Meetings (except Business Meetings) are held on Wednesdays

in the Caldbeck Parish Hall at 7.30 pm.

Scroll down for details of 2012 meetings.

Members £2. Visitors £3. Everyone welcome.

Officers of the Society:

President: John Price (016974 78537); Secretary: Diana Greenwood (78270); Treasurer: Mathew Cosgriff (78293); Programme Secretary: Elizabeth Boydell (78315)

Publications:

Link to 'Monumental Inscriptions in the Church and Churchyard of St. Kentigern's Caldbeck Cumbria' here 

Who Do You Think You Are?

Most of you will have seen the TV programmes with this title, and know that tracing your family history is now a very popular activity or hobby.

It is almost certain that there will be people locally who have taken up this hobby, and perhaps others who would quite like to do so but do not know how to start. I am therefore – on behalf of the Caldbeck & District Local History Society – inviting anyone who is tracing their family history (or might like to) to get in touch with me.

It could be that there would be some interest in meeting together from time to time and hearing about other people's progress, etc. If so, the Society would be happy to help in any way (e.g. booking an outside 'expert' to advise at a local workshop), or just simply to book (and pay for) a room for the group to meet.

Ron Davie (Tel. 016974 78364; email: rdavie29@aol.com)

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Exhibition - can you help?

As part of the local Jubilee celebrations in June, the Caldbeck & District Local History Society will be staging a display in the Parish Hall of photographs and other material from the Queen's previous jubilees (1977 and 2002).

If you have any suitable jubilee, or coronation, material of this kind (photographs, press cuttings, programmes, etc.), which could be added to this display, we would be very grateful if we could borrow it from you. Please contact Kathleen Davie (Tel. O16974 78364). Thank you very much.

2012

Wednesday 16th May  7:30pm, Parish Hall, 'REIVERS'

Edwin Rutherford, Keeper of Social History, Tullie House Museum, will give an illustrated talk on 'Reivers' (the Border Reivers). Everyone welcome!

April meeting

On Wednesday, 11th April a party from the History Society enjoyed an afternoon visit to the new Archives and Resource Centre in Carlisle. Members were welcomed by the Assistant County Archivist, David Bowcock, who gave them a most interesting and informative tour of the Centre.

The visit started in the recently restored Lady Gillford's House and continued through to the new Archive Centre building, with its Education facility, Archive Strong Room and Conservation Workshops. Finally members were treated to a selection of historic documents and maps relating to the Caldbeck area that had been specially put on display in the Elphinstone Room for members to examine at their leisure.

March Meeting

On Wednesday 21 March Dr Angus Winchester from the University of Lancaster gave an illustrated talk to the Society entitled 'The History of Common Land' with particular regard to the upland communities of Cumbria and the neighbouring Yorkshire Dales. He traced the development of how such communities managed their common resources, from the manor courts of the Middle Ages , through the loss of common land under the Parliamentary Enclosure Acts, to the Commons Regulation Act of 1965 and the foundation of the present day Commoners' Associations. In conclusion he confirmed that the grassroots nature of common land management, whereby rural communities regulated themselves on the basis of commonsense and good neighbourliness, was still in evidence today.

On behalf of a large and appreciative gathering of members and visitors, the chairman Dr Ron Davie thanked Dr Winchester for such an entertaining and informative talk.
 

2011

November Meeting:

RALPH LEWTHWAITE

will give an illustrated talk on

COAL MEMORIES:
MEMENTOES/STORIES OF THE INDUSTRY
WHICH HELPED TO CREATE WHITEHAVEN

on Wednesday, 16th November, 2011 at 7.30pm, Caldbeck Parish Hall

Tickets: Members £2; Visitors £3
Tea/coffee & biscuits included

EVERYBODY WELCOME!

21st September - we had a change of Programme!

                                Members Night brought forward, with three local Speakers.                                 

1st October     was the Heritage Event in the Parish Hall at 1.30pm.

 19th October  was the SUPPER followed by the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING at Denton House,

 Reports

‘AS SEEN IN THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM’ 

MEETING 15th JUNE 2011

The Men Who Built Carlisle Cathedral 

At the Caldbeck & District Local History Society’s meeting on 15 June, 2011, President, Ron Davie, introduced Thirlie Grundy, who was to speak about ‘The Men Who Built Carlisle Cathedral’, illustrating her talk with slides. 

Carlisle Cathedral has a mix of architectural styles: Norman, Early English and Decorated. After the Norman Conquest, churches were to be rebuilt in stone. Anglo-Saxon builders had used wood, so Norman masons were brought in; and Italian masons came over later. Unfortunately, there are no surviving records of the cathedral workmen except for the carved heads, including those of themselves and of the trade-related tree god (Green Man) in the cathedral. The speaker’s talk and her illustrations focused on these carvings. 

 Schooling, apprenticeship and then seven years as a ‘journeyman’, meant that a mason's son would be 28 yrs. old before he was fully free to ply his trade (although the title of Master was hereditary). Married masters would carve their wife's head opposite their own. A bachelor would sometimes carve his own head twice, using dog-toothed zig-zags as decoration.  The oak tree was considered masculine in the cult of Sylvanus, the Green Man. Mistletoe on an oak made it sacred. The white five-­petalled rose represented the wife, acorns the sons, and rose hips for daughters. Italian masons brought with them their allegiance to the King of the Wood and the heads they carved wore crowns unlike the Normans’. 

With the mixture of nationalities, and their respective languages, it is surprising that so much was accomplished. The clergy were often at odds with the masons but all secular carving was done on downward-slanting or facing surfaces and so hidden from the heavenly view (and possible displeasure!). 

After a lively discussion, the President warmly thanked the speaker for a most enjoyable and informative evening. The Society’s next meeting will be on 20th July in the Parish Hall at 7.30 pm, when Jean Scott-Smith will speak on The Life of George Moore of Whitehall: a Cumbrian Philanthropist.

September 2010

Forty years ago, when he gave his first talk on the Romans in this area, Mr. David Shotter, Professor Emeritus ofManchesterUniversity, told us the problem was to fill an hour.  Today the difficulty was to decide what to leave out.   His title was New Perspectives on the Roman Conquest and Occupation of the North-West.

Just after  WW11 the received ideas about the Roman invasion was that the serried ranks of Britons massed along the White Cliffs to resist.    This is no longer considered the case.

Recent excavations have dated roman artefacts and coins to a century before the 'invasion'.   Trading with theMediterraneanwas the way to develop social and economic prosperity in the Wirral for example.   The warriors like Caractacus were a minority, indulging in guerrilla warfare.    Hill forts, rather than being points of resistance againstRome, were gathering places for all sorts of religious, social and mercantile purposes.   From about 800BC woodland was being cleared and the land settled.   In an agricultural society the Roman brought law and order.   Many Roman Forts were built on ploughed land.

Here in the North, Cartemandua ruled in the east and she married Menutius, lord of the west.

They co-existed with the forces ofRomefurther south.   When Roman troops came into the area from AD 50 they would be on a search and destroy mission to root out gangs of trouble-makers.   No forts date from this time, only 'campaign maps', a rectangular bank where the soldiers dug a ditch and a barricade within which they pitched their tents.   Examples are on Shap fell and at Malham.   Each legionary carried three pilums and these would be tied together  to form a spiked fence outside the camp.   In the 50s and 60sRomehad a financial crisis and Claudius allowed the provinces to copy coinage.   These 'local' coins have been found with roman ones, on the coast and along river banks, most transport was by water.   Tacitus, Agrippa's son-in-law, tells of combined land-sea operations.

Vespasian won the civil war following Nero's death and formedBritaininto twoRomanProvinces, one based on Cirencester and the other onChester.   Some forts were erected with turf ramparts and timber walls and buildings.   Brougham was in a commanding position  for east-west and north-south routes.   The excavations over the last 30 years inCarlislehave added a great deal of information, showing a mending of the road and one plank dating from a tree felled in AD72.

The buildings at Corbridge, Vindolandia andCarlislewere supply bases not frontier posts.  After Vespasian's death unrest in mainland Europe caused troops to be withdrawn fromBritain, probably between a half and two-thirds of them.    The line of the Forth -Tayrivers protected the coastal ports for the trade of food, it seems that much was locally produced.   Westward the wall was extended fromCarlisle, at Burgh by Sands the fort was built on the site of a circular watch tower.   The fort at Ambleside has large granaries, possibly to supply Hardknott.   The Roman camp at theportofRavenglasshas been eroded by the sea, bisected by the railway line and the rest afforested.   OldCarlislehad a civil settlement on its southern slope and aqueducts have been found on an 'industrial estate' of many trades bringing prosperity to the area.

