No. 57 – February 2016 The Journal Lorton & Derwent Fells Local History Society Brackenthwaite Buttermere Embleton Loweswater Mockerkin Pardshaw Whinfell Wythop www.derwentfells.com An advertisement for the Robinson Plough, and a surviving example. 2 The Journal findings were recorded in the CWAAS Transactions in 2007, a significant 2 Welcome to issue 57 of the Journal. I was achievement for the Society. particularly pleased that Sandra Shaw has In 2008, within the Bassenthwaite completed her research on those who fell in Reflections project, a geophysical search for World War 1 and are commemorated on the a fort at Keswick, again led by Mark Graham, Paddle School Roll of Honour. This is the found the Roman camp at Castlerigg. The centenary year of the Battle of the Somme, causeway at Braithwaite is in direct which took the lives of so many, and alignment with the fort, and in the other therefore an appropriate time to note that direction with Knott Head. Now also a battle. Further articles on other townships in crossing of the Derwent has been found at or near our area would be welcome for future Papcastle. This suggests that the causeway issues. at Braithwaite and the old road to Knott Because of a holiday, I was one of those Head may be part of a Roman road between who missed Mark Graham’s talk on the the forts at Castlerigg and Papcastle, and findings of the programme to discover the part of a route from the port at Maryport via vicus or civilian settlement to the South of Brough over Stainmore, or now the A66. the Roman fort at Papcastle. Therefore I was Perhaps there may be renewed Society very happy that Roger Asquith agreed to interest in finding a road and its route record this work, in which he was much between the Derwent bridge and the old, involved, for the benefit of those who missed pre-turnpike and probably Roman road from the presentations, or who wish to have a High Lorton to Keswick via Scales? printed summary. Derek Denman Back in 1998 the Society’s Lorton Roman Roads Group was stimulated to study Corrigendum: in Journal 56, page 23, ‘foot of and seek for Roman roads. This followed a Derwentwater’ should be ‘head of suggestion that a Roman road came over Derwentwater’. Whinlatter, and a junction in Lorton went two ways, to Derventio at Papcastle but also over L&DFLHS 2015-16 Whinfell to the fort at Moresby.1 We found the branch to Moresby to be entirely President Professor Angus Winchester speculative and evidence lacking, the Financial Examiner Peter Hubbard enclosure roads over Whinfell being mistakenly given Roman attributes. In Officers and Committee 2015-16 seeking physical evidence of Roman roads Chairman Charles Lambrick the group found and excavated an old, Secretary Sandra Shaw unrecorded road ascending from Treasurer Christopher Thomas Thornthwaite towards Knott Head, the well- Committee members:- known Bassenthwaite viewpoint on Anne Asquith Membership Whinlatter. Richard Easton Talks This road was consistent with Roman Walter Head construction and with a route over Whinlatter Tim Stanley-Clamp Outings which included the old causeway recorded long ago near Braithwaite railway station. Contents of Journal No. 57 The suggestion was that our road was Paddle School’s Roll of Honour 3 Roman and provided the first physical Ploughing with Horses 10 evidence of a road crossing Whinlatter. But Discovering Derventio: a View of with no known fort at Keswick, at that time, Roman Papcastle 12 with no excavated road on the west side of In the News 17 Whinlatter, and with no proven bridge over How many Sheep were in Loweswater the Derwent, our road up to Knott Head Township in 1839? 20 could not be claimed as Roman, just old, The Society’s programme 24 unexplained by records, and Roman-like. The 1 Martin Allan, The Roman route across the 2 Derek Denman, ‘An old road to Knott Head northern lake district: Brougham to Moresby, from Thornthwaite’, Transactions CWAAS, 2007, CNWRS, Lancaster University, 1994. pp. 219-23 3 Paddle School’s Roll of military service. I began with the 1911 census, being closest in time to the Honour outbreak of war. If I couldn’t find the man by Sandra Shaw there, I searched the previous one. Then, using a number of other on-line sources, I This article is an attempt to identify the have tried to uncover more about their family origins and military service of the lives and find out about the part their eight men from Eaglesfield, Blindbothel military unit played in the war. I have and Mosser parish who gave their lives in been assisted by information and leads the First World War and who are received from follow society member commemorated on the Paddle