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LAYS    AND   LEGENDS 


OF    THE 


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JOHN      PAGEN     WHITE 


THE  LIBRARY 
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THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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LAYS    AND    LEGENDS 


ENGLISH    LAKE    COUNTRY 


Lays  and  Legends 


English    Lake   Country. 


WITH  COPIOUS  NOTES. 


BY 

JOHN    PAGEN    WHITE,    F.R.C.S. 


"  In  early  date, 
When  I  was  beardless,  young,  and  blate, 
E'en  then  a  wish,  I  mind  its  power, 
A  wish  that  to  my  latest  hour 

Shall  strongly  heave  my  breast ; 
That  I  for  poor  auld  Cumbrians  sake, 
Some  usefu'  plan  or  beuk  could  make, 

Or  sing  a  sang  at  least." 


LONDON:    JOHN     RUSSELL     SMITH. 
CARLISLE:     G.     &     T.     COWARD. 

MDCCCLXXIII. 


?K1 


INTRODUCTION. 


In  submitting  this  Book  to  the  Pubhc,  I  have 
thought  it  best  to  give  it  precisely  as  it  was  left  in 
manuscript  by  my  late  Brother.  His  sudden  death 
in  1868  prevented  the  final  revision  which  he  still 
contemplated. 

The  Notes  may  by  some  be  thought  unnecessarily 
long,  and  in  many  instances  they  undoubtedly  are 
very  discursive.  Much  labour,  however,  was  ex- 
pended in  their  composition,  in  the  hope,  not  merely 
of  giving  a  new  interest  to  localities  and  incidents 
already  familiar  to  the  resident,  but  also  of  affording 
the  numerous  visitors  to  the  charming  region 
which  forms  the  theme  of  the  Volume,  an  amount  of 
information  supplementary  to  the  mere  outline  which, 
only,  it  is  the  province  of  a  Guide  Book,  however 
excellent,  to  supply. 

The  Work  occupied  for  years  the  leisure  hours  of 
a  busy  professional  life;  and  the  feelings  with  Avhich 
the  Author  entered  upon  and  continued  it,  are  best 
expressed  in  those  lines  of  Bums  chosen  by  himself 
for  the  motto. 

B.  J. 

July  IS/,  1873. 


917lG0 


PREFACE 


The  English  Lake  District  may  be  said,  in  general 
terms,  to  extend  from  Cross-Fell  and  the  Solway 
Firth,  on  the  east  and  north,  to  the  waters  of  More- 
cambe  and  the  Irish  Sea;  or,  more  accurately,  to  be 
comprised  ^^^thin  an  irregular  circle,  varying  from 
forty  to  fifty  miles  in  diameter,  of  which  the  centre 
is  the  mountain  Helvellyn,  and  within  which  are 
included  a  great  portion  of  Cumberland  and  West- 
morland and  the  northern  extremity  of  Lancashire. 

After  the  conquest  of  England  by  the  Normans, 
the  counties  of  Cumberland  and  Westmorland,  the 
ancient  inheritance  of  the  Scottish  Kings,  as  well  as 
the  county  of  Northumberland,  were  placed  by 
William  under  the  English  crown.  But  the  regions 
thus  alienated  were  not  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
undisturbed  possession  of  the  strangers.  For  a  long 
period  they  were  disquieted  by  the  attempts  which 
from  time  to  time  were  made  by  successive  kings  of 
Scotland  to  re-establish  their  supremacy  over  them. 


Vlll. 


Supporting  their  pretensions  by  force  of  arms,  they 
carried  war  into  the  disputed  territory,  and  conducted 
it  with  a  rancour  and  cruelty  which  spared  neither 
age  or  sex.  The  two  nations  maintained  their  cause, 
just  or  unjust,  with  unfaltering  resolution ;  or  if  they 
seemed  to  hesitate  for  a  moment,  and  a  period  of 
settlement  to  be  at  hand,  their  frequent  compromises 
only  ended  in  a  renewal  of  their  differences.  Thus 
these  northern  covmties  continued  to  pass  alternately 
under  the  rule  of  both  the  contending  nations,  until 
the  Scottish  dominion  over  them  was  finally  termin- 
ated by  agreement  in  the  year  1237  ;  Alexander  of 
Scotland  accepting  in  lieu  lands  of  a  certain  yearly 
value,  to  be  holden  of  the  King  of  England  by  the 
annual  render  of  a  falcon  to  the  Constable  of  the 
Castle  of  Carlisle,  on  the  Festival  of  the  Assump- 
tion. 

The  resumption,  at  no  distant  period,  of  the  . 
manors  which  had  been  granted  to  Alexander, 
renewed  in  all  their  strength  the  feelings  of  ani- 
mosity with  which  the  Scots  had  been  accustomed 
to  regard  their  southern  neighbours,  and  the  feuds 
between  the  two  kingdoms  continued  with  unabated 
violence  for  more  than  three  centuries  longer.  The 
dwellers  in  the  unsettled  districts  lying  along  the 
English  and  Scottish  borders,  being  originally 
derived  trom  the  same  Celtic  stock,  had  been 
gradually  and  progressively  influenced  as  a  race  by 
the  admixture  of  Saxon  and  Danish  blood  into  the 
population ;  and  although  much  of  the  Celtic  char- 


IX. 


acter  was  thereby  lost,  they  seem  to  have  retained 
in  their  mountains  and  forests  much  of  the  spirit, 
and  many  of  the  laws  and  manners,  of  the  ancient 
Britons.     They  continued  to  form  themselves  into 
various  septs,  or  clans,  according  to  the  Celtic  cus- 
tom ;  sometimes  banded  together  for  the  attainment 
of  a  common  end  ;   and  as  often  at  feud,  one  clan 
with  another,  when  some  act  of  personal  wrong  had 
to  be  revenged  upon  a  neighbouring   community. 
Thus  a  state  of  continual  restlessness,  springing  out 
of  mutual  hatred  and  jealousies,  existed  among  the 
borderers  of  either  nation.     The  same  feelings  of 
enmity  were  fostered,  and  the  same  system  of  petty 
warfare  was  carried  on,  between  the  borderers  of  the 
two   kingdoms.       Cumberland   and   Westmorland^ 
from  their   position,  were    subject  to  the  frequent 
inroads  of  the  Scots  ;  by  whom  great  outrages  were 
committed  upon  the  inhabitants.     They  drove  their 
cattle,  burned  their  dwellings,  plundered  their  mon- 
asteries, and  even  destroyed  whole  tOAVTis  and  villages. 
A  barbarous  system  of  vengeance  and  retaliation 
ensued.     Every  act  of  violence  and  bloodshed  was 
perpetrated ;  whilst  the  most  nefarious  practices  of 
free-booting  became  the  common  occupation  of  the 
marauding  clans ;  and  a  raid  into  a  neighbouring 
district  had  for  them  the  same  sort  of  charm  and 
excitement  which  their  descendants  find  in  a  modem 
fox  chase.     Even  after  the  union  of  the  two  king- 
doms under  one  sovereign,  when  the  term  "  Borders" 
had  been  changed   to  "  Middle  Shires,"  as   being 


more  suitable  to  a  locality  which  was  now  nearly  in 
the  centre  of  his  dominions,  the  long  cherished  dis- 
tinctions and  prejudices  of  the  inhabitants  were 
maintained  in  all  their  vigour ;  and  it  required  a 
long  period  of  conflict  with  these  to  be  persevered 
in,  before  the  extinction  of  the  border  feuds  could 
be  completely  effected.  These  distractions  have 
now  been  at  an  end  for  more  than  two  centuries. 
The  mountains  look  down  upon  a  peaceful  domain  • 
the  valleys,  everywhere  the  abode  of  quiet  and 
security,  yield  their  rich  pasturage  to  the  herds,  or 
their  corn-fields  redden,  though  coyly,  to  the  harvest ; 
and  the  population,  much  of  it  rooted  in  the  soil, 
and  attached  by  hereditary  ties  to  the  same  plots  of 
ancestral  ground  in  many  instances  for  six  or  seven 
hundred  years,  is  independent,  prosperous,  and 
happy. 

Some  evidences  of  the  old  troublous  times  remain, 
in  the  dismantled  Border  Towers,  and  moated  or 
fortified  houses  called  Peles,  which  lie  on  the  more 
exposed  parts  of  the  district ;  in  the  ruins  of  the 
conventual  retreats ;  and  in  the  crumbling  strong- 
holds of  the  chiefs,  which  still  retain  something  of  a 
past  existence  in  the  names  which  even  yet  cling 
about  their  walls,  as  if  the  spirits  of  their  former 
possessors  were  reluctant  to  depart  entirely  from 
them.  Whilst  a  few  traditions  and  recollections 
survive  of  those  stirring  periods  which  have  left 
their  mark  upon  the  nation's  history,  and  are 
associated  for  ever  with  images  of  those  illustrious 


XI. 


persons  whose  familiar  haunts  were  within  the 
shadows  of  the  hills. 

But  the  great  charm  of  this  region,  which  is  not 
without  attractions  also  of  a  superstitious  and 
romantic  character,  lies  in  the  variety  of  the 
aspects  of  nature  which  it  presents  ;  exhibiting, 
on  a  diminutive  scale,  combinations  of  the  choicest 
features  of  the  scenery  of  all  those  lands  which 
have  a  name  and  fame  for  beauty  and  magnificence. 
Mr.  West,  a  Roman  Catholic  clergyman,  long  resi- 
dent in  the  district,  and  the  author  of  one  of  the 
earliest  Guides  to  the  Lakes,  thus  expresses  himself  : 
"  They  who  intend  to  make  the  continental  tour 
should  begin  here ;  as  it  will  give  in  miniature,  an 
idea  of  what  they  are  to  meet  with  there,  in 
traversing  the  Alps  and  Appenines  :  to  which  our 
northern  mountains  are  not  inferior  in  beauty  of 
line,  or  variety  of  summit,  number  of  lakes,  and 
transparency  of  water;  not  in  colouring  of  rock 
or  softness  of  turf;  but  in  height  and  extent 
only.  The  mountains  here  are  all  accessible  to  the 
summit,  and  furnish  prospects  no  less  surprising, 
and  with  more  variety  than  the  Alps  themselves." 
Wordsworth  also,  who  could  well  judge  of  this  fact, 
and  none  better ;  he  who  for  fifty  years 

"  Murmured  near  these  ranning  brooks 
A  music  sweeter  than  their  own," 

and  looked  on  all  their  changing  phases  with  a 
superstitious  eye  of  love ;  after  he  had  become 
acquainted  with  the  mountain   scenery   of  Wales, 


Xll. 


Scotland,  Switzerland,  and  Italy,  gave  his  judgment 
that,  as  a  whole,  the  English  Lake  District  within 
its  narrow  limits  is  preeminent  above  them  all.  He 
thus  speaks  :  "  A  happy  proportion  of  component 
parts  is  indeed  noticeable  among  the  landscapes  of 
the  North  of  England  ;  and,  in  this  characteristic 
essential  to  a  perfect  picture,  they  surpass  the 
scenes  of  Scotland,  and,  in  a  still  greater  degree, 
those  of  Switzerland.  .  .  .  On  the  score  even  of 
sublimity,  the  superiority  of  the  Alps  is  by  no  means 
so  great  as  might  hastily  be  inferred  ;  and,  as  to  the 
beauty  of  the  lower  regions  of  the  Swiss  mountains 
their  surface  has  nothing  of  the  mellow  tone  and 
variety  of  hues  by  which  our  mountain  turf  is 
distinguished.  .  .  .  The  Lakes  are  much  more 
interesting  than  those  of  the  Alps ;  first,  as  is 
implied  above  by  being  more  happily  proportioned 
to  the  other  features  of  the  landscape  \  and  next, 
as  being  infinitely  more  pellucid,  and  less  subject 
to  agitation  from  the  winds."  And  again,  "The 
water  of  the  English  Lakes  being  of  a  crystalline 
clearness,  the  reflections  of  the  surrounding  hills  are 
frequently  so  lively,  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to 
distinguish  the  point  where  the  real  object  termin- 
ates, and  its  unsubstantial  duplicate  begins." 

It  is  therefore  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  during 
the  greater  part  of  a  century,  where  the  old  Border 
raids  of  violence  have  ceased,  excursions  of  a  very 
different  character  should  have  taken  their  place. 
Every  summer  brings  down  upon  the  valleys  clouds 


Xlll. 


of  visitors  from  every  corner  of  our  island,  and  from 
many  countries  of  Europe  and  America,  eager  to 
enjoy  their  freshness  and  beauty,  and  breathe  a  new 
life  in  the  companionship  of  the  lakes  and  hills. 
And  if  in  a  spirit  somewhat  more  akin  to  the  moss- 
trooping  Borderer  of  an  earlier  time,  an  occasional 
intruder  has  scoured  the  vales  in  search  of  their 
traditions  ;  and  in  the  pursuit  of  these  has  ransacked 
their  annals,  plundered  their  guides,  and  levied  a 
sort  of  black-mail  upon  even  casual  and  anonymous 
contributors  to  their  history  ;  it  may  in  some  degree 
extenuate  the  offence  to  remember  that  such  literary 
free-booting  makes  no  one  poorer  for  what  it  takes 
away ;  and  that  the  opima  spolia  of  the  adventurer 
are  only  so  much  gathered  to  be  distributed  again. 
More  especially  to  the  Notes  which  constitute  so 
large  a  portion  of  the  present  Volume  may  this 
remark  be  applied.  Scenery  long  outlasts  all 
traditional  and  historical  associations.  To  revive 
these  among  their  ancient  haunts,  and  to  awaken 
yet  another  interest  in  this  land  of  beauty,  has  been 
the  aim  and  end  of  this  modern  Raid  into  the 
valleys  of  the  North,  and  the  regions  that  own  the 
sovereignty  of  the  "mighty  Helvellyn." 


CONTENTS 


• 

PAOK 

The  Past i 

The  Banner  of  Bioughton  Tower 

3 

Giltstone  Rock 

15 

Crier  of  Claife 

19 

Cuckoo  of  Borrodale 

29 

King  Eveling 

38 

Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld 

44 

Pan  on  Kirkstone 

66 

Saint  Bega    .... 

73 

Harts- Horn  Tree  . 

81 

Bekan's  Ghyll 

88 

The  Chimes  of  Kirk-Sunken 

102 

The  Raven  on  Kernai  Crag   . 

106 

Lord  Derwentwater's  Lights 

no 

Laurels  on  Lingmoor 

124 

Vale  of  St.  John   . 

136 

The  Luck  of  Edenhall  . 

143 

Hob-Thross .... 

153 

The  Abbot  of  Calder     . 

162 

The  Arm  both  Banquet . 

.   170 

XVI. 


Britta  in  the  Temple  of  Druids 

•• 

179 

The  Lady  of  Workington  Hall 

191 

Altar  upon  Cross  Fell   . 

199 

Willie  o'  Scales     . 

209 

Ermengarde .         . 

217 

Gunilda 

227 

The  Shield  of  Flandrensis 

234 

The  Rooks  of  Fumess  . 

242 

King  Dunmail 

255 

The  Bridals  of  Dacre     . 

266 

Threlkeld  Tarn 

279 

Robin  the  Devil    . 

284 

The  Lay  of  Lord  Lucy  of  Egremond 

295 

Solvar  How           .... 

312 

The  Church  among  the  Moui 

itains 

323 

THE  PAST. 
(in  sight  of  dacre  castle.) 

Through  yon  old  archway  grey  and  broken 

Rides  forth  a  belted  knight ; 
Upon  his  breast  his  true-love's  token 

And  armour  glittering  bright. 

His  arm  a  fond  adieu  is  waving, 

And  answering  waves  a  hand 
From  one  whose  love  her  grief  is  braving — 

The  fairest  of  the  land. 

The  trumpet  calls,  and  plain  and  valley 

Give  forth  their  armed  men  ; 
And  round  the  red-cross  flag  they  rally, 

From  every  dale  and  glen. 

x\nd  she  walks  forth  in  silent  sorrow. 

Who  was  so  blest  to-day, 
And  thinks  on  many  a  lone  to-morrow 

In  those  old  towers  of  grey. 
1 


The  Past. 

From  many  a  piping  throat  so  mellow 
The  joyful  song  bursts  forth  ; 

On  many  a  field  the  corn  so  yellow- 
Makes  golden  bright  the  earth. 

And  mountains  o'er  the  green  woods  frowning 
Close  round  the  banner'd  walls  ; 

While  mid-day  sunshine,  all  things  crowning, 
In  summer  splendour  falls. 

But  ours  is  not  the  age  they  walk  in ; 

It  is  the  years  of  yore  : 
And  ours  is  not  the  tongue  they  talk  in ; 

'Tis  language  used  no  more. 

Yet  many  an  eye  in  silence  bending 

O'er  this  unmurmur'd  lay, 
Beholds  that  knight  the  vale  descending, 

And  feels  that  summer's  day. 

Lives  it  then  not  ?     Yes ;  and  when  hoary 

Beneath  our  years  we  stand, 
That  scene  of  summer,  love,  and  glory, 

Shall  still  be  on  the  land. 

Truth  from  the  earth  itself  shall  perish 

Ere  that  shall  be  no  more ; 
The  heart  in  song  will  ever  cherish 

What  has  been  life  of  yore. 


THE  BANNER  OF  BROUGHTON  TOWER. 

The  knight  looked  out  from  Broughton  Tower ; 

The  stars  hung  high  o'er  Broughton  Town ; 
"  There  should  be  tidings  by  this  hour, 

From  Fouldrey  Pile  or  Urswick  Down  ! " 

Far  out  the  Duddon  roll'd  its  tide 

Beneath  ;  and  on  the  verge  afar, 
The  Warder  through  the  night  descried 

The  beacon,  like  a  rising  star. 

It  told  that  Fouldrey  by  the  sea 

Was  signall'd  from  the  ships  that  bore, 

With  Swart's  Burgundian  chivalry. 
The  false  King  from  the  Irish  shore. 

And  Lincoln's  Earl,  and  Brough ton's  Knight, 
And  brave  Lord  Lovel,  wait  the  sign 

To  march  their  hosts  to  Urswick's  height. 
To  hail  him  King,  of  Edward's  line. 

Brave  men  as  ever  swerv'd  aside  ! 

But  faithful  to  their  ancient  fame. 
The  white  Rose  wooed  them  in  her  pride 

Once  more  ;  and  foremost  forth  they  came. 


Banner  of  Broughton  Tower. 

The  Knight  looked  out  beneath  his  hand ; 

The  Warder  pointed  to  the  glow ; 
"  Now  droop  my  banner,  that  my  band 

May  each  embrace  it !  then  we'll  go. 

"  And  if  we  fall,  as  fall  we  may, 
Thus  resolute  the  ^\Tonged  to  raise, 

The  banner  that  we  bear  to-day. 

Shall  be  our  monument  and  praise  ! " 

One  look  into  his  lady's  bower ; 

One  step  into  his  ancient  hall ; 
And  then  adieu  to  Broughton  Tower, 

Till  blooms  the  white  Rose  over  all ! 

High  o'er  the  surge  of  many  a  fight, 
That  banner,  for  the  Rose,  had  led 

The  liegemen  of  the  Broughton  knight 
To  victory's  smiles,  or  glory's  bed. 

And  'twas  a  glorious  sight  to  see 

That  break  of  day,  from  tower  and  town, 

Pour  forth  his  martial  tenantry. 

To  swell  the  array  on  Urswick  Do^vn  : 

To  see  the  glancing  pennons  wave 
Above  them,  and  the  banner  borne 

All  joyously  by  warriors,  brave 
As  ever  hailed  a  battle  mom. 


Banner  of  Brougliton  Tower. 

And  'twas  a  stirring  sound  to  hear, 
Uprolling  from  the  camp, — the  drum, 

The  music,  and  the  martial  cheer, 

That  told  the  chiefs,  "  We  come,  we  come  ! " 

Then  in  that  sunny  time  of  June, 

When  green  leaves  burdened  every  spray, 

With  all  the  merry  birds  in  tune. 

They  marched  upon  their  southward  way. 

And,  as  through  channel 'd  sands  afar 
The  tides  with  steady  onward  force 

Push  inland,  roll'd  their  wave  of  war 
To  Trent,  its  unresisted  course. 

And  spreading  wide  its  crest  where  Stoke 
O'erlook'd  the  Royal  lines  below, 

Spent  its  long  gathering  strength,  and  broke, 
And  plung'd  in  fury  on  the  foe. 

For  three  long  hours  that  summer  morn 
King  Henry  by  his  standard  rode, 

Through  onset  and  repulse  upborne, 
A  tower  of  strength  where'er  it  glowed. 

For  three  long  hours  the  fated  band 
Of  chiets,  that  summer  morning  waged 

A  desperate  battle,  hand  to  hand. 
Where'er  the  thickest  carnage  raged, 


Banner  of  Broitgliton  Tower. 

Till  midst  four  thousand  liegemen  slain, 
The  flower  of  that  misguided  host, 

Borne  down  upon  the  fatal  plain, 

Fame,  honour,  life,  and  cause  were  lost. 

Turn  ye,  who  high  in  hall  and  tower 
Sit  waiting  for  your  lords,  and  burn 

To  wrest  the  tidings  of  that  hour 
From  lips  that  never  may  return  : 

Turn  inwards  from  the  news  that  flies 

Through  England's  summer  groves,  and  dose 

The  circlets  of  your  asking  eyes 
Against  the  coming  cloud  of  woes  ! 

Wild  rumour,  like  the  wind  that  wings. 
None  knows  or  how  or  whence,  its  way, 

Storm-like  on  Broughton's  turret  rings 
The  dire  disaster  of  that  day. 

Storm-like  through  his  dislorded  halls 
And  farmsteads  lone,  the  rumour  breaks  ; 

And  far  by  Witherslack's  grey  walls, 
And  hamlet  cots,  despair  awakes. 

And  all  old  things  meet  shock  and  change. 
Since  Broughton,  down-borne  in  his  pride 

On  that  red  field,  no  more  shall  range 
By  Duddon's  rocks,  or  Winster's  side. 


Banner  of  Btougkion  Tower. 

And  while  the  hills  around  rejoiced, 
And  in  the  triumph  of  their  King 

Old  strains  of  peace  sang  trumpet-voiced, 
And  bade  the  landscapes  smile  and  sing  ; 

Far  stretching  o'er  the  land,  his  sign 

The  King  from  Broughton's  charters  tore  ; 

And  the  old  honours  of  his  line 

In  his  old  tower  were  known  no  more. 

His  halls,  his  manors,  his  fair  lands, 

Pass'd  from  his  name ;  round  all  he'd  loved, 

And  all  that  loved  him,  power's  dread  hands 
In  shadow  through  the  noontide  moved  : 

E'en  to  those  cottage  homes  apart, 
His  poor  men's  huts  by  lonely  ways — 

To  crush  from  out  the  humblest  heart 

Each  pulse  that  dared  to  throb  his  praise  ! 

But  when  old  feuds  had  all  been  healed. 
And  England's  long  lost  smiling  years 

Returned,  and  tales  of  Stoke's  red  field 
Fair  eyes  had  ceased  to  flood  with  tears  ; 

'Twas  whispered  'mid  the  fields  and  farms. 
That  once  were  Broughton's  free  domain,— 

His  banner,  saved  from  stiife  of  arms, 
Was  somewhere  'mid  those  homes  again. 


8         Banner  oj  Broughton  Tower. 

That  o'er  the  hills  afar,  where  lies 

Lone  Witherslack  by  moorland  roads, 

His  own  old  liegemen  true  the  prize 
Held  fast  within  their  safe  abodes. 

Thrice  honour'd  in  that  matchless  zeal 
To  brave  proscription,  death  and  shame  ; 

Thus  rescued  by  their  hearths  to  feel 
The  symbol  of  his  ancient  fame  ! 

So  for  old  faithfulness  renowned. 
The  tenants  of  that  knightly  race 

Their  age-long  acts  of  service  crowned 
With  that  last  deed  of  loyal  grace. 

Last  ?  Nay  !  for  on  one  Sabbath  morn, 
An  old  man,  blanch'd  by  years  and  cares. 

Gave  up  his  spirit,  tired  and  worn, 

Amidst  those  humble  liegemen's  prayers. 

Gave  up  a  long  secreted  life 

'Mid  hinds  and  herds,  by  peasant  maids 
Nurtured  and  soothed,  while  shadows  rife 

With  death's  stem  edicts,  stalked  the  glades. 

He  pass'd  while  Cartmel's  monks  sang  dole. 
As  for  a  brave  man  gone  to  rest ; 

And  men  sighed,  "  Glory  to  his  soul ! " 
And  wrapt  the  banner  round  his  breast : 


Banner  of  Broiighton  Tower. 

And  placed  the  tassell'd  bridle  leins 
And  spurs  that,  by  his  lattice,  led 

His  thoughts  so  oft  to  far  off  plains, 
Beside  him  in  his  narrow  bed  : 

And  borne  on  high  their  arms  above, 
As  hinds  are  borne  to  churchyard  cells, 

With  kindly  speech  of  truth  and  love, 
Mix'd  with  the  sound  of  mournful  bells. 

They  laid  him  in  a  tomb,  engraved 
With  no  memorial,  date,  or  name  ; 

But  one  dear  relic  round  him,  saved 
To  whisper  in  the  earth  his  fame. 

And  when  that  age  had  all  gone  down 

To  mingle  with  its  native  dust, 
And  time  his  deeds  had  overgrown. 

His  banner  yielded  up  its  tnist ; 

And  told  from  one  low  chancel's  shade 
Where  good  men  sang  on  holy  days — 

"  Here  Broughton's  Knight  in  earth  was  laid. 
Peace  !     To  his  tenants,  endless  praise  !  " 


NOTES  TO  "THE  BANNER  OF  BROUGHTON 
TOWER." 


