research, writing, and to his boundless enthusiasm and inspiration that we are enabled proudly to present this book for your enjoyment. As each chapter bears the name of the writer thereof, we shall content ourselves by giving their names only, in alphabetical order; trusting that each individual will accept this as a sincere token of our very real appreciation. Dr. S. G. Bennett The Rev. E. W. G. Burgess The Rev. George Burgon Mr. Allan Butterfield (Senior) Mr. Allan Butterfield (Junior) Mr. Paul Davison Mrs. William Delater Mr. J. H. Dixon (Photographs) Mr. Harry Gill Mr. Edward Greenwood Mr. C. H. Jones (Photographs) Mrs. Thomas Mason Mr. James Pilling Dr. Arthur Raistrick Mr. Allan W. Stobbs Mr. Walter Thornton (Sketches) The Rev. R. P. Walters Mr. Arthur Whitaker Mr. Kenneth Wilson Mr. Joe Wiseman In addition to the above-named contributors, there are numerous people who have given assistance in many ways. To those, also, we record our indebtedness. A. LAMBERT Chairman of the Council B. ALLAN W. STOBBS, Vice-Chairman. C. RICHARD HOLROYD ALFRED TEAL Members RONALD CHADWICK Members Contents Page Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1 The Geology of Lothersdale . 3 The Carboniferous Rocks -Structure -The Ice Age -The Raygill Fissure -Economic Geology -Bibliography -Maps -The Soils of Lothersdale CHAPTER 2 Extracts from Lectures by John 1 Stell 4 Muster Roll- Flodden -Poll Tax -Agincourt 1415 -Kirkby's Inquest -Political History - ElectionsElection of 1741- County Rate 1602 for Lothersdale -Hearth Tax -Prehistoric Times -'The Good Old Times' CHAPTER 3 Medieval 22 Farming CHAPTER 4 Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century 30 Farming CHAPTER 5 Lothersdale Place 41 Names CHAPTER 6 Lothersdale Buildings. 44 Sur gill Head -Woodhead -Stone Gappe - Brigstone, Hewitts and Cross Green -Raygill -The Willows -Holmleigh CHAPTER 7 The Raygill Lime Kiln and 64 Barytes Mine CHAPTER 8 72 Almshouses CHAPTER 9 The Society of 75 Friends CHAPTER 10 The Cowling Hill Baptist 89 Church. CHAPTER 11 The Carleton Churchwarden's 92 Papers Overseers of the Poor -Assessments - Settlement The Case of Richard Smith -The Case of John Cowgill- Apprentices -The Militia -Tithes -Waywarden -Odd items of interest CHAPTER 12 The Registers III Illustrations Page Raygill fissure containing bones 10 Villages mentioned in the Domesday Book 23 Possible sites of open fields 24 Farmsteads lying between 950 and 1,050 feet 34 O.D. The Tythe Barn 38 Woodhead 45 The Springs 45 Knott House in 1894 46 Plan of Crowshaw 47 Ornamentation on porch of Knott House. 48 Date stone at Far Surgill Head 50 Plan of Far Surgill Head 52 Mantel at Woodhead 54 Inscription on porch at Woodhead . 54 Stone Gappe 56 Raygill House 58 Lothersdale in 1912 59 The Willows 60 Holmleigh 60 Lime Kiln in 1892 65 Section at the throat of the kilns 66 Raygill Quarry from Bent Hall 69 Raygill Barytes Mine 70 Almshouses at Carleton. 73 Quakers' Meeting House, Lothersdale 78 Tom Cross. 120 Monument to Robert Wilson. 122 Bethel Chapel 129 Interior of Bethel Chapel in 1903 132 Christ Church 136 The Rev. C. A. Dutton with his family 139 Interior of Christ Church in 1900 140 John Wilson, 1797-1868 145 Corsock Farm, John Wilson's birthplace. 145 John Wilson's principles 148 James Wilson, 1823-1892 149 James Ellison 150 The water wheel. 150 Placard hanging in the mill 152 Fred Wilson, 1857-1927 153 Original Toll Road. Jeffrey's Atlas 1773 . The Porridge Stoup Page Aldersley Crest 166 Fred Pickles, Harry Bowker and Alfred Whiteoak with 168 the Raygill 181 traction engine. 183 A group of the village men in the 1890's. 187191 Mrs. Palian . 190191 Peter and Christiana Parker at their Golden Wedding, 191 10th 195 September, 1894 196 Mary Parker 196 The whole village at the Golden Wedding 197 Peter William Spencer and Susannah Wilson, married in 204 1859 William Spencer, 1861-1949 . 204 Armorial bearings. 216 Robert Teal. 227 The old school (circa 1889) under Mr. Welstead 229 The Board School under Mr. Moorhouse in 1894 229 The Foresters' Warrant of 1841 235 The Brass Band 240 The Church Choir in 1894 241 Members of the 1894 Choir assembled in 1926 . Mary Spencer with her dog, 'Nap', 1914 . The Pinfold, prior to demolition The Village Club House Introduction DR. ARTHUR RAISTRICK DURING the last two decades the study of Local History has been recognised as a subject in its own right and has even been accepted in some universities as a fit and proper discipline to come under the venerable aegis of the history faculty. The public at large as well as the social and economic historian has