Hadrian decided to consolidate the northern boundary.   After the war was won the army was told to build a Wall.   The western third was a turf wall with stone forts.   Four years later Hadrian ordered the rest to be built of stone.

Kathleen Ashbridge expressed the thanks of the large meeting to Professor Shotter.

The next meeting will be the Annual General meeting on October 21st, preceded by supper at Denton House, please book your ticket.

                                             July 2010 outing to Lowther Church and Shap Abbey 

The second of the summer outings for members organised by the Caldbeck & District Local History Society was toLowtherChurchand Shap Abbey. 

The weather forecast had been gloomy but this only made the constant sunshine on the day itself all the more appreciated, and was an important factor in the enjoyment of a very successful outing. 

En route to Shap Abbey, members visited Lowther Church and churchyard, where there was much of interest to be seen: the 10th century hogback gravestones in the porch; the interior of the church itself, with memorials and burial places of the Lowther family dating back to 1607; and the huge mausoleum in the churchyard where generations of Lowthers rested, alongside the more recent, humbler graves of those Lowthers simply buried in the churchyard grounds. 

After passing throughLowtherParkand taking in the view of the ruinedLowtherCastle, the party made its way to Shap Abbey, armed with valuable background information from a talk by Harry Hawkins at a recent Society meeting in Caldbeck. 

Nestled in a sheltered valley, the ruins of the 13th century Abbey made a fine picture, with the Mardale hills in the distance and the river running by. The huge tower, built between 1460 and 1520, dominated the current site, where it was possible to explore and discuss the extensive ruins, and imagine the former glory of this ancient monument, which fell into disrepair after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the reign of Henry Vlll. 

After leaving the peace and tranquillity of Shap Abbey, members returned to their cars, soon to enjoy an ice-cream stop, where president Ron Davie thanked Lesley Kingham for arranging such an informative and enjoyable outing. 

The next meeting of the Society will be on 15th September in Caldbeck Parish Hall at 7.30pm. This will be followed on 20th October by the AGM and Supper at Denton House, Hesket Newmarket.

June 16 2010

On a very pleasant June evening, a group from the Caldbeck & District Local History Society was given a guided tour of Shap, led by Jean Scott-Smith, vice chairman of Shap Local History Society and Parish Clerk. Born in Shap, she welcomed her visitors at theMarket SquareonMain Street, the latter being part of the A6 toScotland, now thankfully superseded by the nearby M6. 

Provided with a brief history of Shap, written by Jean, and an 1860 map of this village, the group set off up the main road northwards, soon turning off right to see St Michael’s Church, where they entered the church grounds by the former ‘corpse road’ from Mardale, etc. 

Jean explained that there had been a church there before 750, thus pre-dating the nearby abbey by several hundred years. The first stone church was constructed on the site around 1120, and until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, the church had been served by monks from the abbey. 

The present building is greatly restored and the much renovated Norman arches are still there.  The church boasts three fonts, one a fine example of Shap granite. 

After pointing out a number of interesting features in the church (including the lovely Millenium window) Jean led the party into the ‘railway corner’ of the churchyard, which demonstrated Shap’s historical links with the momentous coming of the railway in the mid 19th century, and which provided a fitting memorial to the navvies who died in its construction. 

It was at this point that Jean showed some examples of Shap granite. The foundation of the Shap Granite Works dated back to 1865 and it had become the village’s main employer, necessitating the building of much housing for the workforce. 

After leaving the churchyard, the tour continued to Town End, the village’s northern extremity, before turning back southwards onMain Street. 

Along the way, Jean showed old photos and postcards, which allowed comparisons to be made between then and now. She also drew attention to significant buildings and described the continual change of their use as the decades passed by. An example of the latter was the former market hall, dating from a few years after the village was granted a market charter in 1687. The History Society had able to purchase this, assisted by a Lottery Grant, and which now houses a new Heritage Centre. 

Continuing in the same direction, the group was taken to ‘a real success story’ in Shap – a recent example of a beautiful restoration, that of a formerly derelict dwelling of 1691. 

It was clear from Jean’s commentary that Shap, ‘a settlement from time immemorial’, had been very much smaller before the 19th century. Much building activity had followed the construction of the railway in 1846 and the Granite Works in 1865, which in turn had been followed by spells of council housing in the 20th century and the new building of the present time. With the decline of the Granite Works, the closure of the railway station and the effects of the M6 motorway, Shap now has a much quieter appearance. 

The tour finished on a prehistoric note, in which times there had once been a ‘stupendous monument’ to the south of the village, consisting of stone circles and an avenue of enormous stones. There is now little of the stone circles left to see, but after crossing a nearby field, the group was delighted to arrive at one of the surviving granite stones, the gigantic Barn Keld, more than two metres in height. It was a fitting end to the walkabout, and it was here that Ron Davie, president of the Caldbeck & District Local History Society, thanked Jean for leading such an enjoyable and informative tour. He also looked forward to welcoming her and her members on their reciprocal visit to Caldbeck in August. Thanks were also due to her Society for the refreshments which awaited everyone in the former market hall inMain Street.

May 19th 2010

On Wednesday 19 April, about 30 people were treated to an illustrated talk on the history of Shap Abbey at Caldbeck Parish Hall by Harry Hawkins. Harry, who has had a lifelong interest in castles, told us that his research into Shap had been a longstanding “personal quest” which became a reality on retirement. The previous written account of any substance of the Abbey was in 1965 and Harry’s sources were primarily extracts from deeds which eventually came to light in the Lonsdale papers held inCarlisle. 

Shap Abbey, also known as the Abbey of St. Mary Magdalen (the patron Saint of lepers), was established in 1200-1201, on the banks of the River Lowther. The Religious Order had been relocated from Preston Patrick, near Kendal. The founding Order was the Premontrensians, a silent order, started by St.Norbert c1121 at Premontre inFrance. The first house inEnglandwas established at Newstead Abbey, from where sister and daughter houses were established elsewhere, Shap being an example. The monks at Shap were known as “The White Canons” who were local men and ordained as priests. Their purpose was to serve God through prayer and meditation. 

The monks were supported by the proceeds of the adjoining land (c.600 acres) through the collection of tithes and by saying individual masses, which was particularly popular in the 13th and 14th centuries. The land attached to the Abbey, which extended as far as Wet Sleddale, was used for sheep and there is aerial photographic evidence of contour farming and the growing of oats up to a height of 300 metres. There is also evidence of a fish pond, a medieval grange and a millstream upstream from the Abbey. A survey in 1769 of Shap Abbey Farm, adjoining the ruins, suggests the same block of land had existed since 1200 and its past usage is reflected in current field names. 

The huge tower built between 1460 and 1520, a statement of glory to Abbot Richard Redman (who later went on to become Bishop of Ely Cathedral) continues to dominate the current site but the Abbey is a ruin, having fallen into disrepair after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Abbey surrendered to the crown on Jan 14 1540. 

Since then the site was granted to the Warton family and in 1730 to the surrent owners, the Lowther estate. A major reconstruction and consolidation of the site was undertaken by The Ministry of Works in 1951. Unfortunately much of the building material had disappeared in the intervening years. However, as well as the imposing tower, flagstones known as the processing circles within the layout of the Abbey, two stone graves (one thought to be that of a child) and the remains of the precinct wall also survive as impressive relics of the past. 

Harry gave us food for thought when he suggested the site has potential as a prospective community archaeological project. A visit to the site, either by car or on foot (the Coast to Coast path passes through), reminds us that Shap Abbey continues to be a place of “tranquillity and peace” as noted in the early deeds. 

The meeting concluded with excellent refreshments, as usual, provided by Eleanor Benson and Evelyn Tickle. 