Broughton  Tower,  the  ancient  part  of  which  is  all  that 
remains  of  the  residence  of  the  unfortunate  Sir  Thomas 
Broughton,  stands  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  the  town  of  that 
name,  upon  the  neck  of  a  wooded  spur  of  land,  which  projects 
from  the  high  ground  above  the  houses  towards  the  river 
Duddon,  about  a  mile  distant.  The  towered  portion,  as  it 
rises  from  the  wood,  has  much  of  the  appearance  of  a  church ; 
but  is  in  reality  part  of  the  ancient  building,  now  connected 
with  a  modern  mansion.  It  has  a  southern  aspect,  with  a 
slope  down  to  the  river,  being  well  sheUered  in  the  opposite 
direction.  "  It  commands  an  extensive  view,  comprising  in  a 
wonderful  variety  hill  and  dale,  water,  wooded  grounds,  and 
buildings  ;  whilst  fertility  around  is  gradually  diminished,  being 
lost  in  the  superior  heights  of  Black  Comb,  in  Cumberland, 
the  high  lands  between  Kirkby  and  Ulverston,  and  the  estuary 
of  the  Duddon  expanding  into  the  sands  and  waters  of  the 
Irish  sea." 

The  Broughtons  were  an  Anglo-Saxon  family  of  high 
antiquity,  in  whose  possession  the  manor  of  Broughton  had 
remained  from  time  immemorial,  and  whose  chief  seat  was  at 
Broughton,  until  the  second  year  of  the  reign  of  Henry  the 
Seventh.  At  this  period  the  power  and  interest  of  Sir  Thomas 
Broughton  were  so  considerable,  that  the  Duchess  of  Bur- 
gundy, sister  to  the  late  King  and  the  Duke  of  Clarence, 
relied  on  him  as  one  of  the  principal  confederates  in  the 
attempt  to  subvert  the  government  of  Henry  by  the  preten- 
sions of  Lambert  Simnel. 

Ireland  was  zealously  attached  to  the  house  of  York,  and 
held  in  affectionate  regard  the  memory  of  the  Duke  of 
Clarence,  the  Earl  of  Warwick's  father,  who  had  been  its 
lieutenant.  No  sooner,  therefore,  did  the  impostor  Simnel 
present  himself  to  Thomas  Fitz-Gerald,  Earl  of  Kildare,  and 
claim  his  protection  as  the  unfortunate  Warwick,  than  that 
credulous  nobleman  paved  the  way  for  his  reception,  and 
furthered  his  design  upon  the  throne,  till  the  people  in  Dublin 
with  one  consent  tendered  their  allegiance  to  him  as  the  true 
Plantagenet.  They  paid  the  pretended  Prince  attendance  as 
their  sovereign,  lodged  him  in  the  Castle  of  Dublin,  crowned 


Banner  of  Broughtoii  Tower.        ir 


him  with  a  diadem  taken  from  a  statue  of  the  Virgin,  and 
publicly  proclaimed  him  King,  by  the  appellation  of  Edward 
the  Sixth. 

In  the  year  1487  Lambert,  with  about  two  thousand 
Flemish  troops  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Martin  Swart, 
a  man  of  noble  family  in  Germany,  an  experienced  and  valiant 
soldier,  whom  the  Duchess  of  Burgundy  had  chosen  to  support 
the  pretended  title  of  Simnel  to  the  crown  of  England,  and  a 
number  of  Irish,  conducted  by  Thomas  Gerardine  their  captain 
from  Ireland,  landed  in  Furness  at  the  Pile  of  F'ouldrey.  The 
army  encamped  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ulverston,  at  a  place 
now  known  by  the  name  of  Swart-Moor.  Sir  Thomas 
Broughton  joined  the  rebels  with  a  small  body  of  English. 
The  army,  at  this  time  about  eight  thousand  strong,  proceeded 
to  join  the  Earl  of  Lincoln,  I>ord  Lovel,  and  the  rest  of  the 
confederates,  passing  on  through  Cartmel  to  Stoke  field,  near 
Newark-upon-Trent,  where  they  met  and  encountered  the 
King's  forces  on  the  5th  of  June,  1487. 

The  day  being  far  advanced  before  the  King  arrived  at 
Stoke,  he  pitched  his  camp  and  deferred  the  battle  ti'l  the 
day  following.  The  forces  of  the  Earl  of  Lincoln  also  en- 
camped at  a  little  distance  from  those  of  the  King,  and 
undismayed  by  the  superior  numbers  they  had  to  encounter, 
bravely  entered  the  field  the  next  day,  and  arranged  themselves 
for  battle,  according  to  the  directions  of  Colonel  Swart  and 
other  superior  officers.  The  charge  being  sounded,  a  desperate 
conflict  was  maintained  with  equal  valour  on  both  sides  for 
three  hours.  The  Germans  were  in  every  respect  equal  to  the 
English,  and  none  surpassed  the  bravery  of  Swart  their  com- 
mander. For  three  hours  each  side  contended  for  victory, 
and  the  fate  of  the  battle  remained  doubtful.  The  Irish 
soldiers,  however,  being  badly  armed,  and  the  Germans  being 
overpowered  by  numbers,  the  Lambertines  were  at  length 
defeated,  but  not  before  their  ]irincipal  officers,  the  Earl  of 
Lincohi,  Lord  Lovel,  Sir  Thomas  Broii^hfon,  Colonel  Swart, 
and  Sir  Thomas  (^erardine  captain  of  the  Irish,  and  upwards 
of  four  thousand  of  their  soldiers  were  slain. 

Young  Lambert  and  his  tutor  were  both  taken  prisoners. 
The  latter,  being  a  priest,  was  punished  with  perpetual 
imprisonment  ;  Simnel  was  too  contemptible  to  be  an  object 
either  of  apprehension  or  resentment  to  Henry.  He  was 
pardoned,  and  made  a  scullion  in  the  King's  kitchen,  whence 
he  was  afterwards  advanced  to  the  rank  of  falconer,  in  which 
employment  he  ended  his  days. 

Sir  Thomas  Broughton  is  said  to  have  fallen  on  the  field  of 


12       Banner  of  Br oughton  Tower. 

battle  :  but  there  remains  a  tradition,  that  he  returned  and 
lived  many  years  amongst  his  tenants  in  Witherslack,  in  West- 
morland ;  and  was  interred  in  the  Chapel  there  ;  but  of  this 
nothing  is  known  for  certain  at  present,  or  whether  he  returned 
or  where  he  died.  Dr.  Bum,  speaking  of  the  grant  of  Wither- 
slack to  Sir  Thomas,  on  the  attainder  of  the  Harringtons  in 
the  first  year  of  Henry's  reign  for  siding  with  the  house  of 
York,  and  of  its  subsequent  grant  to  Thomas  Lord  Stanley, 
the  first  Earl  of  Derby,  on  the  attainder  of  Sir  Thomas  for 
having  been  concerned  in  this  affair  of  Lambert  Simnel,  goes 
on  to  say — "And  here  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  rectify  a  mistake 
in  Lord  Bacon's  history  of  that  King,  (Hemy  VII. )  who  saith 
that  this  Sir  Thomas  Broughton  was  slain  at  Stoke,  near 
Newark,  on  the  part  of  the  counterfeit  Plantagenet,  Lambert 
Simuell ;  whereas  Sir  Thomas  Broughton  escaped  from  that 
battle  hither  into  Witherslack,  where  he  lived  a  good  while 
incognito,  amongst  those  who  had  been  his  tenants,  who  were 
so  kind  unto  him  as  privately  to  keep  and  maintain  him,  and 
who  dying  amongst  them  was  buried  by  them,  whose  grave  Sir 
Daniel  Fleming  says  in  his  time  was  to  be  seen  there." 

The  erection  of  the  new  chapel  of  Witherslack  by  Dean 
Barwick,  in  1664,  at  a  considerable  distance  from  where  the 
ancient  chapel  stood,  has  obliterated  the  memory  of  his  once 
well-known  grave.  With  this  unhappy  gentleman  the  family 
of  Broughton,  which  had  flourished  for  many  centuries  and 
had  contracted  alliances  with  most  of  the  principal  families  in 
these  parts,  was  extinguished  in  Furness. 

After  these  affairs  the  King  had  leisure  to  revenge  himself 
on  his  enemies,  and  made  a  progress  into  the  northern  parts 
of  England,  where  he  gave  many  proofs  of  his  rigorous  dis- 
position. A  strict  inquiry  was  made  after  those  who  had 
assisted  or  favoured  the  rebels,  and  heavy  fines  and  even 
sanguinary  punishments,  were  imposed  upon  the  delinquents 
in  a  very  arbitrary  manner.  The  fidelity  therefore  of  Sir 
Thomas  Broughton's  tenants  to  their  fallen  master  was  not 
without  its  dangers,  and  is  a  pleasing  instance  of  attachment 
to  the  person  of  a  leader  in  a  rude  and  perilous  age. 

In  the  wars  of  the  Roses  the  Broughtons  had  always 
strenuously  supported  the  House  of  York.  It  is  however 
remarkable  that,  the  manor  of  Witherslack  having  been 
granted  to  Sir  Thomas  by  Henry  the  Seventh  in  the  first 
year  of  his  reign,  he  should  have  joined  the  Pretender  in  arms 
against  that  monarch  in  the  following  year. 

Methop  and  Ulva,  though  distinctly  named  in  the  title 
and  description  of  tiiis  manor,  yet  make  but  a  small  part  of  it. 


Banner  of  Broughton  Tower. 


They  are  all  included  within  a  peninsula,  as  it  were,  between 
Winster  Beck,  Biyster  Moss,  and  Lancaster  Sands. 

The  fate  of  Lord  Lovel,  another  of  the  chiefs  in  this 
disastrous  enterprise,  is  also  shrouded  in  mysteiy.  It  has 
often  been  told  that  he  was  never  seen,  living  or  dead,  after 
the  battle. 

The  dead  bodies  of  the  Earl  of  Lincoln  and  most  of  the  other 
principal  leaders,  it  was  said,  were  found  where  they  had  fallen, 
sword-in-hand,  on  the  fatal  field  ;  but  not  that  of  Lord  Lovel. 
Some  assert  that  he  was  drowned  when  endeavouring  to  escape 
across  the  river  Trent,  the  weight  of  his  armour  preventing 
the  subsequent  discoveiy  of  his  body.  Other  reports  apply  to 
him  the  circumstances  similar  to  those  which  have  been  related 
above  as  i-eferring  to  Sir  Thomas  Broughton  ;  namely,  that  he 
fled  to  the  north  where,  under  the  guise  of  a  peasant,  he 
ended  his  days  in  peace.  Lord  Bacon,  in  his  Histoiy  of 
Henry  the  Seventh,  says  "that  he  lived  long  after  in  a  cave 
or  vault."  And  his  account  has  been  partly  corroborated  in 
modem  times.  William  Cowper,  Esquire,  Clerk  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  writing  from  Herlingfordbury  Park  in 
1738,  says — "In  1708,  upon  the  occasion  of  new  laying  a 
chimney  at  Minster  Lovel,  there  was  discovered  a  large  vault 
or  room  underground  in  which  was  the  entire  skeleton  of  a 
man,  as  having  been  sitting  at  a  table  which  was  before  him, 
with  a  book,  paper,  pen,  etc.  ;  in  another  part  of  the  room 
lay  a  cap,  all  much  mouldered  and  decayed  ;  which  the  family 
and  others  judged  to  be  this  Lord  Lovel,  whose  exit  has 
hitherto  been  so  uncertain." 

A  tradition  was  rife  in  the  village  in  the  last  century  to  the 
effect  that,  in  this  hiding  place,  which  could  only  be  opened 
from  the  exterior,  the  insurgent  chief  had  confided  himself  to 
the  care  of  a  female  servant,  was  forgotten  or  neglected  by  her, 
and  consequently  died  of  stan'ation. 

The  ancient  Castle  or  Pile  of  Fouldrey,  (formerly  called 
Pele  of  Foudra,  or  Futher, )  stands  upon  a  small  island  near 
the  southern  extremity  of  the  isle  of  Walney  ;  and  is  said  by 
Camden  to  have  been  built  by  an  Abbot  of  Furness,  in  the 
first  year  of  King  Edward  the  Third  (a.d.  1327).  It  was 
probably  intended  for  an  occasional  retreat  from  hostility  ;  a 
depository  for  the  valuable  articles  of  the  Monastery  of  Fur- 
ness ;  and  for  a  fortress  to  protect  the  adjoining  harbour  ;  all 
which  intentions  its  situation  and  structure  were  well  calculated 
to  answer  at  the  time  of  its  erection. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  custom  in  the  northern  parts  of 
the  kingdom,  for  the  monasteries  to  have  a  fortress  of  this 


14       Banner  of  Brougliton  Tower. 

kind,  in  which  they  might  lodge  with  security  their  treasure, 
and  records  on  the  approach  of  an  enemy  ;  of  this  the  Castle 
on  Holy  Island,  in  Northumberland,  and  Wulstey  Casde,  near 
the  Abbey  of  Holm  Cultram,  in  Cumberland,  are  examples. 
It  has  even  been  said  that  an  underground  communication 
existed  between  Furness  Abbey  and  the  Pele  of  Fouldrey. 

The  harbour  alluded  to,  appears  to  have  been  of  considerable 
importance  to  the  shipping  of  that  period,  when  the  relations 
of  Ireland  with  the  monks  had  become  established.  In  the  reign 
of  Henry  the  Sixth,  it  is  mentioned  as  being  found  a  convenient 
spot  for  the  woollen  merchants  to  ship  their  goods  to  Erne- 
mouth,  in  Zealand,  without  paying  the  duty ;  and  in  Elizabeth's 
days  as  "the  only  good  haven  for  great  shippes  to  londe  or 
ryde  in  "  between  Scotland  and  Milford  Haven,  in  Wales. 

It  was  apprehended  that  the  Spanish  Armada  would  tiy  to 
effect  a  landing  in  this  harbour. 


15 


GILTSTONE  ROCK  ; 

OR,  THE  SLAVER  IN  THE  SOLWAY, 

The  Betsey-Jane  sailed  out  of  the  Firth, 

As  the  Waits  sang  "  Christ  is  born  on  earth" — 

The  Betsey-Jane  sailed  out  of  the  Firth, 

On  Christmas-day  in  the  morning. 
The  wind  was  East,  the  moon  was  high. 
Of  a  frosty  blue  was  the  spangled  sky, 
And  the  bells  were  ringing,  and  dawn  was  nigh, 

And  the  day  was  Christmas  morning. 

In  village  and  town  woke  up  from  sleep, 
From  peaceful  visions  and  slumbers  deep — 
In  village  and  town  woke  up  from  sleep. 

On  Christmas-day  in  the  morning. 
The  many  that  thought  on  Christ  the  King, 
And  rose  betimes  their  gifts  to  bring. 
And  "peace  on  earth  and  good  will"  to  sing, 

As  is  meet  upon  Christmas  morning. 

The  Betsey-Jane  pass'd  village  and  town, 
As  the  Gleemen  sang,  and  the  stars  went  down — 
The  Betsey-Jane  pass'd  village  and  town. 
That  Christmas-day  in  the  morning  ; 


1 6  Giltstone  Rock. 

And  the  Skipper  by  good  and  by  evil  swore, 
The  bells  might  ring  and  the  Gleemen  roar, 
But  the  chink  of  his  gold  would  chime  him  o'er 
Those  waves,  next  Christmas  morning. 

And  out  of  the  Firth  with  his  reckless  crew, 
All  ready  his  will  and  his  work  to  do — 
Out  of  the  Firth  with  his  reckless  crew- 
He  sailed  on  a  Christmas  morning  ! 
He  steer'd  his  way  to  Gambia's  coast ; 
And  dealt  for  slaves  ;  and  Westward  cross'd  ; 
And  sold  their  lives,  and  made  his  boast 

As  he  thought  upon  Christmas  morning. 

And  again  and  again  from  shore  to  shore. 
With  his  human  freight  for  the  golden  ore — 
Again  and  again  from  shore  to  shore, 

Ere  Christmas-day  in  the  morning. 
He  cross'd  that  deep  with  never  a  thought 
Of  the  sorrow,  or  wrong,  or  suffering  wrought 
On  souls  and  bodies  thus  sold  and  bought 

For  gold,  against  Christmas  morning  ! 

And  at  length,  with  his  gold  and  ivory  rare, 
When  the  sun  was  low  and  the  breeze  was  fair — 
At  length  with  his  gold  and  ivory  rare 

He  sailed,  that  on  Christmas  morning 
He  might  pass  both  village  and  town  again 
When  the  bells  were  ringing,  as  they  rung  then, 
When  he  pass'd  them  by  in  the  Betsey-Jane, 

On  that  last  bright  Christmas  morning. 


Giltstone  Rock.  1 7 

The  Betsey-Jane  sailed  into  the  Firth, 

As  the  bells  rang  "  Christ  is  born  on  earth" — 

The  Betsey-Jane  sailed  into  the  Firth, 

And  it  was  upon  Christmas  morning  ! 
The  wind  was  west,  the  moon  was  high. 
Of  a  hazy  blue  was  the  spangled  sky, 
And  the  bells  were  ringing,  and  dawn  was  nigh, 

Just  breaking  on  Christmas  morning. 

The  Gleemen  singing  of  Christ  the  King, 
Of  Christ  the  King,  of  Christ  the  King — 
The  Gleemen  singing  of  Christ  the  King, 

Hailed  Christmas-day  in  the  morning ; 
When  the  Betsey-Jane  with  a  thundering  shock 
Went  ripping  along  on  the  Giltstone  Rock, 
In  sound  of  the  bells  which  seemed  to  mock 

Her  doom  on  that  Christmas  morning. 

With  curse  and  shriek  and  fearful  groan. 
On  the  foundering  ship,  in  the  waters  lone — 
With  curse  and  shriek  and  fearful  groan, 

They  sank  on  that  Christmas  morning  ! 
The  Skipper  with  arms  around  his  gold, 
Scared  by  dark  spirits  that  loosed  his  hold, 
Was  doA\Ti  the  deep  sea  plunged  and  roU'd 

In  the  da\vn  of  that  Christmas  morning  : — 

While  village  and  to^\^l  woke  up  from  sleep, 
From  peaceful  visions  and  slumbers  deep — 
While  village  and  to^vn  woke  up  from  sleep, 
That  Christmas-day  in  the  morning  ! 
2 


8  Giltstone  Rock. 

And  many  that  thought  on  Christ  the  King, 
Rose  up  betimes  their  gifts  to  bring, 
And,  "  peace  on  earth  and  good  mil  to  sing," 
Went  forth  in  the  Christmas  morning  ! 


NOTE. 

The  rock  thus  named,  lies  off  the  harbour  at  Harrington, 
on  the  coast  of  Cumberland,  and  is  only  visible  at  low  water 
during  spring  tides. 

The  Gleemen,  or  Waits,  as  the  Christmas  minstrels  are 
called,  still  keep  up  their  annual  rounds,  with  song  and  salu- 
tation, and  with  a  heartiness  and  zeal,  which  have  been  well 
described  by  the  great  Poet  of  the  Lake  district  in  those 
feeling  and  admirable  verses  to  his  brother,  Dr.  Wordsworth, 
prefixed  to  his  .Sonnets  on  the  River  Duddon. 

In  the  parish  of  Muncaster,  on  the  eve  of  the  new  year,  the 
children  go  from  house  to  house,  singing  a  ditty,  which  craves 
the  bounty,  "they  were  wont  to  have,  in  old  kitig  Edward's 
days."  There  is  no  tradition  whence  this  custom  arose  ;  the 
donation  is  two-pence  or  a  pie  at  every  house.  Mr.  Jefferson 
suggests,  may  not  the  name  have  been  altered  from  Henry  to 
Edward  ?  and  may  it  not  have  an  allusion  to  the  time  when 
King  Henry  the  sixth  was  entertained  at  Muncaster  Castle  in 
his  flight  from  his  enemies  ? 


19 


CRIER  OF  CLAIFE. 

A  A\ald  holloa  on  Wynander's  shore, 

'Mid  the  loud  waves' splash  and  the  night-wind's  roar ! 

\\Tio  cries  so  late  with  desperate  note, 

Far  over  the  water,  to  hail  the  boat  ? 

'Tis  night's  mid  gloom ;  the  strong  rain  beats  fast : 

Is  there  one  at  this  hour  will  face  the  blast, 

And  the  darkness  traverse  mth  ami  and  oar, 

To  ferry  the  Crier  from  yonder  shore  ? 

» 

A  mile  to  cross,  and  the  skies  so  dread  ; 
With  a  stonii  around  that  would  wake  the  dead ; 
And  fathoms  of  boiling  depths  below ; 
The  ferry  is  hailed,  and  the  boat  must  go. 

Snug  under  that  cliff,  whence  over  the  Mere, 
^Vhen  summer  is  merry  and  skies  are  clear. 
In  holiday  times  hearts  light  and  gay 
Look  over  the  hills  and  far  away — 

At  the  Ferry-house  Inn,  sat  warm  beside 
The  bright  wood-fire  and  hearth-stone  wide, 
A  rollicking  band  of  jovial  souls 
With  tinkling  cans  and  full  brown  bowls. 


20  Cjner  of  Claife. 

Without,  the  sycamores'  branches  rode 
The  storm,  as  if  fiends  the  roof  bestrode  ; 
Yet  stout  of  heart,  to  that  wild  holloa 
The  ferryman  smiled — "The  boat  must  go." 

His  comrades  followed  out  into  the  dark, 
As  the  young  man  strode  to  the  tumbling  bark ; 
And,  washing  him  luck  in  the  perilous  storm, 
With  a  shudder  went  back  to  the  fireside  warm. 

An  hour  is  gone  !  against  wind  and  wave 
Well  struggled  and  strove  that  heart  so  brave. 
Another  I  they  crowd  to  the  whistling  door, 
To  welcome  the  guide  and  his  freight  to  shore. 

But  pallid,  and  stunn'd,  aghast,  alone. 
He  stood  in  the  boat,  and  speech  had  none  : 
His  lips  were  locked,  and  his  eyes  astare. 
And  blanched  with  teiTor  his  manly  hair. 

"What  thing  he  had  seen,  what  utterance  heard, 
What  horror  that  night  his  senses  stirr'd. 
Was  frozen  within  him,  and  choked  his  breath, 
And  laid  him,  ere  morning,  cold  in  death. 

But  what  that  night  of  horror  revealed, 
And  what  that  night  of  horror  concealed 
Of  spirits  and  powers  in  storms  that  roam, 
Lies  hid  with  the  monk  in  St.  Mary's  Holm. 


Crier  of  Claife.  2 1 

Still,  under  the  cliff — whence  over  the  Mere, 
WTien  summer  was  merry  and  skies  were  clear, 
In  holiday  times  hearts  light  and  gay 
Looked  over  the  hills  and  far  away — 

^Vhen  the  rough  winds  blew  amid  rain  and  cold, 
The  Ferry -house  gathered  its  hearts  of  old, 
Who  sat  at  the  hearth  and  o'er  the  brown  ale, 
Oft  talked  of  that  night  and  its  dismal  tale. 

And  often  the  Crier  was  heard  to  wake 
The  night's  foul  echoes  across  the  lake ; 
But  never  again  would  a  hand  unmoor 
The  boat,  to  venture  by  night  from  shore  : 

Till  they  sought  the  good  monk  of  St.  Mary's  Holm, 
With  relics  of  saints  and  beads  from  Rome, 
To  row  to  the  Nab  on  Hallowmas  night. 
And  bury  the  Crier  by  morning's  light. 

With  Aves  muttered,  and  spells  unknown. 
The  monk  rows  over  the  Mere  alone ; 
Like  a  feather  his  bark  floats  light  and  fast ; 
When  the  Crier's  loud  hail  sweeps  down  the  blast. 

Speed  on,  bold  heart,  with  gifts  of  grace  ! 
He  is  nearing  the  wild  fiend-blighted  place. 
Now  heed  thee,  foul  spirit !  the  priest  has  power 
To  bind  thee  on  earth  till  the  morning  hour. 


2  2  Criev  of  Claife. 

He  rests  his  oars ;  and  the  faint  blue  gleam 
From  a  marsh-light  sheds  on  the  ground  its  beam. 
There's  a  stir  in  the  grass ;  and  there's  one  on  a  knoll, 
Unearthly  and  horrid  to  sight  and  soul. 

That  horrible  cry  rings  through  the  dark, 
As  the  monk  steps  out  of  the  grounding  bark ; 
And  he  charms  a  circle  around  the  knoll, 
WTierein  he  must  sit  till  the  mass  bell  toll. 

Then  over  the  lake,  with  the  fiend  in  tow, 
To  the  quarry  beyond  the  monk  will  go. 
And  bury  the  Crier  with  book  and  bell, 
While  the  birds  of  morning  sing  him  farewell. 

The  morn  awoke.     As  the  breezy  smile 
Of  daAvn  played  over  St.  Mary's  Isle, 
The  tinkling  sound  of  the  mass-bell  rose, 
And  startled  the  valleys  from  brief  repose. 

Then,  like  a  speck  from  afar  descried, 
The  monk  row'd  out  on  the  waters  wide — 
From  the  Nab  row'd  out,  with  the  fiend  in  his  wake, 
To  lay  him  in  quiet,  across  the  lake. 

And  fear-struck  men,  and  women  that  bore 
Their  babes,  beheld  from  height  and  shore. 
How  he  reached  the  wood  that  hid  the  dell, 
Where  he  laid  the  Crier  with  book  and  bell. 


Crier  of  Claife.  23 

"  For  the  ivy  green  "  the  spell  was  told ; 
"  For  the  ivy  green  "  his  knell  was  knoll'd  ; 
That  as  long  as  by  wall  and  greenwood  tree 
The  ivy  flourished,  his  rest  might  be. 

