Some Records Of

SOM E RECORDS

TWO LH K ELH N D TOW NSH IPS

H T ( BLAW IT AN D N IBTH W AI E , )

Chie ro m ri i l um t ﬂy f o g n a doc en s .

A B Y P. R DSO . N .

F o orsan et h aec oh m M emzm sse juv ab zt .

Th e o o s o f t h e e se n lie e e in t h e as and no in in r t pr t d p p t , th g t h e pas t is de a d to t h e m a n wh o wo uld le arn h ow th e pre se n t ” co me s t o b i i - e a t s S t b . wh t . ub s

I L L US TR A TE D .

in e b . H OL M E S U N L AN CS . Pr t d y W , LTD LVERSTO ,

8 21

CO N TE N TS .

- E AR LY S I . DAY

— K I G H T I I . N S

( I . William de Lancaster e ( I I . ) Gilb rt Fitz Roger Fitz R e infre d

( I I I . ) William de Lancaster I I I .

I — ; D E S CE N T o r H OR o r L R I I . T E MAN U VE STON FAR AS 1 1 RELATE S 1 0 B LAWITH

— M N K IV . O S

— 1 N AN D V . K G s QUE E N S

( I . ) Nibthwaite

( I I . ) Blawith

— VI . PR !E T E R I TA

e ( I . ) Foresta d Blawith (a sketch ) 9 0 to 1 00

(I I . ) Birk Row Mill (a sketch ) 95 e e ( I I I . ) Nibthwait and Riv r Crake 99

— VI I . ECCLE S IASTI CA

( I . Blawith Church

. Th e ( I I ) Curates of Blawith .

T ’ VI I I . H I N G S NE W AN D OL D

( I . ) The Scenery

( II . ) Summ er Winter

— IX. AppE N D 1 x

1 8 1 6 1 ( I . Trespass on the Waste Lands , 5 4 6 . 8 . A 1 601 . 1 ( I I Local Law Suit , 1 666 1 1 . t h e l ( I I I Grant to Duke of A bemarle , 7

IV . 1 1 ( Grant by Phillip and Mary , 557 74

V . 60 1 I . 1 ( ) Grant by J ames , 9 77 1 VI . A 1 6 1 ( ) Grant , 7 79 V 1 82 I I . &c . ( ) Lists , STRATION S L IST O F IL LU .

PAGE

H . C ARCOAL BURNERS , CONISTON LAKE FRONTISPIECE

' MAP FAC E PR E E ACE G ENERAL VIEW OF CONISTON LAKE FACE 9 EFFIGIES OF KN IGHTS IN FURNESS ABBEY 1 6 KENDAL CASTLE FACE I 9 A NORMAN KNIGHT 2 4 I I I 0 S EAL OF WILLIAM DE LANCASTER . 3 OL D M U ARKET PLACE , LVERSTON FACE 3 9 THE HARRINGTON MON UMENT IN CARTMEL CHURCH 4 0 S EAL OF FURNESS ABBEY 4 7 FURNESS ABBEY FACE 4 7 A CISTERCIAN MON K 4 8 THE CLOISTER COURT FURNESS AB BEY FACE 50 A S MITHY 52 PEEL ISLAND FACE 55 A FOREST HERMIT 6 3 ROLLS OF RECORDS 6 8 A CONVEYANCE IN 1 6 1 6 74 CO N I S H E AD PRIORY 8 2 ANCIENT WATCH TOWER AT CON I S H E AD PRIORY 88 AN O L D TREE AT S TABLE HARVEY 90 THRANG CRAG WOOD FACE 9 2 S ITE OF BIRK ROW MILL 9 5 A PLAN OF NIBTHWAITE FURNACE IN 1 74 6 99 NIBTHWAITE WEIR ON THE CRAKE 1 00 PLAN OF THE RIVER CRAKE IN 1 74 5 1 0 2 BLAWITH O L D CHURCH 1 0 8 BLAWITH AND THE N E w CHURCH 1 1 6 BLAWITH S CHOOL 1 1 8 VIEW FROM PES H o w 1 2 0 B E C K S ID E 1 2 4 COLTON CHURCH 1 3 0 LOWICK BRIDGE AND MILL 1 3 3 W ATE R Y E AT 1 34 G R E E N H OL M E G 1 6 FARM , BLAWITH , NEAR REENODD 3 B O UT H R AY BRIDGE 1 3 8 NIBTHWAITE QUAY I 4 3 G REAT KNOTT FARM FACE 1 4 6 B O UT H R AY BRIDGE IN 1 777 1 50 CHARCOAL BURNING AND COALING FACE 1 50 S WILL MAKING 1 5 2 ’ CHARCOAL BURNER S HUT I S4 CONISTON AND THE OLD M A N 1 58 OL D 1 6 1 I AN DEED , 7 79

PRE FACE .

r A considerable po tion of this book , especially in the early part , consists of matters which may not appear to belong exclusively to one district more than another in this neighbourhood . One of the obj ects of the book , how

h o w ever , is to Show the records of remote districts bind themselves closely with the larger life of the history of

England . I also wished , if possible , by extending the

th e subj ect , to give more than a purely local interest to book . A large part of the book is the result of long hours Spent f in the Record O ﬁce in London , and in the British Museum , and some of it is derived from the old deeds of the different

. t60 properties in my possession I am indebted , , to many

r kind f iends , who have cheerfully responded to the tire some queries o i a searcher into the antique .

' My special thanks are due to my friend Mr . Alfred Fell ,

encour of Belle Vue , Ulverston , who has given me much a em ent n g , and who , by ungrudgi gly placing at my disposal information acquired in the compilation of his own book , has afforded me much valuable and otherwise unattainable

b rner . Ash u knowledge ; to the Rev J . , Vicar of Blawith , for giving me access to the Parish books of Blawith and to the Rev . T . P . Hartley , Vicar of Colton , to the Parish books of Colton .

To Mrs . Gaskell , of Water Yeat , a member of an old local family , for leave to make use of many old documents in her possession ; to the Librarian of the Coniston Mu seum for inspection of old books and papers there to Mr . 8 PREFACE .

S . Taylor , of the Lancashire County Council and Mr .

- Compton Hall , the Lancashire County Bridge master , for information and plans . To the District Overseers of Colton and Blawith for the

s M c th . a Car use of list to Mr C . P . y for photographs , n Specially taken ; to Mr . jonathan Bell , of Conisto , for information as to the trafﬁc on the Lake . I trust the reader will not omit to inspect t h e transcripts

e of documents in the app ndix , as they constitute the most

t e i th e h . valuable , and certainly most original pa t of book

By permission of Messrs . Black , and Mr . Heaton Cooper , I am enabled to reproduce the picture by th e latter of the

Charcoal Burners on Coniston Lake .

By Messrs . Methuen , the seal of William de Lancaster

e II I . and by M ssrs . Archibald Constable , the Forest

Hermit .

ue e My thanks are d to Mr . W . G . Collingwood for l ave to print the extract on the scenery of Coniston Lak e from his ” book Thorstein of t h e Mere .

Some Re c ords o f Two L ake land

T nshi s ow p .

I .

EARLY DAYS .

To an Antiquarian , who is also a Geologist , a wide ﬁeld f for inquiry and research o fers itself in the Lake District . But to a writer of a book mainly depending for its in t ere st ea his or affOI dS on documentary records , rly t y but little material , other than what is to be gained by an imagi

e nativ faculty , combined with scientiﬁc skill not for him is it to attempt to delineate the Palaeolithic period when men wandered as savages over this North country , armed with ﬂint implements , and dwelling in caves , with mam nd moths , mastodons a elks ; nor yet the Neolithic Era when the human race had progressed somewhat , and Showed a S light acquaintance with some of the elements of civili z ation by fashioning articles of stone ; nor the Bronze age , when a very distinct step forward was made by the use of bronze for weapons of war , for ornament , and for hunting , agricultural , and household use . For the same reason he must pass over the epoch of the

Roma occu a io i n p t n of Britain , wh ch lasted for the ﬁrst four centuries after Christ , especially as , though many di evidences of Roman han work in the Shape of roads , encampments , and forts , are very abundant in High and

Low Furness , yet neither in Blawith nor Nibthwaite is

e any r liable trace to be found . 1 0 SOME RECORDS OF

O Up on the bleak moorlands ro und Conist on Lake lie m - ysterious remains , stone circles , stone heaps of bee hive

Shape , gigantic graves , and ancient enclosures , betokening the former presence of a dim and ancient race , who lived on the high dry ground of the Fells , with the thick tangled forest and underwood in the valleys below ; these people the B ri were , it is surmised , a branch of the Celtic race , e gant s the aborigines of Britain . But on these matters he who asks for any documentary evidence must turn his back with reluctance . Sermons in stones , and visions of Old , unhappy , far off things , and battles long must take the place of authentic record . The Saxon and Danish immigrations into England which succeeded the Roman occupation hardly touched the Furness Fells and the wild inhabitants of the hills , after the departure of the Romans , for several centuries would still be able to live their own lives , Simple or other wi . u se , as their fancy took them With the ninth cent ry m di a ore stinct epoch opens . Off the Cumberland coast

S i the h ps of the Vikings of Norway , appeared on the hori zon from Ireland , Scotland , and the Isle of Man . The actual date of their ﬁrst arrival in Furness , and their settlement there , is unknown , but if we take tradition , and internal and external evidence as our guides , a date between

8 0 00 A D a ro xi 5 and 9 , may be considered as very fairly pp m ate . Even later yet documentary evidence is wanting , therefore by what methods the Aborigines disappeared

Of before the Vikings the sea , whether , as is probable , by extermination in war , or by marriage and absorption , or by ﬂight , must remain in the realms of unwritten history . But one broad and salient feature of this N orse invasion is as absolutely certain as its occurrence , and that is its permanence . For it cannot be doubted , j udging from the

o s o a W rd w rth .

1 2 SOME RECORDS OF

n . of E gland This personage , endued with the restlessness

l his S of his race , refused al egiance to brother , and was lain

1 066 few by him at the battle of Stamford Bridge in , a

o f weeks only before the battle Hastings , when Harold himself was slain and the crown passed to William the

Norman .

The Doomsday Survey , made by order of the Con

ueror 1 08 t q in 7 , is the ﬁrst authen ic record referring to

i r l r L o w this d st ict , though it on y touched a pa t of Fur

H ou un ness , which , under the name of g , is included in Amounderness and Yorkshire it contains a list of owners chieﬂy of Norse origin , and the quantity of land belonging to each . Earl Tosti is mentioned as having held lands in

So ureb Our rav e y , D alton , Lees , g , Pennington and other l places . The wild hinterland of the Fells was doubt ess too little known or cul tivated to be considered worthy of a

. his separate survey Tosti having been Slain , lands were included in the extensive grant which William the Con

ueror Poict o u q made to Roger of , one of the barons who had accompanied him from France : he apparently held what now constitutes the whole county of Lancashire from the Mersey to the Duddon but his son , with all the

O f characteristics a restless marauding baron , rose against the King , and was in consequence dispossessed of his estates . li He was , however , partially reinstated by Wil am Rufus , but still not being able to keep his lawless instincts in check , he was ﬁnally banished from the kingdom . It is said that one cause of his rebellion was dissatisfaction with u the r gged , inhospitable nature of his northern estates ,

- and its poverty stricken inhabitants . It may be pre

um . s ed , therefore , he lost them without regret i Shortly afterwards , in the t me of William Rufus , the

a l um ess B rony of Kenda , which included F , was granted to I i vo de Taillebois , a captain of Angev n soldiers , who had TW O OW N SH IPS 1 LAKELAND T . 3 al so accompanied William the Conqueror to England . hi In addition to the Barony of Kendal , t s formidable per sonage received many grants of lands in other parts o f

a E ngland . ( ) His Chief abode seems to have been in Lincoln shire , and there are no tangible traces of his presence in

ri hi m . Furness , although the dist ct recognized as overlord m He arried the sister of Edwin and Morcar , earls of Mercia and Northumbria , and with her received the ancient domains of her father , which included Furness as part of the Earldom of Northumbria ( b ) A contemporary writer ( Ingulph de Croydon ) says All the people in his domains were very careful to appear humble before Taillebois , and never to address him Without bending one knee to the earth , but though they were anxious to render him all homage , he made no return of goodwill . On the contrary

rm he vexed , to ented , and imprisoned them , and loaded them with daily cruelties his truly diabolical Spirit loved

’ evil for evil s sake . He would often set his dogs to pursue ’ w other men s cattle , would scatter the animals far and ide , m drown them in the lakes , maim the in various ways , and make them unﬁt for service by breaking their limbs or I backs . vo was not only absolved , but praised for all he ” had done in extortion , pillage , and murder . A llowing for the exaggeration of a conquered people , there is no doubt that the period of the Norman Conquest was f a time of much cruelty and su fering , and Furness must be considered fortunate in being at the time so remote and unknown as to escape most of its evil consequences .

On the death of Ivo de Taillebois , his possessions passed

R anul h Meschines l to p des , Earl of Car isle , who had ma rried Lucia , the daughter of Ivo , and widow of Roger

R oum r de a a .

’ n e a Thie rry s No rm an Co q u s t . n m b M onas tic o n A nglic a u . 1 4 SOME RECORDS OF

Iv o The estates of , and particularly those in Lincoln

S R anul h hire , which had been withheld from p des Mes h l c ines , on pretext of a rebe lion on the part of his stepson

R o umara William de , were subsequently conﬁrmed to

al him . But the barony of Kend was retained , and after

r m N i ellus Alb inie wa ds ca e into the hands of g de , Lord of

a Mowbray , whose son , Roger de Mowbray , gr nted it in the reign of Stephen , to William de Lancaster , ﬁrst of that

a . name , and ﬁfth B ron of Kendal Dugdal e and others are in error in making William de

I v Lancaster a lineal descendant of o de Taillebois . The father of William was Gilbert , the son of Ketel , the son of

Eldred . William de Lancaster , who was the ﬁrst Baron of

al Kendal , to assume the name of de Lancaster , was so the

ﬁrst who had any practical connection with Furness . Gilbert Fitz Roger Fitz R einfre d was the ﬁfth in direct

H awi se descent from Ivo de Taillebois , through his mother ,

R oumara - de , great granddaughter of Lucia , daughter of

H l is I . e ew a vo By his marriage with de Lancaster , he i regained possession of the Barony of Kendal , wh ch had been alienated as above to William “ de Lancaster (grand

t o i H elwisa fa her ) in the reign of Stephen . 1 Two LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 5

I I .

KNIGHTS .

LL M D E ST . ( I . ) WI IA LANCA ER I

W illiam Fitz Gilb ert was the ﬁrst Baron of Kendal who

L ancas tre assumed the name of de , or Lancaster , as

ov e rno ur Gundre da g of Lancaster Castle . He married , i widow of the Earl of Warw ck , and daughter of the Earl

Warenne . The Hospital of Conish ead was built by Gabriel de

Pennington , upon the soil and by the encouragement of ,

William de Lancaster , who , after it was erected into a priory , endowed it with many grants of land , including 2 0 l acres in the Vill of Ulverston , also a fulling mi l , and an acre of land for a forge , the mine at Plumpton , and the dead wood in Blawith for making Charcoal wherever it

w two could be found , ith free egress for horses and men

o ff o re for carrying the without molestation , with pasture

a for the two said horses as well in as out of Plumpt o n . ( ) He gave also the ﬁshery and ﬁshing in Craik Water with all appurtenances , that is from Leven upwards to Thurston

L an leit em e Water , without reserve in g , as in Craik , with

ai necessary timber in his woods of Furness , except his h a of Plumpton , and liberty to ﬁsh in Thurston Water with a

0 i boat and 4 nets , wherever they pleased w thout molesta tion in the water or out . In the year 1 1 60 a dispute arose between the Baron

. and the Abbot of Furness , as to their boundaries

Hitherto the boundaries had been vague , and the probability is that up to this time the extent and char

' “ as ic o n a D ugdale s M o n t . 1 6 SOME RECORDS OF acter of t h e district was unknown to the parties claiming it ; also it was doubtless intended by the King that the grantees might annex as much of the Fells as they could .

OF EFFIG IES KNIGHTS IN FURNESS ABBEY .

Mont anae urnessio ur The district known as the de F , or F

1 1 60 neis , was by the arrangement of divided thus From where the water descends from W rynose into A 1 Two L KELAND TOWNSHIPS . 7

B rath a d Little Langdale , and from thence by the y to Win er mere , and so by Windermere as far as the Leven , and so ” i by the Leven to the se a . Th s was the boundary between

al Kend and Furness Fells , the delimitation of which marked ﬁnally the boundaries of Lancashire and the i adj acent counties , and j oined to Lancash re , Furness and

r in Cartmell , which had been su veyed Doomsday under i m . Yorkshire . This d vision was ade by command of

. acco r 0 Henry II , ding to the oath of 3 sworn men from the district , whose names Show they were mostly of Norse

men origin , and who were doubtless the chief of the dis t rict . Amongst the names of the J urors are Henricus son of Swain Michael of Furness William the clerk of Cartmell Ailward of Broughton ; Benedict of Penning ton ; William B rietwald ; D olﬁnus of Kyrkby ; Ulf of Kyrkby ; Stephen of Urswyck ; Bernard of Dalton ; and oth e rs . Down the centre of the disputed district the Abbot of Furness drew an imaginary line Ab Helte

Tillesb ruc e t Co nnin est o n e t watra ad , inde ad g , inde ad

Turstinewat ra e t i sius caput de , inde per ripam p aquae ”

Crek L e v e nam i. e . usque in , , From Elterwater to

Tilb erthwaite , and thence to Coniston , and thence to the head of Thurston Water , and thence by the bank of the i . W l same water to the Craik , and thence to the Leven liam de Lancaster , who apparently had the ﬁrst Choice , chose the district to the west of this partition line , to be

z os held of the Abbot by a yearly rent of , and his son was to do homage for it to the Abbot . The Baron had per mission to hunt and hawk in the eastern division the

h Furnesienses t e . possession of Monastery Beck (Annales ,

’ a p . says : In the Baron s Sh re stands the loftiest

Furnessio of the Montana de , known as Coniston Old

Man , in which are rich veins of copper . Whether these were latent at this period , or whether they proved induce 1 8 SOME RECORDS OF

ments for the Baron to select this portion of the country , ” will probably remain , as at present , indeterminate . W i iam William de Lancaste r I . was succeeded by his son ll

r . e . (10 Lancaste II , who was st ward to Henry I I his wife

s St ut t v ille e was H elwi e de , and by her he l ft an only

his l i H elwisa . daughter and heiress , By wi l he d rected that his body Should b e buried in the Monastery of Furness .

r H e died in or about the year 1 1 84 . A contempora y writer describes him as M agnae honestatis et possessionis

vir. The next two barons of Kendal were men of notable

u e ﬁg r in their day , and a record of their lives , scanty as it is , is a page from the history of England . Their connection l with Furness was very Close , and their grants , and dea ings with the Abbey of Furness Show the rising importance and

e developm nt of the district , which up to this time had

e be n considered little better than a waste . Much of their lives was Spent in personal attendance on their Kings at home and abroad ; but that they were constant visitors

e to Furn ss cannot be doubted . We know that frequently one of the conditions of grants to a monastery was board and residence there by the grantor when in the district , consequently we may assume that when these knights

e and their retinu visited this district , it would be from the

Abbey of Furness as their headquarters . After their n death their bodies were buried in the Abbey Church . O this point Beck (p . 2 05 ) says There can be little doubt of the de Lancasters having had a Chapel in the Abbey . A moss - encrusted broken statue procumbent in the centre

eﬁi ies i of the Chancel , once the vivid g of a panoplied kn ght , is perhaps j ustly Claimed by reverent tradition , as one

e n n repr sentative of this baro ial family in Fur ess Abbey , and two others lying by the north wall of the Chancel may have equal pretensions to memorial others . The armour

Two LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 1 9 on one of the statues is that which was in use in the re ign

two 1 of J ohn , while the other represent knights of the 3 th century (Henry 1 1 1 ) We can now only see these shadowy

ﬁgures as through a glass darkly , but many traces of their live s and deeds still remain to Show that here they once lived and moved as an active and living force .

T h e kni s a re dus e i s o ds a re us g ht t , th r w r r t , ” a i w us T h e ir s o uls a re with th e s nts e tr t .

L z 1 2 E I N FR E D a ( I I GI B ERT FI T ROGER F 1 R . ( )

R einfred R aimfrai He was the son of Roger Fitz , or , and n was born about the year 1 1 55 . ( b) O the death of Henry

I I . , Richard I . succeeded to the throne , but shortly after f wards set out for the Holy Land on a Crusade . The a fairs of the kingdom consequently soon became involved in i ’ great confusion , whereupon Prince J ohn , R chard s

Ch anceIIOI brother , began to plot for the crown . The ,

William Longchamp , Bishop of Ely, fearing for his own safety and that of the kingdom , obtained the consent of the Pope to excommunicate J ohn and his followers . It was probably considered too serious a step to exco mmuni

’ cate the King s brother , the sentence against him was therefore deferred till 1 1 9 2 ; but a list of persons to be so dealt with was sent to the Bishop of Lincoln with in

’ st ructio ns e e to carry out the Pop s Mandat , and amongst the names were those of Roger Fitz R einfred and his son l Gilbert . Fortunately however for them , the Chancel or

a Thi s and th e fo llowing life are largely take n from Old printed

b ooks in th e ec o O c e on o n . R rd fﬁ , L d

’ b D ugdale s B aronage . 2 0 SOME RECORDS . OF lost his bishopric and consequently the sentence was not

t a carried into effec . ( ) Gilbert Fitz R einfred was steward or dapifer to Henry

. was II , and constantly in the retinue of Henry I I . when

1 1 80 1 1 8 in France , between and 9 , and was present at the death of that King as he was witness to a Charter given by

Henry at Chinon a few days before his death .

1 1 8 I . In 9 , the ﬁrst year of Richard , Gilbert Fitz Rein m H elwisa de La cas er fred arried n t , the daughter and heiress of William de Lancaster I I . ( b) She had become the

’ ward of the King at her father s death , and , being very m young , was given by the King to Willia Marshall , the

Chancellor , as her guardian , who , in his turn , gave her to

R einfre d Gilbert Fitz , in marriage , but on account of her

m 1 1 8 youth the marriage was not co pleted until 9 , when

Richard I . conﬁrmed the grant of marriage at Rouen .

Her possessions were vast , including the great Barony of

Kendal , in which , at that time , was comprehended the district of Furness . The grant of her possessions to Gilbert “ was that he Should hold them as fully and freely as

N i ellus Alb inie William de Lancaster , and also as g de had ever held them . In the Ruskin Museum at Coniston is a reproduction of the Charter of Richard I . (of which the original is at Levens Hall ) giving freedom from N outgeld to Gilbert Fitz Rein

N o ut eld i fred . g was originally a charge on an estate wh ch had to be paid in cattle as the name Neat or Nout

m l was m i p ies this by the time of Richard I . co muted to a money payment . On the payment of 2 0 marks Gilbert had exemption from this charge throughout his barony 1 of Kendal . The charter is dated at Evreux, April 5 ,

1 1 89 . The Vill or Manor of Ulvers ton received a S pecial charter

i i o l s v en an e e . (1 Ro ge r de H o ed . b L cas h r P p R l 2 Two LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS. 1

a from Gilbert . This charter is quoted in full by West( ) i in in the or ginal Latin and English , but is too long to be sert ed here . It was of great importance to the district as the following extract will Show He granted considerable privileges to the inhabitants (of Ulverston ) and gave great U encouragement to all who would settle in it . lverston in Stephen ’ s grant is comprehended in the lowest degree of i feudal vassalage . Gilbert enfranch sed these people by raising them to the degree of burghers and vesting them l with a free property . He al owed the inhabitants to m m il ake as any toftes or house steads as they w led , and to

h ew ins e c take green or wood out of his woods , under the p

his tion of forester , with the exception of his woods in m Plu pton , and they could have common of pasture and turbary except in his heys (enclosed land) of Plumpton with

fore feiture their divisions . He moreover granted that of the tongue anything said against the Lord of the Manor) Should only be fourpence ; and he retained his

- — — m l . bake house , dyeing house , and fulling i l for himself He also granted that they should sell each sextar of ale dearer by one penny than at Appleby , and to himself at one penny less than to their neighbours and for corn of

own i l their grind ng they were to pay toll at his mil , by

am the s e measure as other of his men , and he would pro vide them mills for their foreign grain at the rate of the twenty - ﬁrst dish

The Manor of Ulverston to which this charter applied , hi w included the present towns p of Bla ith , for the boun

“ daries B e are thus given in the reign of Edward II I . ginning at the Thorn , called the White Thorn , which

Co nish e ad standeth on Bank , and so passing through the m iddle stream of the water of Leven towards the east , as far as the little water cal led Thouse of Crake from thence

’ s n i i i f ne ss a We t s A t q u t e s o Fur . 2 2 SOME RECORDS OF

ascending unto the Goose Eller , and thence to a river called

th e and Black Beck of Torver to North , from thence to a

t h e th e place called the Poake in West , and so on to head

th e of the Black Beck to the South , and from thence to underwood or scrogs called Harley Greave to the South unto Brandreth Stones thence to the boundary of Pen nin t on h al g at the ighway c led Street Gate to the South , thence following through the said Street Gate unto the ” - nis fore named Thorn at Co h ead Bank . Up to this time the friendly relations b e twe en the Barons of Kendal and the Monks of Furness h ad continued undis t urb e d th e 1 1 60 i , and agreement of between Will am de

L n 1 a c ast e I . and the Abbot regarding the division of the Fells still held good— b ut at t h e best the arrangement had

ai — been but an uncert n affair ill deﬁned , and to a great extent unknown , the boundaries now again became a continual source of friction .

1 1 e In 94 , the Abbot and Monks of Furness complain d

R ei fred to the King ( Richard I . ) that Gilbert Fitz n had

e w 88 forcibly taken Sh ep ith their wool , and lambs ,

i e i wh ch belong d to them , wh ch seizure was contrary to the terms of a charter which the King the day after his coronation had grante d them for the peaceable possession of their estates and liberties . Moreover Gilbert had seized the Abbot ’ s boats which he contended were illegally ﬁshing in W indermeI e (a lake over which he Claimed exclusive rights which were afterwards successfully m aintained by his son ) . There can be but little doubt that the rights N had bee n purposely left vague . o w it became necessary

- to re assert them thoroughly , and , if possible , ﬁnally .

1 1 6 Therefore , in 9 , an agreement was made the half of Furness to the west of Coniston Lake was conﬁrmed to the

Baron , the Monks retaining the country to the east of the m Lake . So far , the arrangement was on the sa e basis as W O T LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 2 3

1 1 60 now in , but the Abbot received the right of free hunt

t h e ing in his own part of fells , which hitherto the Baron had retained , while to the Baron was conﬁrmed the Vill or Manor of Ulverston and its appurtenances at a rent of

2 05 . The Baron also granted a free passage to the Monks mm the Abbey through the midst of Ulverston and

Crake slith e to their ﬁshery in the River Crake .

H elwisa This grant was afterwards conﬁrmed by , wife of Gilbert Fitz R einfred . She granted to the Abbot of W ild Furness , all buck , doe , boar and falcon in their part

l W . of Furness fe ls , together ith all other her rights therein This grant is interesting as showing what species of game abounded and was most valued at that time . A similar grant was made at the same time to Gilbert Fitz B ernulph (from whom it descended to the le Fleming family ) of the

r Manor of Coniston , the Baron rese ving to himself and his heirs the same Species of wild game wherever it could be found . ( o ) Amongst other transactions with the Monks about this period there is an entry in the Abbey Coucher Book which

R einfr - shows Gilbert Fitz e d as a rudimentary iron master . He says that the mineral of iron which I have taken at

Or rav e g , I have by the grace and will of the Lords , the

Abbot and Convent of Furness ; nor have I , nor do I claim any other right of taking mineral there save only by ” their mere grace and gift and will . It was usual in those uncertain times for all holders o f estates to obtain from succeeding Kings conﬁrmation of

1 1 their lands and privileges , therefore in 99 King J ohn in the ﬁrst year of his reign conﬁrmed these and former grants in consideration of £1 00 and two palfreys . Moreover

m new Gilbert obtained a somewhat m privilege , a grant for a gallows and pit to be erected in his Lancashire ﬁe f .

e s a W t . 2 4 SOME RECORDS OF

In 1 2 05 Gilbert was appointed Sheriff of the Honour and

s 1 2 0 . County of Lanca ter , and in 9 of Yorkshire In this capacity the following curt message was sent to him by

n 1 2 0 . King J oh August , 7 To take himself into our

NORMAN KNIGHT .

Gem et t a forest which William held in County Lanc ster , with the land of the same , or attorn some one of your men to safeguard that forest with a sergeant of Hugh de Nevilles , whom he will send for that purpose , and see that ye keep

2 6 SOME RECORDS OF

o i the provisions the Charter were carried out , and the

King kept to its provisions .

The signing of Magna Carta , which was of the greatest i f value to the English nation , was in its immed ate e fect disastrous to Gilbert and his son William . J ohn , full of fury against the barons who had caused his humiliation , turned to help from foreign mercenaries with the aid of these he turned on the barons , and ﬁnally caught his principal enemies in Rochester Castle and there laid siege to them ; among the knights Shut in was William de

Lancaster , with a host of others . The Siege was of a most ni obstinate character , both sides recog zing that questions of more than ordinary import were involved in it . An old writ eI thus describes the Siege William de Alb inie

- defended the castle with 94 knights , demi lances , and other

at soldiers . J ohn , with the aid of foreign mercenaries

it waies tacked , inforcing himself by all possible to win

n the castle , as well by batting the walls with engi es , as by giving thereto many assaults . The knights within in vain hoped that their friends outside would attack the b e

sieging party, but this assistance not being forthcoming , for want of v it tels they were constrained to yield it up to the King after it had been besieged the space of three

. h score days The king was minded to put them all to deat ,

di S auline but was ssuaded by de Mauleon , chief of the mer ce naries , so sent William de Albinic , William de Lancaster , and others , as prisoners , to Corfe Castle , hanging the demi

arcub ustiers lances , yeomen and to make others afraid to be

. n so obstinate True it is , there had been no Siege more ear e stl h e y enforced , nor more obstinately defended , t knights keeping the Master Tower of the Castle after all the limnes n of the castle had been throw down , and yielded through famine , having nothing but horse ﬂesh and water to sus TWO LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 2 7

h all a h t h eIr wit . e tain lives ( ) T capture of his son and heir ,

- then a young man of about twenty two , so alarmed Fitz

R einfre d , that he soon thought ﬁt to make his peace with

co nduc t b the King , and procuring letters of safe ( ) came to w the King , who was then at Ber ick , returning from an expedition against the Scots . J ohn , having got him into

was o ff his grip , not disposed to let him lightly , and exacted the sum of marks as a condition of his pardon ; an enormous sum in those days . In consideration of this he received in addition to his own pardon , that of William , his son , Ralph de Aincourt , and Lambert de Bussy , his knights , and that they Should be free from imprisonment . Nevertheless he was oblige d to give hostages as assurances of his future good conduct , viz . , the son and heir of Henry de Redman , the son and heir of Roger de Kirkby , son and

i W indleso re heir of Will am de , the daughter and heiress

’ d Ainco urf of Ralph , the heir of Roger de Burton , the daughter and heiress of Adam de Yealand , the heir of

Walter de Strickland , the daughter of Richard de Cope

all land , and the son of Gilbert de Lancaster ( of whom were the principal mesne lords holding under the Baron of

Kendal ) , and if it Should happen that any of the hostages l Should die , then he Shou d deliver other sons and daughters of those knights , or some other such persons , in their

’ his stead . He also delivered into the King s hands , castle i of Kirkby Kendal , and his castle in Warton , to d spose of

— f . 2 2 at his pleasure all this was e fected at Berwick , J an ,

1 c n 2 1 6 . ( ) He also bound himself to serve King J oh and his heirs by Queen Isabella all the days of his life . Fitz R einfre d was totally unable to dispute these onerous con ditio ns l his , which wou d seem to imply total ruin , as his son was in the custody of the treacherous and cruel J ohn .

’ ’ b m e s Fo e dera . a H olinsh ed s Ch ro nicles . Ry r

’ e a D ugd ale s Barona g . OF 2 8 SOME RECORD S .