Sally Vaux

April 21st  2010             

June Hall  'English Rural Life in the Middle Ages '

 Ron Davie, the Chairman, reminded members of the talk on May 19th about Shap Abbey by Harry Hawkins and the visit to Shap the following month.   He introduced a well-known visitor, June Hall who spoke about English Rural life in the Middle Ages.June said that for the purpose of this talk she was considering the Middle Ages as between 1100 and 1500, up to the Tudors.   There was considerable change over these 400 years and much of her material was drawn from the Luttrell Psalter of the fourtheenth century.   The nine Carthusian monastries in the country were a silent order, working the land for their living, studying and copying manuscripts, the universities of their time.  When gold leaf is applied to an illustration it becomes illuminated.   Another source is the Boke of Margery Kempe who walked toYork, toBristoland across Europe toParis.    Demesne land belonged to the manor, the rest was open, strip ploughed with large headlands to turn a team of eight oxen.   Crop rotation was practiced with the land lying fallow every third year.  Men wore a basic tunic, hem lines denoting status, each leg was clad in one of a pair of hose tied to an inner belt the tunic was belted and carried an all-purpose knife.  Some wore a hood and lirripipe or a hat for travel with a spoon tucked in the band, they walked or rode horses.   Women wore long tunics.  They cut the corn sheaves and bound them with a twist of straw,  using flails to thresh the grain.  Hose were woven, cut on the cross and seamed up the back.  Knitted stockings came in with the Tudors.   Goods were carried by packhorse or mule.   The mills belonged to the manor and could be watermills or windmills.   The peasant had to pay his tithe to the church, his duty days to the manor and miltcher to the miller for milling the flour.   The Reeve was in control of the everyday running of the property, he wore a hat.  He is shown in one picture with a wooden spade with an iron edge, another spade is shown with one footrest.  Ploughing was hard work and tended to follow the contours like the Catterick strips and the Gervais Abbey lynchet terraces.  Traces can be seen on the Kirkby Stephen to Nateby road and on the way to Swaledale.   The 1200's brought huge expansion, growth of population, innovations, new land taken into cultivation, forest clearings in Inglewood despite its status as a Royal Forest.   Moats became status symbols for manor houses.   The Church and the aristocracy were continental-minded and trade increased.   By the 1400's clothing became more ornamental with scalloped houpelands and shoes whose points were so long they had to be tied up to a garter.Sheep were long-legged and horned taking four years to mature, more like the Soay breed. The  bell-wether, a castrated male, led his flock on the common land.   Winter feed was holly, ivy, hay and winter greens.   Sheep were milked and cheese was made but it was the wool that brought prosperity. The Chancellor sits on the Woolsack, there were granges on Malham moor and in the South woolmerchants built huge churches and installed monumental brasses.   Spinsters used a drop spindle to twist the wool from their distaff.  Kendal Green made its name at this time.Milkmaids used pails made with wooden staves or carved from a log, cows were usually tethered individually as were some sheep.  Pigs were domesticated as well as wild in the forests.   November was the time for pig-killing.   Food stored for the winter was dried, salted or smoked.Tools included scythes, sickles, hayforks, hoes and spades.   Beeholes were built in stone walls facing east with their backs to the prevailing rain-bearing wind.  Honey was the only sweetener and was also used for food, medicine and cleansing.   Geese, chickens, pigeons all provided food and their feathers were used for fletching arrows or stuffing beds and cushions.   Rats and mice were a menace, as were foxes, cats were persecuted.  RoyalForestsor the Lord's Chase were resources for villagers who had the right to gather timber and firewood by hook or by crook.   The hunting rights were carefully guarded, deer being protected.  Rabbits were farmed in coney warrens and hunted out for food using ferrets. Goats were sometimes run with sheep and hares were hunted for sport as well as food. Birds for the pot, of kiln-fired clay, were taken by falconers  and fish were netted from well-stocked ponds. Markets were granted by royal charter, raising revenue by fees for stalls and itinerant folk.  Each market was about fifteen miles from the next, within a day's walking distance, to go and return.   Music and dancing featured among the entertainments.

June brought her talk to a close by hoping she had given us a flavour of a hard-working society with many contrasts and constant danger of illness and starvation, which celebrated life.  Ron Davie thanked her for sharing her knowledge with us.

17th March 2010  

Tudor Carlisle 

Caldbeck and District Local History group and visitors were welcomed by their chairman Ron Davie.   The Archives Officer Kathleen Davie drew attention to a list of material available and asked anyone who had past records if they would make them available for copying.

Dr. Davie then introduced Susan Dench, former Senior Archivist in the Carlisle Record Office.   She had always been interested in the Tudor period and when she retired had to start research rather hastily as the Tudors and Stuarts were to feature in Educational Key Stage 2 and the Archives needed to produce a pack for the schools.

Because of the troubled times theCarlislerecords are fairly thin until the seventeenth century.  Occasional documents before the time of Queen Elizabeth usually dealt with the defence of Carlisle, the City Fathers asked Henry V111 for money to rebuild one of theEdenbridges.

One of the documents produced for the schools was a map of the City ofCarlisleabout 1550.   The original plan is in the British Library.  The site of the Blackfriars and the Greyfriars is shown, the latter was pulled down by HenryV111 to strengthen the city walls.   In 1561 paper not parchment was used for the Dormant Book, a tome to lie on a reading desk, with the rules for governing the City.   There is a picture of the demolition of Queen Mary’s Tower at the Castle, no charters are available before one of 1563 from Elizabeth1, some were destroyed by fire in 1293.   Fires were a great hazard in the period of wooden houses and one of the rules states that anyone not helping to fight a conflagration would be punished, another forbids the speaking of contemptuous words in the presence of the Mayor.   Fines were usually levied for transgressions and were recorded in the Court Leet.   Some documents from 1400 of the Mayor’s Court, where debtors were sued, survive but are very difficult to read.   Some records exist in London of correspondence about the rule of law and order along the Wall (trouble with the Scots).   There are some early Guild records but no Parish Registers before 1650.   From1564 some wills can be read, and the one of Thomas Monk, of Stanwix, detailing a house in Fisher St., and shops and an inn under the Guildhall, together with furnishings, clothing, etc., was included in the schools pack.

The Rules of the Dormant Book are in no particular order, but give an insight into the life of the times.   Gates were to close at 9 p.m., watchmen were appointed by rota and no substitutes were allowed except with the Mayor’s permission.  The Common Chest had three locks and three different people held keys.   If a man was fined for scolding or railing he had to pay a third of a pound, a woman was fined half that.   Swine were not allowed to roam the streets.   No dead animals in wells.   No unlawful games.   Street in front of the house to be cleaned weekly, or at least monthly.   No young man allowed on the streets after 10 p.m. except by his father’s or master’s instruction.   A cart left in the street for three days would incur a fine.

The Plague came in the winter of 1597/8 and what is known in Carlisle is recorded in the Mounsey/Higsham papers.   Penrith Registers give more detail.   It probably came from Newcastle to Darlington and across the Pennines.   Between October 1597 and September 1598 600 of the 1,300 population of Penrith died.   Cases were recorded in Appleby and Kendal and Carlisle got it in November 1597.  Documents came from London that November detailing ‘Necessary Precautions’, like fumigating with locally accessible materials, marking the doors and boarding up plague houses, the vennel ends were closed off too.   The disease was infectious before the symptoms appeared and many of those stricken were evacuated to shelters outside the City, in Bitts Park, Stanwix Bank and StLawrence’s Well on the Dalston Road.   Food was provided and money payments were given for all the work that had to be done. .  Some folk from Morpeth came over to do the ‘cleansing and scouring’, as did some of the Scots.   There were regular payments to ‘Hatters and Glovers’ presumably for protective clothing.   The population of Carlisle was between 1700 and 1800, it seems probable that about a third of them died.

Current investigations into records of that time suggest that the ‘Black Death’ was not bubonic plague spread by rats and fleas as in warmer Asian countries but a viral haemoragic plague spread by human contact, causing the disintegration of internal organs.  The Plague could recur.  The 1590’s had some bad harvests with resulting undernourishment and typhoid (the famine disease) hit the country in 1597.   The Plague of 1665/6 in London was the last, it died out as suddenly as it had started.  

February 17th 2010:  Dated Structures 

Caldbeck and District Local History Society hosted a speaker for the first time this year.

The President, Ron Davie, welcomed members and requested silence in memory of a former President, Mary James, who died recently.   He reported that the General Meeting last month had decided to continue the Society, scaling down meetings, closing for three winter months, and asking members to take a more active part in some of the work entailed.   With this assistance, a Treasurer would stand for election at the next A.G.M.; Liz Boydell had agreed to work with a group to prepare a Programme for next year.   Various projects are available and members are encouraged to involve themselves.