So  did  the  good  monk ;  and  thus  was  laid 
The  Crier  in  ground  by  greenwood  shade. 
In  the  quarry  of  Claife  the  wretched  ghost 
To  human  ear  for  ever  was  lost. 

And  country  folk  in  peace  again 
Went  forth  by  night  through  field  and  lane, 
Nor  dreaded  to  hear  that  terrible  note 
Cry  over  the  water,  and  hail  the  boat. 

And  still  on  that  cliff,  high  over  the  Mere, 
When  summer  is  merry,  and  skies  are  clear, 
In  holiday  times  hearts  light  and  gay 
Look  over  the  hills  and  far  away. 

But  what  that  night  of  horror  revealed. 
And  what  that  night  and  morrow  concealed. 
Of  spirits  so  wicked  and  given  to  roam, 
Lies  hid  with  the  monk  in  St.  Mary's  Holm. 

Peace  be  with  him,  peaceful  soul ! 
Long  his  bell  has  ceased  to  toll. 
Green  the  Isle  that  folds  his  breast ; 
Clear  the  Lake  that  lull'd  his  rest. 


24  Crier  of  Claife. 

Though  the  many  ages  gone 
Long  have  left  his  place  unknown ; 
Yet  where  once  he  kneel'd  and  pray'd, 
By  his  altar  long  decay'd, 
Stranger  to  this  Island  led  ! 
Humbly  speak  and  softly  tread ; 
Catching  from  the  ages  dim 
This,  the  burden  of  his  hymn  : — 

"  Ave,  Thou  before  whose  name 
Wrath  and  shadows  swiftly  flee  ! 

Arm  Thy  faithful  bands  with  flame, 
Earth  from  foulest  foes  to  free. 

"  Peace  on  all  these  valleys  round, 
Breathe  from  out  this  Islet's  breast ; 

Wafting  from  this  holy  ground 
Seeds  of  Thy  eternal  rest. 

"  Wrath  and  Evil,  then  no  more 
Here  molesting,  all  shall  cease. 

Peace  around  !     From  shore  to  shore^ 
Peace  !     On  all  Thy  waters — ^peace  ! 


25 


NOTES  TO  "CRIER  OF  CLAIFE." 

The  little  rocky  tree-decked  islet  in  Windermere,  called 
St.  Mary's,  or  the  Ladye's  Holme,  hitherto  reputed  to  have 
formed  part  of  the  conventual  domains  of  the  Abbey  at 
Furness,  had  its  name  from  a  chantry  dedicated  to  the  Virgin 
Mary,  which  was  standing  up  to  the  reign  of  King  Henrj'  the 
Eighth,  but  of  which  no  traces  are  now  remaining.  "When," 
says  an  anonymous  writer,  "at  the  Reformation,  that  day  of 
desolation  came,  which  saw  the  attendant  priests  driven  forth, 
and  silenced  for  ever  the  sweet  chant  of  orison  and  litany 
within  its  walls  ;  the  isle  and  revenues  of  the  institution  were 
sold  to  the  Philipsons  of  Calgarth.  By  them  the  building 
was  suffered  to  fall  into  so  utter  a  state  of  ruin,  that  no  trace 
even  of  its  foundations  is  left  to  proclaim  to  the  stranger  who 
meditates  upon  the  fleeting  change  of  time  and  creed,  that 
here,  for  more  than  three  centuries,  stood  a  hallowed  fane, 
from  whence  at  eventide  and  prime  prayers  were  wafted 
through  the  dewy  air,  where  now  are  only  heard  the  festal 
sounds  of  life's  more  jocund  hours."  Lately  renewed  anti- 
quarian investigation  has,  however,  disclosed  the  erroueousness 
of  the  generally  received  statement  respecting  the  early  owner- 
ship of  this  tiny  spot ;  as  in  Dodsworth's  celebrated  collection 
of  ancient  evidences  there  is  contained  an  Inquisition,  or  the 
copy  of  one,  taken  at  Kendal,  so  far  back  as  the  Monday  after 
the  feast  of  the  Annunciation,  in  the  28th  Edward  the  Third, 
which  shews  that  this  retreat,  amid  the  waters  of  our  English 
Como,  appertained  not  to  Furness  Abbey,  but  to  the  house  of 
Segden,  in  Scotland,  which  was  bound  always  to  provide  two 
resident  chaplains  for  the  service  of  our  Ladye's  Chapel  in 
this  island  solitude.  For  the  maintenance  and  support  of  those 
priests,  certain  lands  were  given  by  the  founder,  who  was 
either  one  of  that  chivalrous  race,  descended  from  the  Scottish 
Lyndseys  "light  and  gay,"  whose  immediate  ancestor  in  the 
early  part  of  the  thirteenth  centuiy  had  married  Alice,  second 
daughter  and  co-heiress  of  William  de  Lancaster,  eighth  Lord 
of  Kendal  ;  and  with  her  obtained  that  moiety  of  the  Barony 
of  Kendal,  whose  numerous  manors  are  collectively  known 
ai  the  Richmond  Fee  ;  or  the  chantry   may  have  owed    its 


26  Crier  of  Claife, 


foundation  to  the  pious  impulses  of  Ingelram  de  Guignes, 
Sire  de  Couci,  one  of  the  grand  old  Peers  of  France,  whose 
house,  so  renowned  in  history  and  romance,  proclaimed  its 
independence  and  its  pride  in  this  haughty  motto  : — 
"  Je  ne  suis  Roy  ni  Prince  aussi, 
Je  suis  Le  Seignhor  de  Courci." 
And  which  Ingelram  in  1285  married  Christiana,  heiress  of 
the  last  de  Lyndsey,  and  in  her  right,  besides  figuring  on 
innumerable  occasions  as  a  feudal  potentate,  both  in  England 
and  Scotland,  he  became  Lord  of  the  Fee,  within  which  lies 
St.  Mary's  Isle. 

On  an  Inquisition  taken  after  the  death  of  Johanna  de 
Coupland,  in  the  49th  Edward  the  Third,  it  was  found  that 
she  held  the  advowson  of  the  Chapel  of  Saint  Mary's  Holme, 
within  the  lake  of  Wynandermere,  but  that  it  was  worth 
nothing,  because  the  land  which  the  said  Chapel  enjoyed  of 
old  time  had  been  seized  into  the  hands  of  the  King,  and  lay 
within  the  park  of  Calgarth.  It  is  on  record,  however,  that 
in  1492,  an  annual  sum  of  six  pounds  was  paid  out  of  the 
revenues  of  the  Richmond  Fee,  towards  the  support  of  the 
Chaplains  ;  and  in  the  returns  made  by  the  ecclesiastical 
Commissioners  in  Edward  the  Sixth's  reign,  "the  free  Chapel 
of  Holme  and  Wynandermere"  is  mentioned,  shortly  after 
which  it  was  granted,  as  aforesaid,  to  the  owners  of  Calgarth. 

The  singular  name  of  the  "  Crier  of  Claife"  is  now  applied 
to  an  extensive  slate  or  flag  quarry,  long  disused,  and  over- 
grown with  wood,  on  the  wildest  and  most  lonely  part  of  the 
height  called  Latter-barrow,  which  divides  the  vales  of  Esth- 
waite  and  Windermere,  above  the  Ferry.  In  this  desolate 
spot,  by  the  sanctity  and  skill  of  holy  men,  had  been  exorcised 
and  laid  the  apparition  who  had  come  to  be  known  throughout 
the  country  by  that  title  ;  and  the  place  itself  has  ever  since 
borne  the  same  name.  None  of  the  country  people  will  go 
near  it  after  night  fall,  and  few  care  to  approach  it  even  in 
daylight.  Desperate  men  driven  from  their  homes  by  domestic 
discord,  have  been  seen  going  in  its  direction,  and  never  known 
to  return.  It  is  said  the  Crier  is  allowed  to  emerge  occasion- 
ally from  his  lonely  prison,  and  is  still  heard  on  very  stormy 
nights  sending  his  wild  entreaty  for  a  boat,  howling  across 
Windermere.  Mr.  Craig  Gibson,  in  one  of  his  graphic 
sketches  of  the  Lake  country,  says  that  he  is  qualified  to  speak 
to  this,  for  he  himself  has  heard  him.  "At  least,"  says  he,  "I 
have  heard  what  I  was  solemnly  assured  by  an  old  lady  at 
Cunsey  must  have  been  the  Crier  of  Claife.  Riding  down 
the  woods  a  little  south  of  the  Ferry,    on  a  wild  January 


Crier  of  Claife.  2  7 


evening,  I  was  strongly  impressed  by  a  sound  made  by  the 
wind  as,  after  gathering  behind  the  hill  called  Gummershow 
for  short  periods  of  comparative  calm,  it  came  rashing  up  and 
across  the  lake  with  a  sound  startlingly  suggestive  of  the  cry 
of  a  human  being  in  extremity,  wailing  for  succour.  This 
sound  lasted  till  the  squall  it  always  preceded  struck  the 
western  shore,  when  it  was  lost  in  the  louder  rush  of  the  wind 
through  the  leafless  woods.  I  am  induced  to  relate  this,"  he 
continues,  "by  the  belief  I  entertain  that  the  phenomenon 
described  thus  briefly  and  imperfectly,  may  account  for  much 
of  the  legend,  and  that  the  origin  of  many  similar  traditional 
superstitions  may  be  found  in  something  equally  simple." 

The  late  Mr.  John  Briggs,  in  his  notes  upon  "Westmorland 
as  it  was,"  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hodgson,  has  furnished  his 
readers  with  some  curious  information  upon  the  ' '  philosophy 
of  spirits,"  which  he  collected  from  those  ancient  sages  of  the 
dales  who  were  supposed  to  be  best  acquainted  with  the 
subject.  Many  of  these  superstitions  are  now  exploded  :  but 
the  marvellous  tales  at  one  time  currently  believed,  still  furnish 
conversation  for  the  cottage  fireside.  According  to  the  gravest 
authorities,  he  says,  no  spirit  could  appear  before  twilight  had 
vanished  in  the  evening,  or  after  it  had  appeared  in  the 
morning.  On  this  account,  the  winter  nights  were  peculiarly 
dangerous,  owing  to  the  long  revels  which  ghosts,  or  dobbies, 
as  they  were  called,  could  keep  at  that  season.  There  was 
one  exception  to  this.  If  a  man  had  murdered  a  woman  who 
was  with  child  by  him,  she  had  power  to  haunt  him  at  all 
hours  ;  and  the  Romish  priests  (who  alone  had  the  power  of 
laying  spirits,)  could  not  lay  a  spirit  of  this  kind  with  any 
certainty,  as  she  generally  contrived  to  break  loose  long  before 
her  stipulated  time.  A  culprit  might  hope  to  escape  the 
gallows,  but  there  was  no  hope  of  escaping  being  haunted. 
In  common  cases,  however,  the  priest  could  "lay"  the  ghosts; 
"while  ivy  was  green,"  was  the  usual  term.  But  in  very 
desperate  cases,  they  were  laid  in  the  "Red  Sea,"  which  was 
accomplished  with  great  difficulty  and  even  danger  to  the 
exorcist.  In  this  country,  the  most  usual  place  to  confine 
spirits  was  under  Haws  Bridge,  a  few  miles  below  Kendal. 
Many  a  grim  ghost  has  been  chained  in  that  dismal  trough  ! 

According  to  the  laws  to  which  they  were  subject,  ghosts 
could  seldom  appear  to  more  than  one  person  at  a  time. 
When  they  appeared  to  the  eyes,  they  had  not  the  power  of 
making  a  noise ;  and  when  they  saluted  the  ear,  they  could 
not  greet  the  eyes.  To  this,  however,  there  was  an  exception, 
when  a  human  being  spoke  to  them  in  the  name  of  the  Blessed 


28  Crier  of  CLaife. 


Trinity.  For  it  was  an  acknowledged  truth,  that  however 
wicked  the  individual  might  have  been  in  this  world,  or  how- 
ever light  he  might  have  made  of  the  Almighty's  name,  he 
would  tremble  at  its  very  sound,  when  separated  from  his 
earthly  covering. 

The  causes  of  spirits  appearing  after  death  were  generally 
three.  Murdered  persons  came  again  to  haunt  their  murderers, 
or  to  obtain  justice  by  appearing  to  other  persons  likely  to  see 
them  avenged.  Persons  who  had  hid  any  treasure,  were 
doomed  to  haunt  the  place  where  that  treasure  was  hid  ;  as 
they  had  made  a  god  of  their  wealth  in  this  world,  the  place 
where  their  treasure  lay  was  to  be  their  heaven  after  death. 
If  any  person  could  speak  to  them,  and  give  them  an  oppor- 
tunity of  confessing  where  their  treasure  was  hid.  they  could 
then  rest  in  peace,  but  not  otherwise.  Those  who  died  with 
any  heavy  crimes  on  their  consciences,  which  they  had  not 
confessed,  were  also  doomed  to  wander  on  the  earth  at  the 
midnight  hour. 

Spirits  had  no  power  over  those  who  did  not  molest  them  ; 
but  if  insulted,  they  seem  to  have  been  extremely  vindictive, 
and  to  have  felt  little  compunction  in  killing  the  insulter. 
They  had  power  to  assume  any  form,  and  to  change  it  as 
often  as  they  pleased  ;  but  they  could  neither  vanish  nor 
change,  while  a  human  eye  was  fixed  upon  them. 

Midway  on  Windermere,  below  the  range  of  islands  which 
intersect  the  lake,  extends  the  track  along  which  ply  the  Ferry 
boats  between  the  little  inn  on  the  western  side  and  the 
wooded  promontory  on  the  opposite  shore.  The  Ferry 
House,  with  its  lawn  in  front  and  few  branching  sycamores, 
occupies  a  jutting  area  between  the  base  of  a  perpendicular 
cliff  and  the  lake.  Few  finer  prospects  can  be  desired  than 
that  afforded  from  the  summit  which  overhangs  the  Mere  at 
this  point.  The  summer  house,  which  has  been  built  for  the 
sake  of  the  views  it  commands  of  the  surrounding  country,  is 
a  favourite  resort  of  lovers  of  the  beautiful  in  nature,  whence 
they  may  witness,  in  its  many  aspects  afar,  the  grandeur  of  the 
mountain  world  ;  and  near  and  below,  the  beauty  of  the 
curving  shores  and  wooded  isles  of  this  queen  of  English 
lakes.  From  the  Ferry  House  to  the  Ferry  Nab,  as  the 
promontory  is  called,  on  the  western  shore,  is  barely  half  a 
mile.  It  was  from  thence  that  in  the  dark  stormy  night  the 
Evil  voice  cried  "  Boat  ! "  which  the  poor  ferryman  obeyed  so 
fatally.  No  passenger  was  there,  but  a  sight  which  sent  him 
back  with  bloodless  face  and  dumb,  to  die  on  the  morrow. 


29 


THE  CUCKOO  IN  BORRODALE. 

Far  Avithin  those  rocky  regions 
Where  old  Scawfell's  hoary  legions, 

Robed  and  capped  with  storms  and  snow, 
Here  like  rugged  Vikings  towering, 
There  like  giants  grimly  cowering, 

Look  into  the  vales  below ; 

Once  where  Borrhy  wild  and  fearless. 
Once  where  Oiler  brave  and  peerless, 

Hew'd  the  forest,  cleared  the  vale. 
Gave  their  names  to  cling  for  ever 
Round  thy  dells  by  crag  and  river. 

Dark  and  wintry  Borrodale  ! 

In  that  dreariest  of  the  valleys. 
Strifes  for  evermore,  and  malice 

Without  end  the  dalesmen  vexed. 
Neighbour  had  no  heart  for  neighbour. 
Never  side  by  side  to  labour 

Went  or  came  they  unperplex'd. 


2,0  The  Cuckoo  in  Borrodale. 

Cheerless  were  the  fields  and  houses. 
Gloomily  the  sullen  spouses 

Moved  about  the  hearths  and  floors. 
Sunshine  was  an  alms  fi"om  Heaven 
That  not  one  day  out  of  seven 

God's  bright  beams  brought  to  their  doors. 


And  'mid  discontent  and  anguish 
Every  virtue  seem'd  to  languish  ; 

Every  soul  groan'd  with  its  load. 
Lingering  in  his  walks  beside  them, 
Oft  their  friendly  Pastor  eyed  them, 

And  his  heart  with  pity  glow'd. 


"Ah  ! "  he  thought,  "  that  looks  of  kindness 
Could  but  enter  here  !  the  blindness 

Of  this  life,  could  it  but  seem 
To  them  the  death  it  is  ! — but  listen  ! " — 
And  his  eyes  began  to  glisten  : 

Spring  was  round  him  like  a  dream. 


"  'Tis  the  Cuckoo  !  "—In  the  hollow 
Up  the  valley  seem'd  to  follow 

Spring's  fair  footsteps  that  sweet  throat. 
All  the  fields  put  off  their  sadness ; 
Trees  and  hills  and  skies  with  gladness 

Answering  to  the  Cuckoo's  note. 


The  Cuckoo  in  Borrodale. 

Then  on  that  still  Sabbath-morrow, 
Spake  the  Pastor — "  Let  us  borrow 

Gladness  from  this  new-bom  Spring. 
Hark,  the  bird  that  brings  the  blossoms  ! 
Brings  the  sunshine  to  our  bosoms  ! 

Makes  with  joy  the  valleys  ring  ! 


"  Coming  from  afar  to  cheer  us, 
Could  we  always  keep  him  near  us. 

All  these  heavenly  skies  from  far, 
All  this  blessed  mom  discovers. 
All  this  Spring  that  round  us  hovers, 

Would  be  still  what  now  they  are  ! 


"  Let  us  all  go  forth  and  labour. 

Sire,  and  son,  and  wife,  and  neighbour, 

First  the  bread,  the  life,  to  win  : 
Then  by  yonder  stream  we'll  rally, 
Build  a  wall  across  the  valley. 

And  we'll  close  the  Cuckoo  in. 


"  So  this  Spring  time,  never  failing, 
While  it  hears  his  music  hailing 

From  the  wood  and  by  the  rill, 
Shall,  its  new  bom  life  retaining. 
Till  our  mortal  hours  are  waning, 

Wami  and  light  and  cheer  us  still." — 


32  The  Cuckoo  in  Borrodale. 

Flush'd  the  morn ;  and  all  were  ready. 
Sowers  sowed  with  paces  steady ; 

Plough'd  the  ploughers  in  the  field ; 
Delved  the  gardeners ;  planters  planted ; 
Then  to  their  great  work,  tindaunted 

Forth  they  fared  their  wall  to  build. 


Stone  by  stone,  the  wall  beside  them 
Rose.     Their  Pastor  came  to  guide  them, 

Day  by  day,  and  spake  to  cheer ; 
While  each  labouring  hand  the  others 
Helped,  and  one  and  all  like  brothers 

Wrought  along  the  ripening  year. 


Then  they  gathered  in  their  houses. 
Men  and  maidens,  sires  and  spouses. 

Talking  of  their  wall.     And  when 
Soon  the  long  bright  day  returning 
Called  them,  every  heart  was  yearning 

To  resume  its  task  again. 


And  on  every  eve  they  parted 

At  their  thresholds,  kindlier-hearted, 

Looking  forth  again  to  meet. 
All  had  something  good  or  gladdening 
On  their  lips ;  the  only  saddening 

Sounds  were  those  of  parting  feet. 


The  Cuckoo  in  Borrodale.  33 

So  their  wall,  extending  ever, 
Spann'd  at  length  the  vale  and  river ; 

Grasp'd  the  mountains  there  and  here  : 
Reached  towards  the  blue  of  heaven ; 
Touched  the  light  cloud  o'er  it  driven ; 

And  the  end  at  length  was  near. 


June  had  come  \  and  all  was  vernal  : 
Seemed  secure  their  Spring  eternal : 

Eyes  were  bright,  and  skies  were  blue 
When — at  Nature's  call — unguided— 
Out  the  voice  above  them  glided, 

"  Cuckoo  !  " — far  away,  "  Cuckoo  ! " 


"  Gone  !  "  a  hundred  tongues  in  chorus 
Shouted ;  "  Gone  !  the  bird  that  bore  us 

Spring  with  all  things  bright  and  good  ! " 
While,  in  stupor  and  amazement, 
Vacantly  from  cope  to  basement 

Glowering  at  their  wall,  they  stood. — 


But  though  all  forgot,  while  building 
Up  their  wall,  that  months  were  yielding 

Each  in  turn  to  others'  sway. 
With  their  leaves  and  landscapes  changing ; 
And,  to  skies  more  constant  ranging, 

Fled  the  Cuckoo  far  away  ! 
3 


34  The  Cuckoo  in  Borrodale. 

Winter  from  their  hearts  had  perished  ; 
Spring  in  every  -heart  was  cherished  ; 

Every  charm  of  hfe  and  love — 
Love  for  wife  and  home  and  neighbour- 
Sprang  from  out  that  genial  labour ; 

Peace  around,  and  Heaven  above. 


Faith  into  their  lives  had  entered  ; 
Joy  and  fellowship  were  centred 

Wheresoe'er  a  hearth  was  found. 
While  the  calm  bright  hope  before  them 
Temper'd  even  the  rains,  and  o'er  them 

Charmed  to  rest  the  tempests'  sound. 


35 


NOTES  TO   "THE  CUCKOO  IN  BORRODALE." 

If  the  traditions  of  the  past,  and  the  estimate  foi'med  of 
them  by  their  distant  neighbours,  bear  rather  hardly  upon  the 
people  of  Borrodale,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  relations 
of  that  dale  to  the  world  without  were  very  different  a  hundred 
years  ago  from  what  they  are  now.  It  was  a  recess,  approached 
by  a  long  and  winding  valley,  from  the  vale  of  Keswick,  with 
the  lake  extending  between  its  entrance  and  the  town.  The 
highest  mountains  of  the  district  closed  round  its  head.  Its 
entrance  was  guarded  by  a  woody  hill,  on  which  had  formerly 
stood  a  Roman  fortress,  afterwards  occupied  by  the  Saxons, 
and  which  in  later  times  was  maintained  in  its  military  capacity 
by  the  monks  of  Furness.  For  here  one  of  their  principal 
magazines  was  established,  and  the  holy  fathers  had  gi-eat 
possessions  to  defend  from  the  frequent  irruptions  of  the  Scots 
in  those  days.  Besides  their  tithe  corn,  they  amassed  here 
the  valuable  minerals  of  the  country ;  among  which  salt, 
produced  from  a  spring  in  the  valley,  was  no  inconsiderable 
article. 

In  this  deep  retreat  the  inhabitants  of  the  villages  of  Ros- 
thwaite  and  Seathwaite,  having  at  all  times  little  in'ercourse 
with  the  country,  during  half  the  year  were  almost  totally 
excluded  from  all  human  commerce.  The  surrounding  hills 
attract  the  vapours,  and  rain  falls  abundantly  ;  snow  lies  long 
in  the  valleys ;  and  the  clouds  frequently  obscure  the  sky. 
Upon  the  latter  vil'age,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  the  sun  never 
shines.  As  the  spring  advances,  his  rays  begin  to  shoot  over 
the  southern  mountains  ;  and  at  high  noon  to  tip  the  chimney 
tops  with  their  light.  That  radiant  sign  shows  the  cheerless 
winter  to  be  now  over  ;  and  rouses  the  hardy  peasants  to  the 
labours  of  the  coming  year.  Their  scanty  patches  of  arable 
land  they  cultivated  with  difficulty  ;  and  their  crops  late  in 
ripening,  and  often  a  prey  to  autumnal  rains,  which  are  violent 
in  this  country,  just  gave  them  bread  to  eat.  Their  herds 
afforded  them  milk  ;  and  their  flocks  supplied  them  with 
clothes  :  the  shepherd  himself  being  often  the  manufacturer 
also.  No  dye  was  necessary  to  tinge  their  wool  :  it  was 
naturally  a  russet  brown  ;   and  sheep   and  shepherds  were 


36  The  Cuckoo  in  Borrodale. 


clothed  alike,  both  in  the  simple  livery  of  nature.  The 
procuring  of  fuel  was  among  their  greatest  hardships.  Here 
the  inhabitants  were  obliged  to  get  on  the  tops  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  which  abounding  with  mossy  grounds,  seldom  found 
in  the  valleys  below,  supplied  them  with  peat.  This,  made 
into  bundles,  and  fastened  upon  sledges,  they  guided  down 
the  precipitous  sides  of  the  mountains,  and  stored  in  their 
outbuildings.  At  the  period  to  which  we  refer,  a  hundred 
years  ago,  the  roads  \\'ere  of  the  rudest  construction,  scarcely 
passable  even  for  horses.  A  cart  or  any  kind  of  wheeled 
carriage  was  totally  unknown  in  Borrodale.  They  carried 
their  hay  home  upon  their  horses,  in  bundles,  one  on  each 
side  :  they  made  no  stacks.  Their  manure  they  carried  in  the 
same  manner,  as  also  the  smaller  wood  for  firing  :  the  larger 
logs  they  trailed.  Their  food  in  summer  consisted  of  fish  and 
small  mutton  ;  in  winter,  of  bacon  and  hung  mutton.  Nor 
was  their  method  of  drying  their  mutton  less  rude  :  they  hung 
the  sheep  up  by  the  hintler  legs,  and  took  away  only  the  head 
and  entrails.  In  this  situation,  I  myself,  says  Clarke,  have 
seen  seven  sheep  hanging  in  one  chimney. 