ﬁ What would have been the result it is dif cult to surmise , but at a most opportune moment J ohn died in November 1 2 1 6 , and was succeeded by his son Henry III a boy of nine . Apparently the above arrangements had not been

1 1 2 . concluded , for in 7 the King , Henry II I , by William

’ Marshall , the guardian of the kingdom and the King s person , wrote to Peter de Mauley to liberate without delay William de Lancaster , who is a prisoner in your ” custody . His liberation still being delayed , there was next year aperemptory message to Peter de Mauley to let William Lancaster go Without delay and send him under safe custody to Gloucester , and know ye unless you do this , the very greatest harm , which heaven forbid , may ” happen to us . After that , he was freed . With regard to the young hostages we have one or two glimpses of their subsequent history . In the Tower Rolls are documents which Show that these young people were u appointed to wait on the Queen Isabella of Ango leme , wife of King J ohn , at Windsor and Winchester , where they w attended her in bands , serving her at meals , and follo ing l her at cavalcades and processions . Two of them , E iza

’ d Aincourt E nco urt beth , the heiress of Ralph , or y , of

Siz er h g Castle , and Walter , heir of Sir Thomas Strickland ,

r m of St ickland , for ed an attachment for each other at the

m a Court of Isabella and afterwards arried . ( ) As to the others it appears that some six years afterwards some of

1 2 2 2 them were still detained , for in , two years after Fitz

’ infred s R e death , William de Lancaster , his son , complained m that Nor an , son of Henry de Redman , Richard , son of

W indeso re Roger de Kirby , and the son of William de , who were returning to their own country in the north of

England after being set at liberty , were seized by the

’ ic an s uee n o f En an Vo l 1 a S . . . tr kl d Q gl d , 3 3 9 TW O 2 LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 9

f . Sheri f of Nottingham , and placed in Nottingham Castle A writ was issued for their release and they were set free

1 2 2 2 . again in May , William de Lancaster afterwards ’ d conveyed the Levens domain to Norman de Re man , the grant of which is at Levens H all and a Copy in the Coniston

Museum .

’ 1 2 1 oh n Gilb e rt In 7 , after the death of King J , Fitz R einfred again obtained letters of safe conduct to William

Marshall , Earl of Pembroke , to ratify the pardon , which , in r consideration of the ﬁne had been g anted him . After W this , in the same year, he was taken into favour ith the King , who commissioned him to escort the King of

Man to do homage to the King at Solway , Carlisle and

L ancast er. b di 1 2 2 0 ( ) He ed in the year , leaving William

his b his de Lancaster, son and heir , and three daughters y

H elwisa Of wife de Lancaster , two which daughters in

his default of male issue , ultimately succeeded to and her estates . By a previous marriage he had a daughter wh o 1 1 married Roger de Kirby , in ﬁrst year of J ohn , 99

al 3 011 . so a , Roger de Lancaster ( Note — There is considerable doubt as to who the latter really was . It has been suggested , and probably with

R einfre d truth , that he was not the son of Fitz , but of his

H elwisa hi wife by a later marriage , w ch would account

de his 1 2 1 for his name Lancaster , the date of death 9 , and the otherwise inexplicable grant to him by his nieces of the Furness domains . ) (See later . )

’ b D u dale s a ona e g B r g . 3 0 SOME RECORDS OF

I LL M D E S . ( II . ) WI IA LANCA TER II I

( SOM ETI M ES STYLED D E M OWB RAY ) .

Gilbert Fitz Roger Fitz R einfre d was succeeded by his

W i i m de L cas er son , ll a an t , usually known as the third , to distinguish him from his ancestors of th e same name . In his earlier years he was much in the company of King J ohn

1 2 1 e . and his court , and in 4 he serv d with J ohn in Picardy How he j oined the rebellious barons against the King e n forcing the signing of Magna Carta , and thereby bringing on himself the v e n

eance g of the King ,

has been Shewn before . The large ﬁne or ran som exacted from his father by J ohn was not fully paid at his ’ d father s eath , SO that it was not until he had done homage to the

King (Henry I II . ) and

given security , that he received possession of

O F D E I I I . SEAL WILLIAM LANCASTER , and all his lands , paid 5 which was accounte d as part of the ﬁne of his

’

de ath . a redemption , the year of his father s ( )

1 2 0 was In 2 there an order from Henry I I I . to him to give

Th eob aldus Th eo b aldus up to , son of Walter , or to his

in S messenger bring g these letters , his ister Matilda , whom

King J ohn , our father , had committed to be brought up

al nutriendam R einfre d . b ( ) by Gilbert Fitz , your father ( ) This throws a curious side light on the methods by which

a a damsels of high degree were domiciled in medi ev l castles .

l ’ n n b a e o s . e D da e s a o na e . co e Of c e . a ug B r g P t t R ll H ry III . R rd ﬁ TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 3 1

1 2 2 1 m In , Willia de Lancaster was summoned , with o i others , to the siege of Cockerm uth Castle , wh ch , while

s Fo rtib us e in the posses ion of William de , had been order d

. 1 2 2 to be rased to the ground In 5 , the King , Henry II I . wrote to him ordering him to deforest the lands afforested

e by his pred cessors Since the days of Henry I I . , and so act towards his tenants as the King acted to his

Char er of the Fores 1 2 1 The t t, which was passed in 7 , is the

document on which this order was founded , and was one

1 of the most important reforms of the 3 th century . I t

1 1 8 was based on an earlier charter of 4 , and on the clauses

on the subj ect in Magna Carta . It would be too long to ente r into all its details here— it is sufﬁcient to say that the main provisions were directed against the great affo rest a

tion of lands by earlier Kings and the feudal lords , who

- readily in these matters followed their over lords . These

a l nds were to be at once deforested , and no further encroach

h o ments permitted . It would be interesting to know w far Furness was affected by this law —probably to a con

siderab le extent , as the surface of this country was then

chieﬂy forest . The regulations were exceedingly severe . R eguardo res or visitators were appointed over the forest an enquiry was held into all dogs living ( existentium ) in

the forest , and all owners whose dogs were not mutilated by having three claws abstracted from the ball of the

back foot were liable to heavy penalties . No one was henceforth to lose his life or limb for hunting in the forest

was illegally , but to be heavily ﬁned , and if he could not pay , to be outlawed from the kingdom . However , Should an archbishop , bishop , count , baron , or abbot traverse

the forest , he might take two beasts under the inspection

was of the forester if he present , if not , a horn was to be sounded that it might not seem to be done furtive ly— (it

n o s e nr . a Pa te t R ll . H y III 3 2 SOME RECORDS or is on record that the Bishop of Carlisle in the exercise of this privilege took a buck in Any free m an could henceforth make in his own wood (boscus ) or on his land in the forest , a mill , ﬁsh pond , marl pit or ploughed land , not to the damage of his neighbour . He also could have

r eyries of falcons and spa row hawks , and water fowl , and

— r heronries also any honey found in his woods . Mo eover ,

’ no forester , except the King s , should levy a tax upon waggons going through the forest , but if a forest was held in fee , a tax could be levied at a Speciﬁed rate on waggons and pack horses which came from outside the district

&c . carrying timber , bark , charcoal , , for sale , but that only in places where the tax had always been levied , and when

’ the goods carried were for s ale for purpose of the owner s livelihood no tax was to be made ; it had formerly been obligatory on all to attend the forest courts this was now

1 repealed . What a forest and its functions were in the 3 th century is thus expressed The forest of the King is the

- safe dwelling place of wild beasts , not in chance , but in i ﬁxed places , and su table for this purpose , whence it is

0 feres t a called foresta , the e being changed into as , that

a is the abode of wild animals ( statio fem rum) . ( )

In 1 2 2 6 William de Lancaster accompanied Henry I I I . to France .

With regard to more local matters , there were at this

al time various disputes , which Show the increasing v ue of property in the district . To understand the transfer of property at this period , it is necessary to say a word as to h ow it was effected . The most popular method was to

’ bring a suit in the King s court . This was concluded by

W Fi a Co c rd nis hat is known as a n l n o , or Feet of Fines (ﬁ ) , t which were practically deeds ransferring land , and which

al operated nomin ly as an amicable arrangement , putting

’ a S ub b s S e e c a e s t l t Ch rt r .

3 4 SOME RECORDS OF thereupon agreed that Roger and his heirs Should have liberty to erect and maintain the mill without gainsay of

William and his heirs , and afterwards William de Lancas ter quit - claime d and released Roge r de He don and his heirs

“ from h is right of exacting from him and his men any suit

was of his mill in Ulverston . This arrangement based upon the settlement of a dispute between William , son of

W alde f , of Ulverston and Roger de Hedon , tenant of land

Th o rv er h e in g , wherein William yi lded his Claim , for which

Roger gave him ten marks of silver .

Lowick Mi s till i ll, on the Crake , and stand ng as a corn

1 8th mill , was also the subj ect of an arrangement ( J une , 1 2 56 ) worth noting as Showing the power of a fe udal lord over his tenant , and also the importance of corn mills in the feudal manorial system . In the ﬁnal concord or agree

l Turs ment which was made at Lancaster between A an de ,

inter plaintiff , and Alan de Steynton , defendant , it was ( alia ) agreed that Alan de Steyn ton should grant that all his tenants in Steynton and ffo rm ethwayt Should grind ’ their corn at Alan de Tut s mill at L o wyk to the sixteenth l measure , and that they Should give to the said A an for the pigs which they might agist (turn out to feed ) in L o wyk woods every tenth pig or the tenth penny of the value

d l as thereoi. ( ) Wi liam de Lanc ter also gave to Laurence de Cornwall and his heirs the mills and other land in Ulver

0 ston , paying a yearly sum of 3 Shillings on the Ascension of our Lord . Between 1 2 4 0 and 1 2 46 William de Lancaster made the agreement with the Abbot of Furness which ﬁnally deter

two mined the rights of the parties in Furness Fells .

' m de L ancas ter To all the faithful in Christ , Willia greeting . w al ul t h e Be it kno n to ye that for the he th of my so ,

f h n n e o e c o f e . a Final Co ncord s o t e Co u ty f La cas t r . R rd O ﬁc T W O LAKELAND TOWNSHI PS . 3 5

ne soul of Ag s , my wife , and the souls of all my predecessors and successors , I have given and granted to the Lord Abbot of Furness and to the Monks there serving God , certain

S cathwait e lands which I hold of them , that is all and Egton with all their members and appurtenances — the which lands I bequeath to them with my body ; also a boat suf

ﬁcient to carry necessaries on Thurston Water , and another m S all boat for ﬁshing on the same water , wherever they

2 0 please , with nets for the use of my aforesaid Monks f also on Windermere , one boat su ﬁcient to carry maere i mium (materials , as timber , for build ng ) , and another

2 0 small boat for ﬁshing with nets , without any opposition from me or my heirs but if any servant belonging to the

Monks , who Shall have care of the boats on the said water

discre commit any trespass , he shall be punished at my tion and if such servant refuse to give and make reason able satisfaction he shall be dismissed with the loss of his wages by the Monks from their service . Moreover , I will

b o d sh all command , and conﬁrm , that my y be interred in that place which I have made choice of within the afore said Monastery , and which is in the presbytery near to the body of my grandfather of happy memory and I , the said

- William , will ever warrant , quit Claim , and defend the said alms against all men . In the presence of these witnesses

le ac a to this my gift and g y . ( )

Lady Agnes (D omina Agneta ) my spouse .

Co nin sh ev ed J ohn , Prior of g ,

The Lord Roger , my brother ,

L a b urn Robert de y and Laurence de Cornwall , my n k ights ,

R e nes ill de Roland de g , my seneschal Gilbert Lan

o f caster , high constable Kirkby Kendal ; Robert ” le T ailo ur . , and many others present

i n a G e a t i b in e n a 6 t h o e mb e 1 2 0 . v K rk y K d l , N v r, 4 3 6 SOME RECORDS OF

From this docum ent it will be seen that William assert ed his ﬁshing and navigation rights over Coniston and Winder mere lakes , and threatened with severe penalties , the

e Monks and th ir servants if they poached on his demesne , which , however , was a considerable amelioration of the severe Forest Laws then still existing . Beck (Annales Fum esienses ) imagines that the maere mium , or timber , mentioned to be carried on the lakes i might be requ red by the Abbey for building purposes , as it is known that very considerable alterations and exten sions were made to the buildings about that date . The grant was afterwards conﬁrmed by his wife Agnes

(de Brus ) for the good of the soul of her late husband , and of her own soul . She conﬁrmed to God and the Blessed

e S h e Mary of Furness , all her right and dow r which had

’ ’ claimed before the King s j ustices of the Co urt of King s

al Bench , and that no one may hereafter c l in doubt this my release in my chaste widowhood , I have hereunto put ” my seal . Witnesses Roger de Coupland , Roger de

R . Lancaster , William de Furness , ichard de Kirby Matthew Paris (the historian of the reigns of J ohn and “ 1 2 6 Henry says In this year ( 4 ) alas , many shields were laid and amongst them that of William de

Lancaster . His body was buried in the Abbey of Furness , where a statue broken and forlorn is said to represent this once powerful Norman Baron of the 1 3 th century . Here is an extract which may enable us to understand a little the distance which divided the Norman knights and their tenants (there was no middle class except in a “ few of the larger towns ) . The language in the reign of — Henry I II . was as barbarous as the manners there was a regular confusion of tongues . I t was a mark of nobility and gentle breeding for people to converse in Norman

a Multi Clipei in A ngliajam h e u pro s tra ti . TWO LAKELAN D TOWNSHIPS . 3 7

French ; the law acknowledged no language but Norman d French , the Church only Latin , the people a corrupte ” “ r a Saxon . A contemporary w iter says ( ) Some used a

i wo fﬁn strange g bbering , g and grating language then the di Northern tongue , especially York (inclu ng Furness ) is so

fro tin sharp , ﬂitting , y g , and unshape , that we may not ” understand that language . Here we see the different elements out of which rose our English language in an

’ actual state of struggle and ferment . The King s pro

i ns and . clam at o were read in Saxon , French Latin Note — Th e annexed seal of William de Lancaster is taken from a plaster cast of a chipped impression of the seal . It is in the manuscript department of the British

and : r in Museum thus described To the ight , armour , h anb erk ai of m l , surcoat , helmet with vizor down , sword , shield of arms , horse galloping , arms two bars , on a canton

L nc s r a a t e . an undistinguishable Charge . Matthew Paris mentions the scumm (shield) de L an castre quad jam and adds L eop arda s aureus in ” “ ’ quartero . Elsewhere the arms are described as d argent a deux barres de goules sang ung quartier de goules at c m

' ’ e ard e la uarti er d or b L op n q . ( )

On r an inspection of this seal , it will be seen the e is a great resemblance in the armour and accoutrements to the

fﬁ i two ni um ess e g es of the k ghts in F Abbey . This would certainly mark at least one of the ﬁgures as William de

Ver Lancaster . v possibly the statue was modelled from the ﬁgure on the seal , the other statue would probably be that of his father or grandfather .

’

a Tre v isa . b G o e s o of rm s l v r R ll A . 3 8 SOME RECORDS OF

I II .

DE SCENT OF TH E MANO R O F ULVERSTON ON TH E DEATH O F WILLIAM D E LANCA STER II I so FAR As IT

R L T L W H E ATE S O B A IT .

On the death of William de Lancaster I II . his possessions

Ulv ers in Furness , known under the name of the Manor of

o f ton , which Blawith formed a part , descended to his two

H elwisa Sisters and Alicia , daughters of Gilbert Fitz Roger

R einfre d H elwisa i Fitz and de Lancaster his w fe , and were

H el isa . w accordingly divided between them , the elder , i married Peter de Brus , and had issue one son who d ed u nes nmarried , and four daughters , of whom Ag married

e de auco nb er Walt r F g , and Lucia married to Marmaduke

n e de Thwe g . These four daught rs succeeded to their

’ mother s prope rty . Ulverston and West Furness being n part of the share of Ag es and Lucia , were conveyed by

R e (18 La cas er th e them to their uncle og r n t , half (or as l some say , illegitimate ) brother of Wil iam de Lancaster

co - III . Alicia , the other sister and heiress of William de

l a Lancaster III . , married Wil iam de Lindsay , who lso gave their Furness Share to Roger de Lancaster ; this moiety of the Manor of Ulve rston ultimately came to the Monks

a e of Furness . ( ) For his life Rog r de Lancaster thus had

h e r all the possessions of t Barons of Kendal in Fu ness . Roger at ﬁrst disputed the claim of the Abbot of Furness to his homage and service for the Manor of Ulverston .

This , however , he at length admitted , and his homage and fealty were received by the Abbot in Cartme l Priory i Church , when all matters in d spute were settled between

’ dal e s M o nas tico n a D ug .

4 0 SOME RECORDS OF of commercial activity for the town and surrounding dis

we o ur - t rict . Here have the origin of well known Thursday

e all m mark t at Ulverston , where the business fro the neigh b ouring countryside concentrates itself into one full day 1 2 1 a week . In 9 Roger de Lancaster died and was suc cee de d by his son J ohn de Lancaster in the moiety of the Manor of Ulverston which had come to him from the de Brus family the other moiety went to William de Coucy

' O f whom more afterwards . Sir J oh n de Lancaster was a warrior of renown in 1 2 94 he received a summons , together with other knights , to attend the King (Edward I . ) at Portsmouth , well ﬁtted both with horse and arms , and thence sail to France .

1 2 In 97 he served against the Scots , and after much ser vice there he was appointed to guard the Marches or

Borders Of Scotland .

1 8 . He died in 3 3 5 ( Edward III ) leaving a son and heir ,

1 2 . a Richard , then years of age ( )

1 In 3 3 4 , or Shortly before his death , he sold or gave his

Furness property to J ohn de Harrington . bb cle H a i o Jo rr ngt n, who thus acquired half the Manor

r al of Ulve ston , including h f the township of Blawith , was

Muchlan already possessed of the neighbouring Manor of d .

The Abbot of Furness , ever ready to assert and establish

1 l his claims demanded a payment of 5 so idi , as a rent for

now en the land and tenements which Harrington held ,

" M o t e Ulverstone ar en les . n eynes d Ulverstone gm jadis ” uront a M onsieur ohan de L ancastre f j , according to the agreement made between the Abbot and J ohn de L ancas ter . After some discussion , and on the Abbot abandoning his claim to all arrears ( arrerages ) Harrington agreed to

en the terms , and the agreement was Signed at Preston

’ Amoundernesse 13 four de sayni M argarete I an da regne

a ic o ia is . o f ancas i e V t r H t L h r . C A R T N E I. H ARRINGTON MONUMENT ( CHURCH) .

TW O LAK ELAND TOWNSHIPS . 4 1

R o E dward tierce uts la Con uest v ut ct sisme le y , p q y

J ohn de Harrington was succeede d by his son Rob ert de

H arrington, who obtained a conﬁrmation by Richard I I . of the free weekly market and annual fair at Ulverston , which had been granted by Edward I . this according to

’ R obem de H ar ntou the charter was at the request of y , ” chivaler , witness myself ( Richard at Westminster ,

III . July in the year of our reign the eleventh “ Pro uua marca soluta in h auapio sup er plicam manu

ui videtur eadem .

The half Manor no w continued in the Harrington family

1 w until 457 , when Sir William Harrington dying ithout

B onv ile male issue , it descended to his grandson William ,

O f lli the son his daughter Elizabeth , who had married Wi am ,

’ B nv ile i o di . Lord , and who ed in her father s lifetime Th s William called himself W illiam lord H arrington ; he was slain at the battle of Wakeﬁeld , in the wars of the Roses , in

1 60 . ni 4 To those interested in this k ghtly family , their tombs in Cartmel Priory Church will be obj ects of much interest .

William , lord Harrington , left an only daughter , Cecilia ,

O f married to Thomas Grey , Marquis of Dorset , son Queen

Elizabeth Woodville (wife of Edward IV . ) by her ﬁrst marriage . H e r G D uke He was succeeded by his son n y rey, created of Suffo k l , who married Frances , daughter of Mary , sister of Henry VIII . , and widow of Louis XII . , of France .

Their daughter was Lady J ane Grey , well known in his l tory . Her story is too fami iar to need repetition here it is sufﬁcient to say that the ill - advised attempt to place the Crown of England on her head , involved the ruin of all f her adherents . The Duke of Su folk , her father , after vain ly endeavouring to raise the Midland Counties in 1 554 in 4 2 SOME RECORDS OF

favour of his daughter against Queen Mary , was captured and thrown into the Tower . Lady J ane Grey was exe cut e d 1 2 th 1 f on February , 554 the Duke of Su folk was

aft erwards . a tried , condemned and executed , soon ( ) Being thus convicted of high treason his property was forfeited u w 1 . to the Crown in 554 Th s his property in Bla ith , as

th e well as rest of the half Manor of Ulverston , which he had Obtained from the Harringtons became the possession of Queen Mary . ( b) The other moiety of the Manor of Ulve rston comprising

Of a large part of the Township of Blawith , on the death

1 2 1 m Roger de Lancaster in 9 , reverted back to the fa ily

of de Lindsay (Alicia , Sister of William de Lancaster III .

- dau h having married William de Lindsay ) . Their grand g

I n elram m ter and heiress married g de Coucy de Gy es , and

W i iam de Couc left a son and heir , ll y he was of French

origin , and beyond possession does not appear to have been n . O actively concerned in this district He died in 1 34 6 . “ ” his death the usual inquisitio post mortem was held; J ust a word is needed as to the nature O f an inquisitio post mortem Old , for we ﬁnd it very frequently occurring in

’ deeds , and it is often the only record of a man s possessions I i ' extant . The system of uqu sztio post mortem was insti t ute d in the reign of Henry III When the tenant in chief

died , a writ was at once sent down by the King to call a

re j ury , to inqui into what land the deceased was possessed

O f e . , by what tenure he held it , and who was the h ir The

writ and the return were sent back into Chancery . When

’

it was found that the heir was the King s ward , his rents during his minority were received by the King ; naturally the grip of the King and his Ofﬁcials was not relaxed until it was completely proved that such minority was really i n over . Th s ecessitated a second inquest on behalf Of the

’ m r o f n a n u e s is o E . b S e e e n i I a H H t y gl d App d x V . TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 43

1 heir to prove his age . A man had not power until 53 4 to make a will disposing O f his lands he could and generally

o did , make a disp sition , which , however , only dealt with

ro r a h is money and personal p pe t y . ( )

t i uisi io was Consequen ly an nq t n taken at Ulverston ,

1 1 6 County Lancashire , on Wednesday , 5th March , 3 4 , in

Of 1 st . the 2 year King Edward I II after the Conquest , of

h B o keland France the eighth , before Nic olas de , Roger de

s Normanville and Nichola Gower , commissioners , to inquire

’ into the true value of the land , tenements , knights fees , l &c . advowsons , , belonging to Wi liam de Coucy and Robert n de Coucy of Gy es . By the oath of the j ury (including

s Swa nsone 1 0 was J ohn Tower , J ohn y , and others ) , it declared that William de Coucy held in his demesne as of

Of fee , half the township Ulverston , of which the yearly

S . b value was O . 3 d ( ) And there are certain tenements in Blawith which are ” worth by the vear 1 0s . 9d . The J ury also say that there are (Blawith ) certain proﬁts which are called Gresmales (que vocatur gresmales ) with the winter and the summer eatage ( cum h erbagio hiem ale et estiuale ) in Plumpton and Blawith worth by the year i ii i s . xx B . r sm l s r s N . G e a e h a eo ( , or in modern p l t h e cow ogy grass rent , is grass that will keep a for a

erss i. e . season , it is also deﬁned as g male , , rent for grass or the privile ge of grazing it is derived from the old

res n beest s ed u e w the res b ee st s English g y , y f y g y g ( y in pasture 0) They also say the proﬁts of iron made in the moiety of th e 5 vill is worth by the year 3 3 . There was also other

N welande T b urth wait e Conin st o n R e property in y y , g ,

r a e co s R e . & C . a e R rd , , W lt y

b n uisi io ns isc e an e o us anc e i e N o . 6 . I q t M ll Ch ry F l , 3

G e c o mm un i a e a t h o r . C c a t e d b y Mr . H rp r y p 44 SOME RECORDS OF

S he v e d S t eint o n N e t eslacke Am alse t e Gressem e re , , , , , Lough r & c . igge ,

e William de Coucy leaving no h irs , his property according

law to the feudal escheated to the Abbot of Furness , as

Chief lord of the liberties and royaltie s of Furness . The

King , Edward I II . , however , set aside the grant from

l e L indesa - t h e A icia and Walt r de y , and over ruled right of e t h e Of . scheat in favour J ohn de Coupland But Abbot ,

i e e feel ng himself aggriev d , p titioned the King against this

e t h e r Of th e grant , who thereupon alter d te ms ﬁrst grant , giving the half Manor of Ulverston to J ohn de Coupland

’

i e t h e . for his life and his w fe s only , with rev rsion to Abbey For this the Abbot had to pay £4 0 and the Manor was to be held in the same manner as before its alienation .

J oh de Cou a d no w n pl n , who succeeded , was connected

th e by distant ties of relationship with former owners ,

his t h e O f and wife J oanna was widow his predecessor ,

William de Coucy . He was the valiant warrior whose memory is deservedl y

r transmitted to poste ity , as well for his personal bravery ,

u as his truly heroic cond ct at the battle of Durham , when , without losing re spect to the royal foe (who by repe ated blows and the dashing out of his teeth , provoked him to slay , or be Slain , by him ) , the valiant Captain obliged i e r soner . a David , King of Scots , to liv and become his p ( )

Of h n e On the delivery to him t is importa t captiv , Edward “ I II . , then at Calais in consideration of the acceptable and laudable service done to us by our be loved J ohn de

Coupland , and the good estate which he hath held in our wars , and also his valiant behaviour at the said battle , and

e l being willing to reward him for his ﬁd ity and - valour in such wise that others in time to come may thence take

e b annare t a creat d him a knight , and lso made

’ ’ l s a o na e u ns is o r Of e s m da e . b o an a D ug B r g B r H t y W t rl d .

4 6 SOME RECORDS OF

e of the Whole Manor of Ulverston hav common of pasture .

o Of He was also p ssessed of the half Manor Ulverston ,

R esse t t Co n n est o n Newland , Plumpton , Blawith , , y g ,

l t Asmun rle T b urthwaite St a n er e h de . y , y , and y The J ury also say that J ohn de Asmunde rlawe ( now Osmotherley ) held a certain dwelling house and a cert ain

Asmunderlawe piece of land which is called , of Matthew de m Red an , by certain service , and which Matthew further holds the same tenements as mesne land of the aforesaid moiety by homage and fealty and the service of 6 3d . by the year . After the death of J ohn and J oanna de Coupland this moiety of Ulverston came into the hands of the Ab bot of Fur ess n as before arranged , where it continued for a period of 2 00 years until the Dissolution of the Monastery in 1 53 7

2 8 ( Henry when , together with all the other Abbey estates it was surrendered to the King . The history Of this portion of the Manor of Ulverston , and the part of the

Of w Township Bla ith included in it , is during this period the history of the Abbey of Furness . To enter all the details of the Abbey history would be impossible here and indeed the history and inner working of the Abbey itself are involved in dark clouds of mystery , which , in consequence of the loss of nearly all documents at the time of Dissolution , have never been lifted more than to give a very imperfect view of the domestic and internal and external economy of the Monks . With a more Clear knowledge of the methods O f the Monks in dealing with their tenants in High Furness it would have been possible to draw a fairly accurate picture of the life of the day .

TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 4 7

MONKS .

M r f Fur ess was The monastery of St. a y o n founded in

1 1 2 b S te h en w in 7 y p , Count of Boulogne , after ards King of H and W alne England . The grant included all Furness y

O F A SEAL FURNESS BBEY .

with the privilege of hunting , all the lordship in Furness

" with the men , and everything thereto belonging that is in woods , in open grounds , and in land , and in water , also

Olv erst o nam ! m Ulverston ( ) with sac , soc , to , team , and infa g anth eo f all feudal j urisdiction over the tenants ) and everything within Furness except the lands of Michael ” le Fleming . At ﬁrst Sight this would seem an absolute and entire

L ow grant of High and Furness with everything therein , but in those lawless times when the district was a waste 48 SOME RECORDS OF

th e and partly unknown ground , boundaries and rights could be but extremely vague , as was instanced by the constant disputes between the Monks and the Barons of m Kendal , until the ﬁnal deli itation of their various do 6 hi mains in 1 1 9 . The township of Nibthwaite by t s agree

e ment ﬁnally fell to the Shar of the Abbot and his monks , and the township of Blawith to the Barons of Kendal .

l e A thorough acquaintance with the . character and ru of the Abbey of Furness would be essential for a prope r

Of di ﬁ understanding the history of the strict , but suf cient is known Of the methods of the working of a Cistercian Abbey to make certain several broad features of their

ll th e system . Although nomina y , and in ﬁrst instance , ' f l t h e Ab b e a re igious community , y was also , in its early

hl - i H ow years , a thoroug y business l ke institution . far Furness itself may have been selected from commercial motives by its founde rs is a

matter for conj ecture , but the probability is that the community was ﬁrst attracted here by quali ties in the country which similarly

e pl ased them elsewhere . Though the monks were not originally Of the Cistercian order

they soon adopted their tenets , which amongst other duties in cluded farming and especial ly

m ! sheep far ing , and that this farm ing was conducted by them on a large scale in High and L ow Furness there is much inherent w evidence to Show . It is kno n they enclosed land and formed herdw cks m , y , C IS T E R C M N MONK , Sheep far s or with TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 49

granges for their tenants or h irds to dwell in . The woods

e a with which High Furness was then , as now , cov red , lso early attracted their attention— the purposes for which they needed them were many and Obvious , but more especially they were of use for the making Of charcoal

1 wherewith to smelt the iron , of which in the 3 th century they had acquired the mines of E lliscales and Orgrav e in

L OW . Furness Pasturage for Sheep and cattle , timber and

&C . wood for building , , and wool from the sheep in which they were large traders were thus the most valuable assets f which High Furness a forded to these busy Monks , who

i e e wh le keeping one y on the safety of their own souls , had the other firmly fixed on the aggrandisement of their order ( ad m arjoram de i gloriam ) the welfare of their community and their individual selves . The wild game with which High Furness abounded would afford excellent fare for the table Of the Abbey ! moreover the Monks had acquired the right Of fishing and keeping boats on Coniston Lake while the right Of fishing in the River Crake was Shared with Co nish e ad Priory . Having Obtained these rights the astute Monks took care to get them consolidated by the various monarchs of Eng in land turn , a very necessary precaution when the Royal

memory was sometimes conveniently short . Consequently

Of no doubt , at the request and promptings the Monks ,

Edward I II . , King of England , Lord of Ireland and Duke

n e of Aquitai e of his special grace , grant d to the Abbey , 1 Free W arre in 3 3 7 , n the exclusive right of hunting )

all H awkeh ead So urei in the lands of their lordship in , ,

Cla f Gra t hwait S atirt hwait Grise dale F nnesthwait y , y , , , y ,

H av erthwait R olesland K un n e st on , , Bonthe , Colton , y g ,

Skat h wait N e b urthwait e , and . This grant contains the ﬁrst mention O f Nibthwaite where it app e ars with the

u above unus al spelling . 5 0 SOME RECORDS OF

Old N The origin of the name has been given as orse ,

N - -th v eit ae r N eb ur y burgar , of which the medi val fo m is “ t hwait e : a N e thwait , and the meaning New burg ( ) w town in a Clearing if this is corre ct it would seem to betoken a place of larger Size and more importan ce

r than we have any trace of . Other fantastic de ivations have been propounded , which appear the merest guess work . In this grant O f 1 3 3 7 all trespass after game was for

ad bidden , nor was the district to be a refuge for fugitives (

u andam Of was f g ) , the ﬁne for a breach this to be ten pounds . The document was witnessed by many vener able persons , including the Archbishops of Canterbury n and York , the Bishop of Li coln and others . Two years

1 later in 3 3 9 , there was a more important grant , and one which shows the real purpose for which the monks SO

f . O . tenaciously held this corner the country Edward II I , ” h is again of Special grace , gave licence to the beloved to e c ose in Christ , the Abbot and Convent of Furness , n l woods boscos arks arcos R am esh ead ( ) and make p (p ) at ,

Soureb R o nh ev e d Milnewo o de Cla f y , , , y and Fourness

r Fells , and SO hold them without any hind ance from the

King , his j ustices , foresters , verderers and bailiffs . In Norman and Plantagenet times a park was an enclo sure fenced Off by pales or walls ; in most forests there

o were at least one or tw parks . Forest Law prevailed in parks within a forest . but not in those outside such limits . A park was also a place of sanctuary for wild beas ts of all f kinds , but it di fered from a chase in being enclosed , while

Of . it was usually smaller extent If left Open , in place of being kept properly enclosed . it was liable to be seized by the king , as a free chase . Hence , when such tracts or im portions of chases were granted to subj ects , license to

” f h Me e G . o lin woo a o s ein O t e . . Th r t r , W C l g d

TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 5 1

e park was given at the same time . There is no r cord as to the date and place of the ﬁrst park formed , but Domesday mentions S ixteen subj ects who held parks . From Edward

I . and onward , most great men (such as Barons and Abbots ) had parks and Chases , and licenses to impark are frequent

R olls a in the Patent . ( ) In their original state in High Furness these parks were simply an enclosure of wood and fell . In Nibthwaite there are three which are always mentioned together as adj oining , and were probably the ﬁrst three formed by

m o r t s i. arka o W a ide e . P this grant , , , Water or Park , and

Lawson Park (the latter , though not in Nibthwaite , reaches l up its borders ) . There are also in Nibthwaite , Hi l Park ,

enclo and Abbot Park , which were also early monastic sures . The obj ect Of these enclosures is apparent the timber was ﬁrst to be cut down , made into charcoal for smelting t h e b iron ore rought from Low Furness , and on the land thus left bare cattle and Sheep were to be pastured until the wood had grown sufﬁciently to be again cut for char

v coal . Although we have no documentary e idence that

th e this was so , there is actual proof in remains still to be

Park m o r . a o seen At , Water Park , and Lawson Park , there is in each a great heap of iron slag , scoriae and cin d — Of ers that at Water Park is on the north Side the stream ,

Parkamo or known as Selside Beck , at Close to the Main

Road , and at Lawson Park on the edge of the Beck Leven , near the margin of the lake .

is m st n . h Co o Mr Collingwood , in Book of , says On the east Side Of the lake there is a remarkable coin cidence S e between the ites of the Furn ss Abbey Parks , or

m ries b lo o a . early clearings for sheep farms , and the there u Near Selside Beck , where Slag has been fo nd , is Water

n an a Ro yal Fo re s ts o f E gl d . 5 2 SOME RECORDS ' OF

r " Pa k , anciently Waterside Park , apparently the earliest

Parkamo or of the Abbey Sheep farms . Above Beck

Parkamo or bloomery is , the sheep farm on the moor further on Lawson Park , the latest of the Abbey sheep

l cle arfe d farms . The inference is that when the and was ,

' n u a th e they put sheep on it , and we t p the l ke to next ” beck for the site of their bloomery . Of these and other b n we loomeries which surround Conisto Lake , have little or no documentary record— the principal sites are well known and marked on maps , numbering in High Furness

v thirty to forty . But there are se eral others on the margin of the Lake which , though not marked , are Clearly traceable . mer The b loo y, or bloomary comprised a hearth on which the iron ore from the mine was smelted by means of charcoal— this be ing the most ancient method of thus ex

al tracting the met , it might be concluded that these b lo om aries are Of very ancient date . This View has been taken by various authorities , and on the

t h e ordinance map of A S M ' ‘ B I I Y . district the sites are

b lo o maries frequently described as Roman . This may possibly be a correct deﬁnition of some , but others are

e a undoubtedly m di eval , and some of Post Reformation date

Of 1 up to the end the 7th century . TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 53

The records of iron making by the Monks Of Furness

few are very scanty , but there are a references to the

b e industry to found in the Coucher Book . The follow ing extract relating to monastic forges in the Fore st of Dean in the 1 3 th century throws some light on this sub jec t “ The regulations with regard to t h e forges of this forest (Dean ) for iron making were frequent , stringent and changeable . The necessity for limiting them arose from the quantity of fuel they required . The manor of Cante lupe had early chartered right to an itinerant forge , and endeavours were made from time to time to conﬁne its

- consumption to dry or wind fallen wood . In 1 2 2 8 the King gave orders that there were not to be more than three itinerant forges worked by the royal servants . In the following year the Abbot of Faxle y was ordered to cOnﬁne his itinerant forge to the thorn thickets (Spissitu

i O f d nib us ) on th e conﬁnes of the forest . S much di ﬁculty arose from the Abbey ’ s insistence on its old chartered

t wo e 1 2 rights to forg s , that in 44 the Crown compromised the matter by the handsome grant of 872 acres of woodland n f in exchange for the surre der O the Charter .