become interested in the past living and working conditions of the people of a parish or an area or other small group. This is a recognition of the fact that people have for many, many centuries of historic time lived in small communities, close knit in an intimacy of daily life and work to some extent imposed or controlled by the immediate environment. The whole structure of a nation, as of a 'movement' is the essential aggregate of small units -hamlets, villages, parishes, congregations -which by the integration of their inherent strength and loyalties make up the strength and loyalty of the whole. The basic units are not identical, each has something that gives it a character, a something that gives it individuality within its invisible frontiers and distinguishes it even from neighbouring groups. These parochial differences are disappearing in the technological advances of the last century. The influence of the popular press, the cinema, the radio and mass communication of the last half century, the mobility of motor transport, all these have contributed to produce a great measure of uniformity and of conformity which makes the recollection and preservation of the earlier way of life a service to the community. We need to record those aspects of life which made for neighborliness, for mutual dependence, for shared enjoyments and for a sense of 'belonging', of having 'roots', all of which gave the small community stability and the power to survive bad harvests, depressions, misfortunes, in all but a few exceptional cases. This interest in the history of one's own home area is not new, though new and precise methods of studying local history are being developed on academic lines. In past generations there has been a constant arising of individuals inspired by a love of their area, be it parish or county or an area between these, to seek out all the information they could which was relevant to its history. People spurred 01'. by an instinct to get to know their area in the greatest possible detail, and perhaps to tell it to their neighbours, have produced the local histories of the past. Many have been amateur, few have had an academic flavor, all have carried the mark of their author's personality. We are the richer for them. In the district within which Lothersdale lies, we have had these historians in the past. One whose work has inspired many who have taken part in this present history was John Stell of Cross Hills. Those of us who were privileged to know him, to go out in the field with him, to share discussion on the ground of the significance of an earthwork, the story of a house, or of the background against which some individual had lived and worked, appreciated his deep perception and the humanity of his approach to history. His lectures and talks to groups, local societies, church gatherings, and to gatherings of all kinds, with articles in the press, the parish magazine and much else, may seem small stuff to some of the newer generation, yet these brought enlightenment and stimulated interests which are still giving pleasure to those who shared them. This history of Lothersdale will only rank with the small local histories largely in the older tradition, but it has been compiled by people with an affection for the area and a deep interest in its past. They have been guided by Kenneth Wilson, a member of one of the oldest families in the dale, whose love for the dale has never been exceeded. There is much in the history to inspire and inform members of the many old families some of whose descendants are still about, some who have moved far away. Besides this very personal interest, there are incidents and events which illustrate the response of country folk to events and conditions of wider and even of national importance. History is the record of man's social evolution, and the sense of the continuity of life in one's own area, through century after century, is the basis of our local pride. Generation after generation has faced difficulties both of the natural environment, of political and economic changes and of man's relation with his neighbours and have survived them all. Lothersdale today is the product of these centuries of evolution. The material gathered together seemed worthy of preservation to those whose researches put it down and made it available. The idea in doing so was to preserve what seemed good and interesting in the life of a small com- munity. Perhaps the chief value of the book will lie in the pleasure it brings to local people and its value to students from outside will be more or less incidental.