The  inhabitants  of  Borrodale  were  a  proverb,  even  among 
their  unpolished  neighbours,  for  ignorance  ;  and  a  thousand 
absurd  and  improbable  stories  are  related  of  their  stupidity ; 
such  as  mistaking  a  red-deer,  seen  upon  one  of  their  moun- 
tains, for  a  hornetl  horse  ;  at  the  siglit  of  which  they  assembled 
in  considerable  numbers,  and  provided  themselves  with  ropes, 
thinking  to  take  him  by  tlie  same  means  as  they  did  their 
horses  when  wild  in  the  field,  Ijy  running  them  into  a  strait, 
and  then  tripping  them  up  with  a  cord.  A  chase  of  several 
hours  proved  fruitless  ;  when  they  i^eturned  thoroughly  con- 
vinced they  had  been  chasing  a  witch.  Such  like  is  the  story 
of  the  mule,  which,  being  ridden  into  the  dale  by  a  stranger 
bound  for  the  mountains,  was  left  in  the  care  of  his  host  at  the 
foot  of  a  pass.  The  neighbours  assembled  to  see  the  curious 
animal,  and  consulted  the  wise  man  of  the  dale  as  to  what 
it  could  be.  With  his  book,  and  his  thoughts  in  serious 
deliberation,  he  was  enabled  to  announce  authoritatively  that 
the  brute  was  a  peacock !  So  when  a  new  light  broke  into 
Borrodale,  and  lime  was  first  sent  for  from  beyond  Keswick  ; 
the  carrier  was  an  old  dalesman  with  horse  and  sacks.  Rain 
falling,  it  began  to  smoke  :  some  water  from  the  river  was 
procured  by  him  to  extinguish  the  unnatural  fire  ;  but  the  evil 
was  increased,  and  the  smoke  grew  worse.  Assured  at  length 
that  he  had  got  the  devil  in  his  sacks,  as  he  must  be  in  any 
fire  which  was  aggravated  by  water,  he  tossed  the  whole  load 


The  Cuckoo  in  Borrodale.  2)7 


over  into  the  river.  The  tale  of  the  stirrups  is  perhaps  a  little 
too  absurd  even  for  Borrodale.  A  '"statesman"  brought  home 
from  a  distant  fair  or  sale,  what  had  never  before  been  seen  in 
the  dale,  a  pair  of  stirmps.  Ividing  home  in  them,  when  he 
reached  his  own  door,  his  feet  had  become  so  fastened  m 
them,  that  they  could  not  be  got  out ;  so  as  there  was  no 
help  for  it,  he  patiently  sat  his  horse  in  the  pasture  for  a  day 
or  two,  his  family  bringing  him  food,  then  it  was  proposed 
to  bring  them  both  into  the  stable,  which  was  done  ;  his 
family  bringing  him  food  as  before.  At  length  it  occurred  to 
some  one  that  he  might  be  lifted  with  the  saddle  from  the 
horse,  and  carried  thereupon  into  the  house.  There  the 
mounted  man  sat  spinning  wool  in  a  comer  of  the  kitchen, 
till  the  return  of  one  of  his  sons  from  .St.  Bees  school,  whose 
learning,  after  due  consideration  of  the  case,  suggested  that 
the  good  man  should  draw  his  feet  out  of  his  shoes  :  when  to 
the  joy  of  his  family  he  was  restored  to  his  occupation  and  to 
liberty.  But  the  stoiy  of  the  Cuckoo  has  made  its  local  name 
the  "Gowk"  spionymous  with  an  inhabitant  of  the  vale.  There 
the  Spring  was  very  charming,  and  the  voice  of  the  bird  rare 
and  gladsome.  It  occurred  to  the  natives  that  a  wall  built 
across  the  entrance  of  their  valley,  at  Grange,  if  made  high 
enough,  would  keep  the  cuckoo  among  them,  and  malce  the 
cheerful  .Spring-days  last  for  ever.  The  plan  was  tried,  and 
failed  only  because,  according  to  popular  belief  from  genera- 
tion to  generation,  the  wall  was  not  built  oiie  course  higher. 

The  wetness  of  the  weather  in  Borrodale  is  something  more 
than  an  occasional  inconvenience.  It  may  be  judged  of  by 
observations  which  show  the  following  results.  The  average 
quantity  of  rain  in  many  parts  of  the  south  of  England  does 
not  exceed  20  inches,  and  sometimes  does  not  even  reach  that 
amount.  The  mean  rain  fall  for  England  is  30  inches. 
Kendal  and  Keswick  have  been  considered  the  wettest  places 
known  in  England ;  and  the  annual  average  at  the  fomier 
place  is  52  inches.  It  was  found  by  e.xperiments  made  in 
1852,  that  while  81  inches  were  measured  on  Scawfell  Pike  ; 
86  at  Great  C^able  ;  124  at  Sty  Head  ;  156  were  measured  at 
Seathwaite  in  Borrodale  ;  shewing,  with  the  exception  of  that 
at  Sprinkling  Tarn,  between  Scawfell,  and  Langdale  Pikes, 
and  Great  Gable,  where  it  measured  16S  inches  nearly,  the 
greatest  rainfall  in  the  Lake  District  to  be  at  the  head  of 
Borrodale.  Taking  a  period  of  ten  years,  the  average  annual 
rainfall  at  Seathwaite  in  that  dale  was  over  126  inches  ;  for 
the  rest  of  England  it  was  29  inches. 


38 


KING  EVELING. 

King  Eveling  stood  by  the  Azure  River, 

When  the  tide-wave  landward  began  to  flow ; 

And  over  the  sea  in  the  sunHght's  shiver, 
He  watch'd  one  white  sail  northward  go. 

"  Twice  has  it  pass'd  ;  and  I  linger,  weary  : 
How  I  long  for  its  coming,  my  life  to  close  ! 

My  lands  forget  me,  my  halls  are  dreary. 
And  my  age  is  lonely ;  I  want  repose. 

"  If  rightly  I  read  the  signs  within  me, 

The  tides  may  lessen,  the  moon  may  wane. 

And  then  the  Powers  I  have  serv'd  will  \vin  me 
A  pathway  over  yon  shining  plain. 

"  It  befits  a  King,  who  has  wisely  spoken. 

Whose  rule  was  just,  and  whose  deeds  were  brave, 

To  depart  alone,  and  to  leave  no  token 
On  earth  but  of  glory — not  even  a  grave. 

"  And  now  I  am  going.  No  more  to  know  me, 
My  banners  fall  round  me  with  age  outworn. 

I  have  buried  my  crown  in  the  sands  below  me  ; 
And  I  vanish,  a  King,  into  night  forlorn. 


King  Eve  ling.  39 

"  What  of  mine  is  good  will  endure  for  ever, 
Growing  into  the  ages  on  earth  to  be, 

AVhen — Eveling  dwelt  by  the  Azure  River, 
A  King — shall  be  all  that  is  told  of  me." 

For  days  the  tides  with  ebbing  and  flowing 
Grew  full  with  the  moon ;  and  out  of  the  dim. 

On  the  ocean's  verge  came  the  white  sail  growing. 
And  anchor'd  below  on  the  shoreward  rim. 

His  people  slept.     For  to  them  descended. 
In  that  good  time  of  the  King,  their  rest, 

While  the  lengthening  shades  of  the  eve  yet  blended 
With  the  golden  sunbeams  low  in  the  west. 

No  banded  host  on  his  footsteps  waited. 
No  child  nor  vassal  from  bower  or  hall  : 

He  look'd  around  him  like  one  belated 
On  a  lonely  wild  ;  and  he  went  from  all. 

Slowly  he  strode  to  the  ship ;  and  for  ever 

Sailed  out  from  the  land  he  had  ruled  so  well ; 

And  the  name  of  the  King  by  the  Azure  River 
Is  all  that  is  left  for  the  bards  to  tell. 


40 


NOTES  TO  "KING  EVELING." 

The  ancient,  but  now  insignificant  town  and  seaport  of 
Ravenglass,  six  miles  from  Bootle  and  about  sixteen  from 
Whitehaven,  is  situated  on  a  small  creek,  at  the  confluence 
of  the  rivers  Esk,  Mite,  and  Irt,  which  form  a  large  sandy 
harbour.  Of  this  place  the  Editor  of  Camden,  Bishop  Gibson, 
says — "The  shore,  wheeling  to  the  north,  comes  to  Raven- 
glass,  a  harbour  for  ships,  and  commodiously  surrounded  with 
two  rivers ;  where,  as  I  am  told,  there  have  been  found  Roman 
inscriptions.  Some  will  have  it  to  have  been  formerly  called 
Aven-glass,  i.e.  (Coeruleus)  an  azure  sky-coloured  river  ;  and 
tell  you  abundance  of  stories  about  King  Eveling,  who  had 
his  palace  here." 

Ravenglass  appears  from  Mr.  Sandford's  M.S.  to  have  been 
of  old  of  some  importance  as  a  fishing  town.  He  says —  "Here 
were  some  salmons  and  all  sorts  of  fish  in  plenty  ;  but  the 
greatest  plenty  of  herrings,  (it)  is  a  daintye  fish  of  a  foot  long ; 
and  so  plenteous  a  fishing  thereof  and  in  the  sea  betwixt  and 
the  ile  of  man,  as  they  lie  in  sholes  together  so  thike  in  the 
sea  at  spawning,  about  August,  as  a  ship  cannot  pass  tliorow : 
and  the  fishers  go  from  all  the  coast  to  catch  them." 

There  was  also  formerly  a  considerable  pearl-fishery  at  this 
place :  and  Camden  speaks  of  the  shell-fish  in  the  Irt  pro- 
ducing pearls.  Sir  John  Hawkins  obtained  from  government 
the  right  of  fishing  for  pearls  in  that  river.  The  pearls  were 
obtained  from  mussels,  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbourhood, 
who  sought  for  them  at  low  water,  and  aftenvards  sold  them 
to  the  jewellers.  About  the  year  1695,  "^  patent  was  granted 
to  some  gentlemen,  for  pearl-fishing  in  the  Irt ;  but  how  the 
undertaking  prospered  is  uncertain.  The  pearl-mussels  do  not 
appear  to  have  been  very  plentiful  for  many  years.  Nicolson 
and  Bum  observe,  that  Mr.  Thomas  Patrickson,  of  How  in 
this  County,  is  said  to  have  obtained  as  many  from  divers 
poor  people,  whom  he  employed  to  gather  them,  as  he 
aftenvards  sold  in  London  for  ;^8oo. 

Tacitus  in  the  "Agricola"  describes  the  pearls  found  in 
Britain  as  being  of  a  dark  and  livid  hue.     Pliny  also  : — "In 


King  Eveling.  4 1 

Britain  some  pearls  do  grow,  but  they  are  small  and  dim,  not 
clear  and  bright."  And  again  : — "Julius  Cxsar  did  not  deny, 
that  the  breast-plate  which  he  dedicated  to  Venus  Genitrix, 
within  the  temple,  was  made  of  British  pearls."  So  that  it  is 
not  at  all  improbable  that  our  little  northern  stream  even  may 
have  contributed  in  some  degree  to  the  splendour  of  the 
imperial  offering. 

The  manor  in  which  Ravenglass  is  included  is  dependent 
on  the  barony  of  Egremont  ;  and  King  John  granted  to 
Richard  Lucy,  as  lord  paramount,  a  yearly  fair  to  be  held 
here  on  St.  James's  day,  and  a  weekly  market  every  Saturday ; 
and  at  the  present  time  ihe  successor  to  the  Earls  of  Egremont, 
Lord  Leconfield,  holds  the  fair  of  Ravenglass,  on  the  eve, 
day,  and  morrow  of  St.  James.  Hutchinson  thus  describes 
it: — "There  are  singidar  circumstances  and  ceremonies 
attending  the  proclamation  of  this  fair,  as  being  anciently 
held  under  the  maintenance  and  protection  of  the  Castle  of 
Egremont.  On  the  first  day,  the  lord's  steward  is  attended 
by  the  sargeant  of  the  Borough  of  Egremont,  with  the  insignia 
(called  the  bow  of  Egremont),  the  foresters,  with  their  bows 
and  homs,  and  all  the  tenants  of  the  forest  of  Copeland, 
whose  special  service  is  to  attend  the  lord  and  his  repre- 
sentative at  Ravenglass  fair,  and  abide  there  during  its 
continuance  ;  anciently,  for  the  protection  of  a  free-trade,  and 
to  defend  the  merchandise  against  free-booters.  and  a  foreign 
enemy  :  such  was  the  wretched  state  of  this  country  in  former 
times,  that  all  such  protection  was  scarce  sufficient.  For  the 
maintenance  of  the  horses  of  those  who  attend  the  ceremony, 
they  have  by  custom,  a  ])ortion  of  land  assigned  in  the  meadow, 
called,  or  distinguished,  by  the  name  of  two  Swaiths  of  grass 
in  the  common  field  of  Ravenglass.  On  the  third  day  at  noon, 
the  earl's  officers,  and  tenants  of  the  forest  depart,  after  pro- 
clamation ;  and  Lord  Muncaster  (as  mesne  lord)  and  his  tenants 
take  a  formal  repossession  of  the  place ;  and  the  day  is 
concluded  with  horse  races  and  rural  diversions." 

A  genuine  specimen  of  feudal  observances  is  preserved  in 
the  custom  of  riding  the  boundaries  of  manors,  which,  in  the 
mountain  district,  where  the  line  of  division  is  not  very 
distinct,  is  performed  perhaps  once  during  each  generation, 
by  the  representatives  of  the  lord  of  the  manor,  accompanied 
by  an  immense  straggling  procession  of  all  ages, — the  old  men 
being  made  useful  in  pointing  out  important  or  disputed 
portions  of  the  boundary,  and  the  young  in  having  it  impressed 
on  their  memories,  so  that  their  evidence  or  recollection  may 
be  made  available  in  future  peregrinations.      In  older  times, 


42  King  Eve  ling. 

when  the  interests  of  the  lords  outweighed  farther  than  in  our 
own  day  the  riglits  of  the  peasantry,  certain  youthful  members 
of  the  retinue,  in  order  to  deepen  the  impression  and  make  it 
more  enduring,  were  severely  whipped  at  all  those  points 
which  the  stewards  were  most  anxious  to  have  held  in 
remembrance.  The  occasions  always  wind  up  with  a  banquet, 
provided  on  a  most  liberal  scale  by  the  lord  of  the  manor,  and 
open  to  all  who  take  part  in  the  business  of  the  day. 

Another  local  usage  connected  with  the  landed  interest,  and 
long  obsei-ved  with  notable  regularity,  was  the  following. 
When  salmon  was  plentiful  in  the  Cumberland  rivers,  and 
formed  a  very  important  element  in  the  ordinary  living  of  the 
occupants  of  adjoining  lands,  the  tenants  of  the  manor  of 
Ennerdale  and  Kinniside  claimed  "a  free  stream"  in  the  river 
Ehen,  from  Ennerdale  lake  to  the  sea,  and  assembled  once  a 
year  to  "ride  the  stream."  If  obstructions  were  found,  such 
as  weirs  and  dams,  they  were  at  once  destroyed.  Refreshments 
were  levied  or  provided  at  certain  places  on  the  river  for  the 
cavalcade.     This  custom  has  long  ceased  to  be  observed. 

About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  south  east  of  this  place  is 
an  old  ivy-mantled  ruin,  designated  Wall  Castle.  It  is  said 
to  have  been  the  original  residence  of  the  Penningtons,  but  in 
all  probability  it  dates  from  a  much  remoter  period.  Stone 
battle-axes  and  arrow-heads  have  been  found  around  it,  and 
coins  of  different  people,  principally  Roman  and  Saxon.  The 
building  is  strongly  cemented  with  run  lime. 

This  old  castle  stands  at  no  great  distance  from  the  second 
cutting  through  which  the  railroad  passes  after  leaving  Raven- 
glass  :  adjoining  to  which,  a  little  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  an  ancient  fosse  and  several  foundations  of  walls  have 
been  laid  bare  by  the  owner  of  the  estate,  and  large  quantities 
of  building  stone  removed  from  them  at  various  times.  In 
making  this  cutting,  the  workmen  laid  open  an  ancient  burial 
place,  which  was  of  great  depth,  and  contained  a  quantity  of 
human  remains,  with  several  bones  of  animals.  The  sides 
were  secured  by  strong  timber  and  stone  work.  The  buried 
bodies  were  very  numerous,  and  the  place  was  evidently 
of  very  great  antiquity.  From  the  presence  of  oak  leaves  and 
acorns,  charred  wood,  etc.,  it  has  been  supposed  to  have  been 
the  tomb  of  the  victims  in  some  Draidical  sacrifice  :  it  being 
known  that  the  Druids  immolated  their  criminals,  by  placing 
them  collectively  in  the  interior  of  a  large  image  of  wicker- 
work,  and  then  setting  fire  to  it ;  and  that  various  animals 
were  sacrificed  along  with  them  by  way  of  expiation. 

About  five  miles  to  the  east  of  Ravenglass  is  the  small  lake 


King  Eveling.  43 

of  Devoke  Water,  near  the  foot  of  which,  on  the  summit  of  a 
considerable  hill,  stand  the  ruins  of  another  interestinjj  piece 
of  antiquity,  the  so-called  city  of  Bamscar  or  Bardscar.  Its 
site  is  so  elevated,  as  to  command  a  wide  extent  of  country, 
and  an  ancient  road  from  Ulpha  to  Ravenglass  passes  through 
it.  The  name  is  purely  Scandinavian,  and  tradition  ascribes 
it  to  the  Danes.  A  well  known  popular  saying  in  the  locality 
refers  to  the  manner  in  which  this  city  is  said  to  have  been 
peopled  by  its  founders,  who  gathered  for  inhabitants  the  men 
of  Drigg  and  the  women  of  Beckermet.  The  original  help- 
mates of  the  latter  place  are  sui)posed  to  have  fallen  in  battle  : 
what  had  become  of  the  wives  ,and  daughters  of  the  former 
place  is  not  averred.  But  the  saying  continues — "Let  us  gang 
togidder  like  t'  lads  o'  Drigg,  an'  t'  lasses  o'  Beckermet." 

The  description  of  this  place  given  by  Hutchinson  at  the 
latter  end  of  last  century  is  as  follows  : — "This  place  is  about 
300  yards  long,  from  east  to  west ;  and  lOO  yards  broad,  from 
north  to  south  ;  now  walled  round,  save  at  the  east  end,  near 
three  feet  in  height ;  there  appears  to  have  been  a  long  street, 
with  several  cross  ones  :  the  remains  of  housesteads,  within 
the  walls,  are  not  very  numerous,  but  on  the  outside  of  the 
walls  they  are  innumerable,  especially  on  the  south  side  and 
west  end  ;  the  circumference  of  the  city  and  suburbs  is  near 
three  computed  miles  ;  the  figure  an  oblong  square."  It  is 
added  that  about  the  year  1730,  a  considerable  quantity  of 
silver  coin  was  found  in  the  ruins  of  one  of  the  houses, 
concealed  in  a  cavity,  formed  in  a  beam  ;  none  of  which  un- 
fortunately has  been  preserved,  to  throw  light  upon  the  name, 
the  race,  or  character  and  habits  of  its  possessors. 

From  the  Pow  to  the  Duddon  innumerable  objects  of 
interest  lie  scattered  between  the  mountains  and  the  sea  coast, 
of  which  little  more  can  be  said  than  was  stated,  as  above,  by 
Camden's  editor —  "  Some  tell  you  abundance  of  stories  about 
them" — as  well  as  "about  King  Eveling,  who  had  his  palace 
here." 


44 


SIR  LANCELOT  THRELKELD. 

The  widows  were  sitting  in  Threlkeld  Hall; 

The  corn  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day  ; 
Their  little  grand-children  were  tossing  the  ball ; 
And  the  farmers  leaned  over  the  garden  wall ; 

And  the  widows  were  spinning  the  eve  away. 

They  busily  talk'd  of  the  days  long  gone, 

While  the  com  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day ; 
How  old  Sir  Lancelot's  armour  had  shone 
On  the  panels  of  oak  by  the  broad  hearth-stone, 
Where  the  widows  sat  spinning  that  eve  away. 

For,  Threlkeld  Hall  of  his  mansions  three — 

WTiere  the  corn  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day — 
Was  his  noblest  house ;  and  a  stately  tree 
Was  the  good  old  Knight,  and  of  high  degree ; 
And  a  braver  rode  never  in  battle  array. 

Now  peaceful  farmers  think  of  their  corn — 
The  corn  so  green  on  Midsummer-day — 
Where  once,  at  the  blast  of  Sir  Lancelot's  horn, 
His  horsemen  all  mustered,  his  banner  was  borne ; 
And  he  went  like  a  Chief  in  his  pride  to  the  fray. 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld.  45 

And  there  the  good  CHfibrd,  the  Shepherd-Lord, 
When  the  corn  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day, 

Sat,  humbly  clad,  at  Sir  Lancelot's  board  ; 

And  tended  the  flocks,  while  rusted  his  sword 
In  the  hall  where  the  widows  were  spinning  away; 


Till  the  new  King  called  him  back  to  his  own — 
When  the  corn  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day — 

To  his  honours  and  name  of  high  renown ; 

When  Sir  Lancelot  old  and  feeble  had  grown ; 
From  his  rude  shepherd-life  called  Lord  Clifford 
away. 


And  sad  was  that  morrow  in  Threlkeld  Hall — 
And  the  corn  was  green  on  that  Midsummer-day — 

When  the  Clifford  stood  ready  to  part  from  all ; 

And  his  shepherd's  staff  was  hung  up  on  the  wall, 
In  that  room  where  the  widows  sat  spinning  aw^ay. 


And  Sir  Lancelot  mounted,  and  called  his  men — 
^\^lile  the  corn  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day — 

And  he  gazed  on  Lord  Clifford  again  and  again ; 

And  Sir  Lancelot  rode  with  him  over  the  plain  ; 
And  at  length  with  strong  effort  his  silence  gave 
way. 


46  Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld. 

"  I  am  old,"  Sir  Lancelot  said ;  "  and  I  know — 

When  the  corn  stands  green  on  Midsummer-day — 
There  will  wars  arise,  and  I  shall  be  low, 
Who  ever  was  ready  to  arm  and  go  ! " — 

For  he  loved  the  war  tramp  and  the  martial  array. 


"  If  ever  a  Knight  might  revisit  this  earth — 

While  the  com  stands  green  on  Midsummer-day" — 
Said  the  Clifford — ^"  When  troubles  and  wars  have 

birth. 
Thou  never  shalt  fail  from  Threlkeld's  hearth  ! " 
From  that  hearth  where  the  widows  were  spinning 
away. 


And  so,  along  Souter-fell  side  they  press'd —  • 

While  the  corn  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day, — 
And  then  they  parted — to  east  and  to  west — 
And  Sir  Lancelot  came  and  was  laid  to  his  rest. 
Said  the  widows  there  spinning  the  eve  away. 


And  the  Shepherd  had  power  in  unwritten  lore  : 
The  corn  stands  green  on  Midsummer-day : 

And  although  the  Knight's  coffin  his  banner  hangs 
o'er, 

Sir  Lancelot  yet  can  tread  this  floor  ; 

Said  the  widows  there  spinning  the  eve  away. — 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld.  47 

Thus  gossip'd  the  widows  in  Threlkeld  Hall, 

While  the  corn  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day  : 
When  the  sound  of  a  footstep  was  heard  to  fall, 
And  an  arm'd  shadow  pass'd  over  the  wall — 

Of  a  Knight  \vith  his  plume  and  in  martial  array. 


With  a  growl  the  fierce  dogs  slunk  behind  the  huge 
chair, 
While  the  com  stood  green  on  that  Midsummer- 
day ; 
And  the  widows  stopt  spinning ;  and  each  was  aware 
Of  a  tread  to  the  porch,  and  Sir  Lancelot  there — 
And  a  stir  as  of  horsemen  all  riding  away. 


They  turned  their  dim  eyes  to  the  lattice  to  gaze — 
While  the  corn  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day — 
But  before  their  old  limbs  they  could  feebly  raise, 
The  horsemen  and  horses  were  far  on  the  ways — 
From  the  Hall,  where  the  widows  were  spinning 
away. 


And  far  along  Souter-fell  side  they  strode, 

While  the  com  stood  green  on  that  Midsummer- 
day. 
And  the  brave  old  Knight  on  his  charger  rode,    • 
As  he  wont  to  ride  from  his  old  abode. 

With  his  sword  by  his  side  and  in  martial  array. 


48  Si?'  Lancelot  Threlkeld. 

Like  a  chief  he  galloped  before  and  behind — 
While  the  corn  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day — 

To  the  marshalled  ranks  he  waved,  and  signed ; 

And  his  banner  streamed  out  on  the  evening  wind, 
As  they  rode  along  Souter-fell  side  away. 


And  to  many  an  eye  was  revealed  the  sight. 

While  the  com  stood  green  that  Midsummer-day ; 
As  Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld  the  ancient  Knight 
With  all  his  horsemen  went  over  the  height : 

O'er  the  steep  mountain  summit  went  riding  away. 


And  then  as  the  twilight  closed  over  the  dell — 

Where  the  corn  stood  green  that  Midsummer-day — 
Came  the  farmers  and  peasants  all  flocking  to  tell 
How  Sir  Lancelot's  troop  had  gone  over  the  fell ! 
And  the  widows  sat  listening,  and  spinning  away. 


And  the  widows  looked  mournfully  round  the  old 
hall; 

And  the  corn  stood  green  on  Midsummer-day ; 
"  He  is  come  at  the  good  Lord  Clifford's  call ! 
He  is  up  for  the  King,  with  his  warriors  all ! " — 

Said  the  widows  there  spinning  the  eve  away. 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld.  49 

"  There  is  evil  to  happen,  and  war  is  at  hand — 
Where  the  corn  stands  green  this  Midsummer- 
day — 

Or  rebels  are  plotting  to  waste  the  land ; 

Or  he  never  would  come  with  his  armed  band  " — 
Said  the  widows  there  spinning  the  eve  away. 

"  Our  old  men  sleep  in  the  grave.  They  cease  : 
WTiile  the  corn  stands  green  on  Midsummer-day — 

They  rest,  though  troubles  on  earth  increase  ; 

And  soon  may  Sir  Lancelot's  soul  have  peace  ! " 
Sighed  the  \vidows  while  spinning  the  eve  away. 