1 e In 2 2 5 Henry III . granted a recluse or h rmit four acres of land in the forest and two oaks where with to

- build himself a house . ( a )

Th e Parkam o or three bloomeries at Water Park , and Law son Park are certainly me di aeval and date from between the enclosure of the Parks in 1 3 3 9 and the Dissolution of the Abbey in 1 53 7 that they were worked for a short time after th e dissolution by private persons is plain from the edict of Queen Elizabeth , ordering their suppression at the e s - was r que t of the tenants of High Furness . The iron ore brought to the bloomery on pack horses from th e mine s in

a Ro yal Fo re s ts o f En gland . 54 SOME RECORD S OF

Low Furness , their track probably determining the course

Of the present high road on the east Side of the Lake . The situation would be ﬁxed by the position of the wood to be l made into Charcoal the three in Nibthwaite district , ike

e others , are placed n ar a beck , but in the Water Park case ,

Parkamo or considerably above it , and at , some distance from the stream . It has been supposed that water was in

wa some y necessary for the working , but as often the situa un tion is inconvenient for such a purpose , it is perhaps necessary to assume that the beck was required for more than the ordinary use of the workers . The site of the bloomery at Water Park requires a care ful search to ﬁnd it , so hidden is it and overgrown with

Old r coppice . An road leads down to this bloomery th ough th e coppice wood from the fell side above . This road is marked on the ordnance map as Coal Lane , and was , no doubt , the road by which the charcoal was brought to the bloomery from the woods then growing on the fell ;

e a it crosses S lside Beck , Often a raging torrent by ford , a few yards above a bridge over the present high road . Near the Site of the bloomery and along the road are remains

Old of houses of an ancient type , apparently built in the

Old w lo w method , ith end walls , side walls , and thatched

Of roof : probably little better than huts . Many these Old habitations appear to have existed in b y - gone days on the fell side and in the woods along the lake the

t h e apple trees , visible from steamer deck in their spring

Old blossom , are said always to mark the Site of an dwelling ;

ew Of f them , however , can now be located as their stones have long since b e en removed as handy for wall fences . The bloomery at Parkam o o r is easily seen from the main road a great part of it has of late years been used in repair ing th e adj acent high road , where the black cindery surface is apt to strike the stranger with surprise in this

PEEL ISLAND I N THURSTON WATER .

56 SOME RECORDS OF

th e heathy pastures in the uplands for , multitudinous were

n e sheep ow ed by the Convent , wool b ing the commercial

r al medium by which they Obtained g eat we th , indeed the Cistercians were t h e J asons of their age theirs was the golden ﬂe ece a band of he rdsmen had care of the droves ” fe d di of cattle which in the fferent enclosures or parks . What a hird of an abbey herdwick was is Shown in the letter from Lamplugh to Cromwell at th e time of the dis solution Of t h e Monaste ry H yrdewicks were pasture ground for the sheep of the Abbot of Furness for the time

e being , and ever in th ir possession and who ever inhabited them hath always been the Abbot s h yrde and remov e abl e

an at their pleasure , and not tenants of y custom , therefore if any inquiry should be granted in this behalf ye schuld

Of then be against the ancient custom Furness , and I mean ” r vour lo dship schuld be inﬁnitely troubled with such suits . The fells in Nibthwaite and Blawith are still the pasture ground for the herdwick sheep , and probably will always

h ard remain so , as best adapted to these v animals , who

r re te flou ish where none other can live . It is por d that they originated in a flock of 4 0 which swam ashore from a wrecked Norwegian vessel on the Cumberland coast they were seized by the lord of the manor , and on their increase being found hardy and suitable to the mountains were let out in flocks and herds with the farms . One characteristic Of their hardy nature is that when all other animals turn

e their tails to the storm , these alone will fac it , and continue calmly grazing in the wildest weather . The lay Monks engaged in agriculture lived in granges which appear to have been Of the nature of a large farm

- house , with out buildings and probably a Chapel or oratory attached of such were Nibthwaite Grange , Colton Grange ,

e and many others . The regulations of th se establishments

a are quoted by Beck , ( ) and are interesting as to some

r isi a Anna le s Fu n e nse s . TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 57 extent showing the manner of the rule of the Abbey in

High Furness . The beginning of the 1 6th century marks an altered

f l no w state of a fairs the midd e ages were at an end , and the Rule of the Monk was Shortly to cease in the land . Even in remote Nibthwaite Signs Of the times were soon visible in the relaxed control of the Abbey over their tenants , caused partly by lax discipline and partly by the attention of the Abbot being centred in endeavouring to stem th e advancing tide now threatening to overwhelm him and his .

Consequently the Tenants in High Furness , who had al ways been in a comparatively free and independent

l Of position , gradual y rising from serfdom to the status

- i customary hold tenants , little d stinguishable from free

now o ff . holders , virtually threw the yoke of the Abbot They began to enclose much of the common or pasture in their vicinity without leave or license of the Abbey . This led to an agreement known as the B ounden of ” th e Pas ure was o ur t , and made in the fyrst yere of so v erai n 1 g lord King Henry VIII . ( 509 ) between the ” Mo nast erie and Abbot and the of our Ladie in Furness , the tenants , inhabitants of Furness Fells . t The former , after professing themselves aggrieved tha the latter had enclosed common of pasture more largely than they ought to do , under colour of one bargain , called

Bounden of the Pasture , made the following agreement with the tenants from R av enstie downwards th e ancient parish of Colton of which Nibthwaite is a part )

is iii . S v . v 8d . rli iiii . Every d (6 . ) ye e rent which payeth d

d . al Of h (4 ) for boundary , shall have one acre and a h f suc

t m e ground , as hath been common pasture within y of ’ n man s my de and the tenants that hath more than iiiid .

v is . ii v id . . 8 . for (4d for 63 . d ) Of yerly rent to have their

s improvements more largely , and those that payeth les 58 SOME RECORDS OF

iii than i d . to have their improvements thereafter all these to be sufﬁciently met and divided at the sight of 4 or 2 Monks of the m onast erie and 1 2 or 8 at least honest persons ” of the tenants . The tenants in return agreed never to im improve more largely than above , and to fence their

rov em ent s p with dyke or wall . If any other improve m ent , the Abbot to turn them out or punish them . The

Abbot also granted them their yearly rents , and the tenants

to have common of pasture to their tenements , and use it with such beasts as are accounted lawful within the lord ” S hippe . This document was signed at Colton by the Abbot and

four Monks , and the Tenants , amongst whom were Thomas

' D B o t h aker odgson , of in Nibthwaite , Robert Dodgson ,

R edh ed m Robert the elder , Willia Dodgson , Gilbert Pen nin t on Ashb urner g , Robert and others , tenants of the

1 2 s aid lordshippe . A similar agreement was signed in 53 with the tenants from R av enstie upwards Parish of

n 1 th 8 1 . O r 2 Hawkshead ) April ( Henry 53 7 , the

monastery of Furness was dissolved , and the estates and K i revenues handed over to the ng, who soon afterwards a nn exed them to the Duchy of Lancaster . Immediately after the dissolution a certiﬁcate of the f ’ &c . O revenues , , the Abbey was made by the King s Com

m l L a b urne an d issioners , Robert Southwel , J ames y ,

Of Thomas Holcroft , in accordance with the command

’ le estie the King s Royal Maj , our most dread and gracious

s ouv erayne Lorde K ynge Henry VII I . l w The fo lo ing extracts , relating to Nibthwaite Town

s hip are selected therefrom , as valuable in showing the state

O f o ccu the country , the condition of the woods , and some pations of the inhabitants

Temporalities property of the Monastery of Furness .

t fferm es d v ers a ( I n er alia . ) There are rents and of y l nds TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 59

l and tenements lying in Furness Fel s , that is to save

s d . 5 N b t t . o 8 . d . hwa e C lton , value £7 3 ; y y Town , 75 7 ; 1 N b thw t P m r 5 . a e B t cre 6 OS . 0 . d ea a d arkea o e 2 . , , 3 7 y y

Graun e : B r e feld H el arke 6 2 5 . d g ygg and p , £ 7 ; Sayles , n lb nke s 1 . Oxe arke To t te a 8 . Crake and , 5 od also p ,

B anr eh ead Y co rnth wa t e yg and Abbot Parke , and y ,

Co n st one and . Waterhead and y , many other places Also

d v ers medowes w there are y lands , , and pastures ith agistment and b rusying in common and wo o des as well in

Purne s urne s Low y as in F y Fells , which were wont always to be occupied to th use of the late monastery for the sus t ent acyon of their c at ell and were div yde d into sundry h erdwyks and sh epe co t s whereof in Furness Fells are

B ro th er l h s 8 d. ke t 1 0 W at s de arke 6 . y , £ y p , 4 Lawson

m r 8 . Parke a o e 6s . 8 . 6s . d d Parke , 4 and , 4 Also there is much wood growing in Furness fells in the mount e nes as B rk Assh e y there , y , Holey , , Ellers , Lyng ,

l sh orte O Of lyte l kes , and other underwood , but no timber any value , wherein the Abbots of the late Monastery have been accustomed to have a smyth ey and sometime two or three for the making of yron to th use of their monastery . And S O nowe the Co mmyssyoners have letten unto William

wo des Sandes and J ohn Sawrey as much of the said , that is

Of B rkes H aseles Old to say y , Ellers , , rotten trees , and other undrewo o des w ll smy th e s ; as y maintain I I I . y , for the

’ which they are content to paye yerely to th e King s High

o ccu e ness , as longe as hit shall please his grace they shall py the same xx (twenty pounds) . Also there is another yearly profytte co mmyng and

al reneh ewe growing of the said woods c led G , Basting , b leckin b ndin m ak n - c artwh eles g , y g , y g of sadel trees , , cups , dissh es e , and many other things wrought by cowp rs , and t u ‘ Of h o e s rners , with making Of coles and pannage gg , according as hath al ways been a ccustomed to be made in 60 SOME RECORDS OF the said woo des to the yearly valewe by estymacyon o f 1 65 £ 3 . 8d . The last entry is interesting as shewing what were th e

r me dize v al indust ies carried on in the woods in times , many ’ of which such as the b ynding and basting (Coopers and ’ Of in e swillers work ) , and making coles (charcoal ) , cont u to the present day the making Of saddletrees proves

- e that most of the carriage was by pack horse , and that ther was little wheeled trafﬁc except in the few cases when cart wheels were required the roads as we understand them must have been few and far between . The Chief military force of the district was under th e

and his t h e command of the Abbot deputy , who holding Abbey and its estates under military tenure was bound to

e contribute men for the defence of the kingdom . This forc was supplied by the tenants who had to contribute for every

th e t ime th e holding or tenement , a man and horse . At of Dissolution ( 1 53 7 ) it appears there were 1 2 58 armed men

o r on the Abbey estates , whose armour consisted of a steel

l i l e . mail coat , a fa ch on , a j ack , a bi l , a crossbow , and sp ar West says the Furness legion in the muster roll of Henry

. Of m and B lmen VIII , consisted Bow en y , both horsed and harnessed and Bowmen and B ylmen neither horsed nor harnessed . In 1 553 N yb thwait e supplied eight men in 1 608 in Nib thwait e bailiwick there were ﬁve men who carried bills and 3 3 unprovided with any regular military equipment .

di r es . Previous to the Dissolution , the strict of High Fu n s had been under the supervision of B ailiffs appointed for

r v iz . I I . the pu pose by the Abbot at a ﬁxed wage , V particul ar B aylyes in ffurne ys fells which kepe the woodes

stret ts amerc ments e ther , and gather the and y , and giv warning to the tenants to appere at the courts and to pay

e e ours . s 01 15 . VI Id. their Rentes to the R c yv Wage . TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS .

V .

KINGS AND QUEENS .

- B THW . I . NI AITE

Before the dissolution of the Abbey , the tenants had been

r divided into th ee Classes , ﬁrst the free homagers or soc ” men , who were bound to the Abbot as overlord by homage ” l - on y and a small rent secondly , the Copy holders ,

Of who held their estates by a copy the Court Roll , paying

all a small fine on admittance , and a rent in lieu of service , but military and thirdly and most numerous the cus t om ary tenants . After the Dissolution the situation of the tenants became precarious , and it was not until the l reign Of E izabeth that their status became finally fixed . Immediately after the Dissolution various commissions were instituted to inquire into the possessions of the Abbey . Seven bailiffs were appointed to superintend the Royal property in Furness , of which bailiwicks Nibthwaite was one . H erdw cks r Park l m i The y o s, where the b o o ar es had been S ituated were let by the Commissioners in 1 53 7 to William Sandes and J ohn Sawrey ; the former by his will dated 1 546 bequeathed inter alia one half of W atside Park with 4 0 2 0 ewes , lambs , of the heave , 4 beasts , to his grandson

Roger Sandys . On the Dissolution Sandes and Sawrey , as a private speculation rented these woods and parks

' together with others in High Furness for twent v pounds and continued the iron business formerly carried

e now on by the Monks . The t nants , who were in a more b u independent position , obj ected to being obliged to y iron , 6 2 SOME RECORDS OF which they had formerly received free from the Abbey ; and moreover they complained that the woods were so exhausted by being cut down for Charcoal for the bloom

r re a ies , that they would not only lose all wood for their

uirem ent s q , but that the Queen (Elizabeth ) would probably 2 1 6 lose the £ 0 rent due to her . Consequently in 5 4 the bloom - smithies were abolished by Royal decree of Queen

’ Elizabeth . The tenants were to pay the lord s rents as b e

’ 2 0 S awre s fore , and also (to take the place of Sandes and y

a assess rent ) which they could ( ) among themselves . The tenants were also to provide 4 0 armed men . Moreover because the ways do lie over such high mountains and stony rocks that no carriage of any weight can pass there , they were allowed from the tops and underwood to make

Charcoal for the manufacture of iron for their own use . The payment of this £2 0 became known as B loomsmithy

R ent, and is still paid on property in Nibthwaite where it has not been commuted by money payment .

b lo o maries co m Shortly after the abolition of the , a

’ mission was appointed to make a survey of the Queen s woods the following relates to woods in Nibthwaite

B raddill Of The Certiﬁcate of J ohn , surveyor the woods of the Duchy of Lancaster , addressed to Sir Ralph

Saddler , Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster , setting

Of forth the survey the three Hardwicks in Furness Fells ,

th 1 0 1 2 CO . 1 2 Lancashire , taken August , 57 ( Elizabeth ) by the said surveyor pursuant to the Queen ’ s Commission to

1 al . him , dated 3 th J une , at the P ace of Westminster Parkeamore Firste there is in the said Hardwicke

Parkeam ore Old m ansron called , one house , and one Olde

" “ co v ered with barne brackens , wherein Christopher J ackson ,

s the hird , ther now dwelleth , also there y in the said Parke

n i a S e e App e d x I .

mm r sr ns b D uchy o f Lanc aster Sp ecial Co s o .

A FOREST HERMIT . 6 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 3 amore one Close of medow and pasture called More house

u o v er rowen e y ge of a coarse grasse , and much g with low b rush e b rch es sallowe cont i neth , y , and hesle , which Close g ii x d . xii . acres , and every acre is worth by the yere , and “ there is in the said Parkeam ore vii ( 1 4 0 ) acres Of pasture being sh orte morish gresse at v id . the acre ; also there is in the same parke 1x (60 ) acres of underwo o ddes schlen derle b irt ch e assh e y set with hollin , hesle , , and , the most ’ e s b irt ch es xv 1 1 1 1 8 and part ther of y yonge of ( ) years growth , well waxen and every acre of the same ys worth to be sold ti 5 8d . xx e for 6 . Also there groweth in the said acres ( 2 0 ) yonge small sapplings worth to be sold one with another

iii S 6 d . a t xv d . I . ( ) a peace , and there growth in the said acres x small do t ere d o ckes worth to be one with another ii f ii d d . O h at . (4 ) the peace and every acre the soyle is wort iiii t per annum d . Also there is in the same parke for h e repayre of the houses affo resayde 1 1 1 Okes cut down and lienge in the park also of the same underwo o ddes there

xx tie 2 0 may be sold ( ) acres for the price above mentioned . The reste ys to be preserved for the maintenance Of th e

i R ece v ore hedges and also Will am Sandes , Esquire , late y

d d n Parke amore of Furness , deceased , y cut dow in xviii .

ﬁftie and years ago or thereabouts , acres of the said wood , dyd make yt in Ch arco ale for certain yrne smythies which he had in farm of the late King of famous memorye Henry

. n owne use VI II , and the proﬁt thereof co verted to his

s o le wais and other p y or te ther is none .

W ates de Park — at es e a y . There is in the said W yd P rk

Old h one mansion house , and one Olde barne covered wit

S att erthwait no w brackens , wherein William , hird , dwelleth ; also there is in the parke one Close adj oining to the lodge

Th nck n called the y e Buske co nt e yny ge xx . acres of pasture and arable land , and every acre is worth by the yere xiid . Also there is in the park one other close of medow and arable 6 4 SOME RECORDS OF

n n n i lande called Wate Syde Medowe co t ey y ge xxt e . ( 2 0)

d . acres , and every acre is worth by the yere xii ; also there “ 1 2 0 sh o rte is in the Parke vi . ( ) acres of pasture , being ,

s . m o rvsh e gresse . and every acre y worth by the yere v i ( 1 Also xx acres of underwo o ddes schl enderley b e se t t with

b rch e sallowe Old hesle , y , , and ellere of an growth paste m emory of manne and well waxen , and every acre is worth

5 . to be sold for xii Also there groweth in the said acres xl . s mall sappling trees worth to be solde one with another for

wo o ddes viii . d . a peace every acre of the soyle where the

s groweth is worth to be letten per annum iiii . d . al o of the

o s same underwo dde there may be solde v i. acres for the price above mentioned the reste is necessary to be pre s erved for the m avnt enance of the hedges about the parke ; and for spoile and waist mayd in the wo o ddes

there is none .

wso P k - one Old La n ar . There is mansion house and one Old barne covered with brackens wherein William Keyne l t hi . h e &C . rd now dwel eth (The acreage , woods , price , , are set o ut as in the other two parks ) The wood is not to be sold as the Ferm o r thereof hath no thin e m a nt e ne g to y y the ringe hedge of the parke with ,

b ut . wo o dde s . the vi acres of Also William Sandes ,

2 0 Esquire , cut down yeres ago , six acres of the wood and

Ch arco ale rne i made it into for certain y smithies , wh ch he

ro fett had in farme , and the p thereof he converted to his o wn use .

li Old Wil am Satterthwaite , the hird who dwelt in the m W ats de ansion house at y Park , was probably a lay Monk

of Furness Abbey , and continued to act as Shepherd after

the Dissolution , for in the agreement with the tenants of 1 2 Hawkshead , made between the Monks and tenants in 53 , the name of Will S att ert hwet is mentioned amongst the

M . onks signing As Beck says , he was probably a native TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS 65

Of Furness Fells amongst the tenants ’ signatures are others o f the same name .

2 th 1 8 2 On 7 February , 5 4 ( 7 Elizabeth) an important case C ame on for hearing , and as it defines the situation of the tenants in Nibthwaite and elsewhere in High Furness , it is given in extenso in the appendix , from the original in the Record Office . The document is very old and indis i tinct , and in one small place illeg ble , but the expert eyes of the readers in the Record Office have made it fairly intelligible— the antiquity of the document and the diffi c ul ty in deciphering must be the excuse for what in places m s eems an a biguity of expression . The subj ect is a Matter in dispute concerning the Trespass on the waste lands in High Furness Lordship , and the j oint and several a nswers of Christopher Sandes , Esquire , J ohn Sawrey ,

Barnard Benson , and Robert Rawlinson , Esquires , to the information exhibited against them by the relation of the

Right honorable Sir J ames Croft , knight , one of her Maj es

’ A e I ee ix . ty s most honourable privy Council . S pp nd

Of In consequence this dispute , and at the request of J ohn

and Sawrey Bernard Benson , for the use of all tenants ” 1 within the Lordship , Queen Elizabeth on February 5th ,

1 86 Code of Cus oms - 5 , sanctioned a t and bye laws , which was drawn up by a special j ury Of the tenants

Of This document which is printed in West (p . is great importance as settling ﬁnally the position of the c - ustomary hold tenant in this district . In the list of the

e Of wr jury , amongst oth rs , are the names J ohn Sa ey ,

H erdson Barnard Benson , William Pennington , William ,

e J ames Dodgson , and Robert Redhead , the two last b ing t enants in Nibthwaite .

The code contained regulations for the division of estates , t h e Of keeping houses in repair , the property in woods

a nd . underwoods , for public paths , for the provision for 66 SOME RECORDS OF

m r Of 81 0 and arriage of child en , and maintenance widows , .

1 : Item 3 states That no person shall hereafter stopp , i foreclose , or d sturb , anie common , usual , or lawful way , or out drawe either for hors or foote now used or occupied either for church or market , or the occupying of the tene ment .

Of Queen Elizabeth , by the hand her Ofﬁcials , conﬁrmed

Of this code , and it was enrolled in the Duchy Lancaster

1 1 86 . Records by the Earl of Derby , February 5th , 5 By the provisions O f this Code the customary - hold tenants became practically freeholders .

In the Duchy of Lancaster pleadings , there is a curious local case , which in contrast to many of the cases seems a

ee a ix really human document . S pp end I I . We have already seen a survey of the Nib thwait e woods

1 0 i in 57 , and also that the tenants were permitted by El za beth to use the tops and branches of trees for charcoal to s melt iron with if they so wished . It was evidently deter

Of b e al mined that no undue waste woods should lowed , Moreover wood was of value to the Government for many

- i . 1 6 1 0 purposes , such as Sh p building Therefore , in (7

surve s J ames I . ) another y was made of the Forests , Parke

al all and Chases , and so other woods either held by lease , coppie or lines , Court Roll or customary tenant right

Of within the counties Lancaster and Chester , belonging to the Duchy of Lancaster by Robert Cresswell and Abraham

Allen , commissioners appointed for the same , together with i the names of the tenants , and the number , qual ty , and

co is value of the trees , pp and underwoods unto them

— i W ater Side Parke (lease land) . Will am Benson and Allan Nicholson holdeth Water Syde Parke by lease ﬁt l 2 60 6d . for coppice , 3 5 acres , sap ings at per piece

* n a s and S u e s D uc hy o f L anc aster Re t l rv y . 6 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 7

iid 1 1 03 . 0d 00 x . 2 of Underwood , 3 loads at ( pence)

5 the load 1 0 . Parkamore t (lease land) , Thomas Rawlinson holde h P arkam oo r by lease— there is ﬁt to be kept for coppice 3 5 acres of underwood which may be spared 2 00 loads at i xi d . 1 0. ye load , £ Lawso Park n (leasehold) , Arthur Benson holdeth Lawson

2 0 Of Park by a lease ﬁt for coppice , acres underwood ,

ii 3 d 1 0 x d . 1 0 . 0 5 loads at ye load , £7 — N ib th wa t . 0 x ud. y Timber trees , 4 at a piece , and of

S iiii e 65 2 00 d. . hort scrubbed trees , at a tre £5

The survey includes Hawkshead , Skelwith Wood ,

E Cards lterwater Park , Conistone and Woods , Sawrey e r Gre sdale xt a the Upper and Lower Wrey y Park ,

Gra thwa t C & . y y (Sandys ) , Coulton Hall , The sum total for the Lordship of Furness being

0. Timber trees , 474

88 0. Saplings , 3

Sh orte 1 0 1 1 . , stubbed , and diseased trees , 3

1 0 I S . . Underwood , 3 4 loads (at a load ) 6 8 1 6 . 8d . The total value , £ 9 s The extraordinary minutes of this survey alone makes it worthy of a place in Parish history Of its accuracy we cannot , of course , now have any proof .

“ Two years after this survey a grant was made by J ames

I . m , which is the ost important document extant con nected * m with Nibthwaite . A grant by the King to Willia and George Whitmore AS of our gift without account or any other thing to us our heirs and successors in any man m ner to be rendered paid or done . George and Willia di Whitmore were London merchants , tra ng on a large scale , l and were in this district , millers of the mil s in Colton , and

al Satterthwaite . They had so many grants in other

‘ a en o am e s ar in a in e co O ce P t t R ll I I J I . p t 7 ( L t ) , R rd fﬁ . 68 SOME RECORDS OF counties of England It is possible that with regard to the High Furness grant they were acting as agent between

w 1 6 1 the tenants and the King as in follo ing year , 4 , the grant from the King in so far as it relates to Nibthwaite , was m r e i transferred by the to th ee p rsons in the d strict , who in their turn transferred it to others , whereby at the present time the Manor or bailiwick of Nib thwait e is in the i hands of some 2 0 land owners . Th s is evident from the following documents . The grant from

J ames I . is pre served in the R e f cord O ﬁce , Chan

cery Lane, London.

It is very lengthy , written in ab b re v iat ed Latin on

a parchment roll , and quite unintel ligible to the um i i i t t at e d . Th e K ing (J ames “ I . ) for divers good causes and A F ROLL O RECORDS . sundry considera

Of tions , at present specially moving us , and our certain knowledge and mere motion” grants to William and George

Of t All Whitmore , London , heir heirs and assigns , that o ur all bailiwick or Manor of Nibthwaite with its rights , m embers and appurtenances , and also all those our lands and tenements in the town of Nibthwaite of yearly value of

1 d . £3 5s 7 , late parcel of the possessions of the Monastery

A B eat acre ros of Furness . lso all our land at (value £3

Parkamoo r 2 s also (3 Nibthwaite Grange , Bridge

70 SOME RECORDS OF

1 . R uslande m 4 Stott Parke and , and issues fro green

wood there . 1 5 . Manor of Satterthwaite .

1 6 . n r i Lands and te ements in G e sdal e and Dale Park .

I n b lo o msmi all cases th y rent is reserved . ful ra f Then follows l g nt of all in the di ferent Manors ,

. i etc , such as houses , build ngs , commons , demesne and glebe lands , ways , paths , woods , and all soil of same woods ,

- r weirs , rivers , water cou ses , ferriages , passage over waters ,

ﬁsheries , warens , mines , quarries , rents , reservoirs , rent c a h rges , services of free and of customary tenants , fee m u far s , co rt leets , proﬁts thereof , chattels , estrays , bond h men and bondwomen , and villeins with t eir sequels m (fa ilies) , estovers , fairs , market tolls , rights , j urisdictions , liberties , emoluments and hereditaments of every kind

i r h am w thin the county, towns , ﬁelds , places , pa ishes , or

m n ' lets aforesaid (and very a y o th er such ) . All l are fu ly granted to Whitmores , heirs and assigns , to h ave and to h old in as ample a manner as any Prior or

Of n Abbot any late Monastery , or any Duke of La caster , or any other persons before ever enj oyed them by reason of r any pretext of any Charter , gift or g ant by us or by

any of our progenitors or ancestors , late Kings and Queens

Of a England , had granted by any act of Parli ment , and as u f lly , freely , and amply as we or any of our progenitors ,

! Of Kings and Queens England , had enj oyed these presents in now granted , and as ample a manner as these premises came to our hands by reason Of the Dissolution Of any late Monastery E xcepted from the grant are advowsons and right of

all &c . patronage of rectories , churches and Vicarages , , i belong ng to any of the granted premises . Also excepted All great trees being timber on the pre mises (besides sufﬁcient timber for th e repair of the above 1 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 7

premises above before granted , respectively to be allowed ) are reserved for three years after the grant , during which time the King’ s Ofﬁcers may sell or fell the timber from time to time . All the above granted premises to be held by Whit

’

&c . mores , their assigns , , for ever as of the King s Manor of

nﬁel nl E d, Middlesex , by fealty o y in free and common

socage , and not in Chief nor by knights service , paying 6 s . d yearly for the Manor or Bailiwick of Nibthwaite , 45 . (and for the other places in the grant Sums duly set out ) l to the b ai iff of Hawkshead or the particular receiver , twice a year (Lady Day and Michaelmas ) which same rents are for a certain custom called B lo mesmyth es (Charged in the amount of the Bailiff Of Hawkshead within the sum Of and are not parcel of the rents or value of the granted

Manors .

h Of G F And the Whitmores to ave the grant as our I T,

without account or anything therefor to us , our heirs and

successors in any manner to be said or done . Fur h er t the King commands the Treasurer , Chancellor ,

Chamberlain , Baron of the Exchequer, and the Chancellor di of our Duchy of Lancaster , and the Au tor and Receiver to see that all revenues are properly paid at " the right times

to the Whitmores , and these our letters patent and enroll f ” ment are to be su ﬁcient discharge . And Whitmores are to give a covenant not to fell any great timber trees for three year s and to provide sufﬁcient

ai all timber for the rep r of the premises . fu h r er 81 . And t we will acquit and save harmless W . G l Whitmore, as well as the aforesaid Manors and bai iwicks ,

&c . all against us , our heirs , ; of manner of dues , by the mere S howing of these letters patent Whitmores are

e . xempt And these letters patent are to hold good , not withstanding any mistakes in names or omissions of the 72 SOME RECORDS OF

r no twith st and names of tenants , farmers or occupie s and in rst g the statute made in the year of Henry IV . , late

Of l -o King of England , nor the statute made in the Par ia

I . K in o f E n land 1 8th ment of Lord Henry V , late g i E g in year of his reign . The King also constitutes our beloved i D o ddin e Co n sh e ad . n Myles g of , Esq , and Edmu d Sawyer ,

n at t ornies of London , gentlema , his true and lawful to enter and take possession of the aforesaid Manors and bailiwicks for us , and to deliver them in full and peaceable ” possession to W . G . Whitmore .

d And W . G . Whitmore covenant that these letters pa tent shall be enrolled within one year before the Auditor

a of the Duchy of L ncaster . The King grants that these letters be made and sealed as well under our great seal of England , and under the seal

Of the County Palatine of Lancaster , as under the seal of

a . our Duchy of Lancaster , without fail in our H naper

Witness , h K i W mi T e ng at est nster.

1 1 6 1 3 th December , 3 .