Peter Messenger, a geographer, an archaeologist and Conservation Officer for Cumbria, was welcomed to tell us about the County Archaeological Society’s Project on Dated Structures.   He produced his first item, a brick inscribed with a date, initials and village name, which had been retrieved from a Carlisle wall when it was demolished.  He was hoping for local groups to explore their own neighbourhood and make lists to add to the county archives.   Barrow, Kendal, Ulverston, Shap, Maryport and Carlisle are all active in this field.   The project is a long-term one, no pressure.

We then saw slides of Brackenhill, a Tower house built for protection, with a date stone of 1584, possibly the date it was bought.   Then Low Levens showed a change of style with no defences dated 1594.

English Heritage has picked up the care of clay buildings, usually cruck framed, and encouraged craftsmen to pass on their skills.   Where such buildings can be dated this helps to place, historically, others.   Monkhill has stone lintel, dated 1750 for a brick extension, where the rest was a cruck clay building of an earlier age.   Lamonby Farm, Burgh by Sands was estimated to be 200 years old in 1953, now it is thought to be about 300.   At Durdar, an interesting stone gave two family initials, possibly two brothers, in 1689;  the clay building has been dated to 1505, extended in 1586 and then part stone faced with the new door surround in 1689. 

Interior features can also provide dates, fireplaces, salt cupboards or larger, in built, cupboards or presses.  Often a restructuring will give the original date with the new, of a chapel, perhaps.   The site of the stone is important.   1902 was when the top floor was added, the original was much older.   A date stone in the wrong place becomes a feature but does not help in dating the building.   Interior graffiti can also be important.   A wall with a farming diary from the early forties had to be cleaned off after foot and mouth.   It was photographed.

The project had extended from dated buildings to dated structures with reports of bridges and lampposts.   Tullie House has ornate lead piping dated 1689.   Peter ended with a series of love letters cast in brick from Newton Arlosh in 1755, culminating in “Your consent is my content”.

Dr. Davie thanked Peter and members enjoyed conversation over the refreshments provided by Evelyn Tickle and Eleanor Benson.

The next meeting on March 17th will hear Susan Dench speak on “Tudor Carlisle”

November 2009: Celtic Saints 

The Chairman, Ron Davie, welcomed members and guests, reminding us of the January Members’ Night and that an Extraordinary General Meeting would be held in the February to decide the future of the Society.

Dr. Davie then welcomed back our speaker, Sheena Gemmell, to talk on ‘Celtic Saints’.  She began by reminding us that when the administrative area became ‘Cumbria’ there was considerable discontent in the region, even in our area.   Actually Cumbria was an old name.  The Britons, who called themselves the Cymri, lived in Wales, Cumbria and the Scottish lowlands.   After the Romans left there were several British kingdoms.  Rheged included Cumbria and possibly Galloway;  Strathclyde covered Glasgow and the upper Clyde valley, with Beatock perhaps a border town; Goddodden (Northumbria) lay to the east of us.   Not for nothing is this time known as the Dark Ages, the boundaries were fluid and most of what we think we know has to be qualified.

Christianity came to Britain when the Romans were here, spread by soldiers and traders.   British Bishops attended a Synod in Gaul in the early fourth century.   The dioceses were patterned as was the Roman army.   Christian inscriptions have been found at Halsteads, Vindolanda, Maryport and other Roman settlements.   In Carlisle, the church of St. Cuthbert in the Blackfriars area is aligned to the Roman road, while the Cathedral lies East/West.   Even the area between Hadrians Wall and the Antonine Wall was Romanised to a certain extent and place names like Ecclefechan were derived from the Greek ‘ecclesia’, those who have been called out, i.e. Church.

The Angles landed mainly on the East coast, They wanted good land to settle and farm and tended to spread North /South, so pagan incursions over the Pennines were only occasional. 

Patrick was a Briton and his are the earliest documents we have.   He lived, about 415 – 495.   His family was Romano/British, his grandfather a priest and his father a deacon and a minor government official.   They may have lived at Birdoswald and his father may have worked in Carlisle.  He was captured as a youth by slave traders, who may well have found the Solway a good route.   He was sold as a slave in Ireland and served six years as a shepherd before he escaped.   During this time he was converted and his escape may have led him to Gaul where he was able to study.   He came home but kept links with Gaul and was sent back to Ireland as a missionary Bishop.   His relationship with the British Church was a stormy one.   He told King Alclywd off for slave trading and was attacked in his turn by local Bishops, resulting in his writing his ‘Confessions’.   Patrick had a heart for the ordinary people and the under-dogs and managed to bring the Irish Church under Papal control, rather than British. 

Ninian founded a Christian community at Whithorn which was within Rheged.   He may have been born in the Matterdale/Patterdale area and have belonged to a Christian cumbrian family.   In this local area Brampton Old Church, Ninewells, Brougham, a well at Brisco and the church of Ninekirks, on a monastic site, are all linked to St. Ninian.  He went to Rome as a youth and is said to have been consecrated Bishop by the Pope.   It is probable that he spent some time in the monestry at Tours as his church at Whithorn is dedicated to St. Martin of Tours, who travelled as an evangelist.   Whithorn was a focal point on the sea routes from Gaul and Ninian travelled throughout the Lowlands and evangelised the South Picts.  Around Stirling some churches are dedicated to St. Ninian. 

Kentigern was from a princely family, he may have been Urian’s grandson, his mother was a Goddodden princess and  probably lived near Trappain Law, North Berwick.   She bore her son in Culross on the north side of the Firth of Forth having been cast adrift by her father due to her pregnancy.   The child was educated by St. Serf, a local hermit who gave him the pet name of Mungo.   When he left with St. Serf’s blessing, Kentigern went to Strathclyde and was given a burial ground originally consecrated by St. Ninian, where he founded a monastery. He was consecrated Bishop for Strathclyde by an Irish Bishop.   Later, Morcar, a pagan ruler, expelled him and tradition has it that he went south to Wales, turning aside to Cumbria on the way.   When he was recalled by the new king, about the year 600, they met at Hodden, north of Ruthwell.  The king may have been trying to guard his southern boundary following the death of his ally Urian.   We don’t know the boundaries of this time.   We have a cluster of dedications,  early settlements which may date from this era.  Welcoming his Bishop the king brought in the tradition that the king should serve the Bishop as his Father.   Kentigern died in 612.   The kingdom lasted until 1018.   The early history of Strathclyde is recorded in the Welsh valley of the Clwyd.   Cymri were fellow-countrymen, Cumbrae are islands in the Forth of Clyde. 

Questioned as to the fourth Saint she had intended to talk about, Sheena gave us a brief resume of St. Cuthbert, who was Bishop of Lindisfarne for two years and did a lot on this side of the Pennines.  Among things found in graves were liturgical combs.

Following the Synod of Whitby which decided to follow the Roman tradition, hair was important as the tonsures were different, the Celtic tonsure being a shaved centre line from front to back and the Roman the circle on the top of the head. 

Ron Davie expressed our gratitude to Sheena for an enlightening talk, if studded with caveats as to how little we do know of that period.

September 2009: The Romans 

Forty years ago, when he gave his first talk on the Romans in this area, Mr. David Shotter, Professor Emeritus of Manchester University, told us the problem was to fill an hour.  Today the difficulty was to decide what to leave out.   His title was New Perspectives on the Roman Conquest and Occupation of the North-West.

Just after  WW11 the received ideas about the Roman invasion was that the serried ranks of Britons massed along the White Cliffs to resist.    This is no longer considered the case.

Recent excavations have dated roman artefacts and coins to a century before the 'invasion'.   Trading with the Mediterranean was the way to develop social and economic prosperity in the Wirral for example.   The warriors like Caractacus were a minority, indulging in guerrilla warfare.    Hill forts, rather than being points of resistance against Rome, were gathering places for all sorts of religious, social and mercantile purposes.   From about 800BC woodland was being cleared and the land settled.   In an agricultural society the Roman brought law and order.   Many Roman Forts were built on ploughed land.

Here in the North, Cartemandua ruled in the east and she married Menutius, lord of the west.  They co-existed with the forces of Rome further south.   When Roman troops came into the area from AD 50 they would be on a search and destroy mission to root out gangs of trouble-makers.   No forts date from this time, only 'campaign maps', a rectangular bank where the soldiers dug a ditch and a barricade within which they pitched their tents.   Examples are on Shap fell and at Malham.   Each legionary carried three pilums and these would be tied together  to form a spiked fence outside the camp.   In the 50s and 60s Rome had a financial crisis and Claudius allowed the provinces to copy coinage.   These 'local' coins have been found with roman ones, on the coast and along river banks, most transport was by water.   Tacitus, Agrippa's son-in-law, tells of combined land-sea operations.