"  But  this  was  the  Promise  the  Shepherd-Lord — 

■\Vhen  the  corn  stood  green  that  Midsummer-day — 
Gave,  parting  from  Threlkeld's  hearth  and  board, 
To  the  brave  old  Knight — and  he  keeps  his  word  ! " 
Said  the  widows  all  putting  their  spinning  away. 


50 


NOTES  TO  "SIR  LANCELOT  THRELKELD." 

The  little  village  of  Threlkeld  is  situated  at  the  foot  of 
Blencathra  about  four  miles  from  Keswick,  on  the  highroad 
from  that  town  to  Penrith.  The  old  hall  has  long  been  in  a  state 
of  dilapidation,  the  only  habitable  part  having  been  for  years 
converted  into  a  farm  house.  Some  faint  traces  of  the  moat 
are  said  to  be  yet  discernible.  This  was  one  of  the  residences 
of  Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld,  a  powerful  knight  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  the  Seventh,  step-father  to  the  Shepherd  Lord.  His 
son,  the  last  Sir  Lancelot,  was  wont  to  say  that  he  had  "three 
noble  houses — one  for  pleasure,  Crosby  in  Westmorland,  where 
he  had  a  park  full  of  deer ;  one  for  profit  and  warmth,  wherein 
to  reside  during  winter,  namely,  Yanwath,  near  Penrith  ;  and 
the  third,  Threlkeld,  on  the  edge  of  the  vale  of  Keswick,  well 
stocked  with  tenants  to  go  with  him  to  the  wars. "  Sir  Lancelot 
is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  a  kind  and  generous  disposition, 
who  had  either  taken  the  side  of  the  White  Rose  in  the  great 
national  quarrel,  or  at  least  had  not  compromised  himself  to 
a  ruinous  extent  on  the  other  side ;  and  has  long  had  the 
reputation  of  having  afforded  a  retreat  to  the  Shepherd  Lord 
Clifford,  on  the  utter  ruin  of  his  house,  after  the  crashing  of 
the  Red  Rose  at  Towton,  when  the  Baron  (his  late  father) 
was  attained  in  parliament,  and  all  his  lands  were  seized  by 
the  crown. 

The  Cliffords,  Lords  of  Westmorland,  afterwards  Earls  of 
Cumberland,  were  a  family  of  great  power  and  princely 
possessions,  who  for  many  generations  occupied  a  position  in 
the  North  West  of  England,  similar  to  that  held  by  the  Percies, 
Earls  of  Northumberland,  in  the  north-east. 

Their  blood  was  perhaps  the  most  illustrious  in  the  land. 
Descended  from  Rollo  first  Duke  of  Normandy,  by  alliances 
in  marriage  it  intermingled  with  that  of  William  the  Lion, 
King  of  Scotland,  and  with  that  of  several  of  the  Sovereigns 
of  England. 

Their  territorial  possessions  corresponded  with  their  illustrious 
birth.  These  comprised  their  most  ancient  stronghold,  Clifford 
Castle,  on  the  Wye,  in  Herefordshire ;  the  lordship  of  the 
barony  of  Westmorland,  including  the  seigniories  and  Castles 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld.  5 1 


of  Brougham  and  Appleby ;  Skipton  Castle  in  the  West 
Riding  of  Yorkshire,  with  its  numerous  townships,  and  im- 
portant forest  and  manorial  rights,  their  most  princely,  and 
apparently  favourite  residence  ;  and  the  Hall  and  estates  of 
Lonsborrow  in  the  same  County. 

The  Cliffords  are  said  to  be  sprung  from  an  uncle  of  William 
the  Conqueror.  The  father  of  William  had  a  younger  brother, 
whose  third  son,  Richard  Fitz-Pontz,  married  the  daughter 
and  heiress  of  Ralph  de  Toni,  of  Clifford  Castle,  in  Hereford- 
shire. Their  second  son,  Walter,  succeeding  to  his  mother's 
estates,  assumed  the  name  of  Clifford,  and  was  the  father  of 
the  Fair  Rosamond,  the  famous  mistress  of  King  Heniy  the 
Second.  He  died  in  1176.  His  great-grandson,  Roger  de 
Clifford  acquired  the  inheritance  of  the  Veteriponts  or  Yiponts, 
Lords  of  Brougham  Castle  in  Westmorland,  by  his  marriage 
with  one  of  the  co-heiresses  of  Robert  de  Yipont,  the  last  of  that 
race.  It  was  their  son  Robert  who  was  first  summoned  to  sit 
in  parliament,  by  a  writ  dated  the  29th  of  December,  1299,  as 
the  Lord  Clifford. 

The  Cliffords  were  a  warlike  race,  and  engaged  in  all  the 
contests  of  the  time.  For  many  generations  the  chiefs  of  their 
house  figure  as  distinguished  soldiers  and  captains  ;  and  most 
of  them  died  on  the  field  of  battle. 

Roger,  the  father  of  the  first  lord,  was  reno\vned  in  the 
wars  of  Hein-y  HL  and  of  Edward  L,  and  was  killed  in  a 
skirmish  with  the  Welsh  in  the  Isle  of  Anglesey,  on  St. 
Leonard's  day,  1283. 

His  son  Robert,  the  first  Lord  Clifford,  a  favourite  and 
companion  in  arms  of  Edward  I.,  was  one  of  the  guardians  of 
Edward  II.  when  a  minor,  and  Lord  High  Admiral  in  that 
monarch's  reign.     He  fell  at  the  battle  of  Bannockburn,  in 

1314- 

Roger,  his  son,  the  second  lord,  was  engaged  in  the  Earl 
of  Lancaster's  insurrection,  and  had  done  much  to  deserve 
political  martyrdom  in  that  rebellious  age  :  but  a  feeling  of 
humanity,  such  as  is  seldom  read  of  in  civil  wars,  and  especially 
in  those  times,  saved  him  from  execution,  when  he  was  taken 
prisoner  with  Lancaster  and  the  rest  of  his  associates.  He 
had  received  so  many  wounds  in  the  battle  (of  Borough  bridge), 
that  he  could  not  be  brought  before  the  judge  for  the  summary 
trial,  which  would  have  sent  him  to  the  hurdle  and  the 
gallows.  Being  looked  upon,  therefore,  as  a  dying  man,  he 
was  respited  from  the  course  of  law  :  time  enough  elapsed, 
while  he  continued  in  this  state,  for  the  heat  of  resentment  to 


52  Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld. 


abate,  and  Edward  of  Carnarvon,  who,  though  a  weak  and 
most  misguided  prince,  was  not  a  cruel  one,  spared  his  life ; 
an  act  of  mercy  which  was  the  more  graceful,  because  Clifford 
had  insulted  the  royal  authority  in  a  manner  less  likely  to  be 
forgiven  than  his  braving  it  in  arms.  A  pursuivant  had  served 
a  writ  upon  him  in  the  Barons'  Chamber,  and  he  made  the 
man  eat  the  wax  wherewith  the  writ  was  signed,  "in  contempt, 
as  it  were,  of  the  said  King." 

He  was  the  first  Lord  Clifford  that  was  attainted  of  treason. 
His  lands  and  honours  were  restored  in  the  first  year  of 
Edward  III.,  but  he  survived  the  restoration  only  a  few  weeks, 
dying  in  the  flower  of  his  age,  unmarried  ;  but  leaving  ' '  some 
base  children  behind  him,  whom  he  had  by  a  mean  woman 
who  was  called  Julian  of  the  Bower,  for  whom  he  built  a  little 
house  hard  by  Whinfell,  and  called  it  Juhan's  Bower,  the 
lower  foundation  of  which  standeth,  and  is  yet  to  be  seen," 
said  the  compiler  of  the  family  records,  an  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago,  "though  all  the  walls  be  down  long  since.  And  it 
is  thought  that  the  love  which  this  Roger  bore  to  this  Julian 
kept  him  from  marrying  any  other  woman." 

Roger  de  Clifford  was  succeeded  in  his  titles  and  estates  by 
his  brother  Robert,  the  third  baron,  who  married  Isabella  de 
Berkeley,  sister  to  Thomas,  Lord  Berkeley,  of  Berkeley 
Castle ;  in  which  Castle,  two  years  after  it  had  nmg  with 
"shrieks  of  death,"  when  the  tragedy  of  Edward  II.  was 
brought  to  its  dreadful  catastrophe  there,  the  marriage  was 
peiformed. 

This  Robert  lived  a  country  life,  and  "nothing  is  mentioned 
of  him  in  the  wars,"  except  that  he  once  accompanied  an  army 
into  Scotland.  It  is,  however,  related  of  him,  that  when 
Edward  Baliol  was  driven  from  Scotland,  the  exiled  king  was 
"right  honourably  received  by  him  in  Westmorland,  and 
entertained  in  his  Castles  of  Brougham,  Appleby,  and  Pen- 
dragon;"  in  acknowledgement  for  which  hospitality  Baliol, 
if  he  might  at  any  time  recover  the  kingdom  of  Scotland  out 
of  his  adversaries'  hands,  made  him  a  grant  of  Douglas  Dale, 
which  had  been  granted  to  his  grandfather  who  fell  in  Wales. 
The  Hart's  Horn  Tree  in  Whinfell  Park,  well  knowii  in 
tradition,  and  in  hunters'  tales,  owes  its  celebrity  to  this  visit. 
He  died  in  1 340. 

Robert,  his  son,  fourth  lord,  fought  by  the  side  of  Edward 
the  Black  Prince  at  the  memorable  battles  of  Cressy  and 
Poictiers. 

Roger,  his  brother,  the  fifth  lord,  styled  "one  of  the  wisest 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld. 


and  gallantest  of  the  Cliffords,"  also  served  in  the  wars  in 
France  and  Scotland,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III. 

Thomas,  his  son,  sixth  lord  Clifford,  one  of  the  most 
chivalrous  knights  of  his  time,  overcame,  in  a  memorable 
passage  of  arms,  the  famous  French  knight,  "  le  Sire  de 
Burjisande,"  and,  at  the  age  of  thirty,  was  killed  in  the  battle 
at  Spruce  in  Germany. 

John,  his  son,  the  seventh  lord,  a  Knight  of  the  Garter, 
carried  with  him  to  the  French  wars  three  knights,  forty-seven 
esquires,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  archers.  He  fought  under 
the  banner  of  Hemy  V.  at  the  battle  of  Agincourt,  attended 
him  at  the  sieges  Harfleur  and  Cherbourg,  and  was  eventually 
slain,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three,  at  the  siege  of  Meaux  in 
France. 

Thomas,  his  son,  eighth  lord  Clifford,  described  as  "a  chief 
commander  in  France,"  was  grandson  on  his  mother's  side  to  the 
celebrated  Hotspur,  Harry  Percy,  and  gained  renown  by  the 
daring  and  ingenious  stratagem  which  he  planned  and  success- 
fully executed  for  taking  the  town  of  Pontoise,  near  Paris,  in 
1438.  The  English  had  lain  for  some  time  before  the  town, 
with  little  prospect  of  reducing  it,  when  a  heavy  fall  of  snow 
suggested  to  Lord  Clifford  the  means  of  effecting  its  capture. 
Arraying  himself  and  his  followers  with  white  tunics  over 
their  armour,  he  concealed  them  during  the  night  close  to  the 
walls  of  the  town,  which  at  daybreak  he  surprised  and  carried 
by  storm.  Two  years  afterwards  he  valiantly  defended  the 
iowa  of  Pontoise  against  the  armies  of  France,  headed  by 
Charles  VII.  in  person. 

In  the  Wars  of  the  Roses  they  were  not  less  prominent. 
The  last  mentioned  Thomas,  though  nearly  allied  by  blood  to 
the  house  of  York,  took  part  with  his  unfortunate  sovereign, 
Henry  VI.,  and  fell  on  the  22nd  of  May,  1455,  at  the  first 
battle  of  St.  Albans,  receiving  his  death-blow  from  the  hands 
of  Richard  Duke  of  York,  at  the  age  of  forty. 

John,  his  son,  the  next  and  ninth  lord,  called  from  his 
complexion  the  Black-faced  Clifford,  thirsting  to  revenge  the 
fate  of  his  father,  perpetrated  that  memorable  act  of  cruelty, 
which  for  centuries  has  excited  indignation  and  tears,  the 
murder  of  the  young  Earl  of  Rutland,  brother  of  Edward  IV., 
in  the  pursuit  after  the  battle  of  Wakefield,  on  the  30th 
December,  1460.  The  latter,  whilst  being  withdrawn  from 
the  field  by  his  attendant  chaplain  and  schoolmaster,  a  priest, 
called  Sir  Robert  Aspall,  was  espied  by  Lord  Clifford  ;  and 
being  recognised  by  means  of  his  apparel,    "dismayed,   had 


54  Sij'  Lancelot  Threlkeld. 


not  a  word  to  speak,  but  kneeled  on  his  knees  imploring 
mercy  and  desiring  grace,  both  with  holding  up  his  hands  and 
making  dolorous  countenance,  for  his  speech  was  gone  for 
fear.  '  Save  him,'  said  his  chaplain,  'for  he  is  a  prince's  son, 
and  peradventure  may  do  you  good  hereafter.'  With  that 
word,  the  Lord  Clifford  marked  him  and  said,  '  By  God's 
blood,  thy  father  slew  mine,  and  so  will  I  do  thee  and  all  thy 
kin  ; '  and  with  that  word  stuck  the  earl  to  the  heart  with  his 
dagger,  and  bade  his  chaplain  bear  the  earl's  mother  and 
brother  word  what  he  had  done  and  said." 

The  murder  in  cold  blood  of  this  unarmed  boy,  for  he  was 
only  twelve  or  at  most  seventeen  years  old,  while  supplicating 
for  his  life,  was  not  the  only  atrocity  committed  by  Lord 
Clifford  on  that  eventful  day.  "This  cruel  Clifford  and 
deadly  blood-supper,"  writes  the  old  chronicler,  "not  content 
with  this  homicide  or  child-killing,  came  to  the  place  where 
the  dead  corpse  of  the  Duke  of  York  lay,  and  caused  his  head 
to  be  stricken  off,  and  set  on  it  a  crown  of  paper,  and  so  fixed 
it  on  a  pole  and  presented  it  to  the  queen,  not  lying  far  from 
the  field,  in  great  spite  and  much  derision,  saying,  '  Madam, 
your  war  is  done  ;  here  is  your  king's  ransom ; '  at  which 
present  was  much  joy  and  great  rejoicing." 

Lord  Clifford  fought  at  the  second  battle  of  St.  Albans,  on 
the  17th  of  February,  1461.  It  was  in  his  tent,  after  the 
Lancastrians  had  won  the  victory,  that  the  unfortunate 
Henry  VI.  once  more  embraced  his  consort  Margaret  of 
Anjou,  and  their  beloved  child. 

Lord  Clifford  is  usually  represented  as  having  been  slain  at 
the  battle  of  Towton.  He  fell,  however,  in  a  hard  fought 
conflict  which  preceded  that  engagement  by  a  few  hours,  at  a 
spot  called  Dittingale,  situated  in  a  small  valley  between 
Towton  and  Scarthingwell,  struck  in  the  throat  by  a  headless 
arrow,  discharged  from  behind  a  hedge. 

A  small  chapel  on  the  banks  of  the  Aire  formerly  marked 
the  spot  where  lay  the  remains  of  John  Lord  Clifford,  as  well 
as  those  of  his  cousin,  Henry  Percy,  Earl  of  Northumberland, 
who  perished  later  in  the  day  upon  Towton  Field,  on  the  29th 
of  March,  1 461. 

For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  from  this  time,  the  name 
of  Clifford  remained  an  attainted  one ;  their  castles  and 
seigniories  passed  into  the  hands  of  strangers  and  enemies. 
The  barony  of  Westmorland  was  conferred  by  Edward  IV. 
upon  his  brother  Richard  Duke  of  Gloucester  ;  the  castle  and 
manor  of  Skipton  he  bestowed,  in  the  first  instance,  upon  Sir 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld.  55 


William  Stanley  :  but  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  his  reign  he 
transferred  them  to  his  "dear  brother,"  which  lordly  appan- 
af^e  he  retained  till  his  death  on  Bosworth  Field.* 
''The  young  widow  left  by  the  Black-faced  Chfford,  was 
Margaret  daughter  and  sole  heiress  of  Heniy  de  Bromflete, 
Baron  de  Vesci.  She  had  borne  her  husband  three  children, 
two  sons  and  a  daughter,  now  attainted  by  parliament, 
deprived  of  their  honours  and  inheritance,  and  their  persons 
and  lives  in  hourly  jeopardy  from  the  strict  search  which  was 
being  made  for  them.  The  seat  of  her  father  at  Lonsborrow 
in  Yorkshire,  surrounded  by  a  wild  district,  offered  a  retreat 
from  their  enemies ;  and  thither,  as  soon  as  the  fate  of  her 
lord  was  communicated  to  her,  driven  from  the  stately  halls 
of  Skipton  and  Appleby,  of  which  she  had  ceased  to  be 
mistress,  flew  the  young  widow  with  her  hunted  children,  and 
saved  them  from  the  rage  of  the  victorious  party  by  conceal- 
ment. 

Henry,  the  elder  son,  at  the  period  of  their  flight  to 
Lonsborrow  was  only  seven  years  old.  He  was  there  placed 
by  his  mother,  in  the  neighbourhood  where  she  lived,  with  a 
shepherd  who  had  married  one  of  her  inferior  servants,  an 
attendant  on  his  nurse,  to  be  brought  up  in  no  better  condition 
than  the  shepherd's  own  children.  The  strict  inquiiy  which 
had  been  made  after  them,  and  the  subsequent  examination 
of  their  mother  respecting  them,  at  length  led  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  they  had  been  conveyed  beyond  the  sea,  whither  in 
truth  the  younger  boy  had  been  sent,  into  the  Netherlands, 
and  not  long  after  died  there.  The  daughter  grew  up  to 
womanhood,  and  became  the  wife  of  Sir  Robert  Aske,  from 
whom  descended  the  Askes  of  Yorkshire,  and  the  Lord 
Fairfax  of  Denton  in  the  same  county. 

When  the  high  bom  shepherd  boy  was  about  his  fourteenth 
year,  his  gi-andfather.  Lord  de  Vesci  being  dead,  and  his 
mother  having  become  the  wife  of  Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld,  a 
rumour  again  arose  and  reached  the  court  that  the  young 
Lord  Clifford  was  alive  ;  whereupon  his  mother,  with  the 
connivance  and  assistance  of  her  husband,  had  the  shepherd 
with  whom  she  had  placed  her  son,  removed  with  his  wife 
and  family  from  Yorkshire  to  the  more  mountainous  countiy 

*  Whitaker  gives  the  terms  of  this  grant :  "  The  king,  in  cons'on  of 
ye  laudable  and  commendable  service  of  his  dere  b'r  Richard  Diike  of 
Gloucester,  as /or  thi  cncoxi.ro.rjemi'.Ht  of  plHy  and  virtue  in  the  said  duke. 
did  give  and  grant,  etc.,  the  honor,  castJe,  manors,  and  demesnes  of 
Skipton,  with  the  manor  of  Slarton,  etc.,  etc."     Pat :  Rolls,  15  Edw.  IV. 


56 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld. 


of  Cumberland.  In  that  wild  and  remote  region,  the  persecuted 
boy  was  "kept  as  a  shepherd  sometimes  at  Threlkeld  amongst 
his  step-father's  kindred,  and  sometimes  upon  the  borders  of 
Scotland,  where  they  took  land  purposely  for  those  shepherds 
who  had  the  custody  of  him,  where  many  times  his  step-father 
came  purposely  to  visit  him,  and  sometimes  his  mother,  though 
very  secretly." 

In  this  obscurity  the  heir  of  the  Cliffords  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  boyhood,  all  his  youth,  and  his  early  man- 
hood ;  haunting,  in  the  pursuit  of  pastoral  occupations,  the 
lofty  moorland  wastes  at  the  foot  of  Blencathra,  or  musing  in  the 
solitude  of  the  stupendous  heights  of  that  "Peak  of  Witches ;" 
at  other  times,  ranging  amid  the  lonesome  glens  of  Skiddaw 
Forest,  or  on  the  bleak  heath-clad  hills  of  Caldbeck  and 
Carrock. 

Thus  being  of  necessity  nurtured  much  in  solitude,  and, 
habited  in  rustic  garb,  bred  up  to  man's  estate  among  the 
simple  dalesmen,  to  whom,  as  well  as  to  himself,  his  rank  and 
station  were  unknown,  he  was  reared  in  so  great  ignorance  that 
he  could  neither  read  nor  write  ;  for  his  parents  durst  not  have 
him  instructed  in  any  kind  of  learning,  lest  by  it  his  birth 
should  be  discovered  ;  and  when  subsequently  he  was  restored 
to  his  title  and  estates,  and  took  his  place  among  his  peers,  he 
never  attained  to  higher  proficiency  in  the  art  of  writing  than 
barely  enabled  him  to  sign  his  name. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Henry  VII.  was  to  restore  the  lowly 
Chfford  to  his  birthright  and  to  all  that  had  been  possessed 
by  his  noble  ancestors.  And  his  mother,  who  did  not  die  till 
the  year  1493,  lived  to  see  him  thus  suddenly  exalted  from  a 
poor  shepherd  into  a  rich  and  powerful  lord,  at  the  age  of  one 
and  thirty. 

In  his  retirement  he  had  acquired  great  astronomical  know- 
ledge, watching,  like  the  Chaldeans  of  old  time,  the  stars  by 
night  upon  the  mountains,  as  is  current  from  tradition  in  the 
village  and  neighbourhood  of  Threlkeld  at  this  day.  And 
when,  on  his  restoration  to  his  estates  and  honours,  he  had 
become  a  great  builder  and  repaired  several  of  his  castles,  he 
resided  chiefly  at  Barden  Tower,  in  Yorkshire,  to  be  near  the 
Priory  of  Bolton  ;  "to  the  end  that  he  might  have  opportunity 
to  converse  with  some  of  the  canons  of  that  house,  as  it  is  said, 
who  were  well  versed  in  astronomy  ;  unto  which  study  having 
a  singular  affection  (perhaps  in  regard  to  his  solitary  shepherd's 
life,  which  gave  him  time  for  contemplation, )  he  fitted  himself 
with  diverse  instruments  for  use  therein." 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld.  5  7 


Whitaker,  in  like  manner,  represents  the  restored  lord  as 
having  brought  to  his  new  position  "the  manners  and 
education  of  a  shepherd,"  and  as  being  "at  this  time,  almost, 
if  not  altogether,  illiterate."  But  it  is  added  that  he  was  "far 
from  deficient  in  natural  understanding,  and,  what  strongly 
marks  an  ingenuous  mind  in  a  state  of  recent  elevation, 
depressed  by  a  consciousness  of  his  own  deficiencies."  If  it 
was  on  this  account,  as  we  are  also  told,  that  he  retired  to  the 
solitude  of  Barden,  where  he  seems  to  have  enlarged  the 
tower  out  of  a  common  keeper's  lodge,  he  found  in  it  a  retreat 
equally  favourable  to  taste,  to  instruction,  and  to  devotion. 
The  narrow  limits  of  his  residence  show  that  he  had  learned 
to  despise  the  pomp  of  greatness,  and  that  a  small  train  of 
servants  could  suffice  him,  who  had  lived  to  the  age  of  thirty 
a  servant  himself. 

Whitaker  suspects  Lord  Clifford,  however,  ' '  to  have  been 
sometimes  occupied  in  a  more  visionary  pursuit,  and  probably 
in  the  same  company,"  namely,  the  canons  of  Bolton,  from 
having  found  among  the  family  evidences  two  manuscripts  on 
the  subject  of  Alchemy,  which  may  almost  certainly  be  referred 
to  the  age  in  which  he  lived.  If  these  were  originally  deposited 
with  the  MSS.  of  the  Cliffords,  it  might  have  been  for  the  use 
of  this  nobleman.  If  they  were  brought  from  Bolton  at  the 
Dissolution,  they  must  have  been  the  work  of  those  canons 
with  whom  he  almost  exclusively  conversed. 

In  these  peaceful  employments  Lord  Clifford  spent  the  whole 
reign  of  Henry  VII.,  and  the  first  years  of  that  of  his  son. 
His  descendant  the  Countess  of  Pembroke  describes  him  as  a 
plain  man,  who  lived  for  the  most  part  a  country  life,  and 
came  seldom  either  to  court  or  London,  excepting  when  called 
to  Parhament,  on  which  occasion  he  behaved  himself  like  a 
wise  and  good  English  nobleman.  But  in  the  year  15 13, 
when  almost  sixty  years  old,  he  was  appointed  to  a  principal 
command  over  the  army  which  fought  at  Flodden,  and  showed 
that  the  military  genius  of  the  family  had  neither  been  chilled 
in  him  by  age,  nor  extinguished  by  habits  of  peace. 

He  survived  the  battle  of  Flodden  ten  years,  and  died  April 
23rd,  1523,  aged  about  70;  having  by  his  last  will  appointed 
his  body  to  be  interred  at  Shap,  if  he  died  in  Westmorland  ; 
or  at  Bolton,  if  he  died  in  Yorkshire.  "I  shall  endeavour," 
says  Whitaker,  "to  appropriate  to  him  a  tomb,  vault,  and 
chantry,  in  the  choir  of  the  Church  of  Bolton,  as  I  should  be 
sorry  to  believe  that  he  was  deposited,  when  dead,  at  a  distance 
from  the  place  which  in  his  life  time  he  loved  so  well. "     There 


58 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld. 


exists  no  memorial  of  his  place  of  burial.  The  broken  floors 
and  desecrated  vaults  of  Shap  and  Bolton  afford  no  trace  or 
record  of  his  tomb.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  in  one  of 
these  sanctuaries  he  was  laid  to  rest  among  the  ashes  of  his 
illustrious  kindred. 