&c . w Of m . (By rit Privy Seal , , exa ined)

1 The following year (November 5th , William and George Whitmore granted or alienated the bailiwick or m was anor of Nibthwaite , this time , however , the grant not a gift , but in exchange for a money payment . The following is an extract *An inde ure th 1 61 1 2 nt made 5 November, 4 ( J ames L ) , m between Willia and George Whitmore , of the one part ,

ai and Rowland Dodson , j unior , of Nibthw te Grange ,

e n y oman , Anthony Sawrey , of Plumpton , gentleman , a d

R eadh e ad R eadh ead ib thwait Alexander , son of J ohn , of N e

CO . . Town , Lancashire , yeoman , of the other part W itnesseth that in consideration of the sum of £1 46

m e s ar 6 N o ose R o s 1 2 a . . Cl ll , J p t 3 , 7 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 73

2 6 1 05 . 0d. 1 6 now paid , and for £3 to be paid th J uly next ,

Of w at the house Ann Whitmore , idow , in Lombard Street ,

o L ndon , W . G . Whitmore sell to Dodson , Sawrey , and

‘ R eadh ead , their heirs and assigns, All the Manor or Baili

Oi ri wick Nibthwaite , with all its ghts and appurtenances n also the lands and tenements in Nibthwaite Tow , Beat

Parkamore B rid efieldfi acre , , Nibthwaite Grange , g and H elparke also all issues from greenwood and other pro fits (as in the former grant ) paying the B lo omsmith y rent

f Of ’ Of 455 . 8d . yearly to the Baili f the Manor of Hawks head . Then follows full grant with all items set out as in previous m grant in as full , free and a ple a manner as the said Lord King J ames in his eleventh year gave to the Whit mores . To have and to hold of the King of the Mano r of E nﬁeld by fealty only in free and common socage and not in chief n e or by knightly servic .

Fur h er : R eadh ead t Dodson , Sawrey , and covenant with ll i . . Of W G Whitmore , being mi ers the mills with n the D ‘ a . . bailiwick of Colton and Satterthwaite , th t they ( S

R . ) will not erect or permit to be erected any other mill in any part of Nibthwaite by which the ancient mills for the grinding of corn in Colton and Satterthwaite can be im ; pugned or in any manner prej udiced . Then follow the usual Clauses as to the manner of pay ment of the purchase money and the usual protective

Clauses . And be it remembered that on the day and year within

written W . G . Whitmore came before the Lord King in his Chancery and acknowledged the indenture and all con t aine d therein .

E nrolled on 1 0th November in year aforesaid . Of the purchas ers Of the Manor and b ailiwick of Nib 74 SOME RECORDS OF

&c . a an thwaite , , Rowland Dodson ( ) was a member of an

e cient family in Nibthwait , who are recorded as inhabiting in the reign Of Henry VII I . the old house at B o th ake r (Bethe car ) . Antony Sawrey belonged to the Sawrey family of

Plumpton , who were with other important families in High

Furness closely connected with the iron , wood , and agri

Of R e a h cultural industries the district . The d eads were almost a clan in Nibthwaite . West says in the Court Rolls ib Of . N thwat e Henry VII I all were Redheads in , and the name is found in Nibthwaite to a very recent date . These three persons having got possession Of Nibthwaite forthwith began to sell it this was continued by the vari

1 0 ous purchasers , so that in 9 7 the property is in the hands of some 2 0 persons .

Below is a specimen , the ﬁrst indenture of sale

6 1 b b e t n de ure . 1 6 wee In nt , J une xii , , ( ) Roland Dodson ,

R eadh ead Antony Sawrey , and Alexander , of one part ,

R eadh e ad N ib thwait and J ohn , of Town , of the other part the former for a consideration in money (set out )

ﬁelde sold to latter , his tenement in the Towne , , liberties

B lo om smith h amelet t e d. or of Nibthwaite , with y rent of 5 to the King ar e am e ma er The sale or grant to be in as , l g and pl nn as our Sov ereigne Lord King J ames in the 1 1 th year Of His

reai n e Highness g of England , France and Ireland , and the ” th 47 of Scotland , gave and granted to the Whitmores and in as large and ample manner as the Whitmores sold

R eadh ead . Of to Dodson , Sawrey and To be held the King

B lo o m smith in free and common socage with y rent of 5d .

. 6 1 61 . Deed signed xxvi , J une , The above transactions have been given in what may

e seem too lengthy a form , but they are of valu as showing

’ a R owland D o d so n is m e n tione d in t h e Ab b o t Of Furness s “ ” N ib wh a t x v i e n a o f 1 as ai iff o f e . s . R t l 53 5 B l ,

e e s b Fro m Wa t e r Park d d .

7 6 SOME RECORDS OF

On the completion of the purchase , the Site was planted

now with Scotch ﬁrs , larch and Coppice ( thinned into 1 82 8 timber trees ) , the date being marked on a stone in the wood ; the Scotch ﬁrs now form a landmark from many parts of Blawith , Nibthwaite , and the Lake . The purchase money was handed over to trustees t o be applied towards defraying the highway rate in Nib t now hwaite , and is presumably devoted to that purpose .

Under these grants the Land - owners Of Nibthwaite claim ( inter alia ) the Sporting rights of that part of B ethicar Moor within Nibthwaite . 1 62 On J une 3 oth , 9 , the herdwicks and other premises t were granted by Charles I . in the 4 h year Of his reign to i l e rm Edward D t ch ﬁe d and others in fe fa , to be held of the

M E nﬁeld anor of in fealty only , in free and common soc

.age . I I . a nd mmediately after the execution of Charles , on t h e ‘ m assumption of the Government by Oliver Cro well , a nd his parliament , an enquiry was held concerning the

Crown Lands which were considered to be forfeited . Ac c o rdin l e Of g y , for the purposes of sal the Crown Lands

Of part of the possessions Charles Stuart , late king of

ri Of Of a surve a England , in ght the Duchy Lancaster , y( )

r 1 6 was made of the Manor of Fu ness in February , 49 , by v irtue of a commission granted upon an act of the com m ons in parliament assembled for the sale of the Honours , M anors and Lands belonging to the late King , Queen and ” Prince . l This survey is printed in West , but a great part on y refers to former transactions the following extract , which

h . he omits , relates to the High Furness erdwicks There

all h erdwicke W atside Park w a ur is that called , ith its pp t enances , and all the cottages , barns , and other out

f F m e n o a o O e e a s . N . e co O f ce R ll F r R t 57 3 . R rd ﬁ . TW O ‘ LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 77

i build ngs standing thereon , and all arable land , meadows , pastures to the same belonging , lying in Furness Fells , now or late in the occupation Of George Sandes or his assigns by the particular thereof mentioned to be of th e

5 . 8 yearly value of £3 2 d . Also that h erdwicke cal led Parkamoor (details as

m e o r above ) , late in the occupation of Willia W ad , knight , — m 8 N . 5 d. B . 2 6 . his assigns , yearly value £ ( Sir Willia Wade or W aad was a Clerk of the Council and had been 2 0th created a knight bachelor at Greenwich on May ,

A so Lawso Park no w in l n (details as above ) , or late the occupation of Arthur Benson , or his assigns , and granted 1 62 by letters patent by Charles I . (May , 5 ) to Robert

— N . B . In 1 6 . 0 Dixon and William Walley , gents ( 7 Law son Park was given by T . Sandes , of Kendal , to the church

n 1 and living Of Satterthwaite . It is ow ( 907 ) the property b of Mr . Severn , of Brantwood , having been purchased y him from the ecclesiastical authorities ) ” The Z eal of the Commonwealth was not satisﬁed with dealing only with the Royal property . Its fanatical energy was shortly turned in the direction of the Established

Church , which no good Puritan could regard with anything but abhorrence , as superstitious and papistical . It was therefore resolved that Episcopacy must be abolished . V arious schemes were propounded to take its place , of which the most feasible seemed to be one that was partially

o carried out in Lancashire . The county was divided int

Nine Classical Presbyteries , of which the ninth included in Furness and Cartmell . Moreover to Obtain accurate formation what was known as the Oliverian survey was Of made every parish , and an inquisition was taken at Lancaster in 1 65 0 before a Commission appointed under the Great Seal of England , under the presidency of Judge 78 SOME RECORDS OF

Swarth mo or Fell , of to inquire into the number and real yearly value and scitt uatio n of Churches and Chapels within the county , and how the same are provided of main t enance and preaching ministers , by ye oaths of good and ” ns l lawful men of ye Hundred of L o y da e . “ The good and lawful men at La ncaster were singu larl y misinformed as to Nibthwaite , thus The J urors say (inter alia ) Nibthwaite is a mile and a hal f from Shawley Chappell in Cartmell two miles and a half from ye parochial chapell , and six and a half from ye ” church . This information is so strangely inaccurate as to cast doubts on their knowledge of the district . ai i The j urors also s d , with regard to Colton , in wh ch parish Nibthwaite is situated That the parishioners humbly desire to be parochial separated from Hawks f in head , which was ultimately e fected and com

m m aint en petent means allowed to the inister , the present

ance only being what the inhabitants choose to give ,

65 . amounting to £1 3 . 4d They also pray that Parkey more and other places may be added to Satterthwaite , which ought to be made a Parish Church (this was not

Parke m ore 1 0 done , as y still ( 9 7 ) remains in Colton Parish ) ”

1 660 rest o r In on the death of Oliver Cromwell , and the a

tion of the House of Stuart in the person of Charles I I . , Episcopacy and the Church of England were re - established as ﬁrmly as before . In 1 662 - 3 the Liberty and Lordship of Furness were grant

Duke of A b emar e all ed to the l l , with its rights and priv i leges , in as large and ample a manner as any person or

en persons ever held , or could or ought to have held , or m j oyed the sa e . There were several grants to the Duke th 1 666 of Albemarle . The grant of 7 March , , will be found

‘ 80 SOME RECORDS OF

e e the results of which , after b ing regularly enter d in a

e 1 book were presented to Queen Anne in Dec mber; 707 .

Gast rell di r Bishop , of Chester , in whose ocese Fu ness then

t a was , and who is well known as the author of No iti made the following ‘ re turn as to Colton

N O i di papist famil es there , but one ssenting meeting house for Presbyterians (To t tleb ank ) the value of th e

65 . 8d . . 1 . i 1 8 1 6 5 . 8d l ving certiﬁed at £ , viz £ 3 paid by

ill aid the inhabitants , but some of it p ; there was for merly a mean unconsecrated Chapel there , under ye Abbey

O f in Furness , till after the Dissolution it was enlarged building and made parochial by Archbishop Sandys the inhabitants having purchased ye several tithes from

im ro rie to r the p p have ever since named ye. curate , there t being no othe r patron who claims the right . Towns h e parish is divided into four parts in each of which there is a churchwarden who collects ye minister ’ s salary from house to house in every division . It is divided into three or four hamlets ; the ﬁrst part is called the East Side of hi Colton Beck second , the West Side of Colton Beck t rd ,

ai Finsthwait e Haverthw te and Rusland fourth , Nibble thwaite ( Sic ) It appears A minister was elected by the inhabitants

1 6 1 6 t h e in 94 and 97 , and ever since patronage has rested

th e ' land- w with o ners of certain estates in the parish . The four following indentures relate to transfers in

Of Nibthwaite , and Show further alienation the grant by J ames 1 5 t in 1 6 1 3 to the Wh itmores

— h 1 6 2 I . t s Deed (4 March , 3 ) from J ames Turner , Nichola

Penny , Rowland Dodson , and J ohn Dodson to J ames

Dodson , of Islands , in the River Crake . — 1 th 1 66 m l . m I I Deed ( 9 J uly, 5 ) fro Wi lia Dodson , l I wa ler , to William Dodson , webster, of slands , in the Crake .

E i e b anon aine a d t d y C R . TW O 1 LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 8

— 2 th 1 00 III . Deed ( 7 December , 7 ) from Richard Dodson to Thomas Rigg , of Messuage Lands and Tenements , at

Nibthwaite Grange .

- e 1 th 1 1 2 d IV . De d ( 7 December , 7 ) from J ames Redhea

i N ib thwaite » and in to Thomas R gge , of Lands , at , Islands , the Crake . 8 2 SOME RECORDS OF

v .

— KINGS AND QUEENS I I .

(B LAWITH . We have traced the descent of the Manor of Blawith down to th e time when one moiety came to the Crown at 1 the Dissolution of the Monastery of Furness in 53 7, and the other moiety to the Crown by the attainder for high

treason of the Duke Of Suffolk and his execution in 1 554 . The Priory of Conish ead also had a certain tenure in f Blawith , but of what nature it is di ﬁcult to determine e xactly , as the Monastery of Furness who had always

viewed its neighbour with j ealousy, Claimed feudal j uris diction over many of its lands and was in some cases able to in e xact a monetary rent . Part of Blawith is at present

Conish ead cluded in the Manor of with Blawith , which betokens the ancient connexion between Blawith and the

Priory . Another portion of Blawith is in the Manor of

- - Of . Egton cum Newland , and part was in the Manor Torver All these Manors were so interwoven and overlapped each o ther as remnants of different ancient grants that it is

difﬁcult to distinguish them . But the chief fact remains 1 that in 553 in the reign of Mary , the whole of Blawith had f l a len to the Crown . 1 ni In 53 6 ( 2 7 Henry VI II . ) the Priory of Co sh ead was dissolved and it was enacted by Parliament that its re

venues should be annexed to the Duchy of Lancaster ,

whereupon a survey was made of its possessions , which

al r E ccle were found to include , according to the V o

siasticus a ( ) the site of the Priory , land in Ulverston ,

’ a D u dale s M onast i n g co .

TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 83

Swartmo re Th ower , Blawith , (Torver) , Bardsea , Urswick ,

B a esb ro n w &c . the Rectory of Ulverston , Pennington , y , The following extract gives more details as to the survey of lands in Blawith , and is worthy of notice as giving per haps the earliest record Of some of the tenants . “ ( a ) D eclaration of the rents of Conish ead Priory by vir

th 2 tue of an Act of Parliament (4 February , 7 Henry

VII I . ) for the suppression of the monasteries worth yearly

2 00 not more than £ per annum , now dissolved , from the

th 2 8 n v iz . 4 February to Michaelmas ( He ry , for half a year

Temporalia .

I nter alia . : ( ) Blawith , County Lancaster From rentes

05 . and fermes there at 4 per annum , at Michaelmas and

l . 2 05 . Pentecost equa ly viz , for each term , Rental for the lordship and lands of Co nish ead Priory made by Prior Thomas Lorde delivered to the Commission f O the 111 2 8 . 1 8. ers King (9 J une , Henry VII I ) 53 The names of the servants Of Conish ead Priory and ” their wages . Am ( ongst others . )

n f Of . J oh Towers , baili f Blawith

f S . d . J ohn Towers , baili f of Torver and Crake , 3 4 per

annum .

Rich erde R e dh ede Gle dh owe s . , of , 5

Rich erde R e dh e de W at t erend 1 05 . , of ,

5 . John Towers , 5

5 . William Towers , of Knott , 5

M tth e er s a we Cowh de . , 5

Mat th s 8d . ewe ro molendino m 6 . Kyrkby , p ( ill ) , The interest in the last name centres in the fact that a

1 Matthew Kirkby was one of the Monks , who in 53 7 , on

Of the dissolution Furness Abbey , signed the deed of sur

e o n a R c rd Ofﬁc e do cum e ts . 84 SOME RECORDS OF

2 8 render toge ther with the Abbot and other Monks . After the dissolution the Monks were at once turned adrift on the world with a scanty pittance ; it is known that the monks were frequently recruited from the Children of m the Abbey tenants , for who the Abbot maintained a school in the Abbey , usually selecting the brightest and cleverest of the Children to enter the Order either as regular or lay brethren possibly , therefore , on the dissolution Matthew Kirby returned to Blawith where from documents m (Appendix IV . and V . ) it will be seen that he or his fa ily were possessed of tenements and mills . The same name is found in Blawith until quite recent times , and many persons connected with the family still live there .

rd 1 0 w i On 3 May , 55 , Matthew Kirby , of Bla ith , d ed

(4 Edward VI . supreme Head under Christ ) and was buried in Ulverston Ch urch yard . ( a ) 1 uee M r In 557 Q n a y, and her husband , Phill of Spain , whom she persisted in Spite of the wishes of the people in

Of designating King of England , sold the half or moiety

Of the Manor , which had been the property the Duke of

f . 1 60 Su folk This grant and the one by J ames I . in 9 are

di . V . given fully in Appen x IV and , for two reasons , ﬁrstly because they are of value as giving the names of the ih l habitants of that date , and second y because they Show the sma siz e of th e h o di s ll l ng , and in what manner they were cul tivated which latter may have a bearing on questions widely discussed at the present day as to the various merits

. e dix of large and small holdings See App n IV. (Grant to

Curwen Richard and J ohn Hudson , of property in Blawith ,

1 . b by Phillip and Mary , 557 ) The other moiety of the Manor

remained with the Crown as part of the Duchy of Lancaster ,

a U e s o n a is e is e s e i e b ano n lv r t P r h R g t r , d t d y C B ardsle y and ano n e C Ayr .

b a en o i i and Ma P t t R ll . Ph ll p ry . (4

86 SOME RECORDS OF

t al al and all other ty hes , great or small , person or re , or

& ri c . mixt , arising , happening , , in the Pa sh of Ulverston ,

ai except in the s d letters excepted , as in the said letters patent doth more largely appear , by this indenture Flem u ing and Ambrose , sell , grant and bargain to J ohn T rner ,

Picth ow the elder , and J ohn Turner , the younger , of , in

i all e all Blaw th , the tyth s (as above ) and rents , and Spiritual

Gib st ede m &c . dues upon the essuage , , situated at and

P kth ow now e . y in Blawith , occupi d by J Turner , at a small e yearly rent to the landlord , together with a messuag in the occupation of Elizabeth Logan . To have and hold

ai all the s d tythes upon aforesaid premises , paying Fleming f m and Ambrose the small yearly rent O 7d . And Fle ing and Ambrose undertake that they will hereafte r at all

an d a e times maintain rep ir the Parish Church of Ulv rston ,

di u m Of Vicare and scharge T rner from pay ent the Person , ,

al or Curate , his wages , and so from the payment of all other dues and rents payable to the said Rectory and

e Personage of Ulverston , which have lat ly been accus t o m ed to be p aid by the ancient farms Of the s aid person age .

date d a 2 1 5 t In connection with the above a deed ( ) March ,

1 6 1 fu u Of : l 7 , shows the rther acq isition tythes Wil iam

Swainson , of Kendal , conveyed to Henry Atkinson , of

Gree nh olm e his &c . m , and heirs , , all those tythes of co e ,

ai wo ole gr ns , hay , and lambe , and all other charges due and

Greenh olm e spiritual dues , great and small , arising in , in Blawith to have and hold all the tythes in as large and

e a e ample a manner as they w re sold or p ssed ov r from Mr .

J ohn Fleming , deceased , unto the rest of the tenants

Of and inhabitants Blawith ; paying yearly rent of 9d. for the tythes .

d deed b In Appen ix VI . will be found a ( ) dealing amongst

h lm s n a G re e n o e e e . b a a d d Thr g Cr g d e e ds . TW O 8 LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 7

in other matters with a ﬁshery in Coniston Lake . It is t erestin g as giving some ancient place names , some of

no which appear to be unknown w . It is a grant and sale

Of by Gervis Harries Lancaster , and Anne Harries , his wife , of property in Torver , together with their interest in ﬂ sshinges in Thurston Water at or nigh a place called in Otterstocke N a e &c . the , the pp g Tree , , and other rights ,

’ ” ﬁssh in es estie parcels of the landes and g of the King s Maj ,

1 6 1 . . dated twentieth day of Februarie , 7 See Appendix VI In connection with this West says The proﬁts of the Manor Of Ulverston consist (amongst many other things) Of the free ﬁshing upon Thurston Water within the several parishes of Ulverston , Hawkshead , Colton , Otter

W ater arth now stock , Napping Tree , and g , all of which are ” ( 1 770 ) enj oyed by His Grace the Duke Of Montague .

About the middle of the seventeenth century , one half of the Manor of Ulverston passed into the hands of J udge

Fell r m r Swa th o o . , of Hall In what manner he became possessed of it there are no documents accessible to show . S O much has been written about J udge Fell and Swarth n moor Hall , that it is u necessary to enter on his history here , even if there were , as there is not , any evidence that he took a personal interest in the affairs of Blawith Canon

Ayre , writing in the North Lonsdale Magazine (May , thus refers to the descent of the Manor Th e other half of the Manor of Ulverston had been purchased by one

’ ll S Of . Fe the Kirkbys , of Kirkby Hall On J udge death the moiety of the Manor of Ulverston , and his other pro

5 011 di perty came to his only Charles . This Charles ed in

1 6 0 7 , when it passed with other property under the pro

w 5 01 1 visions of his ill to his only surviving Charles , who

Of was but an infant when his father died . On his coming Da i b ham age he sold the whole of his estate to n el A ra ,

’ who had married Rachel , the J udge s youngest daughter . 8 8 SOME RE CORDS OF

Of e 8th 1 6 1 The deed conv yance (J uly , 9 ) states that the purchase money was and describes the estate as

e lying mor or less in Ulverston , Urswick , Blawith , Lowick ,

&C . no t Hawkshead , Colton , Nibthwaite , But it was long i f before th s extensive estate began to su fer diminution .

’ In 1 697 Daniel Abraham sold the Fells ancestral estate of ” a s ll H wk we . The moiety Of the Manor which had been purchased by the Kirby family was also conveyed to him

by the trustees . The whole township was thus vested in

e i i Dani l Abraham , but owing to d straints and ﬁnes wh ch b e incurred in defe nce of the rights of conscience and the expensive litigation in which he was involved in resisting

e what he regarded as unj ust Claims , his losses wer consider a ble .

a A 8th 1 2 conv ersIOn _( ) deed (dated J anuary , 7 5 ) shows the o f a customary estate into a freehold by Daniel Abraham .

Old As it preserves some phraseology and customs , the following abstract is given

th 1 — h m o or 2 8 2 . Swart J anuary , 7 5 Daniel Abraham , of ,

to Leonard Park , of Stable Harvey , house carpenter , sells

a tenement at Stable Harvey , in Blawith , lately occupied

i 6d . by Will am Kitchin at a yearly rent of , Greenhew

2 d - rent 5 , and one boon hen ; also tenements there ten

B ro ckb ank n anted by Thomas and J oseph Parke , Gree hew

- f 6d . o ne O rent , and boon hen , being part the Manor of

Daniel Abraham .

m nes Also Daniel Abraham conveys absolutely all y ,

mineralls n reenh e ws al l , quarries , revenues , re ts , g and

&c . all customary suits and services , , and woods and wood

o f every kind , to hold as an absolute estate of inheritance m ’ and in fee Simple without any encu brance of Lords rents , o r services or attendances at any court within the Manor

r h eld under Daniel Abraham . It was fully ag eed that the

a S tab le H a rvey d e e d s .

W O T LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 89

part of the Running Penny , which belongs to the granted i premises , was likewise conveyed w th the rest of the rent ” belonging to the freehold .

Signed . “ Sealed and delivered and peaceable possession was given by Daniel Abraham in his proper person in lieu Of the whole by delivering one clod of earth and a twig of wood according ” to the intent of this deed .

1 1 Daniel Abraham died in 73 , and left all his estate to oh Ab raham his son J ohn . J n in accordance with local

. I custom , was known as Lord Abraham n his time , the in causes already mentioned , together with the expenses in curred bringing up a large family , and some unsuccess ful mining operations , combined with other unfavourable

Circumstances , so encumbered the estate as to necessitate its sale .

The estate had already been mortgaged to a Mr . Harri

On 2 th son ; with his consent J ohn Abraham , 9 October ,

1 6 Of 73 , sold the lordship of the whole Manor Ulverston , h . 1 2 t including Blawith , to a Mr Dummer , who , on Novem ber following ( 1 73 6 ) sold it to the Duke of Montagu for the sum of £490. Mr . Dummer afterwards became steward

Of the Manor for the Duke of Montagu . From the Duke of Montagu it has descended by inheritance to the D uke of B uccleuch who now holds it . 90 SOME RECORDS OF

VI .

ITA PR ZE TE R .

K T H . I . FORESTA DE BLAWITH (A S E C )

The derivation of the name B lawith is generally at t ri buted to the Norse word Bla , Signifying blue or dark , and

B lav idr . v idr . , forest or wood Thus , the dark forest

O L D AT TREE STABLE HARVEY.

ni m Other mea ngs have been given , but this seems the ost probable as harmonizing with the ancient features of the country . The earliest mention of the name occurs in the 1 2 th century when the dead wood in Blawith was given by

William de Lancaster I . to the Priory of Conish ead and 1 Fores a de B lawi h later in the 3 th century , the t t is men tio ne d as the property of Roger de Lancaster . The medi ae val deﬁnition Of a forest did not necessarily imply the modern notion of a tract of country covered with trees , but rather a portion of territory consisting of exten

92 SOME RECORDS OF

0 tree was found in Dalton 3 feet below the ground , the wood as black as ebony .

This evidence , combined with discoveries in local mosses , conﬁrms the fact , if proof were needed , that the forest of Blawith once existed as a vast extent of ﬁr and hardwood

now m trees , covering a great part of what is fell and oor land .

H ow the forest disappeared , whether by human agency , or by some violent storm or inundation , is not recorded .

What woodland remains is chieﬂy Coppice wood , but it is not of the same extent as in Nibthwaite on the opposite side of the valley ; traces of b lo o maries Show that this n Coppice has bee used for smelting purposes , possibly i Co n sh ead . worked by the Monks of Nowadays , the cop pice and timbe r chieﬂy belongs to the different estates

O f where it has been purchased from the lords the Manors . There are many instances of such purchases amongst the old deeds , of which the following is an example

Ind n u n 1 0 a e t re 2 2 d . ( ) dated December , 75 (4 George I I ) by Edward Montagu of London , Esq . , Isabella , Duchess

e - Dowag r of Manchester , his wife , the Right Hon . George

Of Earl Cardigan , and Mary , Countess of Cardigan , his wife , who grant , bargain , and sell to J ohn Gawith , of Brown

Co c kensh ell How , house carpenter , and J ohn Kendal , of ,

Greenh olme yeoman , trustees of late J ohn Atkinson , of ,

all the timber , timber trees , young sprigs of wood and underwood , and bodys and trunks thereof , with all the

no w bark , top , tops , crops , and shreds of such trees , grow ing , or that shall hereafter arise and grow upon the cus lm t o mar &c . Greenh o e y lands , , at , and held of the ﬁrst parties as appertaining to Egton and Newland all ancient rents and duties charged upon the customary lands to be paid as before .

G re enh o m e e e ds a l d . TH RANG CRAG WOOD .

94 SOME RECORDS OF

u s With the increase of population and enclos re of land , the inadequate protection afforded would soon have ih volved the extinction of the maj ority of these . Thanks to our present Game Laws the most val uable still ﬂourish . The following is a proclamation of the appointment of a game - keeper in 1 744

To whom all these presents may and do concern .

Know ye that I , J ohn , Duke of Montagu , have constituted oi and appointed , and by these do constitute and app nt

e William Mattson , the younger , of Marsh Grang , in the

r Parish of Dalton , gentleman , keeper and preserve of all the game of Hunting , Fishing , and Fowling , and other Game whatsoever within my Manor of Plain Furness and I do

ao hereby authorize and impower him , William Mattson , cording to the Laws of this Kingdom made and provided to seize and detain the dogs , guns , netts , engines and other li li things used in disturbing , Spoi ng , kil ng , and destroying

s the said game , or any of them within my Manor afore aid , by any person not qual iﬁed and not licensed by me for that

e . W Of purpos In itness whereof , I , the said J ohn , Duke

Montagu , have to these presents set my hand and seal , the

o f second day April , in the seventeenth year of the reign of

Our Sovereign Lord George I I . , by the Grace of God of

ai Great Brit n , France , and Ireland , King , defender of the

1 faith , and so forth , in the year of our Lord , 744 .

(Signed ) Montagu . Sealed and delivered (being ﬁrst duly stamped ) in the

Of i presence Will am Folkes .

SITE O F B I R K R OW MILL.

96 SOME RECORDS OF

In a district where wool was one of the staple commo dities Of i e t h e raw l fe , thes mills for treating and ﬁnished

e material did a trad of considerable extent , and seeing that

Of u e e the Monks F rness were xtensive she p farmers , it is

i rrrills r probable that the local full ng , with the othe means of production were under their management in early days . The following is a description of the process of fulling in olden times — The ful ling was done by beating the Cloth in the fulling stocks , which are heavy wooden mallets raised by wheels with proj ecting cams . AS is well known ,

e ﬂannel , and anything of a woollen t xture , tend to con

i n e tract with frequent wash ng , gai ing in thickn ss what is lost in extension and elasticity . Such shrinking is greatly accelerated when articles are much rubbed in very hot

. Of water This shrinking , or fulling , is the result the wavy texture of wool ; the cloth taken from the fulling machine must be immediately stretched in all directions on is dr . a a frame , so that it may y evenly The process of r ing

was e the pile th n , of old , performed by the ﬂower head of the teasle (dipsacus fullorurn ) which forms a cone - like

e w spike cov red ith imbricated scales , which scratched up u the s rface of the cloth . Of old these teasles were set

m e together in a ﬂat fra e , and by hand the workman brush d them in a uniform manner over the surface of the tightly stretched Cloth . ( a ) In the Middle Ages the woollen trade was the staple trade of England , so much so that it was spoken of as the

Flower the Strength , the Revenue , and the Blood of

Of England , and , until the development the cotton trade , the woolle n industries were by far the most important sources of wealth in the country , a fact which would not escape the attention of the worldly - wise Abbot and Monks

ai of Furness indeed , it may be s d that the Monks , espe

a Old e i io n o f Enc c o i i d t y l paed a Br tannica . A TW O L AK E L N D TOWNSHIPS . 97 ciall y in the North of England , were the chief pioneers and

s supporters of the trade in wool . The woollen trade wa l developed , if not started , to a great extent by Wil iam the

Conqueror , who brought over Flemish weavers , who were patronized by his Queen , Matilda of Flanders . During

1 1 the succeeding reigns the trade fell off . In 3 3 it was revived by Edward I II . , who introduced more Flemish weavers and did his utmost to promote it , as by wearing woollen clothes , and in other similar ways to stimulate the i industry he proh bited under pain of life , death , and limb ,

! his the export of English wool Previous to time , wool

was had been in large demand on the Continent . There “ much legislation on the subj ect of the Art and Mystery ” of Weaving , under Elizabeth when free exportation of

l 1 Eng ish woollens was allowed . In 555 an Act was passed that no weaver was to have a fulling mill or act as ful ler 6 . 1 6 0 or dyer , and no fuller was to have a loom In , under

Charles I I . , exportation was again forbidden , and amongst other regulations Charles I I . decreed that all bodies Should

r . l be bu ied in wool (See old parish registers . ) A aw which

1 1 remained nominally in force about 1 00 years . In 8 5 the hi i pro bition was ﬁnally abol shed . As years passed by the introduction of more modern machinery and methods gave the death - blow to the smaller local mills . In later years Birks R o w Mill was converted into a corn mill , but there are no records when it began or ceased to work as such .

H ow self - centred these Lake Valleys were may be gath ered from the fact that it is an Old tradition that every house w in Bla ith had not less than three Spinning wheels , and made yarn for sale , and not only was it Spun , but woven ,

s sometimes at home , and sometime sold to the mills in

al the adj acent districts . Homespun materi was the uni 98 SOME RECORDS OF

m versal clothing for men and wo en , old and young alike di linen also was manufactured in the strict , and ﬂax and hemp grown in considerable quantities to supply the raw

e material . On nearly ev ry farm will be found at least one ” ﬁeld under the name of H empland . SO late as 1 81 3 in a local inventory in Blawith a ﬂax wheel is included . Itinerant tailors went from house to house making the homespun cloth into garments , and often receiving board and lodgings instead of pay . From these few notes may perhaps be gathered the connection between the fulling mill and the local woollen industries . How both have disappeared from the valley i is a fact for political economists to expla n , complacently or otherwise .

TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 99

VI .

TH E RIVER CRAKE AND L OW NIBTHWAITE .