Vespasian won the civil war following Nero's death and formed Britain into two Roman Provinces, one based on Cirencester and the other on Chester.   Some forts were erected with turf ramparts and timber walls and buildings.   Brougham was in a commanding position  for east-west and north-south routes.   The excavations over the last 30 years in Carlisle have added a great deal of information, showing a mending of the road and one plank dating from a tree felled in AD72.

The buildings at Corbridge, Vindolandia and Carlisle were supply bases not frontier posts.  After Vespasian's death unrest in mainland Europe caused troops to be withdrawn from Britain, probably between a half and two-thirds of them.    The line of the Forth - Tay rivers protected the coastal ports for the trade of food, it seems that much was locally produced.   Westward the wall was extended from Carlisle, at Burgh by Sands the fort was built on the site of a circular watch tower.   The fort at Ambleside has large granaries, possibly to supply Hardknott.   The Roman camp at the port of Ravenglass has been eroded by the sea, bisected by the railway line and the rest afforested.   Old Carlisle had a civil settlement on its southern slope and aqueducts have been found on an 'industrial estate' of many trades bringing prosperity to the area.

Hadrian decided to consolidate the northern boundary.   After the war was won the army was told to build a Wall.   The western third was a turf wall with stone forts.   Four years later Hadrian ordered the rest to be built of stone.

Kathleen Ashbridge expressed the thanks of the large meeting to Professor Shotter.

The next meeting will be the Annual General meeting on October 21st, preceded by supper at Denton House, please book your ticket.

July 2009: Wreay 

Our outing in July was on a lovely evening with the sunlight catching the distant fells.   We found our way without difficulty to Wreay and had time to absorb the atmosphere of the Church of Saint Mary before our guide from the Parish Council met with us to tell us about it.      The Church was the brainchild and creation of a very special lady, Sarah Losh.   She had an interesting upbringing, in a family who were friends with the movers and shakers of the time and her intellect was stimulated from an early age.   She found it easy to learn and had wide interests.   Her imagination was aroused by her Grand Tour of Europe and when she found the local church in a poor state of repair she offered to give the land and rebuild it, if she was given a free hand in the design.

She employed local craftsmen and materials and was keen on recycling, reusing the stones from the original building and the wood of the old pews to line the roof of the nave.   Local tradition has it that she sent stonemasons over to Italy to learn the skills they needed and that her brother William brought back broken stained glass from the iconoclasts of the French Revolution which are incorporated in the main windows.   She herself carved the Font with its symbols of new life.   The whole church is full of symbolism and the current congregation are still learning more of the reasoning behind some of the decoration.

The journey of faith can be traced.   As we enter the porch and doorway are decorated with signs of the Creator and symbols of death.   The font shows new life and as we proceed towards the apse, drawn by the seven lights representing the gifts of the Spirit and admire the links with Old and New Testament stories we come to the lectern and reading desk which, like the pulpit are made from ancient wood dug from the bog.   The lectern is an eagle for St John, the reading desk a stork, or possibly a pelican, and the pulpit is an old stump with a new shoot springing from its root symbolising Christ.  Within the apse is an altar, carved with ears of wheat and bunches of grapes, set centrally with designs of the Apostles set into the outer wall and the Creed lettered below them.

Numerology has its place also, three for the Trinity, four for the earth or humanity, seven for the gifts of the Spirit, twelve for the tribes of Israel and the Apostles.   There are four main windows along each side of the nave, each with three smaller ones above and there are three times four times seven windows altogether.

When Ron Davie had thanked Raymond Whittaker and the other members of the PCC who welcomed us, we walked across to the Losh  family burial ground and admired the mausoleum Sarah had built for her sister showing a sculpture of her as a maiden.    We then went on to The Plough Inn where we enjoyed a good meal.

June 2009: Hutton in the Forest visit 

On one of the wettest days of the summer we visited Hutton-in-the-Forest, to a very warm welcome.   Edward Thomson led us into the base of the pele tower, dating from the 1350's.   Here the best of the stock would be enclosed when the raiders came, the rest taking their chance in the courtyard.   The thick walls and the barrel vaulting of the ceiling were all designed to extinguish any torches thrown into the space by a lucky shot from outside.

On display were some man traps and spring guns from the period when the Lord of Hutton kept the southern section of the Forest of Inglewood for the King.   There was also one of Lady Anne Clifford's locks which she supplied to her friends and neighbours as well as her tenants, being justly proud of her locksmith.

Sir Henry Fletcher was killed in 1645 fighting for King Charles, leaving his family to languish in Carlisle Castle for two years until they raised the ransom of  700.   His son Sir George, was a friend of Daniel Fleming and the families intermarried. 

The long gallery gazebo gives a good view over the walled garden on the north, with NW and NE walls sheltering what is now the main flower garden with interesting masses of colour.   The other two sides are yew hedges, many planted in the nineteenth century to pick up on the interest in the Arts and Crafts movement shown by Lady Margaret, Sir Henry Vane's wife.   The Victorian wing is a progression of styles of the period under the guidance of Salvin, one of the major architects of the time.   The main staircase is his, as is the Cupid Room with a plasterwork ceiling and an early William Morris wallpaper, trellis with birds, much of the furniture is from Gillows.  Lady Margaret supported the Keswick School of Industrial Arts and herself embroidered the bed curtains and quilt to reflect the William Morris wallpaper.   She also painted the mirror frame in the dining room, which again has William Morris wallpaper and curtains of the period.

This upper floor gives a view over the road and the pond with its reed beds.  The Hall, below the Library is the main entrance and can seat 70 for events.  William, the first Lord Inglewood took up carriage driving and usually hosted a reception for the Lowther Horse Driving Trials, up in the anteroom to the Victorian Tower.  

Ron Davie thanked our guide for an interesting glimpse into the past of an historic house which is still a family home.

20th May 2009 Hutton in the Forest talk 

Ron Davie welcomed members and friends to Caldbeck Village Hall, reminding them of the outing next month to Hutton-in-the-Forest and introduced Edward Thomson, who had spent many years working there, to give us some background information.

His intention was to tell us of what is known of the owners of this stately home  and how the building developed.   He started, however, with legend.   If Carlisle was Camelot, then Hutton was the Castle of the Green Knight.  

In the Middle Ages  de Hutton (or Hotton) was Warden   of the southern section of the Royal hunting forest of Inglewood and lived here, High End guarded the middle and Dalston Hall the northern section.   A man trap and a trip gun survive from those times.

The central portion of the building was the Peel Tower dating from the 1350's and this was surrounded by a moat which had disappeared by 1604 when Sir Richard Fletcher from Cockermouth Hall took possession of the property, possibly by foreclosure.   He started to build the long gallery over the cloisters and his son Sir Henry completed this before he was killed in 1645 fighting for King Charles.   His son, Sir George was educated at Oxford and added a classical frontage across the peel tower and the new Hall he added beside it.   He became Carlisle's Member of Parliament and instigated a good road to Carlisle and enclosures.   The villages were deep in the Forest, trying to pretend they weren't there, since they were illegal.   The last of the Fletchers, Sir Henry entered a monastery in 1700.    In 1712 his sister married a Vane and Henry Vane Fletcher built the Walled Garden in the 1730's.   He also planted many hardwood trees and designed the Cupid room, overlooking the garden.   Like most of the local landowners (perhaps not the Lowthers) he went along with Prince Charles.

In 1761 his brother Sir Walter, who had been a merchant in Holland, inherited.   His son, Sir Lyonel, dropped the Fletcher, his wife brought a Welsh dower chest to Hutton with her.   His  son, Sir Frederick Fletcher Vane, lived at Armathwaite Hall, where he invited John Peel to hunt and to dine.   He inherited in 1786 but was an absentee landlord, letting the building decay.   In 1832 his son, Sir Francis Fletcher Vane inherited and employed the architect Salvin to refurbish.   Salvin had restored Greystoke after its fire and he also worked on other castles including Windsor.