The  vault  at  Skipton  Church  was  prepared  for  the  remains 
of  his  immediate  descendants.  Thither,  with  three  of  their 
wives,  and  a  youthful  scion  of  their  house,  the  boy  Lord 
Francis,  were  borne  in  succession  the  five  Earls  of  Cumber- 
land of  his  name  ;  when  this  their  tomb  finally  closed  over 
the  line  of  Clifford  :  the  lady  Anne  choosing  rather  to  lie 
beside  "her  beloved  mother,"  in  the  sepulchre  which  she  had 
erected  for  herself  at  Appleby,  than  with  her  martial  ancestors 
at  Skipton. 

Having  thus  been  wonderfully  preserved — says  a  writer 
whose  words  have  often  been  quoted  in  these  pages — and 
after  twenty  years  of  secretness  and  seclusion,  having  been 
restored  in  blood  and  honours,  to  his  barony,  his  lands,  and 
his  castles  ;  he,  the  Shepherd  Lord,  came  forth  upon  the 
world  with  a  mind  in  advance  of  the  age,  a  spirit  of  know- 
ledge, of  goodness,  and  of  light,  such  as  was  rarely  Seen  in 
that  time  of  ignorance  and  superstition  ;  averse  to  courtly 
pomp,  delighting  himself  chiefly  in  country  pursuits,  in  re- 
pairing his  castles,  and  in  learned  intercourse  with  such 
literate  persons  as  he  could  find.  He  was  the  wisest  of  his 
race,  and  falling  upon  more  peaceful  times,  was  enabled  to 
indulge  in  the  studies  and  thoughtful  dispositions  which  his 
early  misfortunes  had  induced  and  cultured.  Throughout  a 
long  life  he  remained  one,  whose  precious  example,  tliough  it 
had  but  few  imitators,  and  even  exposed  him  to  be  regarded 
with  dread,  as  dealing  in  the  occult  sciences,  and  leagued  with 
beings  that  mortal  man  ought  not  to  know,  was  nevertheless 
so  far  appreciated  by  his  less  enlightened  countrymen,  that 
his  image  was  always  linked  in  their  memories  and  affections 
with  whatever  was  great  and  ennobling,  and  caused  him  to 
be  recorded  to  this,  our  day,  by  the  endearing  appellation  of 
the   "Good  Lord  Clifford." 

This  nobleman  was  twice  married, — first  to  Anne,  daugh- 
ter of  Sir  John  St.  John  of  Bletsoe,  cousin -germain  to  King 
Henry  the  Seventh,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons  and  five 
daughters.  Lady  Clifford  was  a  woman  of  great  goodness 
and  piety,  who  lived  for  the  most  part  a  countiy  life  in  her 
husband's  castles  in  the  North,  during  the  twenty-one  years 
she  remained   his    wife.      His  second   wife   was   Florence, 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld.  59 


daughter  of  Henry  Pudsey,  of  Bolton,  in  Yorkshire,  Esquire, 
grandson  of  Sir  Ralph  Pudsey,  the  faithful  protector  of  Henry 
the  Sixth  after  the  overthrow  of  the  Lancastrian  cause  at 
Hexham.  By  her  he  had  two  or  three  sons,  and  one  daugh- 
ter, Dorothy,  who  became  the  wife  of  Sir  Hugh  Lowther, 
of  Lowther,  in  Westmorland,  and  from  whom  the  Earls  of 
Lonsdale  are  descended. 

It  is  said  that,  towards  the  end  of  the  first  Lady  Clifford's 
life,  her  husband  was  unkind  to  her,  and  he  had  two  or  three 
base  children  by  another  woman. 

Lord  Clifford  was  unfortunate  in  having  great  unkindness 
and  estrangement  between  himself  and  his  oldest  son  Henry. 
Early  habits  of  friendship,  on  the  part  of  the  latter,  with  King 
Henry  VHI.  and  a  strong  passion  for  parade  and  greatness, 
seem  to  have  robbed  his  heart  of  filial  affection.  The  pure 
simplicity  and  unequivocal  openness  of  his  father's  manners 
had  long  been  an  offence  to  his  pride  ;  but  the  old  man's 
alliance  with  Florence  Pudsey  provoked  his  irreconcilable 
aversion.  By  his  follies  and  vices,  also,  the  latter  years  of 
his  father  were  sorely  disturbed.  That  wild  and  dissolute 
young  nobleman,  attaching  himself  to  a  troop  of  roystering 
followers,  led  a  bandit's  life,  oppressed  the  lieges,  harassed 
the  religious  houses,  beat  the  tenants,  and  forced  the  inhabitants 
of  whole  villages  to  take  sanctuary  in  their  churches.  He 
afterwards  refonned,  and  was  employed  in  all  the  armies  sent 
into  Scotland  by  Henry  the  vSeventh  and  his  successor,  where 
he  ever  behaved  himself  nobly  and  valiantly  ;  and  subse- 
quently became  one  of  the  most  eminent  men  of  his  time,  and 
within  two  years  after  his  father's  death,  having  been  through 
life  a  personal  friend  and  favourite  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  was 
elevated  by  that  partial  monarch  to  the  dignity  of  Earl  of 
Cumberland,  which  title  he  held  till  his  decease  in  1542.  It 
has  been  conjectured,  but  on  no  sufficient  grounds,  that  he  was 
the  hero  of  the  ballad  of  "  The  Nut-Brown  Maid." 

In  addition  to  the  members  of  this  distinguished  family  who 
have  already  been  enumerated  as  attaining  to  great  personal 
distinction,  may  be  named  George,  the  third  of  the  five  Earls 
of  Cumberland,  the  favourite  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  called  the 
"Great  Sea-faring  Lord  Clifford,"  an  accomplished  courtier  as 
well  as  naval  hero,*  one  of  those  to  whom  England  is  indebted 

*  A  notable  example  of  the  piety  of  our  ancestors  is  i-ecorded  in  a  MS. 
Journal  of  a  Voyage  to  India,  stUl  preserved  in  Skiptou  Castle,  made  under 
the  auspioes  of  this  Earl  of  Cumberland.  It  gives  an  account  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  Expedition  on  a  Saturday  and  Sunday. 

"Nov.  5.     Om-  men  went  on  shor  and  fet  rys  abord,  and  burnt  the 


6o  Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld. 


for  her  proud  title  of  "the  Ocean  Queen."  And  lastly,  his 
daughter,  the  Lady  Anne  Clifford,  Countess  of  Dorset,  Pem- 
broke, and  Montgomeiy,  of  famous  memory,  one  of  the  most 
celebrated  women  of  her  time. 

About  three  miles  from  Threlkeld,  the  ancient  home  of  Sir 
Lancelot  Threlkeld  and  his  noble  step-son,  stands  as  the  eastern 
barrier  of  the  Blencathra  group  of  mountains,  that  part  of  it 
which  is  known  as  Souter  Fell  ;  whose  irregular  and  pre- 
cipitous summit,  everywhere  difficult  of  access,  rises  to  a 
height  of  about  2, 500  feet.  It  is  on  the  south  of  Bowscale  Fell, 
leaning  westward  from  the  Hesketh  and  Carlisle  road,  by 
which  its  eastern  base  is  skirted.  This  mountain  is  celebrated 
in  local  history  as  having  several  times  been  the  scene  of  those 
singular  aerial  phenomena  known  as  mirages.  A  tradition  of 
a  spectral  army  having  been  seen  marching  over  these  moun- 
tains had  long  been  current  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  this 
remarkable  exhibition  was  actually  witnessed  in  the  years 
1735,  1737,  and  1745,  by  several  independent  parties  of  the 
dalesmen  ;  and,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  excited  much 
attention  in  the  north  of  England,  and  long  formed  a  subject 
of  superstitious  fear  and  wonder  in  the  surrounding  district. 
A  sight  so  strange  as  that  of  the  whole  side  of  the  mountain 
appearing  covered  with  troops,  both  infantry  and  cavalry, 
who  after  going  through  regular  military  evolutions  for  more 
than  an  hour,  defiled  off  in  good  order,  and  disappeared  over 
a  precipitous  ridge  on  the  summit,  was  sure  to  be  the  subject 
of  much  speculation  and  enquiry.  Many  persons  at  a  distance 
hearing  of  the  phenomenon,  proceeded  to  the  places  where  it 
was  witnessed,  purposely  to  examine  the  spectators  who  as- 
serted the  fact,  and  who  continued  positive  in  their  assertions 
as  to  the  appearances.  Amongst  others,  one  of  the  contribu- 
tors to  Hutchinson's  History  of  Cumberland  went  to  inquire 
into  the  subject  ;  and  the  following  is  the  account  of  the  in- 
formation he  obtained,  given  in  his  own  words. 

"On  Midsummer  Eve  1735,  William  Lancaster's  servant 
related  thai  he  saw  the  east  side  of  Souter  Fell,  towards  the 
top,  covered  with  a  regular  marching  army  for  above  an  hour 
together  ;   he  said  they  consisted  of  distinct  bodies  of  troops, 

rest  of  the  houses  in  the  negers  towne  ;  and  our  bot  went  downe  to  the 
outermoste  pointe  of  the  ryver,  and  burnt  a  towne,  and  brout  away  all 
the  rys  that  was  in  the  towne.  The  6th  day  we  servyd  God,  being 
Sunday." 

In  what  manner  they  served  God  on  the  Sunday,  after  plundei-ing 
and  bui-ning  two  towns  ou  the  Saturday,  the  writer  has  not  thought  it 
necessary  to  relate. 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld.  6i 


which  appeared  to  proceed  from  an  eminence  in  the  north 
end,  and  marched  over  a  nitch  in  the  top,  but  as  no  other 
person  in  the  neighbourhood  had  seen  the  hke,  he  was  dis- 
credited and  laughed  at. 

"Two  years  after,  on  Midsummer  Eve  also,  betwixt  the  hours 
of  eight  and  nine,  William  Lancaster  himself  imagined  that 
several  gentlemen  were  following  their  horses  at  a  distance,  as 
if  they  had  been  hunting,  and  taking  them  for  such,  paid  no 
regard  to  it,  till  about  ten  minutes  after,  again  turning  his 
head  to  the  place,  they  appeared  to  be  mounted,  and  a  vast 
army  following,  five  in  rank,  crowding  over  at  the  same  place, 
where  the  servant  said  he  saw  them  two  years  before.  He 
then  called  his  family,  who  all  agreed  in  the  same  opinion  ; 
and  what  was  most  extraordinary,  he  frequently  observed  that 
some  one  of  the  five  would  quit  the  rank,  and  seem  to  stand 
in  a  fronting  posture,  as  if  he  was  observing  and  regulating 
the  order  of  their  march,  or  taking  account  of  the  numbers, 
and  after  some  time  appeared  to  return  full  gallop  to  the 
station  he  had  left,  which  they  never  failed  to  do  as  often  as 
they  quitted  their  lines,  and  the  figure  that  did  so  was  one  of 
the  middlemost  men  in  the  rank.  As  it  grew  later  they 
seemed  more  regardless  of  discipline,  and  rather  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  people  riding  from  a  market,  than  an  army, 
though  they  continued  crowding  on,  and  marching  off,  as 
long  as  they  had  light  to  see  them. 

"  This  phenomenon  was  no  more  seen  till  the  Midsummer 
Eve,  which  preceded  the  rebellion,  when  they  were  deter- 
mined to  call  more  families  to  witness  this  sight,  and  accord- 
ingly went  to  Wiltonhill  and  Soutra-Fell  side,  till  they  con- 
vened about  twenty-six  persons,  who  all  affirm  that  they  saw 
the  same  appearance,  but  not  conducted  with  the  usual 
regidarity  as  the  preceding  ones,  having  the  likeness  of  car- 
riages interspersed  ;  however  it  did  not  appear  to  be  less  real, 
for  some  of  the  company  were  so  affected  with  it  as  in  the 
morning  to  climb  the  mountain,  through  an  idle  expectation 
of  finding  horse  shoes,  after  so  numerous  an  army,  but  they 
saw  not  a  vestige  or  print  of  a  foot. 

"  William  Lancaster,  indeed,  told  me,  that  he  never  con- 
cluded they  were  real  beings,  because  of  the  impracticability 
of  a  march  over  the  precipices,  where  they  seemed  to  come 
on  ;  that  the  night  was  extremely  serene  ;  that  horse  and 
man,  upon  strict  looking  at,  appeared  to  be  but  one  being, 
rather  than  two  distinct  ones  ;  that  they  were  nothing  like 
any  clouds  or  vapours,   which  he  had  ever    perceived   else- 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld. 


where ;  that  their  number  was  incredible,  for  they  filled 
lengthways  near  half  a  mile,  and  continued  so  in  a  swift 
march  for  above  an  hour,  and  much  longer  he  thinks  if  night 
had  kept  off." 

The  writer  adds, —  "  This  whole  story  has  so  much  the  air 
of  a  romance,  that  it  seemed  fitter  for  Aviadis  dc  Gaul,  or 
Glenvilles  System  of  Witches,  than  the  repository  of  the  learned ; 
but  as  the  countiy  was  full  of  it,  I  only  give  it  verbatim  from 
the  original  relation  of  a  people,  that  could  have  no  end  in 
imposing  upon  their  fellow-creatures,  and  are  of  good  repute 
in  the  place  where  they  live." 

Not  less  circumstantial  is  the  account  of  this  remarkable 
phenomenon  gathered  from  the  same  sources  by  Mr.  James 
Clarke,  the  intelligent  author  of  the  Sui^vey  of  the  Lakes ; 
and  which  account,  he  says,  ' '  perhaps  can  scarcely  be  par- 
alleled by  history,  or  reconciled  to  probability  ;  such,  how- 
ever, is  the  evidence  we  have  of  it,"  he  continues,  "that  I 
cannot  help  relating  it,  and  then  my  readers  must  judge  for 
themselves.  I  shall  give  it  nearly  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Lan- 
caster of  Blakehills,  from  whom  I  had  the  account ;  and 
whose  veracity,  even  were  it  not  supported  by  many  concur- 
rent testimonies,  I  could  fully  rely  upon.  The  story  is  as 
follows  : 

"  On  the  23rd  of  June  1744  (Qu.  45  ?),  his  father's  servant, 
Daniel  Stricket  (who  now  lives  under  Skiddaw,  and  is  an 
auctioneer),  about  half  past  seven  in  the  evening  was  walking 
a  little  above  the  house.  Looking  round  him  he  saw  a  troop 
of  men  on  horseback  riding  on  Souther  fell-side,  (a  place  so 
steep  that  an  horse  can  scarcely  travel  on  it  at  all,)  in  pretty 
close  ranks  and  at  a  brisk  walk.  Stricket  looked  earnestly  at 
them  some  time  before  he  durst  venture  to  acquaint  any  one 
with  what  he  saw,  as  he  had  the  year  before  made  himself 
ridiculous  by  a  visionary  story,  which  I  beg  leave  here  also  to 
relate  :  He  was  at  that  time  servant  to  John  Wren  of  Wilton- 
kill,  the  next  house  to  Blakehills,  and  sitting  one  evening 
after  supper  at  the  door  along  with  his  master,  they  saw  a 
man  with  a  dog  pursuing  some  horses  along  Southerfell-side  ; 
and  they  seemed  to  run  at  an  amazing  pace,  till  they  got  out 
of  sight  at  the  low  end  of  the  Fell.  This  made  them  resolve  to 
go  next  morning  to  the  place  to  pick  up  the  shoes  which  they 
thought  these  horses  must  have  lost  in  galloping  at  such  a 
furious  rate ;  they  expected  likewise  to  see  prodigious  grazes 
from  the  feet  of  these  horses  on  the  steep  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  to  find  the  man  lying  dead,  as  they  were  sure  he  run 


Sii'  Lancelot  Threlkeld.  63 


so  fast  that  he  must  kill  himself.  Accordingly  they  went, 
but,  to  their  great  surprise,  found  not  a  shoe,  nor  even  a  single 
vestige  of  any  horse  having  been  there,  much  less  did  they 
find  the  man  lying  dead  as  they  had  expected.  This  story  they 
some  time  concealed  ;  at  length,  however,  they  ventured  to 
tell  it,  and  were  (as  might  be  expected)  heartily  laughed  at. 
Stricket,  conscious  of  his  former  ridiculous  eiTor,  observed 
these  aerial  troops  some  time  before  he  ventured  to  mention 
what  he  saw  ;  at  length,  fully  satisfied  that  what  he  saw  was 
real,  he  went  into  the  house,  and  told  Mr.  Lancaster  he  had 
something  curious  to  show  him.  Mr.  Lancaster  asked  him 
what  it  was,  adding,  "  I  suppose  some  bonefire,"  (for  it  was 
then,  and  still  is  a  custom,  for  the  shepherds,  on  the  evening 
before  St.  John's  day,  to  light  bonefires,  and  vie  with  each 
other  in  having  the  largest. )  Stricket  told  him,  if  he  would 
walk  with  him  to  the  end  of  the  house  he  would  show  him 
what  it  was.  They  then  went  together,  and  before  Stricket 
spoke  or  pointed  to  the  place,  Mr.  Lancaster  himself  dis- 
covered the  phenomenon,  and  said  to  Stricket,  "  Is  that 
what  thou  hast  to  show  me  ?"  "  Yes,  Master,"  replied 
Stricket  :  "Do  you  think  you  see  as  I  do?"  They  found 
they  did  see  alike,  so  they  went  and  alarmed  the  family, 
who  all  came,  and  all  saw  this  strange  phenomenon. 

' '  These  \asionai7  horsemen  seemed  to  come  from  the  lowest 
part  of  Souther-Fell,  and  became  visible  first  at  a  place  called 
Knott  :  they  then  moved  in  regular  troops  along  the  side  of 
the  Fell,  till  they  came  opposite  Blakchills,  when  they  went 
over  the  mountain  :  thus  they  described  a  kind  of  curvilineal 
path  upon  the  side  of  the  Fell,  and  both  their  first  and  last 
appearance  were  bounded  by  the  top  of  the  mountam. 

"  Frequently  the  last,  or  last  but  one,  in  a  troop,  (always 
either  the  one  or  the  other, )  would  leave  his  place,  gallop  to 
the  front,  and  then  take  the  same  pace  with  the  rest,  a  regular, 
swift  walk  :  these  changes  happened  to  every  troop,  (for  many 
troops  appeared, )  and  oftener  than  once  or  twice,  yet  not  at 
all  times  alike.  The  spectators  saw,  all  alike,  the  same 
changes,  and  at  the  same  time,  as  they  discovered  by  asking 
each  other  questions  as  any  change  took  place.  Nor  was  this 
wonderful  phenomenon  seen  at  Blakehills  only,  it  was  seen  by 
every  person  at  every  cottage  within  the  distance  of  a  mile  ; 
neither  was  it  confined  to  a  momentary  view,  for  from  the 
time  that  Stricket  first  observed  it,  the  appearance  must  have 
lasted  at  least  two  hours  and  a  half,  viz.  from  half  past  seven, 
till  the  night  coming  on  prevented  the  farther  view  ;    nor  yet 


Sir  Lancelot  Threlkeld. 


was  the  distance  such  as  could  impose  rude  resemblances  on 
the  eyes  of  credulity  :  Blakehills  lay  not  half  a  mile  from  the 
place  where  this  astonishing  appearance  seemed  to  be,  and 
many  other  places  where  it  was  likewise  seen  are  still  nearer." 

This  account  is  attested  by  the  signatures  of  William  Lan- 
caster and  Daniel  Stricket,  and  dated  the  2 1st  day  of  July 
1785- 

"Thus  I  have  given,"  continues  Mr.  Clark,  "the  best 
account  I  can  procure  of  this  wonderful  appearance  ;  let 
others  determine  what  it  was.  This  country,  like  every  other 
where  cultivation  has  been  lately  introduced,  abounds  in  the 
aniles  fabellce  of  fairies,  ghosts,  and  apparitions ;  but  these  are 
never  ewtn/abled  to  have  been  seen  by  more  than  one  or  two 
persons  at  a  time,  and  the  view  is  always  said  to  be  momen- 
tary. Speed  tells  of  something  indeed  similar  to  this  as  pre- 
ceding a  dreadful  intestine  war.  Can  something  of  this  nature 
have  given  rise  to  Ossian's  grand  and  awful  mythology  ?  or, 
finally,  Is  there  any  impiety  in  supposing,  as  this  happened 
immediately  before  that  rebellion  which  was  intended  to  sub- 
vert the  liberty,  the  law,  and  the  religion  of  England  ;  that 
though  immediate  prophecies  have  ceased,  these  visionary 
beings  might  be  directed  to  warn  mankind  of  approaching 
tumults  ?  In  short,  it  is  difficult  to  say  what  it  was,  or  what 
it  was  not." 

Sir  David  Brewster,  in  his  work  on  Natural  Magic,  after 
quoting  this  narrative  from  Mr.  James  Clark,  which  he  de- 
scribes as  "  one  of  the  most  interesting  accounts  of  aerial 
spectres  with  which  we  are  acquainted,"  continues — "  These 
extraordinary  sights  were  received  not  only  with  distrust,  but 
with  absolute  incredulity.  They  were  not  even  honoured 
with  a  place  in  the  records  of  natural  phenomena,  and  the 
philosophers  of  the  day  were  neither  in  possession  of  anala- 
gous  facts,  nor  were  they  acquainted  with  those  principles  of 
atmospherical  refraction  ujoon  which  they  depend.  The  strange 
phenomena,  indeed,  of  the  Fata  Morgaiui,  or  the  Castles 
of  the  Fairy  Mor-J\/orgaua,  had  been  long  before  observed, 
and  had  been  described  by  Kircher,  in  the  17th  century,  but 
they  presented  nothing  so  mysterious  as  the  aerial  troopers  of 
Souter  P'ell ;  and  the  general  characters  of  the  two  phenomena 
Were  so  unlike,  that  even  a  philosopher  might  have  been  ex- 
cused for  ascribing  them  to  different  causes." 

The  accepted  explanation  of  this  appearance  now  is,  that 
on  the  evenings  in  question,  the  rebel  Scotch  troops  were  per- 
forming their  military  evolutions  on  the  west  coast  of  Scot- 


Sir  Lancelot  ThreLkeld.  65 


land,  and  that  by  some  peculiar  refraction  of  the  atmosphere 
their  movements  were  reflected  on  this  mountain.  Phenomena 
similar  to  these  were  seen  near  Stockton-on-the-Forest,  in 
Yorkshire,  in  1792  ;  in  Harrogate,  on  June  28th,  1812  ; 
and  near  St.  Neot's,  in  Huntingdonshire,  in  1820.  Tradition 
also  records  the  tramp  of  armies  over  Helvellyn,  on  the  eve 
of  tire  battle  of  Marston  Moor.  To  these  may  be  added  the 
appearance  of  the  Spectre  of  the  Brocken  in  the  Hartz  Moun- 
tains ;  and  an  instance  mentioned  by  Hutchinson,  that  in  the 
spring  of  the  year  1707,  early  on  a  serene  still  morning,  two 
persons  who  were  walking  from  one  village  to  another  in 
Leicestershire,  observed  a  like  appearance  of  an  army  march- 
ing along,  till,  going  behind  a  great  hill,  it  disappeared.  The 
forms  of  pikes  and  carbines  were  distinguishable,  the  march 
was  not  entirely  in  one  direction,  but  was  at  first  like  the 
junction  of  two  armies,  and  the  meeting  of  generals. 

Aerial  phenomena  of  a  like  nature  are  recorded  by  Livy, 
Josephus,  and  Suetonius  ;  and  a  passage  in  Sacred  History 
seems  to  refer  to  a  similar  circumstance.     See  Judges  ix.  36. 

Many  in  this  country  considered  these  appearances  as 
ominous  of  the  great  waste  of  blood  spilt  by  Britain  in  her 
wars  with  America  and  France.  Shakespeare  says,  in  Julius 
CcEsar, 

"  When  these  prodigies 

Do  so  conjointly  meet,  let  not  men  say, 

they  are  natural ; 

For,  I  believe,  they  are  portentous  things 

Unto  the  climate  that  they  point  upon." 


66 


PAN  ON  KIRKSTONE. 

Not  always  in  fair  Grecian  bowers 
Piped  ancient  Pan,  to  charm  the  hours. 
Once  in  a  thousand  years  he  stray'd 
Round  earth,  and  all  his  realms  survey'd. 

And  fairer  in  the  world  were  none 
Than  those  bright  scenes  he  look'd  upon, 
Where  Ulph's  sweet  lake  her  valleys  woo'd, 
And  Windar  all  her  isles  renew'd. 

For,  long  ere  Kirkstone's  rugged  brow 
Was  worn  by  mortal  feet  as  now. 
Great  Pan  himself  the  Pass  had  trod, 
And  rested  on  the  heights,  a  God  ! 

Who  climbs  from  Ulph's  fair  valley  sees, 
Still  midway  couched  on  Kirkstone-Screes, 
Old  as  the  hills,  his  Dog  on  high, 
At  gaze  athwart  the  southern  sky. 

A  rock,  upon  that  rocky  lair. 

It  lives  from  out  the  times  that  were. 

When  hairy  Pan  his  soul  to  cheer 

lyook'd  from  those  heights  on  Windermere. 


Pa7i  on  Kirkstone.  67 

There  piped  he  on  his  reed  sweet  lays, 
Piped  his  great  heart's  dehght  and  praise  ; 
While  Nature,  answering  back  each  tone, 
Joy'd  the  glad  fame  to  find  her  o^vn. 

"  Could  I,  while  men  at  distance  keep," 
Said  Pan,  "  in  yon  bright  waters  peep, 
And  watch  their  ripples  come  and  go, 
And  see  what  treasures  hide  below  ! 