N ibthwaite Furnace for the purpose of smelting iron was founded by Richard Ford , of Grizedale , and Thomas

1 6 Rigg , of Nibthwaite Grange , as partners in 73 , on the

Of - land Thomas Rigg , an extensive land owner of the day , owning land along the Crake up to the foot of Coniston

Lake . He Claimed an absolute right of freehold in his property as representative of the Dodson ’ s (inasmuch as the premises were granted by Richard Dodson , deceased , to the ancestors of Thomas Rigg , in to whom it

1 6 1 had been sold by the Whitmores in 4 , who had it from

1 6 1 . 1 J ames I . in 3 It thus appears that in 73 5 Thomas Rigg was possessed in fee of a Close of land called Loppin

Of . Green in Colton , on east Side the Crake This he leased ,

2 8t h 1 e May , 73 5 , to Richard Ford , of Grizedale , for a t rm of years for the purpose of erecting a furnace there . On the

Opposite or west side of the Crake was , and is situated , a

l r no w Close of ground cal ed Pa k Field , part of the Knott

Estate , but at that date the property of J ohn Towers , of H kl ou er . was Hall , in Blawith This also leased to Richard

1 8 r . Ford in 73 for a te m of years Consequently . in virtue

Of i the said demise from Thomas R gge , Richard Ford fur ace l erected a n upon the close ca led Loppin Green , and at the same time diverted a little of the water out of the

i fur R ver Crake for the benefit of the nace , but without doing any damage to the river or any fishery therein . d f Matters di not run smoothly at first . Di ferences arose over the lease , and other points , the Chief of which resolved I oo SOME RECORDS OF itself into a question as to whom the soil or bed of the

e - river belonged , the result b ing a law suit heard at Lan caster in 1 745 . 1 6 In Mich aelmas term ( 1 9 George I I . 74 ) Antony Dil i bury , complains of Simeon Wh pstick , being in the custody of the Marshall of the M arsh allsea of our Sovereign Lord the i B King , before the King h mself that he Antony ilbury , in

e i B radd ll virtue of l ases from Dodd ng y , Adam Askew , and

w 1 J oseph Stan ick , in 745 , had entered into all the tene

e was m nts so leased , and possessed of them when Simeon

rd 1 did Whipstick on October 3 , 745 , with force and arms , n that is to say , with swords , staves , and k ives , enter into i l the sa d several tenements , and ej ected and expe led , and B removed ilbury from the several farms , and other wrongs to him did , against the peace of His Maj esty and damage

’ o f £4 o f

e D ilb ur i l It is appar nt that y and Wh pstick , were on y

B radd ll men of straw , and that the real action lay between y and Ford . I do not propose to enter into the merits or demerits of the case , nor to follow the course of the trial ,

few but only to give a depositions of witnesses called , of interest as touching local matters of former days . J ames K irkby remembered above 50 years Since ( 1 695 )

e a wood bridg over the River Crake below Birk R ow house . Abo ut the same time his father buil t a stone bridge in the same place where the old bridge stood , and made the but

e am ment th reof into the river with one arch . The s e bridge fell the ve ry day that t h e frames thereof were re

l his moved , and with the stones that fel from the bridge father made a wall in the middle of the rrv er and laid planks upon the butments and wall which is a bridge no w in being . — (N . B . The bridge stands in the same form at the present

1 0 e day ( 9 7 ) but was rebuilt by B nson Harrison , owner of th e B irkrow property on which it stands ) . Kirkby con

TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 1 01 tinues e , it was always reputed that the r eds growing in the river near the owners of the lands were deemed to be their property , and that the islands in the river have been enj oyed as to cutting wood , mowing , and depasturing the ground thereon by owners of the same , and that Mr . B raddyll had only right of eele and salmon ﬁsheries in

his the river , and he proves that he heard father say that

W o o db urne he paid to J ohn , of Ulverston , a yearly rent of

R o w 6s . 8d . for a corn mill at Birk , in Crake , and he says that he helped to get and gather stones in the river for ” repairing the water course to the mill . He also says about 1 4 years ago ( 1 73 0 ) the eel -dam was in a ruinous i cond tion , and no rent being paid for the same , a breach was made in the dam in order to prevent any ﬁsh to be catched or got there , which was supposed to be done by

’ ” B radd ll s Mr . y farmers , and he believes Thomas Towers was consenting to Thomas Rigg removing the eel house and dam . oh L each J n said he was a servant to Thomas Towers , and during that time Thomas Towers and J ohn Redhead took the eel ﬁshery , and then removed the eel dam from Lopping Green to the Parke (Blawith ) side and he

O f wrought at the making it , and believes John Redhead would not have taken the ﬁshery if Thomas Towers had not jo yned with him and they divided the eels . J ames R edh ead said above 4 5 years since ( 1 700 ) he had seen reeds which his mother told him were cut in the river n Crake by some of their family , and ow ers of land had a right to cut reeds over against their own lands to mid l stream . He heard and be ieved that Rowland Dodson , one of the grantees of the patentees of the Crown , was father of the eldest Richard Dodson , of the Manor and lands in Nibthwaite . J ohn K endall said there was S O great a breach in the eel 1 02 SOME RECORDS OF darn that it was of no service for catching eels when Nib

ai was i ai thw te furnace begun to be bu lt ; he also s d , about

2 2 h e years ago , together with some other persons , were employed by Thomas Rigg to cut and peel wood in

Loppin Green , and the islands in the Crake opposite , and that afterwards Thomas Rigg sold the same .

I saac Askew 2 0 said above years ago that himself , old Thomas Rigg and others undertook from Thomas i R gg , the younger , the cutting of wood in Loppin Green ,

Smithy Field , and the islands near , and he remembered the cutting of wood in one island which fell to Old Thomas

’ i tell Rigg s share , and he h red him (Askew) to the wood and peel the bark in the island . He was servant to Thomas

i an d B oudre R gg , when they had mown some meadow in y

o ff Ing , his master told him that one of them must put his shoes and stockings and wade into the river and he waded into the river and both cut and pulled up Pow Seav es for bottoming of chairs .

The R everend J ames W aterson s aid he had been curate of Lowick Chapel 4 0 years (from and that he had i an island in the r ver , and cut wood therein for hedgings and ﬁrings , at pleasure , having other lands adj oining the river . He caused to be made a water dub in the river for

ri wate ng skins for the use and trade of a tanner , and dug

al a watercourse in the river , and made a w l in the river l two yards in breadth , and severa in length , and gathered

ri stones and gravel for the wall in the ver . He had seen wood cut in the islands by William Noble and Willi am w w Coward , on the Lo ick side , who o ned these islands and converted it into charcoal ; and he had seen coal -pits on

. r m . the islands He received f o Mr Latus , late owner of

d . ai am Lowick , a yearly rent of 4 , and p d s e to William i Penny , wh ch , he believed , was paid upon account of some

1 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 03 part of Lowick Mill extending into the Furness Fell side of the river . Matth ew Turner said that his father 50 years ago ( 1 695 ) took grass in an island in the Crake of Richard Dodgson ,

’ former owner of Thomas Rigg s tenement at Nibthwaite

3 . Grange , and made hay of it and paid 5 a year rent . He l ’ a so made charcoal on Rigg s islands , and had been in their company when T . Rigg and T . Towers had disputes as to which islands did belong to one and which the other .

’ B radd ll s He was a slater by trade , and old Mr . y work

’ man . He al so remembered an island of old T . Rigg s which was so grown and extended that it j oined his own land , and he enj oyed it as the rest of his land . George R edh ead said above 4 0 years since (about 1 700 )

B oudre he farmed some meadow in y Ing , and frequently

his cut so much grass and reeds in the river for horses , which his wife generally carried home , that she yet com plains of the hardships she suffered by carrying thereof , and says it was a common thing for 60 years or more for persons who had land adj oining the river to cut reeds and grass,in the river for their own use without any hindrance , and it has all his time been reported by very old men that the owners of land had the right to everything in the river “ m except the ﬁsh , that is to say to the iddle of the stream .

- B . (N . I t appears that this George Redhead was 80 years of age , and very inﬁrm , insomuch so that it was necessary to hire a person on purpose to go with him to Lancaster

e r for the trial , and that they set out on J uly 3 oth , but w e not able to travel there in one day and also that Thomas

1 00 Petty , another witness , who was nearly a years old , had to be carried in a cart to Lancaster , hired for that purpose , with a person to attend him beside the person wh o drove the cart . ) Th omas Dixon said 4 0 years ago ( 1 700 ) he was a servant 1 04 SOME RECORDS OF of Thomas Kirkby and assisted his master in ge tting seve ral

e - loads of sand in the Riv r Crake for rough casting , part

’ e Pic th all i e of Thomas Kirkby s hous at , and also w th s veral

- others made the new eel dam in the park . Richard Penny said that he farmed B irkray Mill 1 5 years

1 0 ago ( 73 ) and continued there four years , and several times took stones out of the River Crake to repair the dam

a and race , and during those four ye rs did oftener than once gather stones in the middle of the river be tween Loppin Green and Park to drain water out of a dub when he

i 1 6 wanted water at the mill , and about n ne years ago ( 73 ) he assisted Thomas Rigge to remove the stones from Thomas

’ Towers eel- dam to make a new eel- dam higher up for which i R gge paid him , and afterwards sold some ﬂags and timber

- n . used at the new eel dam to W . Pen y Randle Fallow said about I O years ago there

- ar I O was a breach in the eel d n about yards long , and when the river was low for Birk Row Mill to bring water he

e . h lped the farmer Wm Penny to throw up stones , sand ,

l B o udra and gravel at a close cal ed Higher Cleven , near y

Bridge . There are many more statements in the depositions of a similar character , but the above should be sufﬁcient to give some idea of the occupations and names of imbabi

all tants of the v ey in the 1 8th century .

W e - e need not follow the law suit furth r , but only note

l 1 0 that matters were ﬁnal y adj usted , so that in 75 a lease was granted to Richard Ford and others for 1 00 years . These persons became known eventually under the name

a of H rrison , Ainslie Co . in which ﬁrm at the latter end of

1 8 the th century Matthew Harrison was the leading spirit . ( a)

aH e was o f a oc a ami f o nis o n a e e a in a i io n o . l l f ly, C t W t rh d dd t t o h is in e e s in o n h e was a e e ensiv e an o ne in t r t Ir , v ry xt l d w r Fu ne ss and es mo an r W t rl d .

1 06 SOME RECORDS OF

e e dinners , and supp rs of six s rvants for the three days , n a who also consumed a large quantity of ale , the ﬁ l item being for three j ourneys and other payments to the two

e carters . The whol of the catering was undertaken by

e and . John Janson , of Ulv rston , duly paid for by Mr

e i Richard Ford . Th re was , in add tion , an account of

1 1 7s . 1 d . paid to Isaac Rawlinson when the Special j ury ” came to vie w at N ipth e t t Furness . He seems to have been a local publican who kept a small house of entertain ment at Nibthwaite .

e i Ai i Aft r the expirat on of the lease of Harrison nsl e , in

1 8 0 re 5 , Nibthwaite ironworks ceased to exist , and the p b ob b i mi mises were again let , when a n ll was erected , or

t wo e rather bobbin mills , with wood war houses , coal

r . e barnes , d ying kilns , and wood yards These , togeth r

e 1 8 with several hous s , cottages , and gardens , were in 55 in the occupation of Francis White later they were sub -le t l by him to Wilson Brunskil , of Sunny Bank , in Torver , t the lat er binding himself to put in new water wheels , if n either of the two wheels then there broke dow , and also new th e segments for two pit wheels , and for both of the

e e sufﬁ crown or j ack whe ls , if n cessary , White to supply

e e r cient timb r in the log to k ep in repai the sluices , troughs and weirs . i did 1 8 Th s venture not turn out a success , for in 57 , two years afterwards , there was a bill of sale of all the stock in trade . Afterwards the business was carried on by various other parties , but with only indifferent success . Cheap

- ready made foreign articles killed the trade , and local

th e bobbins , for which there was a great demand when h Lancas ire cotton trade ﬁrst started , were unable to com

e p te with the cheapness of the foreigner , and so it is that now articu the bobbin mill is more or less a ruin , and not p larl y picturesque at that . It has since been partially used 1 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 07

’ at various times as a j oiner s shop , a ﬁsh hatchery for char and trout for Coniston Lake under the auspices of the

Fishery Board , and as a meeting room for missionary societies . The only remains of the old furnace and forge are the lower portion , and the great heap of cinders and clinkers on the river edge , some of which have been used to build the walls along the neighbouring high road . Its m na e , at least , is perpetuated by one queer little cottage of one storey, under the imposing title of Mount Etna . 1 08 SOME RECORDS OF

n v .

ECCLESIASTICA . BLAWITH CH UR CH (I )

The old church of Blawith , more picturesque in its old age than it can ever have been in its youth , stands as a ruin a few yards away from the site of the new church . There is no documentary evidence as to the date of its erection , nor has it any distinctive style of architecture which might help to ﬁx its age in fact , it must be con fessed that in its original state the church can have been little better than a barn , of small dimensions , no tower or

e W ste ple , a few irregular square indows , a tiny west door ,

- and the whole rough cast as now . Its use as a school would not add to its ecclesiastical appearance . The type is not uncommon in the fell country , where there are several i i similar buildings st ll existing as d ssenting chapels .

1 6 0 The earliest mention of a curate is in 5 , but both Blawith and Lowick chapels are marked on Saxton ’ s map

’ in h is Anglia 1 577 on the map in Camden s Brit

’

1 60 1 6 1 0 . Th e annia , 7 and in Speed s map of proba b ilit y is that th e church was built sometime in the reign of Elizabeth .

In the time of the Commonwealth , Episcopacy and the

1 6 use of the Book of Common Prayer were abolished , 45 and (as we have seen before at Colton ) a survey was held

W was into the conditions of every parish , and hat called the ” th e Pe o le Harmonious Concert in the Agreement of _ p , ” n 8 was sig ed by 4 of the Ministers of Lancashire . The signature of J ohn Gibson , the reader of Blawith , does not appear , but the j urors of the good and true men of

TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 1 09

a hi inter alia Lanc s re , said upon oath that ( ) Blawith is s enm eav iles from Ulverston , and that the Chapel of Bla a with hath no maintenance , only ye inhabitants llow £5 m per annu of themselves to J ohn Gibson , their reader ; and the parishioners humbly pray that Blawith and w Lo ick may be united and made a Parish , and a church f ” built at their o wn charges in an indi ferent place . This n recomme dation was not carried out , possibly owing to the

. 1 0 fall of the Commonwealth , not long afterwards In 7 4

Gast rell Bishop , of Chester (in which diocese Blawith then di was ) , certiﬁed in accordance with rections from Queen n A ne , that Blawith contained no Papists , and only one di ssenting person , the inhabitants numbering about 45

al l families in , and the value of the living £4 per annum and sometimes less

r e h o ﬁiCiat e Ch istoph r W itwell , who began to at Bla 1 2 8 with in 7 , commenced the Blawith Chapel Book of A i ccounts , wh ch appears to be the earliest regular church record existing in the parish . It consists chieﬂy of the

1 2 8 ri 1 0 Registers of Baptisms from 7 , Mar ages from 73 , and

ri 1 1 Bu als from 746 . That Blawith in 73 7mwas a chapel of ease to Ulverston , is apparent fro the demands made at different times for contributions to keep Ulverston

v iz . 2 nd 1 church in repair . , memorandum ( J une , 73 7 )

3 that 5 . remains in the hands of J ohn Atkinson , the chapel w m warden of Bla ith , which remained fro the payment of the q uindam (quindecem or ﬁfteenth ) charged upon Blawith and Subberthwaite for the repairs of the roof and

l ai 5 . 1 1 800 wal s of Ulverston church ; and ag n 5 in 799 , , and 1 801 .

1 6 In 74 at the request of the curate and inhabitants , a license to bury in the churchyard was granted by Samuel

Pe loe 1 1 th v iz . p , Bishop of Chester (February ,

her B ro ckb ank W eas . the Rev Ferdinando , clerk , curate , 1 1 0 SOME RECORDS OF

i and the inhabitants of the chapelry of Blawith , with n

&c . the parish of Ulverston , , have made it fully appear to us that the said chapel is very ancient , and the sacraments and other divine ofﬁces (except only that of the burial of the dead ) have been performed therein , and that the chapel itself has be en well and sufﬁciently from time to time

- repaired , and the chapel yard thereof fenced and kept

all ll apart from common and profane uses , and a necessaries for Divine Service constantly provi ded by a distinct Chapel

Warden at the common charge of the inhabitants , so that the re is no room to doubt their being anciently set

e apart and consecrat d for Divine Service only , but as the same is six miles from Ulverston , and as the inhabitants are in general very poor , it is of great inconvenience ,

ri especially in winter , to b ng their dead to Ulverston , the Bishop and Ordinary of the Parish Church of Ulverston give permission for the dead to be interred in the chape l yard according to the usage of the Church of England ,

ai and the inhabitants are to keep the said chapel in rep r , and pay all dues to the Mother Church of Ulverston as before .

S amuelis Pe lo e Sigillum p ,

Cestriensis 1 6 Episcopi 74 ,

Samuel Cest riens . Hitherto the church and school had been one and the

N o . w same it was decided that they must be separated , in furtherance of the desire to make the chapel a really ecclesiastical ediﬁce and to carry into effect what seem to have been erroneous assumptions on the part of the Bishop as to its past character and condition .

n 2 th 1 facu Conseque tly on 9 February , 747 , a lty was obtained by William Lancaster , a man of much energy in all matters connected with the parish , for repairing the

- church and for erecting a separate school house . The

1 1 2 SOME RECORDS OF dying the premises is to take down the north wall of the

2 chapel and advance six foot outwards and 4 feet in length , which may be done without any prej udice to the roof and timber of the chapel and whereas it hath been further c ertiﬁed to us that the scholars who have been usually before taught in the chapel , have at sundry times not only

e broke the s ats , plaister and windows , but also defaced wit ’ the paintings on the walls , to , the Creed , Lord s Prayer , m ’ Ten Command ents , the King s Arms , and some sentences

diso rde d of scripture , and have broken up and the ﬂoor in several place s . The importance of which certiﬁcate we having taken into seri ous consideration do at the humble request of the said ce rtifyers hereby authorize and impower

th e you , William Lancaster , to take down north wall and

2 remove it six feet outwards , and extend it 4 feet in length , a nd e ai Co mmu also to r p r the Reading Desk , Pulpit , and ni on Rails , and the seats or forms in an uniform manner , a s also to repair the plaister , paintings , and ﬂoor . And l we also impower you , Wil iam Lancaster , to erect and build a school - house in such convenient place of the chapel yard as to you shall seem meet (the Right and Jurisdiction

al of the Ordinary , ways saved and reserved ) . In testi mony whereof we have caused the seal of our ofﬁce to be f e th 2 1 . a ﬁx d to these presents , this 9 February , 747

Charles Lambert ,

Deputy Register .

So far , so good , but the inhabitants as the Bishop of

Chester remarked , being chieﬂy very poor , were in some o i what a quandary how to pay for these improvements . Hitherto all expenses had been borne by the usual chapel

now rate levied on the inhabitants , however , on February 1 th 1 , 8, a licatio n a 9 74 they made an pp ( ) to J ohn , Duke of

Montagu , lord of the Manor , for leave to enclose a piece of

a W a terend ee s D d . TW O 1 1 LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 3

R aith o th ows heath , part of the waste of the Manor, called p ,

D amh ill , and Blea Brow, to sell the same and devote the money to the rebuilding of their parochial chapel , the land to be held at a yearly rent of a peppercorn , and reserving to & c . the lord all mines , woods , royalties , In accordance with this application the Duke of Montagu consented that the inhabitants should enclose and sell the places speciﬁed .

r1 th 1 m Consequently they sold ( September , 749 ) to J a es

Picth all Fisher , of (consideration mentioned) the parcel o f R aith oth ows waste ground called p , and devoted the money to the above purpose . Possibly there was some dispute now amongst the people

b eautiﬁed as to seats in their restored and Chapel , for in 1 77 1 there was an order from the Commissary Court at

Ulverston , that J ames Kirkby , of Great Knott , and his

&c . heirs , , for ever , should have a seat on the fourth part o f the sixth form on the north side of the Chapel , where the

- women sit , for his tenement at Blawith chapel house

( Matthias Forest , curate , William Lancaster , chapel Again so late as 1 848 it was ordered by the Commissary that a seat should be appropriated to the use

’ o f the minister s family at once , and at a meeting of the parishioners it was agreed that the seat in the front row o f ai n the gallery on the south side of the organ , cont ni g s ittings for four grown -up persons should be assigned for t hat purpose . The Collection of B riefs (that is a collection in accordance with instructions from the Crown for certain charitable purposes ) met with very small response in Blawith ; in i od . n early every instance £00 005 . o appears in the reg ster o e pposite the obj ect of charity ; and small wond r , as in most cases the sufferers , generally by ﬁre or pestilence , lived in parts of England which must have been as unknown

Pa is o o a r h B k . 1 1 4 SOME RECORDS OF

to Blawith people as Timbuctoo . The list occupies many

pages in the Parish Book , but , though interesting , is too 1 66 1 long to insert here . Pepys in his diary , 3 oth J une , ,

l n says , Went to church , where we observe the Trade Briefs is come up to so constant a source eve ry Sunday that ” Th e we resolve to give no more . issue of Briefs ceased in

‘ 1 82 8 . , on account of their unpopularity

1 81 t h e - f On May 3 oth , 7 , a Meeting of vestry men , o ﬁcers , l and inhabitants of the chapelry was ca led , when it was

n 1 0 agreed that a ew steeple , yards high , to hold a bell ,

should be erected from the ground , and it was agreed that John Benson and Roger Atkinson should do the

e walling , ﬁnding stone and mortar , exc pt freestone , for the

- 5 d . e 2 . 2 same at per yard , and the chapel ward ns to pro

e vide timb r , slate and other material , and it was further agreed that Ble a Brow b e sold in public to pay part of the

e e . e expenses as formerly d sign d Present J os ph Penny ,

e J ohn Kendal , Rob rt Redhead , Myles J ackson , J ames

e Taylor , William Kirkby , J ohn Atkinson , J am s Woodend ,

John Fisher , Matthew Coward , Antony Wilson .

2 nd 1 82 On March , 7 , Blea Brows , the remaining portion

m 1 was ut of the com on agreed to be sold in 749 , p up for i publ c auction by the customary tenants and freeholders ,

l th e W at er eat whereupon Wil iam Lancaster , elder , of y ,

o ff was the last bidder , but afterwards it was struck , and

it was declared it was for J ames Taylor , of Water End , who thus became the absolute purchaser (consideration

mentioned ) . There was apparently a hitch in the sale ,

1 2 th 1 82 re as on May , 7 , a meeting was held , and it was solved that advice be taken and a prosecution be made in law and equity , as the case shall require , for enforcing the i sale and bargain of Blea Brows to J ame s Taylor . Th s no doubt gave the necessary spur to J ames Taylor , for the purchase was completed , and Blea Brows , that well

1 1 6 SOME RECORDS OF

owners and occupiers resolved , that a rail of foreign oak be set from the corner of the Great Pew to the opposite side of the aisle , and a range of stools be made and covered with blue linen cloth and stuffed with hair that the front i i of the Commun on Table with n the rails , and the aisles leading to the little door be new ﬂagged that a new folio

Prayer Book be got for the minister , and that the clerk take the old one , and some necessary draining and walling be done . (J ames Redhead , J ames Fisher , Wm . Kirkby ,

J as . Woodend . ) ’ Roge r Sawrey s Bequest of Bibles for the poor in the

Ancient Parish of Ulverston applies to Blawith , which receives a gift of bibles every three years . Roger Sawrey

m al was of Plu pton H l , and Chamberlain of York , early in the 1 8th century . In olden days when books were scarce competition to secure these bibles was keen . N ow cheap

al printing has rendered these less v uable , and the books m bought by the bequest have largely increased in nu ber,

Blawith receiving some 2 5 at the last division . On April

2 8th 1 1 0 r w , 7 , it was ag eed between Lo ick and Blawith concerning the bibles Mr . Roger Sawrey gave them gratis , that whereas they are but given once in three years to these 1 1 2 towns , Blawith in 7 is to have four , if for these towns

1 1 w there come nine , and in 7 5 Bla ith is to have four and

Lowick four , suppose there come but eight , and so on ; and if the books come short equal abatement is to be ”

. ul 1 2 t h 1 0 made on either hand On J y , 77 , there were

- and delivered to the chapel wardens of Lowick , Blawith ,

e I O . Subb rthwaite , bibles 1 1 82 8 On October 3 th , , a meeting was held in Blawith schoolroom to consider the propriety of reducing the pre sent rateable value by the depression of the times in re gard to the produce . By a maj ority it was agreed that

. W m . one eighth is to be deducted J ohn Atkinson , Kirkby, AN D T H N E BLAWITH E W CHURCH .

1 1 8 SOME RECOR DS OF

1 01 i and 9 , the school gained the prize sh eld given by the i Carl sle Diocesan Association of voluntary schools , for the best average attendance in North Lonsdale . Considering

e r al the distance som of the child en traversed , in sever

two e i cases or three miles over f ll and moorland , th s is a really remarkable result . How far it is advisable to encourage a somewhat unnatural attendance in all we athers possibly at the expense of th e health of the children is a matter of opinion . Both Blawith church and school are attended by parish ioners and children from that part of Colton parish (Nib thwaite division ) which is situated in the Crake Valley . Of late years the local school managers have lost much of their authority , and now for better or for worse the hi Lancashire County Council is the c ef centre of authority , as elsewhere in the county . Up to 1 82 7 the Sacrament of the Holy Communion was administered three times a year— ﬁrst Sunday in the N ew

Year , Easter Sunday , and Michaelmas . The church plate is described as follows (a) A set of e - ﬂ a o n lectro plated vessels , comprising g , chalice , paten m and al s dish , presented to the church in

A t ﬂ a on lso a pew er g , six inches in height . It has no

lid . , and no marks upon it

Al 1 0 so a pewter paten , shaped like a plate , g inches in diameter . It has the name Nicholson stamped upon it on

- the under side , also an eagle and some other devices . There is al so a silver cup described in the terrier as a

silver cup for the Communion of the sick . It is a plain

—l silver tumbler , 3 3 inches in height , diameter at the top 3 8

‘ 2 . wei h t is z s . inches , and bottom 5 inches Its g 2 o 1 9

dwt s . 6 . 1 ew grs It has ﬁve marks , Three castles , the N

“ a o m u c a e in t h e io ce se o f a is e b anon Fr Ch r h Pl t d C rl l , y C e Ay r . B LAWITH SCHOOL .

1 2 0 SOME RECORDS OF

VI I .

ECCLESIASTICA .

— ( II TH E CURATES o r B LAWITH .

i The condition of the mediaeval parochial clergy, ow ng to the rapacity of the Abbeys in securing all sources of ecclesiastical revenue was , as West says , much depressed i l to the great scandal of relig on , the faithfu being often

e neglected , the sick and poor frequently d spised , and l i t churches de ap da ed . h Edward III . remedied t is to a certain extent by the institution of a regular and endowed parochial clergy .

As , however , the titles and revenues of the church had generally found their way into lay , if not monastic hands , the situation of the parish priest remained very precarious ,

1 0 and it was not until the reign of Henry IV . in 4 3 , that a law was passed that the vicar should be a secular clerk , and not a member of any religious house that h e should

cano mcall f be y instituted , and endowed with a su ﬁcient stipend for the express purpose of celebrating divine ser

” vice , for instructing the people and keeping hospitality .

Moreover , he was to be a perpetual vicar , not removable ” at the pleasure of the appropriator .

. 1 6 Under Henry VIII , in the th century , came the

- i Reformation with its far reach ng changes . We have no record of the names of ministers or priests in Blawith for n more than a hu dred years after this , although the church

’ was standing in Elizabeth s time . In all probability the church or chapel was served from the mother church of l U verston , but whether the minister was resident , or came n at certain or u certain times , there is nothing to tell us . H O W V IE \V FROM PE S .

1 2 2 SOME RECORDS OF

means of the owner . This custom was known as whittle gate .

’ o f 1 8 we In Clark s Survey the Lakes , published in 7 9 , have the following reference to this custom W hittlegate

’ is to have two or three weeks Victuals at each house ac i cord ng to the abilities of the inhabitants , which was settled

his among them , so that the parson should go course as

l . Few regular as the sun , and compleat it annual y houses

two t h e having more knives than one or , pastor was obliged to bring his own (sometimes it was bought for him by the chapel wardens ) , and march from house to house with his whittle seeking fresh pasturage . As master of the herd he demanded the elbow chair at the table head a parson was thought a proud fellow that was not content without a

e fork to his knife . He was r proved for it , and was told ” s that ﬁnger were made before forks . He also had certain rights of grazing and pasturing any stock he might possess , and also of getting peats for fuel .

H e e h is , moreover , often ked out means by acting as the

e village lawyer , and many of the local legal documents b ar

i e witness to their clerical authorsh p . He also sometim s

e receiv d material for his clothing , which under the name of Harden Sark probably consisted of local homespun mate H . e in i rial was thus paid chieﬂy k nd , a fact which ought to be taken into consideration when estimating the value of a living .

Up to quite recent years , therefore , there was no vicar

e e age or special r sidenc for the curate in Blawith . Chieﬂ V young unmarried men they moved on as soon as o ppo r t unit f e y o fered to som better living , hence their stay rarely exceeded a year or two , and while at Blawith they probably resided in the farmhouses in turn .

e The ﬁrst eccl siastical personage , of what Species it is

i ﬁ u e l d f c lt to say at that period of r igious confusion , is TW 1 2 O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 3

1 6 0 R eader mentioned in 5 , as J ohn Gibson , , of Blawith

inh ab i (see before ) , whose income was £5 allowed by the tants . After a lapse of twenty - four years from this we have a 1 6 complete and fairly accurate list , from 74 down to the present day . The list is written on the leaf of the old church bible , and is taken from an old book of the Homilies , the property of the church . This Book of the H omilies is itself an obj ect of anti

uarian 1 6 q interest , published in 3 3 by the authority of

’ the late Queen s Maj esty (Elizabeth ) , and to be read in every church agreeably printed and sold by J ohn New

’ ’ ton and others , at the sign of the King s Arms in Paul s ” Churchyard .

After the Reformation , and during the seventeenth and a great part of the eighteenth centuries , the preaching of sermons was very closely supervised , and there can be no doubt that in the village churches a sermon was an um

inco n common event , the Homily , as teaching sound and t ro v ertib le doctrine , taking its place to the confusion of all

H e personal and heretical opinions in the pulpit . who read i the homily acqu red his name therefrom , and so it is that th e minister at Blawith is frequently described as the ” Lector or Reader . i l The Book of the Homil es , stil kept in an old oak chest in the vestry , hollowed out of a solid block of oak , consti f tu es a record of the Blawith clergy for many generations .

Originally of much larger size than at present , it has been n cut dow and rebound , thereby obliterating some of the names and remarks of the ministers written on the margin .

Moreover , it has evidently at some time fallen into bad hands , probably of scholars , when the church and school

unco m were one , for there are some strangely ribald and

l nt r p ime a y remarks on some of the curates . It was re 1 2 4 SOME RECORDS OF

1 bound about 72 8. Most of the Homilies have the names of the curate of the day written against them , as having been read by them on different occasions . This reading of a homily was in accordance with the rubric in the Co m munion Service where it is enj oined “ Here shall follow the sermon or one of the Homilies already set forth , or ” hereafter to be set forth by authority . It does not appear that Homilies were read regularly in Blawith Church after the commencement of the 1 9th century . 1 6 In 74 , Thomas Hunter was in charge of Blawith

w s Chapel . He a also Vicar of Ulverston from 1 662 to 1 685 he probably walked or rode over to Blawith occa ” sio nall o fﬁciat e y to at the Morning Exercise , as the ser vice was called at that date . In the Book of Homilies ” he wrote some lines on Faith , Hope and Charity , con cluding

B e e se s e e ac e s a e in m e a so e e th w t gr gr ft d y h rt d p , a l w m i se e e Th t I thy a ay s t ll o b rve and k p . 6 — 1 8 . 0 . Thomas Turner

1 1 — 69 . Matthew Birkett began to reade at b lowith i D mi. 1 6 1 x ith A r ll e e . Chapel Ano 9 , about ye day of p

1 6 — 2 8t h 1 6 6 94 Thomas Cooper , buried May , 9 (in

Ulverston Churchyard) . Thomas Cooper , curate of ” Blawith .

1 — H tb l 6 . o ck 99 Thomas a . — wn n 1 oo . his o 7 J ames Stephenson , under sig ature he writes judicet L ector quam optima orthographiam ' ” a h o co o cobus S te ens n n vzt i. a. j p g , , Let the Reader j udge how very well J ames Ste phenson understood ” the art of writing .

ri At this pe od , according to Bishop Gast rell n the i habitants paid £4 to ye curate , but some of them b e u 85 . ing very poor , the c rate usually loses per annum , b esides what is lost by a division of ye lands .

T 1 2 W O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 5

— No data William Myles .

— No data William Robinson .

— 1 08 . . 7 Henry Holm Afterwards vicar of Urswick ,

1 7 1 4 to 1 747 . In Ulverston Parish Registers ”

I s . Spent on Mr . Holmes , “ — H omo B am . tonie si 1 709 . Thomas Atkinson p n s of

l ricn D l C e s de a ton . Bampton , Westmorland ,

— L ector ai lud m t 1 1 0 . i a is er de 7 Thomas Baxter , g

B lawith reader and schoolmaster .

— 1 71 5 William Richardson .

