Summary of Lectures

AGM and Quiz on Thursday November 19^th, one of the wettest days in the history of Cumbria. Consequently there were 12 members present. The Chairman thanked the Committee members for all their hard work. Membership had again increased by 50% and now numbers 102. Reports were presented by the Secretary and Treasurer.

Special thanks went to Dr Stuart Alan, a founder member and now a life member, and his wife Rita. After the business side of the AGM was concluded refreshments were enjoyed, and this was followed by a quiz entitled “Name this Place”, presented by Nigel Mills. A series of old black and white photographs taken around the area were shown and this produced lively debate. Members were able to identify some of them. The meeting was closed at 9.00pm.

Our programme for 2010 will commence on Thursday February 18^th with a talk by Harry Hawkins on Shap Abbey and the monks who lived there in medieval times. Please note that all our meetings will be held on the 3^rd Thursday of the month.

Diary Dates for 2010

Feb. 18^th See above

March 18^th Andy Lowe talking about Lakeland Architecture

April 15^th Judith Shingler on the history of Shorts Flying Boats

May 20^th Field Trip

June 17^th Chris Craghill talking about Yeoman Farmers and Reformation

July Field Trip

August Field Trip

Sept. 23^rd Bette Kissack talk on the life of Thomas Hayton Mawson, the

famous Gardner and Landscaper

Oct. 21^st Sheena Gemmell talk on the Dark Ages in Cumbria

Nov. 18^th AGM

All will be held in Cartmel Village Hall at 7.30pm. Members free and Visitors £2, most welcome. Watch our website www.cartmel-peninsula-lhs.org.uk or contact Ruth Hughes on 015395 32591 for further information.

“The Families of Holker” A talk by Janet Smith on 22^nd October 2009.

Janet Smith, part-time guide at Holker Hall for 9 years, gave an illustrated talk on “Families of Holker”. Her knowledge appeared boundless. Today Holker is the home of Lord and Lady Hugh Cavendish and yes, Holker can be pronounced Holker or Hooker. Both are correct. It is a Norse word and means Marshy Hollows. The history of the Hall begins in the 16^th Century and has only belonged to 3 different surnames since; Preston, Lowther and Cavendish. It has never been bought or sold during that time.

George Preston is thought to have built the first house on the present site in 1604 and he also played a major role in the restoration of Cartmel Priory after the Dissolution of the Monastries in 1537. Through marriage Holker passed from the Prestons to the Lowthers where it remained until 1756.

In 1756 Sir William Lowther died unmarried and left Holker to his cousin, Lord George Cavendish, 2^nd son of 3^rd Duke of Devonshire and is still in possession of the Cavendish family today.

In 1871 Lord Frederick Cavendish, son of the 7^th Duke of Devonshire, escaped a fire which burnt down the West Wing of the Hall, later in his life he was murdered in Phoenix Park Dublin. He was a member of William Gladstone’s Government and married to his niece. There is an effigy and memorial to him in Cartmel Priory.

In the 20^th Century Lord Richard and Lady Moyra Cavendish engaged Thomas Mawson of Windermere and together they designed and added much to the beauty of the gardens. Today children especially adore the giant 350year old tree, The Great Holker Lime, which provides many hiding places. It was grown originally for its abundance of fine branches used for staking animals.

These are mere snippets of the very complete history given by Janet Smith. If you would like to know the complete story why not have a tour of the house and gardens with her.

"The Edwardian Doomsday" A talk given by Dr Michael Winstanley on 24th September 2009.

Dr Winstanley from the History Department of Lancaster University gave an interesting, illustrated talk entitled “The Edwardian Domesday; a unique survey c. 1909-1914, to the Cartmel Peninsula Local History Society last Thursday 24^th September. Sometimes called Lloyd George’s Land Tax it was a national survey started in 1911 and 88% completed by 30^th June 1914. It was interrupted by the First World War and was quietly shelved and never brought in. Every piece of land was surveyed and valued as was every property, the property owner, number of rooms, outbuildings etc. A huge undertaking but it meant that a land tax and a value tax could be applied, and the wealthy with their mansions and large estates would pay the most. In total 13million properties were surveyed.

He showed maps of every property in Grange over Sands with its description plus the Valuer’s Field Book. It was noted that a many properties were rented, and owned by people who lived out of the area in Lancashire, Yorkshire, even Singapore. In Windermere a Mr Edward Holt, owner of a Manchester brewery still in existence, owned Blackwell, the Arts and Crafts house. The total valuation was £10,000 at the time.

A wonderful resource locally is to be found at the County Records Office in Barrow in Furness. Here may be found the Valuation Books or Domesday Books and large scale maps showing the position of every property. The National records are at the National Archives Office at Kew.

"William Moss Settle- A Forgotten Architect". A talk given by Dr Ruth Hughes on June 25th 2009.

William Moss Settle was the architect responsible for designing and building 930 houses in Vickerstown, on Walney Island, Barrow in Furness between 1900-1905 for Vickers Sons & Maxim Ltd. Despite being responsible for this large and important project, Settle has been virtually forgotten by history. Dr Hughes explained how she managed to piece together the details of his personal and professional life through scraps of evidence located across the country. He had, for instance, designed a house for the Letchworth Cheap Cottages Exhibition of 1905, and the Masonic Hall in Ulverston the same year. Settle died in December 1905 aged 29 years, a victim of an influenza epidemic, and is buried in Ulverston cemetery. He therefore never had the opportunity to expand his professional career, and is probably the reason he has been forgotten. Dr Hughes’ lecture was supported with photographs, statistics and quotations and was well received by the audience.