"  Rivall'd  is  my  fair  Greece's  store. 
My  owTi  Parnassian  fields  and  shore  ! 
I  will  delight  me,  and  behold 
Myself  in  yon  bright  Mere  of  gold." 

Like  thought,  his  Dog  sprang  to  yon  lair 
To  watch  the  heights  and  sniff  the  air : 
Like  thought,  on  Helm  a  Lion  frown'd, 
To  guard  the  northern  Pass's  bound  : 

And  with  Jiis  mate  a  mighty  Pard 
On  Langdale-head,  kept  Avatchful  ward  : — 
That  great  God  Pan  his  soul  might  cheer, 
Glass'd  in  the  depths  of  Windermere. 

Then  down  the  dell  from  steep  to  steep. 
With  many  a  wild  and  wayAvard  leap, 
The  God  descending  stood  beside 
His  image  on  the  golden  tide. 


68  Pan  on  Kirkstone. 

His  shaggy  sides  in  full  content 
He  sunn'd,  and  o'er  the  waters  bent ; 
Then  hugg'd  himself  the  reeds  among, 
And  piped  his  best  Arcadian  song. 

What  was  it,  as  he  knelt  and  drew 
The  wave  to  sip,  that  pierced  him  through  ? 
What  whispered  sound,  what  stifled  roar. 
Has  reached  him  listening  on  the  shore  ? 

He  shivers  on  the  old  lake  stones ; 
He  leans,  aghast,  to  catch  the  groans 
Which  come  like  voices  uttering  woe 
Up  all  the  streams,  and  bid  him  go. 

Onward  the  looming  troubles  roll, 
All  centring  towards  his  mighty  soul. 
He  shriek'd  !  and  in  a  moment's  flight, 
Stunn'd,  through  the  thickets  plunged  from  sight. 

'  Plunged  he,  his  unking'd  head  to  hide 
With  goats  and  herds  in  forests  wide  ? 
Or  down  beneath  the  rocks  to  lie, 
Shut  in  from  leaves,  and  fields,  and  sky  ? 

Gone  was  the  great  God  out  from  earth  ! 
Gone,  with  his  pipe  of  tuneful  mirth  ! 
Whither,  and  wherefore,  men  may  say 
Who  stood  where  Pilate  mused  that  day. 


Pmi  on  Kirkstone.  69 

And  with  that  breath  that  crisp'd  the  rills, 
And  with  that  shock  that  smote  the  hills, 
A  moment  Nature  sobb'd  and  moum'd, 
And  things  of  life  to  rocks  were  turned. 

Stricken  to  stone  in  heart  and  limb, 
Like  all  things  else  that  followed  him, 
Yonder  his  Dog  lies  watching  still 
For  Pan's  lost  step  to  climb  the  hill. 

And  those  twin  Pards,  huge,  worn  with  time, 
Stretch  still  their  rocky  lengths  sublime. 
Where  once  they  watched  to  guard  from  man 
The  sportive  mood  of  great  God  Pan. 

And  craggy  Helm's  grey  Lion  rears 
The  mane  he  shook  in  those  old  years. 
In  changeless  stone,  from  morn  to  mom 
Awaiting  still  great  Pan's  return. 

Could  he  come  back  again,  to  range 
The  earth,  how  much  must  all  things  change  ! 
Not  Nature's  self,  even  rock  and  stone. 
Would  deign  her  perished  God  to  own. 

The  former  life  all  fled  away — 
No  custom'd  haunt  to  bid  him  stay — 
No  flower  on  earth,  no  orb  on  high. 
No  place,  to  know  him — Pan  must  die. 


70  Pan  on  Kirkstone. 

Down  with  his  age  he  went  to  rest ; 
His  great  heart,  stricken  in  his  breast 
By  tidings  from  that  far-off  shore, 
Burst — and  great  Pan  was  King  no  more 


71 


NOTES  TO  "PAN  ON  KIRKSTONE." 

The  sudden  trouble  and  annihilation  of  Pan  have  reference 
to  a  passage  in  Plutarch,  in  his  Treatise  on  Oracles,  in  which 
he  relates  that  at  the  time  of  the  Crucifixion,  a  voice  was 
heard  by  certain  mariners,  sweeping  over  the  Egean  Sea,  and 
crying  "  Pan  is  dead"  ;  and  the  Oracles  ceased.  This  idea, 
so  beautifully  expressing  the  overthrow  of  Paganism,  and  the 
flight  of  the  old  gods,  at  the  inauguration  of  Christianity, 
Milton  has  finely  elaborated  in  his  sublime  "  Hymn  on  the 
Morning  of  the  Nativity." 

Many  of  the  mountains  in  the  North  of  England  derive 
their  name  from  some  peculiarity  of  form  :  as  Helm-Crag  xa. 
Grasmere,  Saddle-Back  near  Keswick,  Great  Gablt  at  the 
head  of  Wast- Water,  The  Pillar  in  Ennerdale,  The  Hay 
Stacks,   The  Haycocks,  High  Stile,  Steeple,  &c. 

There  are  also  veiy  marked  resemblances  to  animate  ob- 
jects, well  known  to  those  familiar  with  the  Lake  District,  as 
the  Lion  and  the  Lamb  on  the  summit  of  Helm-Crag  ;  the 
Astrologer,  or  Old  woman  cffiuering,  on  the  same  spot  when 
seen  from  another  quarter ;  the  rude  similitude  of  a  female 
colossal  statue,  which  gives  the  name  of  Eve's  Crag  to  a  cliff 
in  the  vale  of  Derwentwater.  An  interesting  and  but  little 
known  Arthurian  reminiscence  is  found  in  the  old  legend  that 
the  recumbent  effigy  of  that  gi'eat  king  may  be  traced  from 
some  parts  of  the  neighbourhood  of  Penrith  in  the  outlines  of 
the  mountain  range  of  which  the  peaks  of  Saddleback  form 
the  most  prominent  points.  From  the  little  hill  of  Castle 
Head  or  Castlet,  the  royal  face  of  George  the  Third  with  its 
double  chin,  short  nose,  and  receding  forehead,  can  be  quite 
made  out  in  the  crowning  knob  of  Causey  Pike.  From  under 
Barf,  near  Bassenthwaite  Water,  is  seen  the  fonn  which  gives 
name  to  the  Apostle's  Crag.  At  a  particular  spot,  the  solemn 
shrouded  figure  comes  out  with  bowed  head  and  reverent 
mien,  as  if  actually  detaching  itself  from  the  rock — a  vision 
seen  by  the  passer  by  only  for  a  few  yards,  when  the  magic 
ceases,  and  the  Apostle  goes  back  to  stone.  The  massy 
forms  of  the  Langdale  Pikes,   as  seen  from  the  south  east. 


72       Notes  to  ''Pan  on  Kirkstone!' 


with  the  sweeping  curve  of  Pavey  Ark  behind,  are  strikingly 
suggestive  of  two  gigantic  lions  or  pards,  crouching  side  by 
side,  with  their  breasts  half  turned  towards  the  spectator.  And 
a  remarkable  figure  of  a  shepherd's  dog,  but  of  no  great  size, 
may  be  seen  stretched  out  on  a  jutting  crag,  about  halfway 
up  the  precipice  which  overhangs  the  road,  as  the  summit  of 
Kirkstone  Pass  is  approached  from  Brother's  Water.  It  is 
not  strictly,  as  stated  in  the  foregoing  verses,  on  the  part  of 
Kirkstone  Fell  called  Red  Screes,  but  some  distance  below  it 
on  the  Patterdale  side. 

Among  the  freaks  of  Nature  occasionally  to  be  found  in 
these  hilly  regions,  is  the  print  of  the  heifer's  foot  in  Borrow- 
dale,  shown  by  the  guides  ;  and  on  a  stone  near  Buck-Crag 
in  Eskdale,  the  impressions  of  the  foot  of  a  man,  a  boy,  and  a 
dog,  without  any  marks  of  tooling  or  instmment  ;  and  the  re- 
markable precipices  of  Doe-Crag  and  Earn-Crag,  whose 
fronts  are  polished  as  marble,  the  one  i6o  yards  in  perpendicu- 
lar height,  the  other  120  yards. 

On  the  top  of  the  Screes,  above  Wastwater,  stood  for  ages 
a  very  large  stone  called  Wilson's  Plorse  ;  which  about  a  cen- 
tury ago  fell  down  into  the  lake,  when  a  cleft  was  made 
one  hundred  yards  long,  four  feet  wide,  and  of  incredible 
depth. 


73 


ST.  BEGA  AND  THE  SNOW  MIRACLK 

The  seas  will  rise  though  saints  on  board 
Commend  their  frail  skiff  to  the  Lord. 
And  Bega  and  her  holy  band 
Are  shipwrecked  on  the  Cumbrian  strand, 

"  Give  me,"  she  asked,  "  for  me  and  mine, 
O  Lady  of  high  Bretwalda's  line  ! 
Give,  for  His  sake  who  succoured  thee, 
A  shelter  for  these  maids  and  me." — 

Then  sew'd,  and  spun,  and  crewl-work  wrought,* 
And  served  the  poor  they  meekly  taught, 
These  virgins  good  ;  and  show'd  the  road 
By  blameless  lives  to  Heaven  and  God. 

They  won  from  rude  men  love  and  praise  ; 
They  lived  unmoved  through  evil  days  ; 
And  only  longed  for  a  home  to  rise 
To  store  up  treasures  for  the  skies. 

That  pious  wish  the  Lady's  bower 

Has  reached  ;  and  forth  she  paced  the  tower  ; — 

"  My  gracious  Lord  !  of  thy  free  hand 

Grant  this  good  Saint  three  roods  of  land. 

*  See  Note  on  jiage  80. 


74     S^'  Bega  and  the  Snow  Miracle. 

"  Three  roods,  where  she  may  rear  a  pile, 
To  sing  God's  praise  through  porch  and  aisle  ; 
And,  serving  Him,  us  too  may  bless 
For  sheltering  goodness  in  distress." 

The  Earl  he  turned  him  gaily  near. 
Laughed  lightly  in  his  Lady's  ear — 
"  By  this  bright  Eve  of  blessed  St.  John  ! 
I'll  give — ^what  the  snow  to-morrow  lies  oa" 

His  Lady  roused  him  at  dawn  with  smiles — 
"  The  snow  lies  white  for  miles  and  miles  !" 
From  loop-hole  and  turret  he  stares  on  the  sight 
Of  Midsummer-morning  clothed  in  white. 

" — Well  done,  good  Saint !  the  lands  are  thine. 
Go,  build  thy  church,  and  deck  thy  shrine. 
I  'bate  no  jot  of  my  plighted  word. 
Though  lightly  spoken  and  lightly  heard. 

"  If  mirth  and  my  sweet  Lady's  grace 
Have  lost  me  many  a  farm  and  chace, 
I  know  that  power  unseen  belongs 
To  holy  ways  and  Christian  songs. 

"  And  He,  who  thee  from  wind  and  wave 
Deliverance  and  a  refuge  gave, 
\\Tien  we  must  brave  a  gloomier  sea. 
May  hear  thy  prayers  for  mine  and  me." 


75 


NOTES  TO  "ST.  BEGA  AND  THE  SNOW 
MIRACLE." 

The  remains  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  Bees,  about  four  miles 
south  of  Whitehaven,  stand  in  a  low  situation,  with  marshy 
lands  to  the  east,  and  on  the  west  exposed  to  storms  from 
the  Irish  Channel. 

In  respect  to  this  religious  foundation,  Tanner  says,  "  Bega, 
an  holy  woman  from  Ireland  is  said  to  have  founded,  about 
the  year  650,  a  small  monastery  in  Copeland,  where  after- 
wards a  church  was  built  in  memoiy  of  her.  This  religious 
house  being  destroyed  by  the  Danes,  was  restored  by  William, 
brother  to  Ranulph  de  Meschines,  Earl  of  Cumberland,  in  the 
time  of  King  Henry  I.,  and  made  a  cell  for  a  prior  and  six 
Benedictine  monks,  to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Mary,  York." 

The  earliest  documents  connected  with  this  place  call  it 
Kirkby-Begogh,  the  market  town  of  St.  Bega  ;  and  St.  Bee, 
or  St.  Bees,  the  Saint's  house  or  houses,  names  given  to  it 
after  the  Irish  Saint  resided  there. 

St.  Bega  is  said  to  have  been  the  daughter  of  an  Irish  king, 
"  who  was  a  Christian,  and  an  earnest  man,  to  boot."  He 
wished  to  marry  his  daughter  to  a  Norwegian  prince  ;  but 
she,  having  determined  to  be  a  nun,  ran  away  from  her 
father's  house,  and  joining  some  strange  sailors,  took  ship, 
and  sailed  to  the  coast  of  Cumberland. 

The  accounts  given  of  the  first  foundation  of  the  nunnery  of 
St.  Bees  are  very  contradictory,  the  common  version  being 
the  traditionary  account  in  Mr.  Sandford's  MS.,  namely,  that 
the  extent  of  the  territories  was  originally  designated  by  a 
preternatural  fall  of  snow,  through  the  prayers  of  the  Saint, 
on  the  eve  of  St.  John's  or  Midsummer  day.  From  this  MS. 
it  would  appear  that  a  ship,  containing  a  lady  abbess  and  her 
sisters,  being  "driven  in  by  stormy  weather  at  Whitehaven," 
the  abbess  applied  for  relief  to  the  lady  of  Egremont,  who, 
taking  compassion  on  her  destitution,  obtained  of  her  lord  a 
dwelling  place  for  them,  "at  the  now  St.  Bees;"  where 
they  "sewed  and  spinned,  and  wrought  carpets  and  other 
work  and  lived  very  godly  lives,  as  got  them  much  love." 
It  goes  on  to  say  that  the  lady  of  Egremont,   at  the  lequest  of 


76 


Notes  to 


the  abbess,  spoke  to  her  lord  to  give  them  some  land  "to  lay 
up  treasure  in  heaven,"  and  that  "he  laughed  and  said  he 
would  give  them  as  much  as  snow  fell  upon  the  next  morning, 
being  Midsummer  day  ;  and  on  the  morrow  as  he  looked  out 
of  his  castle  window,  all  was  white  with  snow  for  three  miles 
together.  And  thereupon  builded  this  St.  Bees  Abbie,  and 
gave  all  those  lands  was  snowen  unto  it,  and  the  town  and 
haven  of  Whitehaven,  &c." 

The  "  Life  of  Sancta  Bega,"  however,  a  latin  chronicle  of 
the  Middle  Ages,  in  which  are  recorded  the  acts  of  the  Saint, 
gives  the  Snow  Miracle  somewhat  differently,  and  places  it 
many  years  after  the  death  of  the  mild  recluse,  in  the  time  of 
Ranulph  de  Meschines.  The  monkish  historian  relates  that 
certain  persons  had  instilled  into  the  ears  of  that  nobleman, 
that  the  monks  had  unduly  extended  their  possessions.  A 
dispute  arose  on  this  subject,  for  the  settlement  of  which,  by 
the  prayers  of  the  religious,  "  invoking  most  earnestly  the 
intercession  of  their  advocate  the  blessed  Bega,"  the  whole 
land  became  white  with  snow,  except  the  territories  of  the 
church  which  stood  forth  dry. 

It  is  certain  that  the  name  of  Sancta  Bega  is  inseparably 
connected  with  the  Snow  Miracle  ;  but  the  anachronism  which 
refers  the  former  of  the  accounts  just  given  to  the  period  of 
William  de  Meschines  would  seem  to  show  that  the  narrator 
has  mixed  up  the  circumstances  attending  its  foundation  in  the 
middle  of  the  seventh  century  with  its  restoration  in  the 
twelfth  ;  for,  says  Denton,  "the  said  Lord  William  de  Mes- 
chines seated  himself  at  Egremont,  where  he  built  a  castle  upon 
a  sharp  topped  hill,  and  thereupon  called  the  same  Egre- 
9?tont."  This  writer  elsewhere  says,  "The  bounders  of 
William  Meschines  aforesaid,  which  he  gave  the  prioiy  are 
in  these  words  :  '  Totam  terram  et  vis  lotum  feodum  inter  has 
divisas,  viz.  a  pede  de  Whit  of  Plaven  ad  Kekel,  et  per  Kekel 
donee  cadit  in  Eyre  et  per  Eyre  quousque  in  mare.'  Kekel 
runneth  off  from  Whillymore  by  Cleator  and  Egremont,  and 
so  into  Eyne  ;  at  Egremont  Eyre  is  the  foot  of  Eyne,  which 
falleth  out  of  Eynerdale. " 

The  monkish  version  of  the  legend,  therefore,  refers  to 
William  de  Meschines,  as  the  Lord  of  Egremont,  and  to  the 
lands  which  were  given  by  him  at  the  restoration  of  the  Priory 
in  the  twelfth  century  :  whilst  that  related  by  Sandford  alludes 
to  some  other  powerful  chief,  who,  in  the  life  time  of  the 
Saint  in  the  seventh  century  had  his  seat  at  Egremont,  which, 
as  has  been    stated    elsewhere,    "was  probably  a   place   of 


St  Bega  and  the  Snow  Miracle.     7  7 


strength  during  the  Hep'.archy,  and  in  the  time  of  the  Danes." 

It  might  ahnost  seem  as  if  some  such  legend  as  that  of  the 
Snow  Miracle  were  necessary  to  account  for  the  singular  form 
of  this  extensive  and  populous  parish  :  which  includes  the 
large  and  opulent  town  of  Whitehaven  ;  the  five  chapelries  of 
Hensingham,  Ennerdale,  Eskdale,  Wastdale-Head,  and  Ne- 
ther-Wastdale  ;  and  the  townships  of  St.  Bees,  Ennerdale, 
Ennerdale  High  End,  Eskdale  and  Wastdale,  Hensingham, 
Kinneyside,  Lowside-Quarter,  Nether- Wastdale,  Preston- 
Quarter,  Rottington,  Sandwith,  Weddicar,  and  Whitehaven. 
It  extends  ten  miles  along  the  coast,  and  reaches  far  inland, 
so  that  some  of  its  chapelries  are  ten  and  fourteen  miles  from 
the  mother-church. 

In  the  monkish  chronicle  of  the  Life  and  Miracles  of  Sancta 
Bega  occurs  the  following  passage  : — 

"  A  certain  celebration  had  come  round  by  annual  revolu- 
tion which  the  men  of  that  land  use  to  solemnise  by  a  most  holy 
Sabbath  on  the  eve  of  Pentecost,  on  account  of  certain  tokens 
of  the  sanctity  of  the  holy  virgin  then  found  there,  which  they 
commemorate,  and  they  honor  her  church  by  visiting  it  with 
offerings  of  prayers  and  oblations."* 

In  allusion  to  which,  Mr.  Tomlinson  the  editor  and  trans- 
lator of  the  MS.  observes  that  "this  is  another  of  those  marks 
of  dependence  of  the  surrounding  chapelries  which  formerly 
existed  ;  a  mark  the  more  interesting  because  to  this  day  some 
traces  of  it  remain.  Communicants  still  annually  lesort  to 
the  church  of  St.  Bees  at  the  festival  of  Easter  from  consider- 
able distances  ;  and  the  village  presents  an  unusual  appear- 
ance from  their  influx  ;  and  at  the  church  the  eucharist  is 
administered  as  early  as  eight  in  the  morning,  in  addition  to 
the  celebration  of  it  at  the  usual  time.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
but  that  Whitsuntide,  and  perhaps  Christmas,  as  well  as  Easter, 
were  formerly  seasons  when  the  church  of  St.  Bees  was  re- 
sorted to  by  numbers  who  appeared  mthin  it  at  no  other 
time,  save  perhaps  at  the  burial  of  their  friends.  The  great 
festivals  of  the  church  appear  in  the  middle  ages  to  have  been 
considered  by  the  English  as  peculiarly  auspicious  for  the 
solemnization  of  marriages.  At  these  seasons  then,  from  con- 
curring causes,  the  long-drawn  solemn  processions  of  priests 

*  Advenerat  aunua  revolutione  qusedam  celebritas  quam  sacro  sancto 
sabbato  in  vigilia  peutecosten  homines  illius  terras  ob  quwdam  insignia 
sanctitatis  sauctiB  vii-giuis  tunc  illio  inventa,  et  signa  ibidem  perpetrata 
sclent  solempuizare  ;  et  ecclesiani  illius  visitando  orationiun  et  obla- 
tionum  hostii3  boDorare. 

Vita  S.  Begae,  et  de  Miraculis  Bjusdem,  p.  73. 


78 


Notes  to 


and  people  would  be  chiefly  seen,  and  then  also,  the  accus- 
tomed oblations  of  the  latter  to  the  mother  church  of  St. 
Bees  would  be  discharged." 

As  to  the  "town  and  haven  of  Whitehaven"  included  in 
the  gift  to  "St.  Bees  Abbie,"  its  eligibility  as  a  fishing 
ground,  when  the  tides  ran  nearer  the  meadows  than  at  pre- 
sent, would  doubtless  attract  the  attention  of  the  monks  of 
St.  Bees  ;  and  the  fact  of  its  being  denominated  Whittoft- 
haven,  Quitofthaven,  Wythoven,  Whyttothaven,  VVhitten,  &c., 
in  the  register  of  St.  Bees  and  other  ancient  records,  evidently 
shows  that  it  is  a  place  of  greater  antiquity  than  has  generally 
been  ascribed  to  it  ;  and  some  fragments  of  tradition,  still 
extant,  seem  to  countenance  this  opinion. 

Denton  (MS.)  speaking  of  Whitehaven  or  White-Toft 
Haven,  says  "  It  was  belonging  to  St.  Beghs  of  antient  time, 
for  the  Abbot  of  York,  in  Edward  I.'s  time  was  impleaded  for 
wreck,  and  his  liberties  there,  by  the  King,  which  he  claimed 
from  the  foundation,  to  be  confirmed  by  Richard  Lucy,  in 
King  John's  time,  to  his  predecessors." 

That  Whitehaven  was  anciently  a  place  of  resort  for  ship- 
ping appears  from  some  particulars  respecting  it  mentioned  in 
those  remarkable  Irish  documents,  called  the  Annals  of  the 
Four  Masters,  much  of  which  was  written  at  the  Abbey  of 
Monesterboice,  in  the  county  of  Louth — nearly  opposite,  on 
the  Irish  shore.  In  the  account  of  the  domestic  habits  and 
manufactures  of  the  Irish,  it  is  stated  that  their  coracles,  or 
Wicker  Boats,  their  Noggins,  and  other  domestic  utensils, 
were  made  of  wood  called  Wythe  or  Withey,  brought  from 
the  opposite  shore  of  Baruch  (i.e.  rocky  coast)  and  that  a 
small  colony  was  placed  there  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
this  wood.  That  Barach  mouth,  or  Barrow  mouth,  and 
Barrow  mouth  wood  is  the  same  as  that  alluded  to  by  the 
Four  Masters,  is  evident  from  the  legend  of  St.  Bega,  which 
places  it  in  the  same  locality  ;  and  that  the  colony  of  Celts 
resided  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  now  Celts,  or  KelPs  Pit, 
in  the  same  locality  also,  is  manifest  from  the  name.  About 
the  year  930,  it  appears  that  one  of  the  Irish  princes  or  chiefs, 
accompanied  an  expedition  to  this  place  for  wood  (for  that  a 
great  portion  of  the  site  of  the  present  town  and  the  neigh- 
bouring heights  were  formerly  covered  with  forest  trees  there 
can  be  no  doubt)  and  that  the  inhabitants  who  were  met  at 
PVhitten,  or  Wittenagemote,  fell  upon  and  took  the  chief  and 
several  of  the  accompanying  expedition  prisoners  from  a 
jealousy  of  their  sanctuary  being  invaded.     Many  of  the  Irish 


Si.  Bega  and  the  Snow  Miracle.     79 


utensils  were  imported  hither,  particularly  the  noggin,  or 
small  'water  pail,  which  was  made  of  closely  woven  wicker 
work,  and  covered  inside  with  skin,  having  a  projecting 
handle  for  the  purpose  of  dipping  into  a  river  or  well.  The 
same  article,  in  its  primitive  shape,  though  made  of  a  dif- 
ferent material,  called  a  geggin,  is  still  used  by  some  of  the 
farmers  in  that  neighbourhood.  When  Adam  de  Harris  gave 
lands  at  Bransty  Beck  to  the  church  of  Holm  Cultram,  he 
also  gave  privilege  to  the  monks  to  cut  wood  for  making 
geggins  or  noggins. 

From  an  old  history  of  the  county  of  Durham,  Whitehaven 
appears  to  have  been  a  resort  for  shipping  in  the  tenth  cen- 
tury ;  and  when  the  Nevills  of  Raby  were  called  upon  to  fur- 
nish their  quota  of  men  to  accompany  Henry  in  his  expedi- 
tion to  Ireland  in  1 1 72,  they  were  brought  to  Wythop-haven, 
or  Witten-haven,  and  transported  thence  in  ships  to  the  Irish 
coast.  When  Edward  was  advancing  against  Scotland,  in 
the  fourteenth  century,  he  found  a  ship  belonging  to  this 
place,  in  which  he  sent  a  cargo  of  oats,  to  be  ground  by  the 
monks  of  St.  Bees. 