1 1 t In 7 5 , the inhabitan s and wardens of Blawith

Gastrell presented a petition to Bishop , then at

inh ab it ants a Oxford , that the number of ( ) was 43 ,

and that 3 3 of that number , some others sitting

neuter , had elected a young man whose name was ” Richardson , for our Reader and Schoolmaster ,

and we are well contented with him , but that ,

few nevertheless , a of the inhabitants had elected l Thomas Fel , who on this title had been ordained deacon at the Bishop of Carlisle ’ s last ordination in

Gas t rell as the absence of Bishop , Fell reported ; and the petitioners desired that his lordship would

ar not give him a license . Rich dson , however ,

2 was n a being only 3 not of cano ic l age , but his i i read ng in the chapel , and his teaching of the ch l

dren satisfactory to the parents , they prayed he might have a license to teach school until the Chester ordination ; but if the Bishop disapproved of the curacy being supplied with a man without deacon ’ s l hi orders , we wil rather re one to supply our curacy i who is in orders till R chardson attains thereto , rather than the other shoul d come among us and ” frustrate our choice .

o s s a H u e ho lde r . 1 2 6 SOME RECORDS OF

In due course Richardson was appointed curate of Bla

with . He wrote an excellent and clerkly hand as his signature witnesses he began to re ad Divine Service at

w rs t 1 1 . Bla ith , 3 J uly , 7 5 — in ecclesia cathedrale et 1 7 1 7 . Benj amin Muncaster ,

’ M elropolitana B eati Pelrz E bor ad s acrum ordinem

' ”

i . o atns admissns . e dzac n , , ordained deacon in ” ri York Minister . He is desc bed as a learned and ” re industrious curate , and from his pupils he

ceiv e d the epithet of Long Shanks . The following hexameter and pentameter are his

’ o m on mnsz ca cordula s ed cor N on vox sed v tn , n ,

' ” llztt in au e D on clamans sed amans sa r ei. n , p “ ha ns ca ella e lector hoe distichon Benj amin Muncaster , j p ”

scri sit . . p (B Muncaster , reader of this chapel wrote 8t h this distich , J uly ,

— 1 1 . e 7 9 William Partridge , began to r ad Divine Ser

1 1 1 . vice at Blawith , 3 th December , 7 9

He translated the above lines of B . Muncaster

’ Tis no t th e o ic e b ut ea n o t so un in s in v , h rt , d g tr g , ’ e z e a n o t o u a s o a G o s e ar i in u . Tr l , tw rd h w , th t in d w ll r g

’ cri tum er me Gnlzelmum P a t (S p p r ridge) . I n th e next eight years there were no fewer than seven

ministers , or curates , or readers . — 1 2 2 . 7 Henry Cookson , began to read Divine Service

anno redem tionis humane at Blawith , p , “ - 1 2 . 7 3 Thomas Walker , once student at Bampton , now curate at Blawith in the parish of Ulverston 8 began to read Divine Service at Blawith , th August ,

’ 1 72 3 3 w 1 2 8 In another hand riting , dated 7 , is Would God we were all Christians so agreeable to

Christ from whom we have our name .

— Gulielmus lect r d B h al 1 2 . o e lawit 7 5 J ackson , , so

1 2 8 SOME RECORDS OF

n o i The mea ing which is , Let no one , even the greatest , hope to avoid Time and Death .

1 1 — l 1 0th 73 J ohn Brad ey , began to attend at Blawith , th 1 1 1 1 . October , 73 and to teach school October

’ c o h Curatus de B urneszde sacello . L e t r ujus

dem tionis humane 1 acelli anno re 2 . s (chapel ) p , 73 He contributed the following

Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur.

(A sure friend is discerned in time of need . )

S i ueris eltx multos numerabis amicos f f , , ” llus amicu ade t nu mi nu s s . S t vacuus m , which he translated

I n im e s o f o s e i ie n s il b e e n t pr p r ty fr d w l pl ty , I im e s o f a e si no t o n e in en n t dv r ty tw ty .

Bradley al so wrote the following ingenious distich for ” oh an his successor to explain , or as he puts it in Latin j nes B radle h oc distich on scri sit ut s uccessor e us ex li y p , j p ” caret .

Fre remit in m undo de de rimit alta ro undo f , p p f , ” R t mala rim atur cus cus ide cuncta minatur , p . hi “F Of w ch I take the solution to be _ RE roars in the world

DE depresses lofty things to the depths . RI investigates ”

r . evils , CUS th eatens everything with his spear The four syll ables together form the name FR E D E R ICUS probably an allusion to Frederic the Great , of Prussia , who was at l that time looming lar gely in the pub ic eye .

1 6 — E llera 73 Thomas y , began to attend at Blawith ,

In Ulverston Parish Registers is entered , ” th 1 6 2 . E ll r e a 2 5 . 6d . May , 74 , Spent on Mr y , Probably a payment when he preached or ofﬁciated

in Ulverston Church .

— i a 1 . 73 7 Will am L nghorne , began to attend at Bla th 1 2 . with , December 5 , 73 7

— Mackere th . . u No date , c rate of Blawith . Ulver T 1 W O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 2 9

M ack r t . e e h ston Parish Registers , Spent when Mr

6d . 2 3 . preached (Ulverston ) , J une , — 1 in n st 1 . . W h nerah at te d ul I 73 9 John began to , J y , 73 9 — 1 . w 73 9 William Grice began to attend Bla ith Chapel ,

— 1 2 . mi A 74 Allan Penny , of a local fa ly , the name llan Penny occurring frequently in the Ulverston

Registers .

— 1 . 743 John Stoup . He describes himself in Greek as ” A witness until the end of the world . He was the son of J oh n Stoup who was vicar of Torver in

1 0 n 1 1 7 9 , and Co iston 7 9 .

1 — B ro ckb nk 744 Ferdinando a Curate of Blawith . (See Bishop of Chester ’ s license for burials in

Blawith Churchyard ,

1 — l 747 . Wi liam Atkinson . He was a son of the then

! Vicar of Ulverston . Ulverston Parish Register5 ”

. I S . 1 d . Spent on Mr Atkinson , the younger ,

— 1 8. 74 John J ackson .

— 1 . 754 Thomas Cowper . — l 1 . aut 759 John C ey .

— 1 60 . Ch rist o h erson 7 Thomas p , Curate of Blawith , afterwards curate of Rusland from 1 76 1 - 1 765 of a

local family . Ulverston Parish Registers Spent

h ri st . C o h erso n 2 s . 6d . on Mr p , of Blawith ,

— 1 1 l . 76 . Christopher Phil ipson Up to this date the stay of the curate reader and school m ” aster in Blawith had been of short duration , they suc ceeding each other with a rapidity at which we can scarcely wonder . At this period , however , there are signs of greater religious activity in the parish , as manifested in the various m n church al terations and improvements . The next i istry lasted 2 2 years . 1 3 0 SOME RECORDS OF

6 — e - a l 1 7 4 Matthias For st , of a well known local f mi y , e his father being buri d in Lowick Churchyard , in

1 766 . In 1 757 h e had been instituted Vicar of Lowick (which living he held for 3 0 years ) and in 1 764 he

was also appointed to Blawith , holding the two

livings together . Apparently about this time the payment of school

e master and curate becam distinct , for in an inden

B lencowe i ture between Mr . , of Lowick , and Matth as

Forest , it was agreed that the curate should teach

the Lowick children in English , Latin , and

writing at a ﬁxed charge .

1 6 . Ulverston Parish Register , 7 3 , to treating Mr k ’ ” Cran e s 1 5 . 1 d . Forest at J ohn ,

1 86 Mr . Forest died 7 and was buried at Lowick . 1 786 — Lowick and Blawith again separated Ecclesias

tically .

Seatle 1 86 . Henry appointed curate of Blawith , 7

th 1 8 He married at Blawith Chapel , June 4 , 7 9 ,

R ow h e r Betty Redhead , spinster , of Birk ; sister

Martha Redhead , had two years previously married

the Rev . Antony Barrow , curate of Rusland . H . S eatle was afterwards Vicar of Finsthwait e from

- 1 1 805 82 2 .

— 1 80 . . 5 J ohn J ackson Up to this time , the minister

e was unprovided with any residenc , Mr . J ackson there fore built for h imself the small house known as

1 00 in Newbiggin , at a cost , it is said , of £ his life

time he had a reputation as a mathematician . He

i 1 81 8 d ed , and was buried in Blawith Churchyard , ,

aged 5 1 . — . was m 1 1 . 8 7 William Atkinson He of a Blawith fa ily,

Greenh l at that period living at o me . In an inden

TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 1 3 1

was ture , wherein he made a trustee , he is described Pi t ll as of c h a . He afterwards built the picturesque

o n s house known as R o dl a d for his o wn use . Died

1 8 1 . 2 4 , and buried in Blawith old churchyard 3

years minister of this parish . — 1 8 1 . 4 Thomas Hartley . Appointed vicar of Lowick in m 1 8 1 W . 3 , and on the death of Atkinson , of Blawith

al so . This second attempt to unite the two parishes w excited much resentment in Bla ith , some of the

parishioners as a protest attending Torver Church . — 1 8 6 . 4 Isaac Hodgson . The connection with Lowick

Gaskarth was again severed , .the Rev . Isaac being

appointed Vicar there .

- 1 8 . f . 47 J oseph Patch . O a Devonshire family He built the present Vicarage as a private residence for i w . h mself , kno n for some years as Meadow Lodge It was largely owing to his energy that the present

Church was built in 1 862 . — 1 8 8. Ash rn r 7 John b u e . From the foregoing notes it is evide nt that the parishion ers formerly claimed the right of presentation to the living .

How they lost it is not clear , but it came subsequently to

e Co nish e ad r the hands of the own rs of P iory , and after passing through other owners was purchased in 1 862 by the Duke of Buccleuch . The Duke , as patron , purchased

Meadow Lodge , and presented it to the living as a Vicarage

. w house He also contributed , ith others , to the erection

was sub of the new church , the chancel of which erected by scription to the memory of Richard Harrison , of Water

Park . In 1 82 9 the living of Blawith was of the certiﬁed annual ll B radd . s d . . 6 1 8 . o value of £ 5 , at which time W y , Esq , of

Conish e ad . Priory , was patron of the living By private and public benefactions the value has been raised to j ust 1 3 2 SOME RECORDS OF

i 1 0 under £1 80 a year . Th s year ( 9 7) by the liberality of

e h as the patron , and other subscrib rs , a further sum been

ai r sed , which on being met by grants from the Ecclesiastical w l bodies , il , it is hoped , permanently ﬁx the of the living at £2 00 a year .

TW O 1 LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 3 3

VII I .

N E W THINGS AND OLD .

1 th Up to the commencement of the 9 century , and before the advent of railways , with the great opening up of com municatio n re that their construction involved , the more mote valleys of the Lake district were singularly free from

e dependence on the outsid world . The old industries which had continued for generations ﬂourished , the population was larger than now , while the same names occur again and again in the registers as of the same places for many long years . Canon Bardsley in the preface to the published edition

1 886 ( ) of the Ulverston Registers , remarks Nothing more clearly proves the absence of a migrative tendency on the part of the Furness folk than their names , especially those of local origin . We have to acknowledge that the vast mass of the popul ation of Furness bear the same names to -day as they bore 600 years ago to have emigrated 1 2 ” or 1 5 miles seems to have been the limit of their ambition . In spite of the introduction of better means of lo co mo tion , and a larger view of life as imparted by new educa tional dl methods , this tendency undoubte y continues in the more remote corners of Furness , and nowhere more so w than in our district of Bla ith and Nibthwaite , in the for mer of which th e continuity of the same names and th e relationship of the people to each other constitute a really remarkable phenomenon in these days when a restless desire for change and variety is everywhere prevalent .

Nevertheless signs of a change , even here , of late years w are slowly sho ing themselves , and although the rural hi exodus , w ch has so largely affected the greater part of 1 3 4 SOME RECORDS OF

e England , does not prevail here in an acute form , our qui t valleys are beginning to move with the times .

few A notes , therefore , of vanishing and vanished things may not be amiss .

— no w Small Villages. Often where there stands but a

i - sol tary farm house , in former days there was a hamlet

o ccu or cluster of houses , whose inhabitants were chieﬂy pied in Spinning and weaving . Attached to each farm are

e two g nerally one or sometimes smaller houses , most of

- the m nowadays unoccupied or turned into out houses .

Picthall Pickth all F At , Green , or yked How (as in old deeds ) there were eight or nine such houses with land di i attached to each , and , tra tion says , with three Spinn ng i wheels in each house . These old habitations have van shed ,

- leaving the farm house the sole survivor , but on a stable attached to the house a remnant of plas ter - work hangs to the wall , on which a star is still visible , indicating its former ” - use as a public house under the sign of the Three Stars . W ater eat At y a hamlet of four or ﬁve houses , there are

l e traces of former dwel ings the wat r corn mill , of some

dela idate d what p appearance in its old age , still carries on its old business , though sorely hampered by modern com petition . Its origin is lost in the mists of antiquity ; it

- has , at least , the beneﬁt of a never failing supply of water from Beacon Tarn where a dam and clough are constructed to regulate the water in dry seasons .

1 1 1 R e adh e ad W at er e at In 7 , Matthew had a smithy at y , where also in 1 73 6 was a malt - kiln in the occupation of J ohn Hutchinson this was a very usual adj unct to a farm

e - hous . In 1 75 2 the malt house and kiln were converted

’ 0 - into a shoemaker s sh p and a school house . A year or

B o uth two later J ames Fisher , of , draper and glazier , bought the house and shop from Matthew R e adh e ad .

1 8 e In 75 J ames Fish r , who had become a Liverpool

1 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 3 5

Pic th all merchant , sold the shop to J ohn Fisher , of , who ll in 1 772 sold it to J ohn Benson . A trace of it has long since disappeared . Old deeds show some of the occupations of former in

few habitants . Here are a selected as fairly typical

1 8 1 608 59 , a collier , at Blawith , J ohn Newton , Nibthwaite

1 6 1 R eadh ead Town , yeoman ; 4 , J ohn , of Nibthwaite

n 1 6 1 1 Picth o w Tow , yeoman ; , J ohn Turner , , husband

1 6 6 1 6 man ; 7 , Nicholas Penny , yeoman ; 99 , Richard

B ro ckb anke To t tleb anke 1 6 R e dh ed , , tanner ; 79 , J ohn ,

N ib th ut t To wn e at 1 66 y , webster ; 7 , Edward Suel , of

W at er e at 1 6 1 y , ye pyper 7 , Henry Atkinson , Tottle

1 1 Pic th ow banke , taylor ; 7 3 , Thomas Kirkby , , shoe

1 0 W at er eat 1 1 1 maker 7 4 , William Kirkby , y , slater ; 7 ,

l 1 1 6 Wil iam Penny , Nibthwaite Town , waller ; 7 , Henry

1 6 Addison , house carpenter ; 73 , William Lancaster ,

W at er eat 1 6 1 6 y , j oyner ; 73 , J oseph Addison , taylor ; 73 ,

Pic th all 1 1 1 William Braithwaite , , weaver ; 7 , Richard

n H ow 1 2 Penny , Brow , house carpenter ; 7 5 , Leonard

1 8 Park , Stable Harvey , carpenter ; 73 , Richard Lowe ,

1 6 Stable Harvey , shoemaker and clogger ; 7 4 , Thomas

B ro ckleb anke - 1 2 2 , Stable Harvey , saddle tree maker ; 7 ,

Parkamo o r 1 6 J ohn Benson , , rough mason ; 74 , J ohn

Greenh o lm e 1 Atkinson , , maltster ; 753 , William Askew ,

P kth ow 1 Arklid y , blacksmith ; 753 , Roger Atkinson , ,

1 8 Oxenh ouse 1 80 waller ; 77 , J ohn Taylor , , swiller ; 7 ,

J ohn Riley , Little Knott , cordwainer , son of J ohn Riley of

1 8 Gleadh all Blackburn , weaver ; 7 3 , Thomas Fargher , ,

1 82 w 1 weaver ; 7 , J ohn Benson , Lin Cragg , s iller ; 779 ,

Oxenh o use - e 1 8 George Silver , , wood cutter and colli r 7 9 , l 1 8 Wi liam Redhead , Nibthwaite Grange , sutor 7 9 , J oseph

Redhead , Nibthwaite Town , agricola .

Greenholme no w - 1 At , only a farm house , there were in 73 5 ” e a malt kiln , one little hous called Buttery , with a loft 1 3 6 SOME RECORDS OF

al over it , together with a close c led Smithy Butt , show ing the existence of a former smithy . The plentiful supply of water from Beacon Tarn suggested in 1 85 2 to enter prising persons a further industry . A mill and water wheel were erected on the Beacon Beck , above Green

- r . holme , for the pu pose of manufacturing pill boxes Fran cis White of Nibthwaite bobbin mills leased the necessary ’ Gillwo o d t o land , and the use of the stream through , Wil ’

A le t reeh olme 2 0 s . liam Kendal , of pp , on a years lea e Economic causes beyond the control of the managers killed

l - the venture , and inasmuch as cheaper pil boxes can be — bought ready made from foreign countries , the mill ceased

- 1 8 0 . to work in 7 The old water wheel was sold for £9 , and

r a rooﬂess uin only now marks the site . A few extracts from the accounts of the Overseers of the

ai Poor , and of the Churchwardens , of Colton , read qu ntly

5 . d . — 1 76 2 To Bells charged 2 1 Public Bridges 8 1 0 Receipts and ale 0 1 0 House of Correction 1 3 Warrant for common and public bridges Roll for House of Correction Will iam Holm es ’ supposed wife

Sco t so n ale Alice , for

Cre wdso n Robert , for a passenger

Richard Robinson , a j ourney to Troutbeck o 2 6

Mr . Bateman , for keeping Parish Accounts — 1 773 To Tooth - drawing l Wi liam Strickland , weaving John Hartley’ s blunders

1 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 3 7

N 1 774— To Carrying yarn to Kendal O H O

I William Wilson for a letter O O U Bleeding and tooth - drawing O N O

— O 1 775 To Two carts of peats O U O

I Swill - wood for Charles Russell H U O 1 777— To Schooling a poor child O H O 4 Rolls of Militia precept N 1 8 UI Leading slate O N 1 1

— 1 8 D o whi er a O N O 77 To g pp , ! a year l O N J Thos . Sil s victuals U

’ N 1 year s shaving the poor O Q O

J A horse bought O O O 1 779— To B lo o m smith y rent for Co w- ridding O O M Account of Thomas Sill A A O Pursuing Sarah Birkett’ s grand daughter

Expenses and j ourney for ditto . . An umbrella 1 780— To Wool and Meat for Poor House

for two years 2 U) 2 UJ

0 O Matthew Towers , for wool 0 4

0 O A Boss for the Altar o K

1 8 1 82 At a meeting held in Colton Vestry , May th , 5 , it was ordered that the northern boundary of this p arish ul th be peramb ated on Thursday, 7 J une next , and notice i to that effect be given in th s church (Colton ) , the Fins

- thwaite and Rusland Chapels , and to the Church wardens m of Hawkshead , to meet and begin on the Winder ere

’ 1 0 Lake side , where the two parishes adj oin , at o clock in the morning . (Note — The old parish of Colton exte nded from Winder m ere to Coniston Lake , where a point on the latter , near

Fir Island , is the northern boundary of the Nibthwaite division of Colton . ) ‘ 1 3 8 SOME RECORDS OF

A proﬁtable source of e mployment was the getting of peat for fuel . When coal was an unknown luxury each house had its right to certain parts of the peat mosses , which were mere d or marked out . How carefully these important fuel supplies were appropriated the following indenture shows (only one of many such )

— E t o n a 1 1 0 . J anuary , 7 Thomas Kirkby , of g , ( ) sells to

Greenh olm e Henry Atkinson , of , with the license and con sent of Daniel Abraham , lord of the premises , two parcels of peat moss in High Tarn Moss , on Blawith Common — Adj oining Beacon Tarn ) , the one parcel adj oining

’ to Henry Atkinson s on south side , to J ohn Fisher and

- e J oseph Kirkby on north west side , Francis Turner on w st

e side , on east side to an old brow that is l ft standing , being

T h e about a rood . other parcel lying on the back side and

a Gre at e e so to Cragg all along the w st sid and north side ,

e to have as far as any moss goes , b ing about half an acre together with all rights according to t h e customs and uses among Daniel Abraham ’ s tenants in Blawith and Suth more . Wanderers in that lonely re gion will nowadays ﬁnd few l iving things but sheep , grouse , curlews , and gulls a bleak blown space peopled with the shadows of past diggers of peat . Peat is still used to a small exte nt on some of the more

e remot farms , but many of the bogs are now exhausted ,

ruv en all the best peat being g out . A cart and horse s ent to the nearest station for a load of coal is the more popular method of procuring fue l . At Stab le H arvey there are many vestiges of former habitations . That a considerable village once e xisted here is plain from the stones of the old houses scattered around . di Tra tion says it was a colony of weavers , and there is a.

Gre e nh o lme e e a D ds .

1 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 3 9

spot which is still known as the city . There was also a bloomery , as is evident from the large slag heap adj oining

Black Beck . The name Boat Howe , the lower part of

Thrang Crag wood where it adj oins the lake , suggests that there may have been a ferry at this point across the lake . i But records are scanty , and even trad tion fails to account for many signs of former days .

The name , Stable Harvey , very peculiar and unlike any

ri other in the district , has as usual been labo ously evolved from the Norse , but local story ( maybe without foundation ) ascribes it a stable used by the Monks of Furness Abbey ,

- on their way , to and fro , half way to Hawkshead Pos sib ly the bloomery was connected with the shoeing of pack and other horses . The earliest record of the name occurs in the Assize

e 2 Roll of the J ustices Itin rant at Lancaster , in the oth

I . 1 2 1 . year of Edward , 9 Roger of Stabel Hervy fell from a horse into the water of L e v yn and was drowned .

The ﬁrst ﬁnder (a woman ) comes and is not suspected , nor an y other . J udgment , misadventure . Price of the horse ,

1 05 .

1 1 In May , 3 4 (7 Edward at Westminster , one month

e from Easter Day , there was an arrangement made betwe n

H o dlest o n Richard , son of J ohn de , plaintiff , by Richard

B erew k St ab ilh e r v in y , put in his place , and Henry de ( ) ,

0 and Matilda , his wife , concerning four messuages , 3 acres of land , ﬁve acres of wood in (the township or manor of ) Ulverston wherein Henry and Matilda acknowledged

e m e the ten ents to be the right of Richard , and they agre d

his to have and hold of him and heirs for ever , for which Richard gave them a sore sparrow hawk a sparrow hawk in its ﬁrst year ) .

r li 1 In the g ant by Phil p and Mary , 557 (see Appendix

. al s d . IV ) is mentioned the annu rent of 4 . 7 yearly paid by 1 4 0 SOME RECORDS . OF the tenants of Blawith with St ab ilh erv e in Blawith by the custom called Miln e farme . Up to quite recent years there was a school at Stable i Harvey , kept by an elderly woman , at wh ch many of the youth of the neighbourhood were educated . This lady ,

al Mrs . Mawson , afterwards went to Langd e , where she gave instruction in spinning and weaving in the School of Art established there for the encouragement of local industries . The b loomery sites in Blawith are without any historical record . In addition to the one at Stable Harvey there are

ai rem ns to be seen of another close to the beck , by the side of the lake immediately to the north of Brown H ow

Meadows . The main road apparently crosses the site , which betokens an early date for the bloomery , or a late i . On date for the road H gh Water End , opposite to Water

al w Park , so on the edge of the lake at a spot kno n as Robin i Land ng , the soil is red with unsmelted ore , maybe this was nl i an u oad ng place for ore to be shipped up the lake .

nish ea I . Co d The grant by William de Lancaster , to

1 1 60 Priory , about , included an acre of land for a forge ,

the mine at Plumpton , and the dead wood in Blawith for

making charcoal wherever it can be found (see before ) . It is not unreasonably supposed that this bloomery was

situated in Blawith , but in what part there is nothing to

tell us . The administration of the Poor Law in the 1 8th century hi was in the hands of the inhabitants of each towns p , and entrusted by them to overseers— the following indenture

ro th 1 1 1 e dated October , 73 7 ( George is an xample l Witnesseth that J ohn Fel and J ohn Marr , Churchwardens o of the parish of Ulverston , and Thomas Addis n , Overseer his of the Poor in Blawith , by and with the consent of

’ Maj esty s J ustices of the Peace for the said county , put and

r t place Mary J ackson , a poor child of the pa ish (Blawi h ) ,

1 4 2 SOME RECORDS OF

£1 4 ; if he conducts himself to the satisfaction of a maj ority 2 of the sidesmen during the year he is to have £ more , but if he does not so conduct himself he agrees to go at a

’ r month s notice . He also ag ees not to keep ducks , hens , or any other thing on his o wn account at the House or upon ” the Estate . N ibthwaite — I have in vain tried to discover why the present tiny village of Nibthwaite was in Monkish days ” always referred to as Nibthwaite Town , a designation which lasted well into th e 1 8th century (the last use of the name in the Parish Registers was The remains of many old houses here al so indicate that the l popu ation was larger of old , but authentic history is silent as to the size and character of the place . A vague tra dition points out the site of a market place , where the

h erdwickes workers in the parks , , and bloomeries , and the

th e other various tenants of Abbey in High Furness , met to barter and exchange their produce with the Monks and people of Low Furness . It is said that a Market Cross stood on the place known as Cross Hill , a rise in the road j ust to the north of the village .

— Nibthwaite Quay I n the pre - railway Era (the Coniston and Broughton line was built in Nib thwait e was the port at the south end of the lake where all the trafﬁc con c r t ent a ed itself . We have already noticed the earliest mention of a boat on the lak e in the grant by William de

I . 1 2 th Lancaster , in the century , when he allowed a boat and 4 0 nets on Thurston Water to the Monks of Co nish ead

ri e P ory to ﬁsh without molestation wherever they pl ased . And again in the 1 3 th ce ntury ( 1 2 4 0 ) the grant by William de Lancaster III . to the Monastery of Furness included a

ﬁ maeremium boat suf cient to carry , that is , necessaries for i l a i . build ng , and another sm l boat for ﬁsh ng with 2 0 nets Thus the water - way of the lake as evidenced by the second 1 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 43 of these grants came to be utilized by the Monks in con nec tion with their bloomeries , herdwicks , and woods ,

t raﬂic situated on the east side of the lake . This probably continued as long as the Monks retained their property ,

1 . i e . . , until the Dissolution of the Monastery in 53 7 After

this period , we have various grants dealing with ﬁshing

N B H I T VVA IT E QUAY.

f 1 8 rights , but no mention of any business tra ﬁc until the th

b e century , when the iron and charcoal industry again came largely developed . Charcoal was carried down the lake from Waterhead to Nibthwaite to the ironworks in L o w Furness during the

t I S 1 1 8 h century in large boats at . for 2 sacks . The s ame 1 44 SOME RECORDS OF

- re boats carried pig iron on the return voyage , for it is corded that in 1 7 1 0 pig - iron was sent by boat from Nib

al . thwaite landing to the forge at Hackett , in Langd e These boats were occasionally used on Windermere for the

s ame purpose , being dragged backwards and forwards as occasion required .

In 1 783 this trafﬁ c ceased and the boats were sold . In a letter written from B ackb arrow Forge in 1 750 there is re ference to a dispute about the boating on Coniston “

Lake , in which the writer orders his agent to take no stops from any person whatsoever , lest the charcoal spoil i s by stand ng , but continue to ferry on the water as occa ion shall require , until such times as you have contrary orders f m Penn b rid e ro the y g Company , and the said Company l will protect and indemnify you against a l persons . Let t hese be your sailing and ﬁghting orders . After the discontinuance of th e iron and charcoal trafﬁc

-on 1 8 n the lake in 7 3 , slate was shipped dow the lake from

ﬂ at - the quarries at Coniston in large bottomed boats , which occasionally hoisted a large square sail for running

’ b efore a favourable wind . There is a passage in Green s

1 81 ni Guide , describing in 9 the scene of bustle and a ma t ion at the landing -place on the lake -side during the loading

n l di - a d un oading of the boats . The lan ng place at the south e nd of the lake was not always at the same spot . Dispute

fre about carting and rights of way , and landing , caused

- quent changes . Old landing places may be seen in Water

Arklid e Park , also in the ﬁ lds below Allan Tarn , and at the Blawith side at what is locally known as J ammy Land ing the occupier or owner over whose land the material w as carried allowed a right of road and landing in exchange for carting to be done by himself at a certain rate of pay m ent .

r Gunpowder was carried f om Elterwater works , stored

1 46 SOME RECORDS OF

e h i Ulv rston Canal ; the t ird , and newest , called El za b ” eth , was conveyed to Windermere where it is employed

I n 1 6 in getting gravel from that lake . 85 a small steamer was placed on the lake for pleasure purposes Nibthwaite

i - Quay was its land ng place for passengers from Coniston .

o ff After running for two years it was taken the lake .

1 86 0 t e In the s eam gondola was launch d on the lake , and s i the property of the Directors of the Furness Railway . It was brought in sections from the shipyard on the Thames and launched at Coniston Old Hall . It has continued to ply during the summer months ever since . Of late years the tourist trafﬁc on the lake has so in creased that the Furness Railway Co . are having a new steamer built to run in conj unction with the gondola . The lake has thus ceased to be any longer a highway for business purposes , but its attractions for pleasure are mani

s l 1 fe t y on the increase . In 903 there was a dispute as to whether the old road from Nibthwaite Quay to the high road was a public or private highway . A compromise was

f e 60 e f cted , and on the payment of £ by the Ulverston

District Council , a right of road has for all time been se cured to the public from the high road to the lake . Tanning gave much employment when the tanning trade was brisk . The tanyard in Nibthwaite did a considerable business until a few years ago its tall brick chimney was

e a familiar obj ct from the lake . It was under the manage

. l ment of Messrs Gaskell , of an old local fami y , who lived

0 in the house adj oining the yard . About 2 years ago it was found impossible to carry on the business with proﬁt

all l N ow al l and the buildings gradu y fel into decay . vestige of th e tanyard is gone the dwelling -house has been

no w enlarged , and is a private residence (Bishop of Shef

’ ﬁeld s - l ) , while the tan pits have been ﬁ led up and turned into lawns and gardens .

1 48 SOME RECORDS OF h a f al l dozen sm l trees or scrub , suddenly detach itself from

few the shore a yards above Nibthwaite Quay , and sail out into the lake , quantities of mud and earth falling from it . For many years it drifted from side to side at the south end of the lake . It was at one time captured and fastened

Pesh ow hi with a rope to the crab tree at , the rounded ll a t the foot of the lake , by one , J ames Taylor , of Water

o ff End . The rope , however , was cut and carried , as it was considered the island belonged to the Nibthwaite side , and the island again emerged into the lake . It

- ﬁnally stuck again half way up Fir Nab at Water Park , whence it was removed nearer the shore , and again fastened with ropes by the late Mr . Benson Harrison to the eastern c orner of Fir Nab Here it threw out fresh roots ,

al ai and though partly submerged in ﬂood time , it rem ns

m . now im oveable Its bare roots , peaty soil , and tall birch

- trees are visible to any passer b y .

Roads - I t ﬁ . is dif cult to obtain any reliable information i as to the date of the making of the present h gh roads .

There is , however , little doubt that they have been evolved from the old pack - horse tracks which were determined by

1 the site of the various local industries . In 679 (3 0 “ describ e d a Charles IL ) , Water Park is ( ) as a close of

ai meadow , wood and waste ground lying above Nibthw te

Town betwixt the highway and the broad water , from

hi th e w ch it is clear present road then existed . Gradual improvements have made it what it now is , a secondary r oad , supported by a County Council grant .

m i al The a n road , running through Blawith , is so of ancient date . It is the direct road from Ulverston to Tor v er and Coniston , and so appears in the faculty for the consecration of Torver Church in 1 53 8 where it is men tione d 1 6 that Torver is distant from Ulverston , miles , and

a e e s o f a D d W t er Park . 1 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 49

owing to the distance , the inundations of water , the boggy roads (vias lutosas ) the high hills intervening (interposita

’ montzum u a di ﬁ j g ) , and many other f culties frequently

ﬁ . happening , communication was very dif cult The dis tance by the present road from Ulverston to Torver is 1 2 miles , probably therefore the road passed over many hills and morasses which it now avoids . The ancient road is

Picth all W ater e at said to pass through to y , and at Brown

H ow to skirt the lake , thence continuing up to Stable

tells Harvey , and over the bogs and to Torver . Several

- l bye roads , which are little more than tracks , are still pub ic

v roads , repairable by the local authority , and are e idently remains of once important highways .

F — H o - l ootpaths . w the foot paths were regu ated the fol lowing shows At the Court Leet of the Duke of Montagu

1 th 1 was for the Manor of Ulverston , 9 October , 744 , it (inter alia ) resolved by the J urors that they ordered that no persons shall at any time of the year , make or use any

’ footway or path through any part of William Lancaster s

Mickleﬁeld Clev in closes , called and , otherwise than of any

s d . ancient right accustomed under pain of 3 . 4 for every default , if the trespass be not compounded and satisﬁed to

’ l as the persons aggrieved thereby . The path sti l exists a public highway . B d — ri es . g The County Bridge Master (Lancashire ) , Mr

o ﬂice Compton Hall , tells me there are no records in his with regard to the county bridges in this division (Lonsdale

North of the Sands ) . He , however , has kindly sent me

B o uth re B oudra plans (with photographs ) of y (or y ) , w Lo ick , Smithy Beck , and Bark House Bridges , the four county bridges in this district . These plans are taken from a plan book of 1 777 and show no difference in the structure of the bridges from their present state . But that these and

' other old bridges in the district have b een al t ered at some 1 50 SOME R E COR D S or date is evident to any one looking at them from under neath , where the j uncture of an old and new bridge is very

e th e - plain the old part b ing ancient pack horse bridge ,

. while the newer portion must have been added when

B O UT H R E Y BRIDGE FROM PLAN BOOK O F 1 777.

wheeled trafﬁ c became common . Amongst the possessions

‘ ’ of Furness Abbey recorded in the Commissioners Certiﬁ

1 B r eﬁeld e - ﬁeld i cate of 53 7 , is ygg (mod rn Bridge ) wh ch

th e e e a dj oins Lowick Bridge . Obviously nam is d rived from proximity to a bridge then standing which assign s an early date to Lowick B ridge .