" A Tour of Cartmel Priory" A summary of the tour with Gail Swanson and Maurice Howarth on May 28th 2009.

After a brief introduction 40 members and guests enjoyed a tour of the Priory. The party divided into 2 groups and were guided around the many fascinating features of the 12^th Century Priory Church.

The architecture was discussed along with the different stages of development. Members were intrigued by the fact that the upper tower had been built at right angles to the lower tower, a unique feature in England.

In the Chancel there was lively discussion on the wonderfully preserved misericords and the enormous East window, an echo of the East window at York Minster. The very rare 13^th century quadripartite stone vaulted ceiling and the Transitional Norman arch with dog tooth and chevron decoration in the Piper Choir, drew much interest. Also the four exquisite 20th Century sculptures by Josefina de Vasconcellos were greatly admired, especially ”The Young Martyr” which commemorates the 4 Canons and 10 Husbandmen who were executed at Lancaster Castle in 1537 for resisting the closure of Cartmel Priory during King Henry V111’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Members appreciated the opportunity of deepening their knowledge of the Priory and it’s 800 years of history.

“Cartmel Priory” A summary of the talk by David Sanders on 30^th April by Gail Swanson.

Over 60 members and guests enjoyed this lively and interesting explanation of the founding of the Priory, which will be followed by a field trip next month. David addressed “who, when, where, why” in relation to the foundation of this religious community. William Marshall, the founder, was Baron of Kendal and Earl of Pembroke. He rose from minor position to high status in the Royal court. He served five monarchs: Kings Stephen, Henry II, Richard I, John, and Henry III, acting as Protector and Regent of England until the young Henry III came of age. William was much admired for his honesty, fine character, and extraordinary successful skills jousting at medieval tournaments. Shortly after his marriage to the wealthy heiress, Isabella de Clare, Augustinian Canons were brought from a community in Wiltshire to commence work on his land at Cartmel in 1189. The most important building of any religious community is the church and William paid for a very grand one. In the 12^th century the valley bottom was lakes and bog country with rivers wider than today. Access to fresh water was essential for the monks as was the means to transport building stone by raft. These factors helped determine the chosen site on an outcrop of rock. It was customary then for the rich and powerful to endow religious communities to pray for their souls. William Marshall had the land, a suitable site, and the wealth with which to construct the church in which there would be daily prayers said for him and his family. 820 years later the Priory church is still a house of prayer. David read a letter from Sam Taylor’s book “Cartmel People and Priory” in which the young of the valley were encouraged to cherish the beauty of their valley and its ancient church. David certainly communicated his commitment to that cause.

"Cumbrian Tollroads" A summary of the talk by Ken Broadhurst on Thursday 26^th March 2009.

We were taken on a journey along one of the county’s old Tollroads, beginning at Burton-in-Kendal and ending at Eamont Bridge. During the journey we were introduced to some of the remaining toll houses along the route which, originally, would have been spaced about 10 miles apart. Toll roads (or Turnpikes) were created, during the 18^th century, as a response to the need for better transport routes as the industrial revolution caught hold. Cumbria’s Turnpike Trusts date from 1739-67; the Turnpike we were looking at dated from 1753. Parishes had, from 1555, been responsible for maintaining all the roads within their Parish, consequently Tollroads (Turnpikes) were built on the edge of Parish boundaries to link producers, suppliers and markets more efficiently. Because they potentially provided better surfaces and therefore a faster means of getting goods and produce from one place to another, major landowners and traders, those with an economic interest in the area, were often the bodies who formed the Turnpike Trusts in the first place.

Those interested in reading further might be interested in Paul Hindle’s book Roads and Tracks of the Lake District (Milnthorpe: Cicerone Press, 1998).

Jiggers &Swelks. A summary of the talk given by Dr H James Walklett to CPLHS on February 26th 2009 by Gail Swanson.

A “Jigger” is a small flat bottom boat crewed by 1 man and 1 boy, the payload being 30/70 tons. A “Swelk” is a basket made from woven oak strips, later known as a Swill, used for carrying potatoes, coal, limestone etc.

Morecambe Bay has been a thoroughfare for goods and passengers since earliest times, almost like an inland lake the shoreline is shallow, sloping and muddy, making it easy for flat bottom bottoms to float up and unload or take on cargo.

The Romans built a supply castle at Lancaster, the Vikings settled in the Furness area and on the Isle of Man and when King Harold of Norway imposed a tax on the inhabitants, some became economic migrants and fled to settle in Cumbria. Medieval monks from Furness Abbey built boats and traded wool and grain for Irish cattle, tea and spirits. Flat bottom boats ferried goods into Dalton.

The busiest period was during the 18^th and 19^th Century when there were ports in Barrow, Ulverston, Greenodd, Grange, Milnthorpe, Morecambe, Lancaster, Heysham, Glasson and Fleetwood. Boatbuilding and the trades associated sprung up and brisk trading went on between Heysham and Ireland. The church at Heysham is called St Patrick’s. In Furness slate, iron ore, copper, woodland products and swill baskets (swelks) were traded around the Bay.

The Slave Trade heavily involved the ports of Morecambe Bay, when not only natives but sugar, rum, tobacco and fine woods were exchanged for iron goods and gunpowder for Africa. Gillows of Lancaster made fine mahogany furniture and eventually became world famous.

The coming of the Railways in the 19^th Century had a massive effect on the economy of the area and lines were built to connect the main ports of Morecambe Bay, which became a thriving regional centre of industry and prosperity.