School Roll Walter Head, for which I am most grateful. of Honour. There are a further 36 men There has been a recent project to index listed who served and returned and who local newspapers of the war years which I are named here, but whose stories will have consulted and can be found at; form the subject of a future article. http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/archives/Onlin The memorial tablet of marble & slate e_catalogues/greatwar/newsindexes.asp is housed in the school entrance hall and I do not know how it was decided was unveiled on 22nd April 1921. The which names should be included and in heading reads The Great War 1914 – some cases it has not been possible to find 1918 / Roll of Honour / Eaglesfield, any connection with the local area. Blindbothel and Mosser Parish. There are then two sections – Men who gave Walter Bartle their lives comprising 8 names – Men who Walter was born 12 July 1896 and baptised served and returned comprising 36 names. at Mosser on 13 September the same year. On this roll of honour, just the surnames His birth was registered at Cockermouth and initials are given and they are not and in that record and nowhere else, he quite in alphabetical order. was given the middle initial A. He was The 36 (in alphabetical order) are: G killed in action on 16 August 1917 aged Clague, J Clague, W Clague, J Clark, R just 21. Corlett, J Davidson, G Dockeray, H He appears in the 1911 census with Ferguson, J Glasson, I Glasson, H his parents George and Mary Bartle at Hamilton, J D Hamilton, B Harrison, J Waterloo Lodge, Cockermouth, (the 1901 Harrison, J M Harrison, T Harrison, W census says this is at Eaglesfield) a 6 room Harrison, H Huddart, W Huddart, E H property. His father was a gamekeeper Jackson, A Kitchen, C Mossop, F Mossop, N from Laxton in Nottinghamshire while his Mossop, E Park, T Park, H W Sewell, WWR mother was a local woman (born Mary Sewell, H Satterthwaite, G Scott, H Storey, Cook) from Deanscales. They had been W Tyson, J Walker, H Waugh, F White, F married 28 years and she had born six Wilson. children who were all living. Just two were There is also a polished granite war still at home; John aged 19 working as a memorial standing outside St Philips gamekeeper’s assistant and Walter aged Church at Eaglesfield where the full names 14 with no occupation recorded, of the men who gave their lives are given. presumably still at school. The two boys This reads – Erected / in grateful memory are said to have been born at Palace How, of / the men of this parish / who gave their Blindbothel. Other censuses showed that lives for / freedom right & peace / in the the six children were George Henry, Fred, Great War / 1914 – 1918 (east face) Their Martha, Mary, John and Walter. name liveth [sic] / for evermore (west Walter enlisted on 6 December 1915 face) Walter Bartle / John Edward Long / at Cockermouth, giving his address as Edward Mossop / Henry Bell Moffat (north Waterloo Cottages and his occupation as face) William Ballantine Porter / William gamekeeper. He joined the Border Routeledge / Harry Robinson / Frederick Regiment (service number 3410). He William Storr (south face) served in the 5th and 1st Battalions, and his Using data collections (mainly service number was changed somewhere censuses and military records) from a along the line, later being 241205. He was number of commercial websites, I have reported missing in the Cumberland News attempted to identify each of these men of 29 September and 6 October 1916. He and find out what I could about their 4 was reported wounded the following day 1911 was a gamekeeper living with and 10 October. He appeared in the daily Margaret and 3 young daughters at Park casualty list (reported wounded) of 25 Lane, Cockermouth. Their address on the October 1916. He was then private 4310 Commonwealth Graves Commission with the Border Regiment. He must have database is Castle Cottages, Cockermouth. recovered as he was later reported to have George Henry is buried at Bois Guillaume died of wounds on 16 August 1917 while Communal Cemetery Extension. serving as a private with the 1st Battalion, Border Regiment in France / Flanders. John Edward Long There is a note dated 26 September 1918 John Edward Long’s, birth was registered to the effect that any articles of personal at Cockermouth in the 3rd quarter of 1889, property or any medals due to the soldier and in other sources it is shown that he should be sent to Mrs Mary Bartle of was born at Loweswater. He was killed in Waterloo Cottage, Cockermouth. He is action on 18 November 1916 in the Battle commemorated at Cement House of the Somme aged about 27.