Penn b rid e y g , near the mouth of the Crake , was built i about 1 587 . It is possible that th s may be somewhere near t h e date of other bridges over the Crake . Coppice W oods — In another part of this book an at tempt has been made to show th e ancient state of the woods

ri u e i . in this dist ct . J st a word about their pr sent cond tion

’ ” 1 80 in In the Gentleman s Magazine , of 3 , there is an t erestin i g article on the coppice woods of H gh Furness , i at that date , from wh ch the following is a quotation The principle share of the rents of e states arising from the produce of coppice woods causes them to be an obj e ct of

- the first care and attention by the land owners , and the u e e al So c tting , working , and conv ying away th ir produce engages the tenants a great part of the ye ar . As early as November they begin to cut down the woods; leaving onl y such sapling oaks as are likely to have a sufficient flow of

o ff sap to enable the workmen to peel the bark , which is careful ly done to the twigs being now ( 1 803 ) of double the

1 1 TWO LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 5

value it was 1 2 or 1 4 years ago . This part of the labour

1 0th usually commences about May , and is engaged to be

m th followin . aft er co pleted by J uly s g , which they sort

- the cut wood , and collect it round the pit ring ready for the

- charcoal collie r to pile up pre paratory to his operations . ’ few 1 1 A coppices are all fallen at 3 years growth , but 5 or

1 6 are the usual ages they stand to . Some experienced

’ wood - cutters are of opinion that 1 5 or 1 8 years coppice with a good proportion of oak improve annuall y 1 0 per

’ e 1 8 cent , but not aft r years growth in consequence of the un r r n de g owi gs decaying away . On the other hand it is

- an adage among wood owners , that to have wood you

n must cut wood , meaning that the shoots or scions spri g ” ranker from a young stub or stool than an old one .

1 00 e Although written over y ars ago , the above is as true to - day as then except with regard to the value of the coppice woods which has sunk lower and lower as foreign

now competition has come in , until an owner is lucky if he gets three pounds an acre for good oak coppice . Charcoal B urning is still carried on to a considerable extent to supply the B ackb arro w forge . It is an ancient industry handed down from father to son , and is not the result of a technical training , but of practical experience . The workers sleep in their clothes in huts made of turf and branches , of a type from time immemorial , and have to give unremitting attention to their work night and day , while the wood smoulders into charcoal under a covering of

e turf for about 2 4 hours . Simpl as the process may seem it is really quite the reverse , and we have in the charcoal burners of Furness a group of craftsmen of spe cial know

e s ledge . Late summ r and autumn is the usual eason for

e burning , and the white smoke rising from the cl ared wood carri e s the mind back with its peculiar fragrance to the days of the fores t primeval . 1 5 2 SOME RECORDS or

The peeling of the bark for tanning and the manufacture of bobbins , though fallen on evil days , give occupation in

ai some parts of the district to a cert n number of men , though seemingly on the decrease while the trade of the m swiller (or manufacturer of baskets fro thin laths ) , and that of hooper and besom - maker still eke out a some what uncertain existence .

o i In consequence the depression of these industries , l and the consequent fa l in the value of coppice woods , ﬁ it is dif cult for owners to know what to do with the woods . As the expense of grubbing and clearing or replanting is very great , in most cases nowadays it is stipulated in the contract of sale of a coppice wood that a certain num ber of

spires or standards , are to be left standing when the ul wood is cut . This will timately cause the coppice to die - away , as the spires grow into trees and over shadow the di young growth , and so , unless some ra cal change of cir cumst ances u l occur , the Coppice woods of High F rness wi l cease to exist . Farms — To a reader of the foregoing pages it will be evident that agricul ture is now the main industry of our valley .

i w al The extreme natural beauty of the d strict ill ways be ,

al and increasingly so , a v uable asset , and , by attracting visitors to the country will greatly assist the circulation i of local commod ties , ensuring a period of prosperity which can well be increased by better means of locomotion in the

i . more outlying d stricts Of the farms in Blawith , only one

1 00 es B irkrow 1 1 exceeds acr , with 9 acres , and of that a

ai as t cert n portion in o her farms , consists of wood and

r rough fell pasture . In Nibthwaite the fa ms are also

r e chieﬂy small , and there is a much g eater xtent of coppice wood . All the farms have extensive sheep righ ts on the sur

1 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 53

rounding fells , but often , nowadays not exercised , for owing to the reduction in the price of wool , due to competition from Australia , and elsewhere , and to the comparatively low price of mutton , from the same cause , the keeping of fell sheep has not been as proﬁtable as of yore . Never th eless the right of pasturage for a certain number of sheep u is j ealously g arded , and it is still usual in some cases for a speciﬁed quantity to be let with the farm to be given up in good condition and numbers at the termination of t h e tenancy . The following indenture shows this ancient custom

t h 1 6 1 4 April , 7 . Then hath Robert Redhead , of Water

End , set and to farm letten unto William Kirkby , of Water

1 Yeat , the stock or number of 3 sheep of such sorts as are endorsed herein , for the term of four years , at a certain

5 rent 1 5 . which stock of Sheep William Kirkby shall deliver at the end of term to William Redhead all

ai bred upon the premises , and if the s d William shall have any of the produce of the said sheep over and above the

S mentioned stock , the said Robert hall pay said William i l such prices as are afﬁxed to each sort , and sa d Wil iam Shall pay said Robert the like prices for so many of each sort as shall be wanting at the end of the term , and said William Shall not keep or dispose of any sort of the stock of sheep whereby the said Robert ’ s Sheep heave may be incumbered . The sorts of Water End Sheep this day delivered as same is viewed by Benj amin Taylor . 6 e s 6 . 1 2 . d hogs , pric 7 ewes and lambs or ewes with i r 5 . 1 5 lamb , p ce 4 wether at 3 years old , as above , 5 . ” 3 rams , 4 geld ewes and o wether twinters .

al It has occasion ly been considered necessary , even of late years to deﬁne the sheep rights . In consequence of complaints that some persons were pasturing more Sheep 1 54 SOME RECORDS OF

- than they were entitled to , a meeting of land owners was

1 1 880 held in Blawith schoolroom , 7th J anuary , , when it

was stated that the then owner of High Ground , Torver ,

00 00 had put between 3 and 4 sheep on the Common . It was resolved that notice be given him to remove the whole of the Sheep now depastured on Blawith Common (with the exception of the number he may have a right to depasture

hi 1 in respect of his property in Blawith ) wit n 4 days . All expenses of the proceedings to be paid by the landowners

in proportion of value .

rd 1 881 w On May 3 , , the Torver o ner after reciting the

Co nish ead ancient rights of the lord of the Manor of , with

Blawith , and certain landowners of the Manor , who have

rights of pasturage on the Manor , agreed to gradually

“ reduce his stock of sheep , and after the space of two years to cease to depasture sheep except in respect of his ancient 1 2 enclosed land in the Manor (a wood of acres ) , and after 1 883 would for ever thereafter entirely cease to depasture

sheep and cattle thereon , except such as he was legally

entitled to .

— B racken. i Rights of getting bracken , for bedd ng cattle , t he on the fell are attached to holdings , apparently of

all unlimited quantity , but usu y each farmer gets them year

r an after year from the same place . Any intruder f om other township is ordered o ff without ceremony if he is found

cutting the bracken to carry away , but after the bracken i has been stored by those entitled to get it , there is noth ng

to prevent them selling it afterwards if they so wish .

- - farm-h use The rough cast white washed o , with its grey di m stone outbuil ngs , is in ost cases of a venerable anti

q uity . if Except in obviously modern houses , it is d ﬁcult to ﬁx

a a date for the erection of these homesteads . An p proximate date about the middle o f the 1 7th century

TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 1 55

has been taken as the period when many were

- either built or re built .

m - The old oak cupboards , so common in the far houses ,

marked with initials and date , and interesting , apart from

their intrinsic value , as a memorial of past owners , do not di necessarily indicate the date of the buil ng of the house . I t would be difﬁcult and invidious to name any particu lar house in the district as the most characteristic or inter

m - esting . To the ad irer of old oak the house part of Water

Yeat is worth attention , with its heavy oak door studded m with wooden pegs , assive black old beams , and garden

- of quaintly clipped yew trees . In several houses there are

- oak cupboards , formerly used for storing oat bread , and

- which stand as a partition wall in the entrance passage .

Picth all I . In this cupboard or cabinet is marked F (Fisher) ,

E . 1 1 1 1 I . K date 7 5 at Great Knott , K (Kirby) , 7 3

1 1 1 B irkrow 1 6 Stable Harvey, 7 , , 79 while in

Arklid there is a ﬁne oak staircase . Many others have S imilar features of interest and all are built on the well

known north country plan . S a esmen The t t or Yeoman owners , a race of strong and

r stu dy vitality , have in large measure , though by no means n altogether , disappeared as ow ers but fortunately for the vigour of the race the countryside is yet peopled with their

descendant s with , the same hardy and shrewd characteristics

as of old . The cause of the conversion of the statesman own er into a tenant farmer may perhaps be gathered from these records ; but how far the small holdings of the district afford an obj ect lesson to the present agitators over the question of the sub -division of large estates must be left i to the reader to j udge for himself . Th s , however , may be

r safely said , that the doggedness , the tenacity, the sh ewd ness and industry of the northern farmer, are not qualities 1 56 SOME RECORDS OF

b e c o to a quired at the command of a County C uncil , any di i more than a knowledge of local con tions , of cl mate ,

- i of long imbued trad tions and methods of farming , ( all necessary elements of success ) is to be attained except by

- a life time of experience and residence in the country .

1 58 SOME RECORDS OF

ri few l the lake here bare , there sweetly f nged with a ta l

m ll ai trees , the s a rem ns of its ancient woods , that till lately clo ath e d the whole .

Station I I . When you are opposite to the peninsula last described

e (Peel Nab ) , proceed through a gate on the l ft hand , and from the rocky e minence (a) you have a general View of the lake both ways . To the south , a sweet bay is formed

two eninsul as b between the horns of p , ( ) and beyond that a ﬁne sheet of water appears terminated by the promontories which form the straits , through which the lake has its outlet . From thence the coast is beautifully diversiﬁed

wo o d c by a number of green eminences , crowned with ( ) ; and sequestered cottages interspersed among them half concealed by yew trees , and above them a wave of rocky spiral mountains (d) dressed in brown vegetation form the most romantic scenes . Between this and a wooded i eminence , a green h ll cut into enclosures to the very top , in some parts patched with rock and little groves has a

l a earance e s beautifu pp , ( ) especially when contra ted with the barren scenes on one hand , and the deep shade of a i l waving wood on the other . (f) At the foot of th s cu tivated

few tract , and on the margin of the lake , a white houses ,

a partly conce led in a grove , look like enchanted seats on ai ai f ry ground . (g) Behind these a barren bleak mount n h frowns in sullen maj esty , ( ) and down his furrowed side the Black Beck of Torver roars its fretted torrent . J ust at your feet lies the oblong rocky isle of Peel . Here is the

ﬁnest picture of the lake , and when it is smooth , the whole is seen reﬂected on the shining surface of the watery mirror .

M n a e e o n H o w e . 0 . a o t gue Wo od . b P l Wyk Br w ’ ‘

eac on il a e . I hran a ood . d B H l . e S tab le H rv y f g Cr g W

x nh o u an an h o nis o n Old M an . g O e se d S unny B k . C t

1 60 SOME RECORDS OF

bases into long nabs , rounded here , and rocky there , r unning far out into the mere , and tufted to the water edge with dark oaks and dark ﬁrs . And between , there were blue nooks of ripple reﬂecting the evening sky , and the wild ducks and teal swam through the ripple , and the gulls

ﬂoated above it , and in lound Spots a hundred rings showed h o w the ﬁsh were rising . l Thorstein climbed a howe on the left , and as he c imbed the lake opened before him . Beyond the nearer woods there was the deep of blue , and the lonely island in the

utt errno st midst of it and from his feet , away into the

t h e distance the huge fells , tossing like breakers on a stormy beach , and rolling away and afar like the heaving waves of the sea and over them late sunset brooded in the north , with bars of level cloud , purple and gold , and fading rose

ﬂecks overhead .

WINTER .

So they set out and away through the snowy woods ,

- until they came to the water side of Thurston mere . Still as death the white fells stood around still as death the lake spread , white and black white where the snow hid it , and black in great reaches that could be hardly known from standing water , but that its soft ripples stirred not , and the picture of wood and fell lay upon them clearer and

’ quieter than the shapes in a tarn on a summer s day , for all n the north winds blowing . The o lv thing that moved was

- a wreath of smoke on the fell side over against them , and the likeness of the same wreath in the glassy ﬁeld below, and where the two wreaths met was a crag standing up from the ﬂat , an island no longer . 1 6 1 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS .

APPEND IX I .

S R D TH E D UCH Y OF LANCA TE PLEA INGS .

1 . A6 (Vol . 3 5 , No 9

2 th 1 8 . Sworn , February 7 , Elizabeth , 5 4 Matter in “ Tres ass on th e was e la ds in H i h Fur ess dispute , p t n g n

Lordship.

The j oint and several answers of Christopher Sandes ,

Esquire , J ohn Sawrey , Barnard Benson , and Robert n i t Rawli son , Esquires , to the information exh bited agains them by the relation of the Right Honourable Sir James

’ Croft , knight , one of Her Maj esty s most honourable Privy

Council .

’ The defendants say that the Queen s customary tenants h i n wit in the lordsh p of Hawkshead , and Colton in Fur ess , m time out of ind , have held their several tenements and also lands and wood ground , by the ancient custom of l tenant right , except the hardwickes ca led Waterside

Parke , and Lawson Park , sometime in the occupation of the executors of William Sandes ; the hardwicke called

-a - Park moor , sometime in the occupation of Henry Amb rose the site or Mansion - house of the Manor of Hawks

ai in al head , cert n houses Hawkshead , two closes c led

Penrosefield S edowefield - and , and a water mill , sometime in the tenure of Gyles Kendall the fishing called the Terne

E astwat er of Hawkshead , sometime in the occupation of the said executors the ﬁshing called B lolamt erne in

ai Wray , in the s d parish of Hawkshead , sometime in the tenure of J ohn Sawrey the chapel of Hawkshead , some time in the occupation of J ohn B o wth three iron -smithies i called The Smith es , there occupied for working iron , some 1 62 SOME RECORDS OF

time in the occupation of J ohn Sawrey and William Sandes ,

- a Mansion house in Colton , sometime in the occupation of the said executors ; the ﬁshing called Haverthwaite

Fishing , sometime in the occupation of the said J ohn i Finswith Sawrey ; a ﬁsh ng in the waters of Dulas , in , sometime in the occupation of the said J ohn Sawrey two i E alin e H arth es l ttle houses called g , with the browsing wood and the paling ashes there to be made , sometime in the occupation of J ohn Sawrey and William Sawrey ; and there are and have been always belonging to the d tenements in the said lordship lands called I ngroun , which have for long been enclosed and kept in severalty i with hedge and d tch , and also other lands , barren heath and rocky stone grounds called pasture ground , the herb

o i age most of which is of very small yearly value , some not

1 worth d . yearly . This pasture was not anciently enclosed and a great part is not yet enclosed on it grow weeds and

b ro sin underwood , the g and lopping whereof for the feeding of cattle and sheep of the customary tenants has always belonged to the said customary tenants of the lordship . This pasture land is bounded how much belongs to each m township or hamlet , and it is known how uch wood and underwood growing there each tenant ought to have for

al feeding cattle , and so by bounds , how much of the wood land and pasture belongs to each tenant , except that in some parts of the lordship the tenants now use in common which the defendants think is either because some ancient

al tenements are divided , and sever habitations thereon erected , and no division made of the pasture thereto belonging or else that the inhabitants by neglecting the renewing of their bounds have used in common to avoid contention . The customary tenants of every hamlet or township whereto such pasture bounded and known by meares belongs might keep , there time out of minds , the

1 64 SOME RECORDS OF

smithies , after the expiration of the lease , but also a great part of the other annual rents payable by the customary tenants for the woods , and whereas the occupiers of the lordships of Hawkshead and Colton and of all other lord ships and lands within the parishes of Hawkshead and

Furness Fells (except the hardwickes , the Site or Mansion

th e ﬁsh in s house , houses , closes , g , Chapel , three iron smithies , and Mansion - house above spe ciﬁed ) claimed to occupy by a custom called tenant right , and that they and all their

th e ancestors , being customary tenants , have always had commodity and proﬁt of the said woods as before declared ,

e and paid yearly r nts , customs , and services as well for their tenements as for the woods growing on their said

e t c — tenements , and made suit to the Chancellor that their said customs might be allowed and conﬁrmed by decree— whereupon the Chancellor and Council debated fully with the tenants how the woods might be kept from decay and be preserved for the necessity of the said tenants , so that their whole yearly rent to the Queen might still be continued and yet the rent of £2 0 for the smithies continued

e during the l ase , and also after its termination , and ordered by consent of all the said customary tenants and of Christo l fer Sandes , gentleman , one of the defendants , and Wi liam

- Sawrey , then farmers of the said iron smithies , that from Michaelmas then last the lease of the smithies and rent therein contained should cease , and that the customary i tenants Should pay yearly to the Queen , in add tion to their

m 2 0 for er rents , the rent of £ for the smithies , and it was further decreed that the customary tenants Should have ready when they shall be required by the Queen forty ab le men , horsed , harnessed and weaponed , meet to serve in

e the wars , for the def nce of the haven and castle called

owdra e the Peile of F y , or elsewhere upon that coast

ille ible without allowance of wages , coate or commons ( g ) 1 6 TWO LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 5

having allowance of coat , commons , and money as inland men have , and it was further decreed that the customary tenants should occupy the customary lands , and tenants known as such before the Dissolution of the Monastery of i Furness , or at any time since , accord ng to the law and i custom used for tenant rights within th s realm , and as before that time it was accustomed that every person cus omar e a ueen u o n admitted a t y t n nt should pay to the Q , p his admittance after the death of his ancestor a ﬁne amount

’ ’ ing to two years rent , in addition to his ordinary one year s rent , and that admission Should be made to the steward of the court in open court , and that the said tenants shall cut the underwood and lop the trees and wood growing on their tenements and other lands within the lordship

(except as before excepted ) and that they should have , upon request to the bailiff of the township in which the f tenement lies , su ﬁcient timber delivered to them for the necessary repair or building of their houses . And fur ther , as by the said decree appears , Christopher Sandes s aith that he is seised by the ancient custom of tenant right of a messuage of Grathwat e in the lordship of Hawk shed and of certain inland belonging to the said tenement and long time enclosed with hedges and ditches and by a parcel of the said pasture land meted out as belonging to the said tenement , within which bounds the defendant num has , since the said decree , enclosed certain acres the ber of which he cannot set down , and occupies them in l u severa ty as he thinks he may lawf lly do , the said J ohn Sawrey says that he is seised according to the custom of

a B owt h ten nt right of a tenement called the in Colton , and of inland ground thereto belonging , long time enclosed with

and ditches hedges , also of a parcel of the said pasture ground likewise bounded and meted out as a thing be long ing to the said tenement within which bounde he has en 1 66 SOME RECORDS OF

ai h ow m closed cert n acres since the decree , any he cannot say precisely , and occupies them in severalty . Barnard Benson says that he is likewise seised of a tenement in Skelwith and B rat rey in the lordship of H awksh ed and of inland ground thereto belonging , long time enclosed with hedges and ditches and al so of a parcel of the said pasture ground bounded and meted out as belonging to the said tenement within which bounds he has enclosed certain

th e ai acres Since decree , how many he cannot say cert nly , and holds them in severalty . Robert Rawlinson says that i Thomas Rawl nson , his father , was seised of a tenement

H alat or w called , in Colton ( ith ground as above ) which tenement the defendant occupies by covenant promise or agreement of his said father . The defendants say that

ai e a s s since the s d decree , the t n nt of the said lord hips have paid to the Queen the said rent of £2 0 besides the rent which they formerly paid for their tenements and pasture

ai 2 0 land , the s d rent of £ is considered to be paid in con

r i sideration of the woods and unde woods , wh ch except defence of inclosure be made within short time be utterly wasted and consumed as well with the extremity of the weather in these high mountains as with the cattle and

al other casu ties , and no underwoods and woods will remain

ai f for the rep r of the tenements and uel , the tenants within

hi r the lords p being very many , that is to say ﬁve hund ed i several households or thereabouts , and yet they w ll be still charged with the rent of £2 0 for the woods and under woods . And , therefore , for their better preservation , the defendan ts have chieﬂy made the several said enclosures i since the sa d decree . If any of the lands which they hold in several ty were enclosed before the Dissolution of the

Monastery by ancestors of the defendants , yet they were customary lands held by the custom of tenant right and all t h e parcels of pasture - land which the defendants hold

1 68 SOME RECORDS OF

APPENDIX II .

T R D D DCH Y OF LANCAS E PLEA INGS .

. 2 0 . . . Vol 5 , No R 4

TO THE QUEEN ELIZ ABETH .

exa de Redh ead Al n r , of Hull , complains , that whereas

N eb thwa t e 1 n one Nicholas Redhead , late of y , the county

was of Lancashire , yeoman , deceased , his brother , seised , according to the ancient and laudable custom of tenant

’ right , used time out of mind in the Queen s Manor of Fur l ness Fel s , of a messuage and arable land meadow and pas

N eb thwa t e ture thereto belonging in y in Furness Fells , and had sons Alexander and Edward Redhead and other children to the number of seven or eight , the plaintiff being n their u cle , took into his keeping and brought up all the

’ ai s d children at his own charges at their father s death .

ai The s d Alexander , deceased , being eldest son and heir ought to have entered into two parts of the premises by descent , and Isobel , late wife of Nicholas and mother of Al exander , ought to have entered into one third part for

’

Sh e . life , if remained unmarried for her widow s estate i Alexander d ed childless , and afterwards Isobel married

J ohn Newton , and the premises descended to Edward

Al . Redhead , as brother and heir of exander The said Edward being seised thereof sold the same to the plaintiff by sufﬁcient conveyance in the law (the date of which the plaintiff does not know certainly for want of having the deed ) by force whereof the plaintiff is fully entitled to th e premises . And whereas in the lifetime of the said Alex ander an agreement was made between the said J ohn New 1 6 TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 9

ton and Isobel , his wife , on the one part , and Alexander , deceased , on the other , that J ohn and Isobel during her m 05 . su life Should pay 4 to Alexander , deceased , which was afterwards paid for two years , they taking advantage of the minority and absence of the said Alexander who was f then under age and dwelt at Hull with the plainti f , and having possession of the said conveyance made by Edward

Redhead to the plaintiff and also other deeds , have Shortly after the death of Nicholas Redhead , former husband of Isobel (without care or regard for his children ) entered into two parts of the premises and al so unlawfully kept the third part which Isobel only held for her widow ’ s estate and have wrongfully withheld the whole premises from the plaintiff who ought to have the same by the said

05 . conveyance , and refuse to pay the said 4 to his great loss and danger of disinheritance . He prays that a privy seal be directed to them to appear and answer . A swer n of J ohn Newton , one of the defendants , to the letter of complaint of Alexander R e dh eade .

1 th 1 601 . Sworn , 9 October ,

defenda s R edh e ade The nt says that Nichola , brother of

Alexander , the plaintiff , was seised of the premises in Nib

ai thw te , according to the custom of tenant right , and com mitt ed a felony in the County of Lancashire , for which he

- was indicted at Lancaster , and out lawed , and so forfeited to the Queen all his estates . The Chancellor of the Duchy

2 6 by warrant dated February ( Elizabeth ) , granted the same

Oxenh ouse to William , gentleman , to hold according to the custom of tenant right , and he was admitted tenant

1 th at a Court held at Coulton in the Manor of Furness , s

2 6 his J uly ( Elizabeth ) , and paid ﬁne , as appears by copy of

Court role which the defendant can Show . The said

1 0th 2 William , by deed dated February ( 9 Elizabeth ) , assigned his interest in the premises to Anthony Sandes , 1 70 SOME RECORDS OF who was thereupon admitted tenant at a Court held at

l 1 2 th 2 Cou ton , July ( 9 Elizabeth ) , and he by deed dated

1 th 0 9 October 3 Elizabeth ) , assigned his interest in the

e sam to Robert Redhead , J ohn Redhead, Alexander G l Redhead , eorge Redhead , and Wi liam Redhead , by appointment of Isobel Newton , then widow of the said

Nicholas Redhead , their father , and taken in their names

h er th e for that they , at request , had given security to

2 said Anthony Sandes for the payment of £ 3 or thereabouts , in consideration for the interest in the premises , and the grant was taken in their names only , for the use of Isobel Newton and h e r heirs and to secure them of their bond given to Anthony Sandes , and her said sons being discharged of their bond , assigned the premises to Isobel and her heirs ,

sh e and was admitted tenant at a Court held at Coulton ,

I st A D . 1 2 . J uly , 59 ( 3 4 Elizabeth ) Afterwards this defeu

e 8 l dant marri d her ( about 3 E izabeth , ) and ever since the marriage they have occupied the premises as in her right and have paid the rent , duties , and service due to the Queen i therefor . Without that Nicholas Redhead d ed seised of

e . the pr mises (etc , as contained in the bill of complaint ) . This dispute apparently in no way affected the status of the parties in Nibthwaite , for both the Newton and the

1 6 Redhead families continued to live side by side . By 3 5 all traces of the quarrel must have vanished for in October

1 6 a 3 oth , 3 5 , there is an indenture of sale( ) by J ohn Newton , of Nibthwaite Town , and Agnes Newton , his daughter , of a tenement and messuage in Nibthwaite to William

e Redh ad , son of J ohn Redhead , of Nibthwaite , with con

o i sent William Ambrose , landlord , in consideration of the marriage to be solemnized between the said Agnes Newton l 8th and Wil iam Redhead , on February next according to the laws of God and this realm .

a a e a e e s W t r P rk D d .

1 72 SOME RECORDS OF

head , and Coniston . And also all and singular those “ ” farms and three smit hies (a) of land called le Smithies there occupied for the making of iron together with the leav e b l ( ) of having occupying , fel ing , and expending wood and water for the support of the same Les Smithies yearly lately demised at farm to William Sawrey and William

no w Sandes by indenture , however the aforesaid wood is demised to all our tenants within Furneis Fells aforesaid by the particul ar thereof amounting to the rent of twenty pounds by the year payable at the feast of St . Michael the

Archangel only . And also all that rent or proﬁt arising from wood called Greneh ewe to wit according to the rate for every tenant within this bailiwick (who ) shall keep one

- ﬁre , four pence by the year , payable at the feast of Easter only by ancient custom by the particular thereof amounting

- to the yearly value of thirty seven shillings and eight pence .

A c & . are lso perquisites of Courts there . Which rents , , parcels of the said Manor of H awksh ead— total value

82 05 . 1 1 d . 0 £ by the particular , but now reckoned at £4 yearly , because they were lately demised to J eremiah Sm . 1 2 th ith , Esq , by indenture under the Duchy Seal ,

1 1 66 August ( 3 Charles I I . ) ( 1 ) for 3 1 years at the yearly

5 rent of £4 2 .

A - lso certain Fcc farm rents .

Furne s Also grant within the Manor of y and in all lands ,

&c . towns and places , therein , of the return of writs , , as

&c . held by the late Abbot to the exclusion of the Sheriff , l A so in the Forest of Bowland . Also the election of a

Furne s Coroner in y and Bowland .

Many general words , comprising lands , waters , ponds ,

ﬁsheries , escheats , estrays , commons , estovers , franchises ,

&c . H awkesh ead , in or within the said Manor of and other

m th e pre ises , as amply as held by King or any of his pro

. a ic b L icenc . genitors a F b r . TW 1 O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 73

Proviso that this patent Shall not extend to any Manors ,

&c . . lands , , given to the Queen Mother as j ointure To hold to the D uke and his h eirs of the King as of the

Castle of Lancaster by fealty only in socage . Also grant of al l the proﬁts of the premises since Lady

Day last . & c . Discharge from all fees , rents , pensions , annuities ,

Attorneys appointed to give seisin .

D ated 3 oth May ( 1 8 Charles 1 666 . 1 74 SOME RECORDS OF

APPENDIX IV .

Grant to Richard Curwen and J ohn Hudson of property

P i li and Mar . in Blawith , by h l p y

i AD . 1 . Patent Roll 4 and 5 . Phill p and Mary 557

Curwen . For Richard and J ohn Hudson , yeomen

5 d . The K ing and Queen for £7 1 9 4 . 7 paid into the

Curwen M ch eland Exchequer by Richard , of y , gentleman , and J ohn Hudson , of Warton , yeoman , both in County

Curwen Lancaster , grant to the said Richard and J ohn

Hudson , a tenement and garden and seven acres of arable

now lands , meadows with appurtenances or late in the

Oxe nh ouse w tenure of William , in Bla ith , within the baili

i o f To rv o r w ck , County Lancaster a tenement in Blawith now or late in the occupation of Richard Oxe nh o use ; a

2 1 tenement , garden , and 5 acres of arable land , now or late

Fissh er a urten in the tenure of J ames ; a cottage , with pp ances now or late in the occupation of widow of Robert

issh er F a cottage and appurtenances , now or lately in the

issh er Gib st ede tenure of Robert F a parcel of land called , now or late in the occupation of the foresaid Robert Fissh er; a cottage with appurtenances now or lately in the occupa tion of J ohn Fissh er a cottage no w or lately in the occupa

Crist erso n h tion of Robert ; a tenement , garden and t ree

now acres of arable land , or lately in the occupation

l a of late wife of Wil iam Sherwyn a tenement , g rden and

r no w th ee acres of arable land , or lately in the occupation of

e Henry Kirkeby ; a ten ment , garden and 3 5 acres of land no w or lately in the occupation of Nicholas Penny a tene ment garden and four acres of arable land now or lately in the tenure of Gerard Redhead a cottage with appurten auces now or lately in the tenure of J ohn Swainson a tene

1 76 SOME RECORDS or

H enr D uke were parcels of the lands and possessions of y,

of Suffo k . l , attainted of high treason They grant also pro

e perty in Yorkshir , Oxford , and Devon they grant also all e underwood , trees , and soil of same , and rev rsions and rents res e rved on the premises and everything as fully as w the former o ners had the same , and as they came into the hands of Henry VI II . , or Edward VI . , excepting always to the King and Queen and their heirs , all bells and lead u in and upon the premises and in g tters and windows . All

2 the aforesaid premises being worth clearly by the year, £ 5 i s . 6d . v z . 3 , The messuages , cottages , lands , tenements ,

e t c . al and meadows , , in Blawith extend to the yearly v ue

6 5 . 1 d . . . of £ 3 , and the property in Newland , etc , etc To have and to hold the premises with their universal appur t enances to the sole use of Richard Curwen and J ohn

. h e Hudson , their heirs and assigns , for ever To hold of t King and Queen their heirs in succession as of the Manor

E st renewicke of g , County Kent , by fealty in free socage

all h e . t and not in capite , with the rent , proﬁts , etc , from

Feast of the Annunciation last past . Tested by the K ing and uee 2 nd 1 . Q n at Westminster , September , 557

By writ of Privy Seal . TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 1 77

APPENDIX V .

Patent Roll ( 9 J ames I . ) Grant to J ohn Eldred and

1 60 ames . William Whitmore , 9 , by J I The K ing grants to J ohn Eldred and William Whitmore

of London , Esquires , their heirs , and assigns , property in

Yorkshire , Northumberland , Bedfordshire , Lincolnshire ,

Derby , Nottinghamshire , Radnor , Leicester , Warwick ,

f Co nish e ad Rutland , Berks , Su folk , also the Manor of , in

Lancashire , also a messuage and seven acres of land , two acres of meadow , one acre of waste with appurtenances at

Blawith , County Lancaster , now or lately in the possession of Robert Redhead , or his assigns , of the yearly value of

5 . Cra e e 5 a tenement called Sprow gg , nine acr s of arable

1 land , 5 acres of meadow , three acres of waste in Blawith , no w or lately in the occupation of J ohn Towers , or assigns ,

S two worth yearly 5 . a tenement , acres of arable land , four acres of meadow with the ﬁshery of Thurston Wate r in

now Blawith , or lately in the occupation of Richard

W at erend 1 05 . Redhead , of , or his assigns , worth yearly a tenement seven acres of arable land , two acres of meadow , one acre of waste , in Blawith , now or lately in the occupa

his tion of William Towers , of Knott , or assigns , worth

5 yearly 1 0 . a course of water running from the water of

r B irkwra Crake , th ough the land of Matthew Kirkby , of y , l m in Blawith , as far as the fulling mil of the sa e Matthew ,

S 8 . his 6 . d and now or lately in occupation , worth yearly a tenement , four acres of arable land , two acres of meadow ,

now two acres of waste , in the occupation or lately of

5 Matthew Coward or his assigns , worth yearly 5 . a tene ment , four acres of arable land , two acres of meadow , and two acres of waste in Blawith , now or lately in the occupa 1 78 SOME RECORDS OF

tion of Christopher Coward , or his assigns , worth yearly

5 5 . also property in Torver , County Lancaster , and in Lancaster and Bolton ; the Manor of Conish e ad and all the other premises in the County of Lancaster , having be e n a parcel of the Duchy of Lancaster ; also property

all . in Somersetshire , with castles , messuages , houses , etc ,

e gard ns , pastures , pasturages , glebe lands , and woods , and

t urb eries underwoods , and the soil of the same ﬁsheries , , free warrens , etc . , yearly rents , wards , marriages , escheats and various other rights and privileges mentioned , belonging

all to or any of the premises , with Court Leets , views of

- - e frank pledge , law days , etc . , such as the former respectiv w o ners had enj oyed . To hold to J ohn Eldred and William

Whitmore , their heirs and assigns , to their sole uses , holding as regards the premises parcel of the Duchy of

Lancaster of the King , his heirs and successors , as of the

E nﬁeld Manor of , County Middlesex , by fealty only in free and common socage , and not in chief or military service with a grant of all rents and issues from Michaelmas in the

1 6 1 0 . year With power of attorney to Thomas Wade ,

Tri e e Edmund Sawyer , and William gg , gentlem n , to de liver seizin of the premises belonging or annexed to the

Duchy of Lancaster , for which also the grantees are to have patents issued under the seal of the County Palatine of

Lancaster .