Sir Henry  Vane was only 10 when he inherited in 1842.   His marriage brought his wife's collection of the Arts and Crafts period to Hutton.   He planted the specimen conifers and the topiary features.   The yew hedges still provide clippings to pharmaceutical firms to make Taxol, a cancer-inhibiting drug.   He died childless in 1908 and the estate was run by Trustees for a cousin who came of age in1931.   It was 1945 before Sir William Vane could come to live here.   He became a Member of Parliament for Westmorland, Minister of Agriculture, and moved to the Lords as Lord Inglewood.   His son, Richard inherited in 1989.   He was Minister of Culture and Tourism under John Major, a Member of the European Parliament for Cumbria and then for the North-West.   He is in the Lords as an elected hereditary peer and chairs the Art Exporting committee.

After some questions, Ron Davy thanked Mr. Thomson, marvelling that so much information could be supplied from a simple crib sheet of dates.   Everyone then enjoyed the refreshments provided by Evelyn Tickle and her helpers.

Tim Padley: Roman Carlisle.  April 2009

Caldbeck and District Local History Society were given an overview of the history of the discoveries about the Roman period in Carlisle when Tim Padley brought a series of slides  to the meeting this month.    The Roman  fort was occupied from 72AD to the fifth century. 

Interest started in the sixteenth century when individual collectors like Head, in banking, and Dixon, in textiles, financed local investigations.  Two altars were found in Grapes Lane in 1787.  The next century saw the foundation of learned societies.   A Museum was called for from 1829 and with the efforts of the Ferguson family, Tullie House opened in1893. 

Salvage work took place while building was in progress and artefacts were excavated, examined and displayed. This gave some indication of the usage of the area but without any definite idea of the boundaries of fort or township. 

Forty years back, the work planned to build Castle Way was welcomed by Dorothy Charlesworth as a series of opportunities.   During work in Blackfriars Street a writing tablet was found for the first time, a tray filled with wax was then inscribed, and then overwritten again and again.   An amber finger ring, the only one in Britain, was found with other jewellery and a slave manacle, as excavations progressed in Castle Street and Annettwell Street.  

On the Millennium site, at last, structures were found.    The outline of the Fort could be traced lying under the Castle.   The Carlisle Floods reminded the citizens that the Castle, and the Fort before it, was built on a promontory, defended by water on three sides.   The situation is important as commands North/South and East/West routes. 

One of the regiments leaving a record of their residence was of cavalry from France, part of the guard of the Governor Agricola, one letter was addressed to one of two forts, so troops were seconded in those days.   Domitian consolidated his forces along the A69, Stanegate, the Tyne/Solway line chosen as a northern limit.   Hadrian visited Britain and instigated the defences from Bowness on Solway to Wallsend on Tyne, with forts incorporated, Stanwix for Carlisle, which, like Corbridge, became a support area.  Various types of armour were discovered showing developments, scale armour, segmental armour and an armoured sleeve to guard against the Dacian falch. 

The third rebuilding in stone took place around 200AD, they put in a hypocaust.  Blackfriars Street between Marks and Spencer and its Food Hall provided evidence for a rural area.  In the third century Carlisle became an official town with a civil government and milestones.  The town was part of a single monetary system, suffering taxation, showing evidence of souvenirs of sporting activities like chariot racing, and importing luxury goods.   There was also the dark side, a murdered body was found dumped down a well in the Lanes area. 

The medieval castle, started by William Rufus, was inside a corner of the Roman Fort, possibly incorporating the old walls. The North Relief Road work found Hadrian's Wall, naturally, and Neolithic and Mesolithic traces.   Bothchergate was the main cemetery area for the city, outside the walls, like the manufacturing.    There is some report of Viking bodies under the Cathedral.   No ampitheatre has been found, which need not deter local fans of chariot racing. 

Liz Boydell, chairing the meeting, asked Ron Davie to express our thanks which he did with enthusiasm.  The next meeting, on May 30th, will be a talk on the history of Hutton in the Forest, which we hope to visit in June. 

Coryn Clarke memorial lecture February 19th 2009 

Dorothy Chalk welcomed members and guests to Caldbeck Parish Hall for the Coryn Clarke memorial lecture and introduced the speaker Mr Colin Smith from Bowscale.

His theme was the Turnpike Roads of North Cumbria and he started by describing his first meeting with Coryn and his appreciation of her energy.  He said how honoured he felt to be invited to give his talk this evening.

We were reminded that there was little call for roads in Cumbria, after the Romans, up to the sixteenth century; few folk travelled and those who did usually were in small parties and the local tracks served them well, if they did not travel by sea.   Heavy goods were usually shipped, but pack ponies managed to carry considerable amounts.

Large landowners were the people who needed to travel the length of the country and the turnpike, or toll, roads made carriage travel more convenient.   Each Parish had to maintain its own stretch of road and some were more conscientious than others.   Maintenance usually meant hauling a load of stones to fill up ruts and potholes.

One of the first turnpikes in Cumbria ran from Penrith to the coal mines north of Caldbeck, ending at Chalk Beck.   Each turnpike needed an Act of Parliament to set it up and toll bars and fees were decreed., those who were active in promoting it provided a cottage for the Toll collector and encouraged upkeep.  Fairly soon milestones were also required and an interest in preserving these led to the modern foundation of the Milestone Society.

Colin showed us slides of the differing styles of milestones and reminded us of the many ways they could be lost or destroyed.   His book, The Hutton Moor Road, was available, as were postcards showing Cumbrian Milestones.

Information and questions came from the audience and  finally Miss Chalk thanked Mr Smith and invited everyone to enjoy the refreshments provided by Evelyn Tickle  and her friends.

The speaker was besieged by individuals and continued to share his knowledge and his passion about the topic.

Guests Night January 21st. 2009 

Ron Davie, President, welcomed a large gathering of members and friends to the Parish Hall.   He told us of the start of the Historical Society and how it has developed and that we were hoping to expand in new directions in the future.   He named the three speakers for the evening who all had slides to show us.

Margaret Brough started with family wedding photographs, drawing our attention to the bouquets and the hats over the years.   "Spring Cleaning" reminded us of the hard work, lugging everything outside so the floors could be scrubbed, rugs on the walls to dry, and the whole family taking a breather before having to move it all back in again.   Grandad always wore a Trilby and had sweets in his pocket for the children.

We were then invited to note Margaret's changing hairstyles, first the 'pudding-basin' cut, next slightly longer with side parting, then held back by a hair-band, and flowing locks with a ribbon bow tied on the back of the head.   Pictures of her childhood activities followed, Caldbeck Sports, Hesket Newmarket Show, fancy dress, picking wild flowers.   She knew where to gather wild strawberries, hips, elder flowers and berries, and longed to find a new flower.   It took her teacher a week to identify a spray of 'Herb Paris' she took in for the nature table.   Holidays in a caravan at Skinburness, one to Blackpool, with father sitting on the sand beside the sandcastle  in his suit and hat,  days out to Allonby.

Her final slide was of the milking parlour, which she remembered when the cows were milked with clusters, but mainly because the plucking of the fowls took place in the adjacent hay barn and she said she probably first became interested in catering when it meant she could avoid the barn and provide the meals the workers needed. 

 After prolonged applause Dr. Jim reminded us that in the 1950's our area relied mainly on agriculture and mining and the farms were supplied by mobile grocery vans. His parents first lodged at Midtown House and then moved into Elm Cottage, where the Surgery was also where the baby slept.   The water tap was across the road outside Midtown House.   In 1952 they moved to The Barn.   We saw slides of Hesket Newmarket Show, Mabel Barker, on a rock face, the Hunt gathered on John Peel Day in 1954.   More pictures of fox, badger, even a seal seen on holiday, Margaret , Andrew and Catherine Jones at the Rectory field gate, then a bunch of children pushing a heavily laden cart along to go camping for one night at Watersmeet.

These were some of the memories that made Jim and his wife come back to Caldbeck to raise their own family. 

 Again, the audience showed their appreciation and then David Ward told us that he first visited Caldbeck in 1950.   He was a son of the manse, his father a Methodist minister who married a chapel organist whose home was in Appleby.   He had an itinerant childhood in the north-east with holidays in Appleby.   He reminded us of the heavy snowfall of 1947.   