K i at W es mi s er u — z d 1 60 1 0. Tested by the ng t n t , March , 9

By writ of Privy Seal .

1 Two LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 79

a APPENDIX VI . ( )

To all Ch ristian people to wh om e their presentes Shall m co e to be seene , reade , or harde , Gervis Harries , of Lan

Co untie t caster , in the of Lancaster , gen , and Anne

v re atin e Harries , wife to the said Ger is , sendes g g in our in e v erlast e . Lord God g Knowe ye , we , the said Gervis

co ns deracio ns and Anne , for divers good causes and y us thereunto effe ctuallye moving ; And most ch eifﬂ ye for and in co nsyderacio n of a certaine competent somme of

m In lande good and lawful oney of g to us , or the one of us , before the seallinge and deliv erye of these presentes well

t reul h andes and y contented , satisﬁed , and payde by the of

m Cra e Tho as Parke , of Under g , in Torver , within the County

e v er e of Lancaster , husbandman , and thereof and of y

ar we p t thereof , the said Gervis Harries and Anne Harries ,

e th er h ereb e and y of us , do y acquite , exonerate , and dis

him h eires e xe cut ours charge the said Thomas Parke , his , ,

m i u ev er e ad in strate rs , assignes , and y of them for ever by

. b ar a ned these presentes Have granted g y , solde , released ,

Cleirel e assigned and conﬁrmed , and by these presentes doe y

ab solut el e rant e b ar a n e n and y g , g y , sell , release , assig e , and co nﬁrm e his h eires unto the said Thomas Parke , and as

mo e t e signes for ever , the y and one half of oure interest and right of two sev eral l closes lyenge and beinge in Torver

Count e commonl e aforesaid in the said y of Lancaster , y called and knowne by the name of the closes above the

commonl e l known e Becke , adj oining the water y cal ed and by the name of Thurston Water at the east end thereof ,

e a Thrang Crag D e ds . 1 80 SOME RECORDS OF and to the heye waye on the south syde and the tenement late in the tenure of N ych olas Tyson on the north syde

alsoe m eadowe rounde and one halfe one acre of g scituate , lyeng and beinge in the Beck M eadowes in Torver afore

co mm o nl e knowne said , y called and by the name of

Oxenh us t o e ath er wh olle half acres , g with all our estate , title and interest to all and singular fisshing es in the said

m Ott ersto cke Thurstan Water , at or igbe a place called the , the Nappinge Tree or in any other place or places elsewhere

all within the said Thurstan Water . And and singular

wa es fe e din es m waters , y , g , pastures , commons and co mons of pasture and t urb arye pro fe tt es commodities and adv an tages whatsoever to the foresaid premisses or to any part or parcell thereof at any time heretofore accepted , reputed , occupied , and enj oyed as part parcell or member thereof , with all and singuler ther and ev erye of ther appurt ey naunce s o ccu acio n Oxenh us late in the tenure and p of Miles ,

Oxenh us Oxenh us J ohn , and J ames , or their assignes , late

at erlees Co unt e s W . di of , in the y of Lancaster aforesaid ,

ﬁsshin es of th e H i es ceazed , parcels of the landes and g ng

l - Ma ic eare e . jest , and of the y y rent of six pence To have and to holde the said mo e tye and half in the s aid closes

mea o above the Becke , the said half acre of d we in the

Meadowes and ﬁsshin e s Beck , the sayd g in the sayd Thurstan

wa es l b erties e asementes Water , and all other waters y , y , ,

roﬁt te s remie ses a urte n unce s p , commodities , p , and pp y a whatsoever to them or to annye part or parcel therof inc dent a ert e nin e b elon in e ann s y pp y g or g g in yewi e . An d also e all cla me our whole estate , interest , title , tenant right , y l and demand of , in and to the foresaid parce ls of ground ,

ﬁsshin es a urte naunces g , premisses , and pp y , to the said

h eires accordin e Thomas Parke , his , and assignes , g to the ’ custom e Mich elan all of His Maj estie s manner of d, c ede

tenant right forever without any manner of stoppe lett ,

1 82 SOME RECORDS OF

A APPENDIX VII ( ) .

The Registers of Blawith Church date as to Baptisms

1 2 8 1 0 1 6 . from 7 ; Marriages , from 73 ; Burials , from 74

Before these dates these rites were performed at Ulverston . The following extracts relating to Blawith are from the

a r Ulverston Parish Registers . ( ) Only a few ent ies have been selected those interested in others are referred to the published copy of the Ulverston Registers . The Blawith names , which occur most frequently from the ﬁrst date

1 of the Registers , 545 , and during the century and a half

1 00 K irkb ie following to 7 , are towers , redhead , atkinson , ,

bi b ro ckb anke Swainson , Cow rd , penny , , postlethwaite ,

u n a adiso n t r er , lanc ster, , loggan and newbie (the spelling i is g ven as in the registers , and without capital letters

a to the n mes when thus written ) .

S e ulti a ud p p Ulverston .

1 1 — 547 ( Edward VI . ) j enet towne .

1 1 — 547 , J an . 5th . j ohn kirbie .

B a tiz ationes p .

— 1 . co hir 549 (3 Edward VI ) thomas w d.

Burials . — 1 8 1 8 . ffish er 54 , th J une richard .

1 8 I st ul — h 54 , J y . j o n Sherwin .

B a tiz ationes p .

1 th — n 549 (3 Edward 4 March K at ara Kirbie .

1 a 549 (3 Edward 3 oth M rch , myles loggan . 1 — 549 (3 Edward 3 oth March . K at aran loggan .

a E i e b ano n a s e and d t d y C B rd l y Canon Ayre . TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 1 83

S epulti apud Ulverston . — b ll di . 1 i . esa e 549 , Ma e 3 oth ad son — 1 1 1 . . 549 , Oct . j ohn tailer — kat aran b rockb anke . 1 . Nov . 3 — b ell . 1 6 . e sa Nov . towers

— 1 . ni . Feb . cholas atkinson

— Feb . 2 . agnes newbie .

n s B aptiz acio e .

1 — s5o . elizabeth towers .

1 550 (4 Edward (Note — In this and the following and preceeding years the number of funerals from Blawith is unusually numerous , which possibly betokens the prevalence of one of the pestilences common at that time . ) — m h 1 0 at ewe . 55 , Maie 3 . kirbie — 1 0 2 . . 55 , J une 7 margaret loggan

— 1 0 1 . kataran 55 , J uly 9 redhead . — 1 0 6 . 55 , Sep . j enet tailer . — 1 0 . 1 1 . 55 , Sep thomas champney .

1 0 — b ll o sh o n . 8 . e sa e d d . 55 , Nov g — 1 0 ls b . . 2 . e a e th 55 , Dec 7 kirbie — 1 0 2 . . 55 , 7 April Agnes Redhead

l S epu ti.

— 1 1 1 . b ro ckb anke . 55 , Maie 3 agnes

1 1 — l n s n 1 . s i 2 e ab el m l er o . 55 , J une — 1 1 . s b ll 2 . e a e . 55 , Aug 7 kirbie

1 — i 1 2 2 . . 55 , Oct . will am kirbie — 1 1 1 . l 55 , Dec . 4 wil iam tomson . — l 1 b eth . 1 . . e sa 55 , J an 5 Kirbie

— 1 1 6 . . 55 , Maie robert kirbie — 1 1 2 0 . 55 , Maie rowland kirbie — 1 1 2 2 . . 55 , Maie j ohn redhead 1 84 SOME RECORDS OF

— 1 1 2 8. . 55 , Maie edward redhead — 1 1 2 e sab ell . 55 , Maie 9 redhead

e ulti S p .

- i 1 2 . b te t 553 , J uly 7 agnes y — 1 . 1 . . 553 , Aug 5 nicholas towers

- 1 . 2 . . 553 , Sep 3 george loggan — 1 . . 553 , June 3 margaret swainson

— fflemin e . 1 2 0 . 553 , June edward g — 1 553 . j enet turner .

— 1 . . 554 , 4 Maie charles brigges — 1 1 6 e e sab ell . 554 , Mai lancaster

S epulti apud Ulverston . — elsab e th e ffresh e . 1 554 ( 2 nd Mary ) . — 1 . 8. . 557 , Nov agnes postlethwait — 1 . 1 . . 557 , Nov 3 j ohn swainson — 6 . lsab eth . 1 6 1 rd . 2 e 5 (3 Elizabeth ) , feb biggins

Marriages .

— b ell . 6 . esa 1 62 . 5 , Feb robert dobson and dobson — S n da o . 1 6 2 . 1 . 5 , Nov robert atkinson and agnes

e ulti S p . — 1 s7o . als penny . — 1 57 1 . Mabel schall . — 1 . 57 1 william postlethwait . — i M at th ewe cowh rd . 1 573 . — m th at e e . 1 573 . uxor w tailer — 1 582 . arthur j anson . — — . 8. . 1 598 . J an daughter of a collier at Blawith — f wi . 1 598. j ohn addison of Blawith

— r us i 1 0 . E dwa d R a st t 6 2 Coward de a . — 1 0 . ree n o lm 6 4 William Swainson de G h . — . t r 1 605 J acobus penny de W a e ye at . After this time follows considerable irregularity

entries for some years .

1 86 SOME RECORDS OF

13 APPENDIX VI I . (

A Rate and Assessment on the Inhabitants and Land

in w owners the division of Bla ith , for and towards the c necessary relief of the poor there , being the ﬁrst Rate sin e

ﬁr 1 6 . the st of May , 7 3

Robert Redhead , Water End William Askew

J ames Kirkby , Water Yeat Occupiers or Owners of Chapel - house

H o u hler William Lancaster , g Hall

Same with J oseph Penny , for Spout Cragg Occupiers or Owners of I v int ree William Atkinson Roger Atkinson J ames Atkinson Matthew Coward J ames Addison

- Robert Taylor , Apple tree Holme

e Rob rt Taylor , Wool Knott

al J ohn Kend , elder

al J ohn Kend , younger

J ohn Atkinson , Green Holme

Picth all J ohn Fisher , Same for J oseph Fisher Lands William Lancaster Occupiers of Water Yeat Milnh ouse and garden Occupiers or Owners of Water Yeat Miln J ames Kirkby Mary Braithwaite

Occupiers and Owners , of Brownhow Two LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 1 87

Stab leh arv y Part .

St ab leh arv Paul Brocklebank , y

St ab leh arv Thomas and J oel Park , y

St ab leh arv Leonard Park , y

St ab leh arv Thomas Birkett , y J ohn Gowith

. t Th ron cra Mr Robinson , Gen , g g Wood J ohn Park J ohn S co t t so n and J ames Beck

William Lancaster Assessors 0 Matthew Coward i Robert Redhead ls rs Co t e . J oel Park Allowed by William B lenc owe l J ustices . Myles Sandys l 1 6 In another lis t , same date ( 7 3 ) are H eirs of the Duke of Montagu

Mr . m L eath om Tho as , gent .

’ Purchaser of Mr . Thos . Sill s Lordship Occupiers or Owners of Throng Cragg Lands 1 88 SOME RECORDS OF

APPENDIX v rr.

- The Customary Tenants and Free holders of Blawith, who sold Blea Brows to J ames Taylor ( 6th J ohn Atkinson J ames Kirkby Elizabeth Newton

William Lancaster , the elder

William Lancaster , the younger Robert Redhead

John Kendal , the younger Myles J ackson Robert Taylor Paul Brocklebank J ohn Birkett J ohn Atkinson William Kirkby J oseph Penny Matthew Coward

J ohn Kendal , the elder . J ohn Fisher J ames Woodend William Kirkby I n the presence of Rev . Matthias Forest , Clerk , and others .

1 90 SOME RECORDS OF

— 1 0 8 . OWNERS AND OCCUPIERS I N BLAWITH , 9 7

Place . Owner . Occupier . wi Bla th Vicarage . Patron The Duke of Buccleuch and

Queensbury .

Brown Howe Sir Robert Hampson . forme rly the residence

of Penny family J .

Robinson , Esq . D .

H e l n l o . . , Esq Dr

1 888 Longton , from

1 06 to 9 .

al . Brown How Lodge . Martind e

Lake Bank Hotel T . D . Watton

formerly Dry Gill ,

1 8 0 built about 4 ,

li e by Wil am K ndal , o f A p p l e - T r e e

Holme .

Oxenh o use Oxness . , or W Wildman

Oxenh o use . Cottage Ditto . Wilkinson

Oxness Farm Ditto . J oseph Ward .

Stable Harvey A . P . B . Thomas Benson Thrang Crag Wood

o Boat H w A . P . B . High and L o w Water

an d . . End Blea Brow A P . B . J oseph J ackson

L o w Water End Cott . A . P . B . J ohn Briggs .

Water Yeat Farm A . P . B . J ohn J ackson .

Water Yeat Mill S . Hart J ackson J oseph J ackson . Water Yeat House Thomas Gaskell

e Water Y at Cottage Thomas Gaske ll J . K . J ackson . TW O LAKELAND TOWNSHIPS . 1 9 1

Place . Owner . Occupier . H awb ank J ohn Bowne ss Owner

D aleswate r Miss Atkinson Wm . Woodend

Church Meadows E . Barrow J ohn J ackson

R o o dlands Bowness Mrs . Brothers Newbiggin J ames Woodend Owner

Woodside E xors . of J .

Robinson E . H . Mitchelson B ec kside , Post and

Telegraph Ofﬁce Mrs . Henry Postlethwaite Owner

Crossdales 1 d w . , J ohn Ad ison O ner

Ash b rn r Cro ssdales 2 i . u e . , J ohn Add son Mrs Whitelands William Thre lfall Owner

Blawith Grange Mrs . Clark Roger Strickland formerly H ighﬁeld

r Great Knott Farm A . P . B . Timothy P octor

B r nk Little Knott A . P . B . J ohn o ckb a Chapel House William Woodend Owner

B irkr ow E . Tyson Thomas Gibson

B irkro w . . Cottage E . Tyson J C Wilson .

. al . Lin Crag W . D H l E Dickinson I Ivy Tree Rev . G . ! Shackley i . L e wthwa t e E . Dickinson

Ivy Cottage Ditto . T . Proctor R aisthwaite Matthew Coward Owner

To t tleb ank Miss Penny L . Park

A le treeh olme Fr rs n . pp G . ea o J . H Muncaster Co ckensh ell G . S . Hartley H . C . Dickinson

Greenh o lme A . P . B . j!. Stalker J . Leviston Picth all x rs E o of J . Robinson J oseph Thompson H o u hler g Hall J . Woodend W . Addison

Lord of the Manor , The Duke of Buccleuch Queensbury . 1 9 2 SOME RECORDS OF

APPENDIX VII .

OWNERS AND OCCUPI ERS IN NIBTHWAITE

- 1 907 8 .

Place . Owner . Occupier . Montagu Wood and Pee l Island Duke of Buccleuch High Nibthwaite

l . ai . e Farm S . H Fleming J Sw nson B r dso n Water Park A . P . y Nib thwait e Grange J ohn Atkinson

Houses Do . J ohn Atkinson J ames Atkinson

Wm . Atkinson

al e Nibthwaite Old H l G orge Moser Mrs . Allonby

Do . Cottage George Moser M . Knowles

Town End A . P . B . J . Muncaster l m . e Town Yeat S H . Fle ing T . Benson Lake View Bishop of Shefﬁeld

Caws Beck C . M . Bridson

le Rose Cottage S . H . Fleming S . Hart J ackson

Stock Farm S . Hart J ackson T . Millburn , j un . Nibthwaite Bobbin

Mill Do .

Four houses , do . Do . T . Dickinson

Do . E . Ellwood

Do . J . H . Burns

Do . W . Woodend Arklid Miss Harrison Mrs . Dugdale

Arklid . Cottage Do R . Palmer

- - a . . s Park moor H P Ker haw H . Ellwood B ethicar Robert Millburn Own er

E I N D X .

1 6 ABB OT PARK 5 . 59 . 9 . R AB AHAM , DANIEL

ABRAHAM , J OHN PA R rS H ACCOUNTS , AD E N S O N OR ADDISON AFFORESTATION A GR EEMENT OF THE PEOPLE 8 1 1 t o ALBEMARLE , DUKE OF 7 , 7 A L B I N I E N I GE L L US A L B I N I E , WILLIAM 1 ALLAN TARN 4 4 , 80 ANNE , QUEEN 79 , , APPL E T R E E H O L M E 1 6 3 , o r ARMS , COAT AR K L I D 1 1 5 5 , 59 ,

AS H B UR N E R . H 8 5 , 1 2 1 2 ATKINSON I I I 5 , 9 ,

B AC K B A R R O W 60 61 BAILIFFS , B AN D R I H D G E A 59 .

' ' B i EACON HILL a . T 1 1 1 6 BEACON ARN 9 . 34 . 3 . 1 BEACON BECK 3 4 , B ECK MEAD OWS B E C K S ID E B T A 1 1 8 6 ECK, . . 7 , , 3 , 5 5 , 6 6 6 6 BENSON 5 , , 7 , B E T H E C A R 6 8 6 59 . , 7 3 . 7 5 , 7 . B 1 1 1 6 ELLS 4 , 3 , B IBLES BIRKETT B IRK KNOTTS B R o w 1 2 1 1 1 IRK FARM 5 , 5 5 , 9 , B R o w M t o 8 IRK ILL 9 5 9 . B IRK R o w BRIDGE B 8 t o 6 82 t o LAWITH , MANOR OF 3 4 , B 1 2 0 t o LAWITH , CURATES OF B LAWITH , NAME OF 1 BLAWITH FELL 9 . 1 0 8 BLAWITH CHURCH , B I 0 t o LAWITH , FOREST OF S, 3 9 . 9 BLAWITH PEOPLE 1 96 INDEX .

1 1 BLEA BROWS 3 , S IWI T H Y 2 t o BLOOMERIES ( SEE AND IRON ) 5 SS, B L O O M S M I TH Y 6 2 6 1 6 RENT 9 , 7 3 , 4 , 2 2 I 2 u) BOATS , 3 5 , 4 B O ATY WILSON BOAT H o w BOBBINS MILL BOBBIN INDUSTRY BOUNDARIES BOUNDEN OF THE PASTURE B OUT H

B O UD R AY C 1 0 BRIDGE 4 ! BRACKEN

BRADLEY , J OHN 2 B R AD D Y L L 6 , 6 1 0 BRIDGE FIELD S9 . 9 , 7 3 » 5 . 1 00 1 BRIDGES , 4 9 , BRIEFS B RIGANTES K B R O C K B AN 1 09 . I BROCKLEBAN K 7 S, H 1 1 1 8 1 86 BROWN OWE 3 5 , 4 9 , 5 , ,

BOUNTY , QUEEN D U K E 8 1 1 BUCCLEUCH , OF 3 9 , 79 , 9 . 3 .

BRUS , DE BUTTERY CANNON AND S HOT 2 CARLISLE , BISHOP OF 3 , S CARLISLE , VOL . CHOOL ASSOC . CAws BECK CERTIFI CATE OF AB BEY REVEN UES 1 1 CHAPEL HOUSE 3 ,

CHARLES I .

CHARLES II . 79 . CHARCOAL 1 5 3 2 CH ARTER OF THE FOREST 80 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 CHESTER , BISHOP OF 9 , , 7 , 4 , 1 0 8 t o CHURCH , BLAWITH 8 CHURCH , COLTON 7 . CH URCH PLATE H 1 1 0 1 1 : CH URCHWARDENS , BLAWIT , 5 R N 80 1 6 CHURCHWA DENS , COLTO , 3 , CH R I S TO PH E R S N T O , . O 8 CISTERCIAN RDER 4 . S 0 CLAIE AND AWREY 4 9 , 5 » CLERGY 1 2 0 t o COAL LANE COCKSH UTT CO C K E N S H E L L CODE OF CUSTOMS G . 0 1 COLLINGWOOD , W . 5 » 5 . SS.

COLTON , MANOR OF M 6 COLTON , ILLS IN 7 ,

FACULTIES FEE FARM FEE S IMPLE F ELL , THOMAS

FELL , J OHN 8 FELL , J UDGE 7 , F 2 INAL CONCORD 3 , W 6 80 1 0 1 FI N S T H AI T E 4 9 , 9 , , 3 , 3 7 , FI T z R E I N FR E D G FI T z 1 1 t o 2 0 , ILBERT ROGER 4 , 9 9 , 3 , 1 2 0 8 1 0 1 t o 1 0 1 0 1 6 1 FISHERIES 5 , 3 , 7 7 , 4 , 7 , 4 , 77 , F 1 1 1 ISHER , J AMES 3 , 34 ,

FISHER , PETER FL A x 2 8 1 1 8 FLEMING , OR LE FLEMING 3 , 4 7 , 5 , 9 5 , 4 5 , 9 , FLEMISH WEAVERS F 6 6 1 6 OOTPATHS , 4 , D FOREST , EFINITION OF F 0 t o ORESTA DE BLAWITH 3 9 , 9

FOREST , MATTHIAS F t o ORD , RICHARD 9 9 FREE WARREN

FREEHOLDERS 7 5 , FULLING MILL 9 5 t o FURNACE AND FORGE NIBTHWAITE 9 9 t o FURNESS 1 t o 8 0 6 6 1 2 0 FURNESS , ABBOTS OF 34 , 3 , 4 44 4 , 5 57 , , F URNESS ABBEY 4 7 t o G ALLOWS G AME KEEPER G AS T R E L L 80 1 0 1 1 1 2 , BISHOP , 9 , 7 , 4 , G I B S T E D E G IBSON , JOHN G L E D H O W E G ONDOLA G RANGES , MONASTIC G RANGE , BLAWITH G R AY TH W AI TE G REENWOOD G R E E N H O L M E G R E S M AL E S G R I z E D AL E G UNPOWDER BARN HARDEN S ARK

C0 . HARRISON , AINSLIE H B ARRISON , ENSON

HARRISON , RICHARD M HARRISON , ATTHEW

HARRINGTON , JOHN DE

HARRINGTON , ROBERT DE

HARRINGTON , CECELIA DE

HARRINGTON , WILLIAM DE HARRIES IND EX . I 99

T HARTLEY , REV . . H AVERTHWAITE

HAVERTHWAITE , MANOR OF HAVERTHWAITE FISHERY H A' WKSHEAD H AY B R I G G E AND K I R K T H W A I T E HEMP HENRIETTA MARIA UEEN I HENRY I I . 7 , 2 8 2 0 ' 6 HENRY I II . , 9 , 3 , 3 3 . H I V 2 ENRY . 7 . V I HEN RY . HEN RY VI II 1 6 7 HERDWICK S HEEP H E R K 6 6 1 t o 6 D W Y C S 4 0, 5 , 4, HERD OR HIRD H E T O N OR HEDON HIGHWAY RATE H 1 ILL 5 . S9 I 7 3 .

HODGSON , REV . ISAAC

HOLDINGS , SMALL H HOLM , ENRY

HOMILIES , BOOK OF H B L A K T O T C , . HOSTAGES H O UG H L E R HALL

HUDSON , J AMES

HUNTER , THOMAS

I CT H O R N T H W A E 6 1 I T 59 . 9 . 7 3 I N QUI S I T I O POST MORTEM 4 2 4 3 4 5 1 6 2 INGROUND 0 0 0 1 IRON 4 3 4 9 5 . 5 3 2 8 ISABELLA , UEEN 7 , 80 1 00 t o 1 0 ISLANDS IN THE CRAKE , 4 I ISLAND , FLOATING 4 7 I V Y TREE 1 9 1

JACKSON , REV .

J ACKSON , REV J . 1 . 6 1 J AMES I 7 . 79 J AMMY L ANDING 2 2 6 J OHN , KING 4 , . I 6 8 J URIES 7 . 5 . 7 . S J URIES , PECIAL

KENDAL , BARONS OF B KENDAL , ARONY OF

KENDAL , JOHN

KIRKEBY , HENRY

KENDAL , WILLIAM 2 KIRBY 9, K IRKBY 1 00 K W YRKBY , MATTHE 2 00 INDEX .

K G NOTT , REAT

KNOTT , LITTLE

KNOTT , BLAWITH LA KE BAN K 3 a- J L 1 4 6 b 0( AKE COTTAGE h

LANCASTER , AGNES DE H E L W I S A LANCASTER , DE L ANCASTER , JOHN DE

LANCASTER , ROGER L ANCASTER , WILLIAM DE , I L N A E A C T R . , WILLIAM DE , II L ANCASTER , WILLIAM DE I II . L ANCASTER , WILLIAM L ANCASTER , MARGARET 0 8 2 1 6 1 1 6 1 6 1 1 LANCASTER , DUCHY OF 7 , , 3 , 9 , 7 L ANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL 1 86 1 88 1 0 LANDOWNERS AND INHABITANTS , BLAWITH , , 9 , 1 2 LANDOWNERS AND INHABITANTS , NIBTHWAITE 7 5 , 9 ,

LANGUAGE . LANGDALE 1 LAWSON PARK 5 , 59 , 77 ,

LAWYER , THE VILLAGE LEAD AND BELLS

LEACH , J OHN LI ME

LINDSAY , DE LICENSE TO BURY 1 09 . L I N C R A G G LOPPIN , REEN 9 9 88 1 1 6 1 0 1 1 LOWICK 3 3 , 3 4, , , 3 , 3 LOWICK BRIDGE 1 50

MACAULAY , LORD M A C K E R E T H M AE R E M I UM MAGNA CARTA MALT KILN MAPS N MARY , QUEE

MARSHALL , WILLIAM

MARSHALL , JAMES

MATTSON , WILLIAM

MAWSON , MRS . MEADOW LODGE ( SEE VICARAGE ) M E S C H I N E S R A N UL PH , DE MILTARY FORCES 1 64 2 1 t o I MILLS , 3 3 , 59 MILNE FARME 1 4 0 MINISTERS OF LANCASHIRE 1 0 8 ’ S 8 1 2 1 1 MINISTER S ALARY 7 , 4 , 3 1 I MOSSES 9 . 39 MON KS 9 7 D 8 1 1 2 MONTAGU , UKE OF 9 . 9 4 . .

2 02 TN D E X.

PAGE PO I CT O N , ROGER DE O POOR LAW ( SEE VERSEERS ) . POSTLETHWAITE RAILWAY R AI TH POT H O W S R AI S T H W AI T E 1 1 6 1 86 RATEABLE VALUE , R AV E N S T I E 6 RAWLINSON 5 . READER 6 2 I 6 8 t o 1 8 REDHEAD 5, 7 , 74 , 7 REDHEAD MARY ‘ REDMAN z él 8 REFORMATION , THE 57 . 5 . REGISTERS 1 09 I 2 0 RICHARD I . 9 , , R ICHARD II .

RICHARDSON , WILLIAM RIGG ROADS ROCHESTER CASTLE ROMAN OCCUPATION R O OD L AN D S ROYALTIES

RUSKIN , JOHN RUSLAND

S ANDES 7 7 , S ANDYS 1 6 1 S 6 0 ATTERTHWAITE 4 9 . 7 . 7 . S ATTERTHWAITE , WILLIAM S AWREY , ( SEE CLAIE ) . S 6 1 6 6 6 AWREY , JOHN , 5 , , S AWREY, ROGER S 2 U) AWREY , ANTONY 7 S AXON IMMIGRATION S CAT H W AI T E S CHOOL S CHOOLMASTER S EALS A S H 1 1 1 1 6 EATS IN C URCH 3 , S ELSIDE BECK S L S HEEP 2 2 U) S HERWYN . A u . S HOP S K E L H HTH B R ATH AY 1 AND . n 7 S 1 LATE 4 4 , S OM 2 1 MITHY ( AND SEE IRON AND BLO ERIES ) , 5 , 59 34 , S PINNING S PROW CR A G G E S AN I M A L s 6 PORTING RIGHTS (AND SEE WILD ) 7 , S 1 1 8 1 1 8 TABLE HARVEY 3 5 , 3 , 5 5 , 5 , S TA H O F BLE ARVEY , ROGER I X NDE . 2 03 PAGE S H I TABLE ARVEY , HEN RY OF 39 S S 1 0 TABLE HARVEY , CHOOL AT 4 S 1 1 6 TATESMEN 55, 5 S 1 8 TATUES , 3 7 S TEAMER 1 4 6 1 1 S TEEPLE . u 4 S TEPHEN , KIN G 4 7 S TEYNTON 34 S 2 8 1 1 TRICKLAND , 9 S 1 2 TOUP , J OHN 9 S UBBERTHWAITE 1 1 6 S 1 8 2 1 6 UFFOLK , DUKE OF 4 , , 7 S W R H M R 1 8 1 A T O O 3 , 4 5 S 1 1 1 8 2 WAINSON 4 3 , 4 7 , 74 , S 60 1 2 WILLIN G , 5

I V O 1 2 TAILLEBOIS , DE

TAILORS , ITINERANT 1 6 1 1 2 TANNING 4 , 4 7 , 5 TANYARD 1 4 6 1 1 TAYLOR , J AMES 4 8 6 1 1 6 1 TENANTS , ABBEY 57 , 5 , , 1 6 1 6 8 1 1 TENANTS , CUSTOMARY 5 , , 7 - TENANTS , COPY HOLD O N 1 1 I THURSTON WATER ( AND SEE C NISTO LAKE ) 5 , 7 , 3 5 , 79

THORSTEIN OF THE MERE . 1 THRANG CRAG WOOD 39 . 0 TIMBER TREES 7 , 80 TITHES , V 8 1 1 1 8 1 8 1 1 8 TOR ER 3 3 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 5 7 5 , 7 , E TOSTI , ARL T O T TL E B AN K , COLTON T O T T L E B AN K 1 , BLAWITH 3 5 , TOWN END 1 0 TOWN YEAT 7 , W L 6 TRESPASS ON THE ASTE ANDS 5 , 1 0 1 8 TURNER 3 , 3 ,

U . . 1 2 0 LVERSTON . 5, , U E M LV RSTON ARKET 39 , U 2 1 8 t o 6 8 t o LVERSTON , MANOR OF 3 4 , 7 U V 8 L ERSTON RECTORY 3 ,

1 2 2 1 1 VICARAGE , BLAWITH , 3 , VIKINGS

VILLAGES , SMALL

WADE 77 . T WALKER , . E 1 I I WATER ND 53 . S7 . 7 7

WATER IN WATERSIDE PARK , 6 1 6 —6 6 6 6 6 1 8 1 1 6 1 59 , , 3 4 , , 7 , 7 , 4 , 57 , W AT E R Y E AT 1 1 I 34 , 53 , SS 1 0 2 WATERSON , J . 2 04 INDEX. PAGE 1 8 WEAVERS 9 7 . 3 2 1 6 1 1 WEST , THOMAS , 5 , 9 , 3 7 2 0 WILD ANI MALS 3 , 3 3 . 5 . 9 3 S . 1 00 WHIPSTICK ,

F. 1 06 WHITE , WHITEWASH 1 1 5 W H I T T L E G AT E 1 2 2 6 t o 1 WHITMORE 7 74 . 77 1 0 1 2 WHITWELL , CHRISTOPHER 9 , 7 1 2 WILLIAM I . . 9 7 2 WILLIAM II . 1 WINDERMERE I 4 6 W I N D L E S O R E 2 , WILLIAM DE 7 VVO OD CO C K 9 3 1 8 1 1 WOODEND 5 , 9 60 WOODLAND INDUSTRIES 59 . 6 6 0 t o 1 0 WOODS 7 , 79 9 4 . 5 WOOL 1 53 N 6 WOOLLE TRADE 9 . 9 7 WOOL KNOTT 9 1 WORKHOUSE 1 4 1

2 6 1 1 6 YEOMAN 55 . 5 1 2 YORK , 3 7