In autumn 1950 he walked from Penrith to Caldbeck and then got Hartness' bus back to Penrith.   They moved to Carlisle and when he got his first car in 1962 he began regular visits.   In 1972 he moved into the village and was drawn into the Caldbeck Players.   We saw shots of various performances, the Hunt out on the Green on the  anniversary of John Peel's death, and the wedding party, the final one being an action shot of the bride, Antoinette, on the lawn. 

Ron Davie expressed our pleasure in the pictures and memories the three speakers had shared with us, and much chat ensued over the refreshments provided by Evelyn Tickle and her helpers.   An evening which will be long remembered.

Dennis Perriam: WW1 and its effect on Cumbria.  November 2008 

We are looking back 90 years to the Armistice.   The first things we saw were Government posters saying Remember Belgium, and then the Belgian refugees started to arrive.   Rickerby House was turned in to a hostel for them and became the HQ for their reception and distribution to the many parishes which offered hospitality.

There were many restrictions: no photography, especially near military depots; all aliens had to register with the police even the Italian ice cream vendors, although Italy was our ally;  German sounding names were changed by deed poll, as was reported in the local papers; censorship of the papers was introduced, as well as of letters home from the Front.   There was an expectation of sabotage and Boy Scouts manned check points and guarded bridges when the Army was overstretched, against Germans and the IRA.   There was one casualty when a passer by did not stop at Wetheral Bridge.

Because many of the police had joined up, Special Constables were recruited for Sunday duty, most of whom were beyond military age.

There was a rush to join up and the Labour Exchange replaced the Castle as the recruitment centre, by 1916 new huts were in place outside the castle walls.    New recruits trained in Bitts Park and on the old Racecourse which were flood vulnerable.   Eventually the camp was established in Durdar the current racecourse site.  The Territorials formed a new battalion of the Border Regiment and went out to Burma, freeing the 1st Battalion to go to France.   Turkish prisoners were used to build railways in Burma, some were sent to Irak.

The idea of the Chums regiment, local lads joining up, training and fighting together became prevalent and the Earl of Lonsdale founded the 11th Battalion of the Border Regiment, they and the 12th trained on the racecourse site and a pamphlet with photographs was published after the war.   They paraded through Carlisle as a recruitment drive before they went to France in 1916. 

Women did their bit, first as nurses.   The Volunteer Aid Detachment of the Red Cross worked in hospitals which were set up to cope with the wounded.   During the holidays the County High School was commandeered as a hospital but when the Governors discovered this at the beginning of term, the authorities had to make other arrangements. Scotby House, Eaglethwaite Hall near Armathwaite and Dalston Hall all became temporary Hospitals.   Their first test was the railway disaster in May 1915 at Gretna when a regiment en route for Galipoli lost over 200 men as well as the wounded.

Industry was put on a war footing as was needed by the Army.   In 1916 conscription was announced and all men between the ages of 18 and 41 had to join up unless they could prove their work was essential.   A military tribunal judged all cases and these were reported in the papers.   Those on essential war work were issued with medals each year so that they could display them and not suffer the indignity of being presented with a white feather every time they went out.

In December 1915 two captured German guns were paraded through Carlisle to the Castle where they remained on display as propaganda and encouragement.

Because so many men were in the Army women joined the industrial work force for the first time. Pictures of the Drill Hall show it converted to the East Cumberland Shell Factory, the Drill Hall Volunteers had all been drafted into Defence.   Ninety-eight per cent of the work force was female.   They published a booklet with photographs after the war.

Women had to wear trousers for safety among the machines, they formed football teams, staffed the munitions works at Gretna, were employed as police constables.   By 1919 there was one female PC in Carlisle, when she retired there were none until 1939.   Many new things were tried, some women became train drivers - not in Carlisle.

The Cumberland Volunteer Regiment consisted of men in essential war work and those over the age limit.    Some of them manned anti-aircraft guns along the Solway.

What was it like in France?   Newspaper reports and photographs were sanitized and censored as were the letters from the Front, after the first few months.   We saw a photo of British prisoners in Germany,1915.

The papers carried lists of prisoners as well as casualties.   As these mounted a Carlisle photographer of 40 was able to persuade the Tribunal that he was doing essential work, taking studio portraits of the men who joined up.   One artist used his skills to sketch life in the trenches and also designed camouflage coverage for ‘planes.   His work appears in the Imperial War Museum.   James Scott Douglas published his experiences as a ‘Conchie’.  

Flag days were held for various charities, the Alexandra Rose Day among them.   Rest Rooms for soldiers were set up in Court Square, Church Halls,etc.   War Bonds were promoted.   With women working, nurseries and creches were provided.   Ration books were brought in, and posters warned against wasting scarce resources.  Allotments were made available and gardens were turned into vegetable plots.   Sunday school boys grew food, the Land Army was formed “wi’ lassies at the plough”.    Children picked berries and wild fruit.  Horses had been sent to France so mechanization hit Britain and tractors were seen on farms. 

In 1917 George V visited the north-west.   He came to Barrow and Carlisle and went on to Gretna. He presented medals to the Cumberland Volunteer Regiment in Carlisle and visited the Gretna Tavern one of the early pubs which had been taken over by the city to host the soldiers.

Eight breweries were amalgamated and taken over , the exterior advertisements for the former breweries were removed and the interiors became austere.   One local man complained that he could not recognize a pub any more.

Laings were working hard, building aerodromes etc. but in 1916 they also built the new Post Office and the City Picture House in Carlisle.   Canadian lumberjacks joined up to come and work our cumbrian forests.   In 1918 the Fusehill Workhouse was made into a military hospital, as were Brook Street School and Newtown School.   Wounded soldiers wore a blue jacket with wide lapels.

Woodrow Wilson came via Carlisle to London and Paris on his way to sign the peace treaty in 1919.   In September 1919 some of our troops began to return and a Peace Dinner was held in the Market Hall in Carlisle, more returned in 1920.

There is not a lot of pictorial evidence of the time, newspapers relied on amateur pictures, having carried none before the War and then none after it until 1924.  Brochures, like those of the East Cumberland Shell Factory, and of the training camp at Durdar were produced after the War as a record of the times we lived through.

We had seen a hundred slides which gave us a flavour of the period.

Liz Boydell expressed our sincere thanks to the speaker.

AGM 22 October 2008

The 23rd AGM of the Caldbeck and District Local History Society was held in Hesket Newmarket Chapel on 22nd October, following a most enjoyable supper across the road in Denton House. As in previous years, there was a good attendance. 

President Liz Boydell opened the meeting by welcoming members and inviting a short silence in memory of the three members, Peggy Maynard, Ursula Banister and Ian Dunmor, who had died since the last AGM.  She said how honoured she had been to preside during her three year term of office and how well supported she had been by the hard working officers. 

Diana Greenwood, the Secretary, then read the minutes of the previous AGM, which were approved.   There were no matters arising. 

The year's financial accounts had been audited by Audrey Noble and were presented by Lesley Kingham, who confirmed that the finances were in a healthy state. 

Kathleen Davie, the Publicity Officer presented a detailed account of the last year's activities.

The many members who had attended found the speakers interesting and informative, as well as enjoying the excellent refreshments provided by the catering team, led by Evelyn Tickle. 

Beryl Hibbs, who had assisted with the organising of the programme for the next year, outlined the wide range of speakers who had agreed to come.   She was thanked for her long years of membership and good wishes were expressed for her future in Keswick. 

Vice-President Ron Davie reported on the projects in progress.   The publication of Richard Greenup's 'A Walk Around Our Village of Caldbeck' had been delayed due to the concentration of work on another publication(below).   However, there was extremely good news in that Greenup’s original manuscript had now been found, so that reliance on often badly degraded photocopies was no longer necessary.    The book, ‘Memories of Lakeland’, has been completed, transcribed and checked.   It is with the printers and will be launched in Caldbeck Parish Hall on November 29th.    The work on a DVD of local photographs with commentaries was continuing.   He paid tribute to the dedication and hard work of the many members who had been involved in all these efforts. 

Changes to the constitution were accepted by the meeting. 

Ron Davie assumed the position of President.   He had to confess failure to find anyone to fill the position of Vice-President.   Is a commitment to three years as 'stand-in' and then three years in office a deterrent?   All the existing committee members with the exception of Beryl Hibbs were willing to stand and were re-elected.   The meeting approved the Committee decision to split the Publicity Officer's work into two sections, a) Reports and b) Posters.    Kathleen Davie retained the latter and Dorothy Chalk took on the media reports.  Kathleen Davie also agreed to be Archives Officer. 

The new President asked members to consider the need for change.   Can we attract the younger generations?   How do we need to change?  Could we support other projects?  

There was no AOB and the President closed the meeting, with heartfelt thanks to Liz Boydell and the Committee members, at 9.45 p.m.

The raffle prize, a years subscription to the Society, was won by Margaret Jones. 

Look out for details of the  GUEST  NIGHT  in January.

The Mind of the Medieval Doodler 17 September 2008

At its September meeting in Caldbeck Parish Hall the Caldbeck & District Local History Society welcomed again as its speaker, Dr John Todd, whose topic was ‘The Mind of the Medieval Doodler’. The doodler in question was the person responsible for the drawings in the margin of the Lanercost Cartulary. Like many monasteries, the medieval canons of Lanercost priory had made copies of the original charters recording grants of land, etc. (the forerunners of modern title deeds) in a large book known as a cartulary. The Lanercost Cartulary had been started in the early 1250s and completed in 1364. Dr Todd has edited this charter book, which is now in the Cumbria Record Office. 

About 30 to 40 years after the cartulary’s completion, some “crude but lively” drawings had been added in the margins of the book – an extremely rare phenomenon in cartularies. The Lanercost Cartulary was thought to have disappeared in 1826 but it eventually re-emerged in good condition in 1982, and was purchased by Cumbria County Council. However, although the text itself was already known  from 18th century copies of the cartulary, the “thrilling aspect” of the find was the unsuspected drawings in the margins. Dr Todd has since fully researched and written about these. 

At the meeting he showed his audience an extensive sample of the 42 drawings, which included: coats-of-arms; churches and secular buildings; vegetation and landscapes; churchmen and workmen; farm animals; and farm implements. 

Three main questions were posed for consideration: firstly, in the spectrum between fine art and graffiti, where did these drawings stand? Secondly, were they really taken from medieval life, or were they stylised or copied from other sources? Finally, why were the drawings added at all in the margins of such a precious book? 

Whilst showing his slides, Dr Todd discussed many of the aspects pertaining to these questions. He concluded that the Lanercost Cartulary drawings were near the bottom of the vernacular level of drawing, although the “draughtsman” was at his best in his depiction of people. Though some of the drawings may have been fanciful (e.g. the one of the priory itself) or copied from elsewhere, they are of particular local interest for two reasons. First, they throw light on Cumbria in the later Middle Ages and, second, no other similar work is known in the north-west of England. In answer to the third question above, Dr Todd suggested that the Lanercost canon who did the drawings was perhaps just doing it for fun: a medieval doodler! 

After Chairman Ron Davie had thanked Dr Todd for an extremely fascinating talk, the evening ended with refreshments provided and served by Evelyn Tickle, Mary Holliday and Eleanor Benson.

Outing to Dalemain  20 August 2008 

At the July meeting of the Caldbeck & District Local History Society, Judith Doig, a guide at the historic house of Dalemain, near Penrith, had spoken about the house and its history from medieval times to the present day. 

Her talk was followed on 20th August by a visit to Dalemain by a group from the Society. On this occasion, guided by Judith Earle, it was fascinating to see at first hand the unusual structure of two medieval pele towers and a Tudor mansion encased within an extensive Georgian country house – the home of the Hasell family since 1679. 

From the Georgian entrance hall, the party was shown through the Chinese room with its original 18th century hand-painted wallpaper. This led into the dining room, rich with family portraits and photographs, followed by the servants’ passage (where the Georgian additions to the original Tudor buildings could more easily be seen) and the former pele tower. Here, there was an exhibition devoted to the Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry. Once again, there were interesting family connections with what was on display. 

After ascending the tower’s stone staircase, the group saw two Tudor rooms – with a Georgian room built between them! Of great interest in the first room were the artefacts which had belonged to Lady Anne Clifford, who had had many links with the Hasell family. 

Having passed through a number of passages and rooms, most of them quite small and  of different historical periods, the tour ended in the room occupied by Dalemain’s former housekeepers. At the far end was a priest’s ‘hidey hole’, dating back to the Reformation but discovered only in the 1860s. 

Not only did the group appreciate their guided tour of a portion of this intriguing house, they also had the lovely gardens to explore as well as the impressive 16th century barn, which included a display of agricultural implements and fell pony artefacts. Last but not least was the tea-room in the medieval Old Hall.

The History of Dalemain  16 July 2008 

At its July meeting in Caldbeck Parish Hall, Judith Doig spoke to the Caldbeck & District Local History Society on ‘The History of Dalemain’. Mrs Doig, who was strikingly attired in a copy of a Georgian dress which she had seen in a portrait at Dalemain, has been a house guide there for some seven years.  

The house, whose name means house in the valley is situated a few miles southwest of Penrith. From the outside it looks for all the world like a Georgian country house. However, behind its façade lies a Norman pele tower, an enclosed Tudor mansion and an inner courtyard. In addition, the medieval Old Hall now houses the tearoom. 

In 1679, Sir Edward Hasell, a steward to Lady Anne Clifford, bought the Tudor mansion for £2710, and to the present day Dalemain continues to be the home of the Hasell family. 

Much restoration and renovation followed his purchase and, together with his mother, he planned and built the Georgian part of Dalemain, which was completed in 1744. This was the last significant addition to the house. 

Mrs Doig explained that a great deal is known about the history of the Hasell family since they still live there and the house contains numerous family portraits and much archival material. She was therefore able to recount many interesting (and often amusing) anecdotes about some of the more colourful characters and events in Dalemain’s history. 

In addition to the evolution of the house through the centuries, today’s beautiful gardens also have a history of their own. Particular mention was made of the now famous show in early summer of the beautiful but difficult to grow Himalayan Blue Poppies. 

As an afternoon outing to Dalemain on 20th August has been arranged for the Society’s next event, Mrs Doig’s talk had provided much valuable background information and had certainly whetted the appetite for the forthcoming visit. 

President Liz Boydell, who chaired the meeting, thanked Mrs Doig for her interesting history of Dalemain, after which everyone enjoyed Evelyn Tickle’s customary excellent refreshments.

The Yellow Earl’s Arctic Journey  18 June 2008

Caldbeck & District Local History Society welcomed Dr Rob David, Honorary Research Fellow at Lancaster University, to their June meeting in Caldbeck Parish Hall. The title of his talk  was ‘The Yellow Earl’s Arctic Journey’, the remarkable adventure of the 5th Earl of Lonsdale, 1888-9.

In introducing his subject, Dr David said that many people perhaps know of the Earl as the founder of boxing’s Lonsdale Belt but not that the yellow colour of the Automobile Association’s badge was due to his choice when President. 

In discussing the reasons for Lord Lonsdale’s Arctic journey, Dr David advanced a range of possibilities which might have sparked the Earl’s interest, including various Cumbrian links with a number of 19th century expeditions to that part of the world. 

Describing Lord Lonsdale as “larger than life” and “a great story-teller”, whose stated reasons for his trip were forever changing, Dr David said that the real reason was an affair he had had with an actress, Violet Cameron. Her resultant pregnancy when both were already married had led to Queen Victoria telling him to ‘disappear’ abroad in order to clear the air and escape the publicity. Thus, at the age of 31 and in the depths of the Canadian winter, he had set off for the Arctic – with his butler! 

His adventure and its considerable hardships were entertainingly detailed by the speaker, who also showed photographs of Lord Lonsdale in various Arctic costumes – all of which were posed studio portraits, with ‘suitable’ Arctic backgrounds added on afterwards. 

In assessing the significance of these travels, Dr David said that although there had been some flattering articles both here and in the U.S., Lord Lonsdale’s journey had often been regarded as “a huge joke” by the scientific establishment in this country. On the other hand, the speaker argued, he should be given credit for undertaking a remarkable and dangerous journey. Furthermore, he had brought back important and rare artefacts, and photographs of the indigenous people of the area; and had given around 200 items to the British Museum, which now form the core of its Arctic collection. However, it was unfortunate that he had provided no details to accompany this material, thus limiting its value. All in all, Dr David felt, the Earl could not properly be viewed as a scientific explorer – rather perhaps as “the first in a line of travellers and tourists” to the Arctic region of the world. 

The meeting was chaired by Kathleen Ashbridge, who thanked Dr David for his entertaining and informative talk. This successful evening ended with everyone enjoying Evelyn Tickle’s excellent refreshments.