In  nearly  all  histories  of  Cumberland,  the  name  of  White- 
haven has  been  attributed  either  to  some  imaginary  whiteness 
of  the  rocks  on  the  east  side  of  the  harbour,  or  to  the  cognomen 
of  an  old  fisherman  who  resided  there  about  the  year  1566,  at 
which  time  the  town  is  said  to  have  had  only  six  houses.  In 
1633  it  consisted  of  only  nine  thatched  cottages.  Sir  Christo- 
pher Lowther,  second  son  of  Sir  John  Lowther,  purchased 
Whitehaven  and  the  lands  lying  in  its  neighbourhood,  and 
built  a  mansion  on  the  west  end  of  the  haven  at  the  foot  of  a 
rock.  He  died  in  1644,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son.  Sir 
John  Lowther,  who  erected  a  new  mansion  on  the  site  of  the 
present  castle,  described  by  Mr.  Denton,  in  1688,  as  a 
"  stately  new  pile  of  building,  called  the  Flatt,"  and  having 
conceived  the  project  of  working  the  coal  mines,  and  improving 
the  harbour,  he  obtained  from  Charles  the  Second,  about  the 
year  1666,  a  grant  of  all  the  "derelict  land  at  this  place," 
which  yet  remained  in  the  crown  ;  and  in  1678,  all  the  lands 
for  two  miles  northward,  between  high  and  low  water  mark. 
the  latter  grant  containing  about  150  acres.  Sir  John  having 
thus  laid  the  foundation  of  the  future  importance  of  White- 
haven, commenced  his  great  work,  and  lived  to  see  a  small 
obscure  village  grow  up  into  a  thriving  and  populous  town. 

There  is  a  traditionary  account  of  the  existence  of  an  ancient 
ruin  where  the  castle  stands  (probably  Druidical ;  or,  where 


8o     6V.  Bega  and  the  Snow  Miracle. 


at  a  later  period,  the  Whitten,  or  Wittenagemote,  was  held) 
the  remains  of  which  were  broken  up  about  the  year  1628. 
Respecting  these  real  or  imaginary  stones  it  has  been  related, 
that  the  inhabitants  believed  them  to  be  enchanted  warriors, 
and  gave  them  the  appellation  of  '''' Di'ead Ring,  or  Circle" 
and  occasionally  "  Corpse  Circle" — corrupted  into  the  word 
Corkickle,  the  name  which  the  locality  now  bears. 

A  reminiscence  of  the  old  mansion  of  the  Lowthers  is 
presei^ved  by  the  road  which  skirts  the  precincts  of  the  castle. 
This  is  still  called,  by  the  older  townspeople,  the  Flatt 
Walk. 


CREWL-WORK. 

Kriill,  or  Crewel,  is  a  word  evidently  derived  from  the  old 
Norse  Kriilla,  signifying  to  blend,  to  mix,  and  also  to  curl ; 
in  fact,  "crewel"  work  is  embroidery,  the  Berlin  wool  work  of 
modern  days ;  but  the  word  is  generally  applied,  in  this 
locality,  to  the  covering  of  a  hand  ball  with  worsted  work 
of  various  colours  and  devices,  the  tribute  of  mothers  and 
sisters  in  our  boyhood. 


HART'S-HORN  TREE. 

When  wild  deer  ranged  the  forest  free, 
Mid  Whinfell  oaks  stood  Hart's-Hom  Tree  ; 
"Which,  for  three  hundred  years  and  more, 
Upon  its  stem  the  antlers  bore 
Of  that  thrice-famous  Hart-of-Grease 
That  ran  the  race  with  Hercules. 


The  King  of  Scots,  to  hunt  the  game 
With  brave  de  Clifford  southward  came 
Pendragon,  Appleby,  and  Brough'm, 
Gave  all  his  bold  retainers  room  ; 
And  all  came  gathering  to  the  chase 
Which  ended  in  that  matchless  race. 


Beneath  a  mighty  oak  at  morn 
The  stag  was  roused  with  bugle  horn  ; 
Unleashed,  de  Clifford's  noblest  Hound 
Rushed  to  the  chase  with  strenuous  bound ; 
And  stretching  forth,  the  Hart-of-Grease 
Led  off  with  famous  Hercules. 


82  Hart's- Horn  Tree. 

They  ran,  and  northward  held  their  way  ; 
They  ran  till  dusk,  from  dawning  grey  ] 
O'er  Cumbrian  waste,  and  Border  moor, 
Till  England's  line  was  speeded  o'er ; 
And  Red-kirk  on  the  Scottish  ground 
Mark'd  of  their  chase  the  farthest  bound. 


Then  turned  they  southward,  stretching  on, 
They  ran  till  day  was  almost  gone  ; 
Till  Eamont  came  again  in  view ; 
Till  Whinfell  oaks  again  they  knew  ; 
They  ran,  and  reached  at  eve  the  place 
Where  first  began  their  desperate  race. 


They  panted  on,  till  almost  broke 
Each  beast's  strong  heart  with  its  own  stroke 
They  panted  on,  both  well  nigh  blind, 
The  Hart  before,  the  Hound  behind  ! 
And  now  will  strength  the  Hart  sustain 
To  take  him  o'er  the  pale  again  ? 


He  sprang  his  best ;  that  leap  has  won 
His  triumph,  but  his  chase  is  done  ! 
He  lies  stone  dead  beyond  the  bound; 
And  stretched  on  this  side  lies  the  Hound  ! 
His  last  bold  spring  to  clear  the  wall 
Was  vain ;  and  life  closed  with  his  fall. 


Hart's- Horn  Tree.  83 

The  steeds  had  fail'd,  squires',  knights',  and  king's, 
Long  ere  the  chase  reached  Solway's  springs  ! 
But  on  the  morrow  news  came  in 
To  Brough'm,  amidst  the  festive  din, 
How  held  the  chase,  how  far,  how  wide 
It  swerved  and  swept,  and  where  they  died. 


Ah  !  gallant  pair  !  such  chase  before 

Was  never  seen,  nor  shall  be  more  : 

And  Scotland's  King  and  England's  Knight 

Looked,  mutely  wondering,  on  the  sight. 

Where  with  that  wall  of  stone  between 

Lay  Hart  and  Hound  stretched  on  the  green. 


Then  spoke  the  King — "  For  equal  praise 
This  hand  their  monument  shall  raise  ! 
These  antlers  from  this  Oak  shall  spread  ; 
And  evermore  shall  here  be  said. 
That  Hercules  killed  Hart-of-Grease, 
And  Hart-of-Grease  killed  Hercules. 


"  From  Whinfell  woods  to  Red-kirk  plain, 
And  back  to  Whinfell  Oaks  again, 
Not  fourscore  English  miles  would  tell  ! 
But" — said  the  King — "  they  spann'd  it  well. 
And  by  my  kingdom,  I  will  say 
They  ran  a  noble  race  that  day  !  " — 


84  Harfs-Horn  Tree. 

Then  said  de  Clifford  to  the  King — 

"  Through  many  an  age  this  feat  shall  ring  ! 

But  of  your  Majesty  I  crave 

That  Hercules  may  have  his  grave 

In  ground  beneath  these  branches  free, 

From  this  day  forth  called  Hart's-Horn  Tree." 

And  there  where  both  were  'reft  of  life, 
And  both  were  victors  in  the  strife, 
Survives  this  saying  on  that  chase, 
In  memory  of  their  famous  race — 
"  Here  Hercules  killed  Hart-of-Grease, 
And  Hart-of-Grease  killed  Hercules." 


85 


NOTES  TO  "HART'S-HORN  TREE." 

I. — The  memorable  Westmorland  Forest,  or  Park  of  Whin- 
fell,  anciently  written  Qwynnefel,  was  a  grant  to  Robert  de 
Veteripont  from  King  John.  This  grant  restrained  him  from 
committing  waste  in  the  woods,  and  from  suffering  his  servants 
to  hunt  there  in  his  absence  during  the  king's  life.  Till  the 
beginning  of  last  century  it  was  famous  for  its  prodigious  oaks  ; 
a  trio  of  them,  called  The  Three  Brothers,  were  the  giants  of 
the  forest ;  and  a  part  of  the  skeleton  of  one  of  them,  called 
The  Three  Brothers'  Tree,  which  was  thirteen  yards  in  girth, 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  root,  was  remaining  imtil 
within  a  very  recent  period. 

On  the  east  side  of  this  park  is  Julian's  Bower,  famous  for 
its  being  the  residence  of  Gillian,  or  Julian,  the  peerless  mis- 
tress of  Roger  de  Clifford,  about  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of 
Edward  III.  The  Pembroke  memoirs  call  it  "a  little  house 
hard  by  Whinfell-park,  the  lower  foundations  of  which  standeth 
still,  though  all  the  wall  be  down  long  since."  This  record 
also  mentions  the  Three  Brother  Tree  and  Julian's  Bower,  as 
curiosities  \-isited  by  strangers  in  the  Countess  of  Pembroke's 
time,  prior  to  which  a  shooting  seat  had  been  erected  near 
these  ruins,  for  she  tells  us,  that  her  gi^andson,  Mr.  John 
Tuft  on,  and  others  at  one  time,  "alighted  on  their  way  over 
Whinfield  park  at  Julian's  Bower,  to  see  all  the  rooms  and 
places  about  it."  Its  hall  was  spacious,  wainscotted,  and 
hung  round  with  prodigious  stags'  horns,  and  other  trophies 
of  the  field.  One  of  the  rooms  was  hung  with  very  elegant 
tapestry  ;  but  since  it  was  converted  into  a  farm-house  all  these 
relics  of  ancient  times  have  been  destroyed. 

A  large  portion  of  the  park  was  divided  into  farms  in 
1767  ;  and  the  remainder  in  1801,  when  its  deer  were  finally 
destroyed.  It  was  thus  stripped  of  its  giant  trees,  and  con- 
signed to  its  present  unsheltered  condition. 

II. — A  fine  oak  formerly  stood  by  the  way  side,  near 
Hornby  Hall,  about  four  miles  from  Penrith  on  the  road  to 
Appleby,  which,  from  a  pair  of  stag's  horns  being  hung  up  in 
it,  bore  the  name  of  Hart's-Iiorn  Tree.  It  grew  within  the 
district  which  to  this  day  is  called  \Vliinfell   Forest.       Con- 


86  ATotes  to 


cerning  this  tree  there  is  a  tradition,  confirmed  by  Anne, 
Countess  of  Pembroke  in  her  memoirs,  that  a  hart  was  run  by 
a  single  greyhound  (as  the  ancient  deer  hound  was  called)  from 
this  place  to  Red-Kirk  in  Scotland,  and  back  again.  When 
they  came  near  this  tree  the  hart  leaped  the  park  paling,  but, 
being  worn  out  with  fatigue,  instantly  died  ;  and  the  dog, 
equally  exhausted,  in  attempting  to  clear  it,  fell  backwards 
and  expired.  In  this  situation  they  were  found  by  the  hunters, 
the  dog  dead  on  one  side  of  the  paling,  and  the  deer  on  the 
other.  In  memory  of  this  remarkable  chase,  the  hart's  horns 
were  nailed  upon  the  tree,  whence  it  obtained  its  name.  And 
as  all  extraordinary  events  were  in  those  days  recorded  in 
rhymes,  we  find  the  following  popular  one  on  this  occasion, 
from  which  we  learn  the  name  of  the  dog  likewise  : — 
Hercules  killed  Hart-o-Grease, 
And  Hari-o-Grease  killed  Hercules. 
This  story  appears  to  have  been  literally  true,  as  the  Scots 
preserve  it  without  any  variation,  and  add  that  it  happened  in 
the  year  1333  or  1334,  when  Edward  BaliolKingof  Scotland 
came  to  hunt  with  Robert  de  Clifford  in  his  domains  at 
Appleby  and  Brougham,  and  stayed  some  time  with  him  at 
his  castles  in  Westmorland.  In  course  of  time,  it  is  stated, 
the  horns  of  the  deer  became  grafted,  as  it  were,  upon  the 
tree,  by  reason  of  its  bark  growing  over  their  root,  and  there 
they  remained  more  than  three  centuries,  till,  in  the  year  1648, 
one  of  the  branches  was  broken  off  by  some  ot  the  army,  and 
ten  years  afterwards  the  remainder  was  secretly  taken  down 
by  some  mischievous  people  in  the  night.  "  So  now,"  says 
Lady  Anne  Clifford  in  her  Diary,  "there  is  no  part  thereof 
remaining,  the  tree  itself  being  so  decayed,  and  the  bark  so 
peeled  off,  that  it  cannot  last  long  ;  whereby  we  may  see  time 
brings  to  forgetfulness  many  memorable  things  in  this  world, 
be  they  ever  so  carefully  preserved — for  this  tree,  with  the 
hart's  horn  in  it,  was  a  thing  of  much  note  in  these  parts." 

The  tree  itself  has  now  disappeared  ;  but  Mr.  Wordsworth, 
"well  remembered  its  imposing  appearance  as  it  stood,  in  a 
decayed  state  by  the  side  of  the  high  road  leading  from  Penrith 
to  Appleby." 

This  remarkable  chase  must  have  been  upwards  of  eighty 
miles,  even  supposing  the  deer  to  have  taken  the  direct  road. 

Nicolson  and  Burn  remark,  when  tliey  tell  the  story,  "  So 
say  the  Countess  of  Pembroke's  Memoirs,  and  other  historical 
anecdotes.  But  from  the  improbable  length  of  the  course,  we 
would  rather  suppose,    that  they  ran  to  Nine  Kirks,  that  is 


Hart' s-Horn  Tree.  87 


the  Church  of  Ninian  the  Scottish  Saint,  and  back  again, 
which  from  some  parts  of  the  park  might  be  far  enough  for 
a  greyhound  to  nni."  These  writers  have  overlooked  the 
circumstance,  that  the  animal  which  in  those  days  was  called 
a  greyhound  was  the  ancient  deerhound,  a  large  species  of 
dog  having  the  form  of  the  modern  greyhound,  but  with 
shaggy  hair  and  a  more  powerful  frame.  The  breed  is  not 
yet  extinct :  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Maida  was  of  the  species. 

Dr.  Burn  deals  another  blow  at  the  tradition  ;  for  he  goes 
on  to  say,  ' '  And  before  this  time  there  was  a  place  in  the 
park  denominated  from  the  Harfs  horns  ;  which  seem  there- 
fore to  have  been  put  up  on  some  former  occasion,  perhaps 
for  their  remarkable  largeness.  For  one  of  the  bounder 
marks  of  the  partition  aforesaid  between  the  two  daughters  of 
the  last  Robert  de  Veteripont  is  called  Hart-horn  sike. 

III. — Dr.  Percy,  referring  to  the  expression  hart-o-greece 
in  a  verse  given  below  from  the  old  ballad  of  "  Adam  Bell," 
explains  it  to  mean  a  fat  hart,  from  the  French  word  graisse. 

"  Then  went  they  down  into  a  lawnde. 
These  noble  archarrs  thre  ; 
Eche  of  them  slew  a  hart  of  greece, 
The  best  that  they  cold  se." 

Clarke,  in  an  appendix  to  his  "Survey  of  the  Lakes," 
speaking  of  the  Red  Deer  which  is  bred  upon  the  tops  of  the 
mountains  in  Martindale,  gives  Hart  of  Grease  as  the  proper 
name  of  the  male  in  the  eighth  year. 

In  Black's  "  Picturesque  Guide  to  the  English  Lakes,"  it  is 
stated  in  a  note  upon  this  subject,  that  there  is  an  ancient 
broadside  proclamation  of  a  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  preserved 
in  the  Archiepiscopal  Libraiy  at  Lambeth,  in  which,  after 
denouncing  "  the  excessyve  and  unreasonable  pryses  of  all 
kyndes  of  vytayles,"  it  is  ordered  that  "  no  citizen  or  freman 
ofthesaide  citie  shall  sell  or  cause  to  be  solde,"  amongst 
other  things,  "Capons  of  grece  above  xxd.  or  Hennes  of 
grece  above  viid." 


BEKAN'S  GHYLL 

Dim  shadows  tread  with  elfin  pace 

The  nightshade-skirted  road, 
Where  once  the  sons  of  Odin's  race 

In  Bekan's  vale  abode  ; 
Where,  long  ere  rose  Saint  Mary's  pile, 

The  vanquish'd  horsemen  laid 
Their  idol  Wodin,  stained  and  vile, 

Beneath  the  forest's  shade. 

There  hid — while  clash  of  clubs  and  swords 

Resounded  in  the  dell, 
To  save  it  from  the  Briton's  hordes 

When  Odin's  warriors  fell — 
It  lay  with  Bekan's  mightiest  charms 

Of  magic  on  its  breast ; 
While  Sorcery,  with  its  hundred  arms. 

Had  sealed  the  vale  in  rest. 

It  woke  when  fell  with  sturdy  stroke 

The  Norman  axe  around, 
And  builders'  hands  in  fragments  broke 

The  Idol  from  the  ground  ; 


Bekans  Ghyll.  89 

And  hewed  therefrom  that  corner  stone 

"Which  yet  yon  tower  sustains, 
WTiere  Wodin's  Moth  sits,  grim  and  lone, 

And  holds  the  dell  in  chains. 

There  youth  at  love's  sweet  call  oft  glides 

By  cloister,  aisle,  and  nave, 
To  stop  above  the  stone  that  hides 

The  beauteous  Fleming's  grave  : — 
Fair  flower  of  Aldingham — the  child 

Of  old  Sir  William's  days, — 
Low  where  the  Bekan  straggling  wild 

Its  deadly  arms  displays. 

There  in  the  quiet  more  profound 

Than  sleep,  than  death  more  drear, 
Her  shadow  walks  the  silent  ground 

WTien  leaves  are  green  or  sere  ; 
WTien  autumn  with  its  cheerless  sky 

Or  winter  with  its  pall, 
Puts  all  the  year's  fair  promise  by 

With  fruits  that  fade  and  fall. 

And  where  the  Bekan  by  the  rill 

So  bitter  once,  now  sweet, 
Its  lurid  purples  ripens  still 

While  ages  onward  fleet, 
She  tastes  the  deadly  flower  by  night, — 

If  yet  its  juices  flow 
Sweet  as  of  yore  ;  for  then  to  light 

And  rest  her  soul  shall  go. 
7 


90  Bekans  Ghyll. 

Ah,  blessed  forth  from  far  beyond 

The  Jordan  once  he  came, — 
Her  Red-cross  Knight, — the  marriage  bond 

To  twine  with  love  and  fame  : 
His  meed  of  valour,  Beauty's  charms, 

Pledged  with  one  silvery  word, 
Beneath  the  forest's  branching  arms 

And  by  the  breezes  stirred. 

Another  week  !  and  she  would  stand 

In  Urswick's  halls  a  bride  : 
Another  week  !  the  marriage  band 

Had  round  her  life  been  tied  : 
When  wild  with  joyfulness  of  heart 

That  beat  not  with  a  care. 
She  carolled  forth  alone,  to  start 

The  grim  Moth  from  its  lair. 

She  bounded  from  his  heart  elate  ! 

But  Urswick's  halls  of  light, 
And  Aldingham's  embattled  gate 

No  more  shall  meet  her  sight. 
For  her  no  happy  bridal  crowd 

Press  out  into  the  road. 
But  Furness  monks  with  dirges  loud 

Bend  round  her  last  abode. 

To  chase  the  moth  that  guards  the  flower 
That  makes  the  dell  its  own, 

Flew  forth  the  maid  from  hall  and  tower 
Through  wood  and  glen  alone. 


Bekans  Ghyll.  91 

Where  Odin's  men  had  left  their  god 

In  earth,  long  overgrown 
With  tangled  bushes  rude,  she  trod 

Enchanted  ground  unknown. 

The  abbey  walls  before  her  gaze 

At  distance  rising  fair. 
While  deep  within  the  magic  maze 

She  wandered  unaware  : 
She  loitered  with  the  song  untired 

Upon  her  lips,  nor  thought 
What  foes  against  her  peace  conspired, 

While  love  his  lost  one  sought ! 

They  found  her  with  close-lidded  eyes, 

Watched  by  that  Moth  unblest, 
Perched  high  between  her  and  the  skies. 

And  nightshade  on  her  breast. 
There  lay  she  with  her  lips  apart 

In  peace  ;  by  Wodin's  power 
Stilled  into  death  her  truest  heart 

With  Bekan's  lurid  flower. 

Woe  was  it  when  Sir  William's  hall 

Received  the  mournful  train  : 
No  more  her  voice  with  sweetest  call 

His  morns  to  wake  again  ! 
No  more  her  merry  step  to  cheer 

The  days  when  clouds  were  wild  ! 
No  more  her  form  on  palfrey  near 

When  sport  his  noons  beguiled  ! 


92  Bekans  Ghyll. 

Worse  woe  when  Furness  monks  with  dole — 

While  gentle  hands  conveyed 
Her  body — for  a  parted  soul 

The  solemn  ritual  said  ; 
And  laid  her  where  the  waving  leaves 

Breathed  low  amidst  the  calm, 
When  loud  upon  the  fading  eves 

Rolled  organ-chant  and  psalm. 

With  Urswick's  hand  in  fondest  grasp 

Said  Fleming — "  Vainly  rise 
My  days  for  me  :  my  heart  must  clasp 

Her  image,  or  it  dies  ! 
Through  mass  and  prayer  I  hear  her  voice  ; 

I  know  the  fiends  have  power — 
That  chant  and  dole  and  choral  noise 

Can  purge  not — o'er  that  flower  !  " 

They  wandered  where  Engaddi's  palms 

And  Sharon's  roses  wave  ; 
Where  Hebrew  virgins  chant  their  psalms 

By  many  a  mountain  cave  : 
Mid  rock-hewn  chambers  by  the  Nile, 

Where  Magian  fathers  lay ; — 
The  secret  of  the  spell-struck  pile 

To  drag  to  realms  of  day. 

In  vain  !     His  gallant  heart  sleeps  well, 

Beneath  the  Lybian  air ; 
And  still  the  enchantment  holds  the  dell, 

And  her  so  sweet  and  fair. 


Bekans  GhylL  93 

Still  on  yon  loop  hole  stretched  by  night,  ' 

The  tyrant-moth  is  laid  : 
While  circling  in  their  ceaseless  flight 

The  ages  rise  and  fade. 

There  sometimes  as  in  nights  of  yore, 

Heard  faint  and  sweet,  a  sound 
Peals  from  yon  tower,  while  o'er  and  o'e 

The  vale  repeats  it  round. 
And  douTi  the  glen  the  mufided  tone 

Floats  slowly,  long  upborne  ; 
Answered  as  if  far  off  were  blown 

A  warrior's  bugle-horn. 

Yet  one  day,  with  unconscious  art, 

May  some  rude  hand  unfold 
Great  Wodin's  breast,  and  rend  apart 

The  fragment  from  its  hold. 
Then,  while  the  deadly  nightshade's  veins 

In  bitter  streams  shall  pour 
Their  juices,  his  usurped  domains 

Shall  own  the  Moth  no  more. 

Then  him  a  milk  white  swallow's  power 

Shall  timely  overthrow. 
And  fair,  as  from  a  beauteous  bower, 

In  raiment  like  the  snow. 
The  Flower  of  Aldingham — the  child 

Of  old  Sir  William's  days — 
Shall  break  the  bondage  round  her  piled  ; 

But  not  to  meet  his  gaze. 


94  Bekans  Ghyll. 

Nor  forth  beneath  the  dewy  dawn, 

All  radiant  like  the  mom, 
Shall  Urswick's  Knight  lead  up  the  lawn 

Beside  the  scented  thorn, 
His  bride  into  the  blighted  halls 

Whence  once  she  wildly  strayed 
In  ages  past,  by  Fumess  walls, 

And  with  the  Bekan  played. 

The  sea-snake  through  the  chambers  roves 

Of  old  Sir  William's  home — 
Fair  Aldingham,  its  bowers,  and  groves. 

And  fields  she  loved  to  roam  : 
And  where  the  gallant  Urswick  graced 

His  own  ancestral  board. 
Now  ferns  and  wild  weeds  crowd  the  waste, 

The  creeping  fox  is  lord. 

But  gracious  spirits  of  the  light 

Shall  call  a  welcome  down 
On  her,  the  beauteous  lady  bright, 

And  lead  her  to  her  oa\ti. 
Not  to  that  home  o'er  which  the  tide 

Unceasing  heaves  and  rolls  ; 
But  through  that  porch  which  opens  wide 

Into  the  land  of  souls. 


95 


NOTES  TO  "BEKAN'S  GHYLL." 

In  the  Chartulary  of  Fumess  Abbey,  some  rude  Latin 
verses,  written  by  John  Stell  a  monk,  refer  to  a  plant  called 
Bekan,  which  at  some  remote  period  grew  in  the  valley  in 
great  abundance,  whence  the  name  of  Bekansghyll  was 
anciently  derived.    The  etymology  is  thus  metrically  rendered  : 

"  Haec  vallis,  tenuit  olim  sibi  nomen  ab  herba 
Bekan,  qua  viruit  ;  dulcis  nunc  tunc  sed  acerba, 
Inde  domus  nomen  Bekanes-gill  claruit  ante." 

This  plant  "  whose  juice  is  now  sweet,  but  was  then  bitter," 
is  assumed  to  be  one  of  the  species  of  Nightshade  which  are 
indigenous  in  the  dell  and  flourish  there  in  great  luxuriance  ; 
probably  the  Solanum  Dulcamara,  the  bitter-sweet  or  woody 
nightshade,  although  the  Atropa  Belladonna,  the  deadly 
nightshade,  also  grows  among  the  ruins  of  the  Abbey.  This 
"lurid  offspring  of  Flora,"  as  Mr.  Beck  calls  it,  the  emblem 
of  sorcery  and  witchcraft,  might  well  give  the  name  of 
Nightshade  to  that  enchanting  spot.  But  what  authority  the 
monks  may  have  had  for  their'derivation  it  is  now  impossible 
to  ascertain.  Various  glossaries  and  lexicons  are  said  to  have 
been  consulted  for  bekan,  as  signifying  the  deadly  nightshade 
but  without  effect  ;  "and  after  all,"  says  Mr.  Beck,  "  I  am 
inclined  to  believe  that  Beckansgill  is  a  creation  of  the 
monastic  fancy." 

Bekan  is  Scandinavian,  and  a  proper  name  :  and  has 
probably  been  localised  in  this  district  by  the  Northmen  from 
the  period  of  its  colonisation.  It  is  said  to  have  been  quite  in 
accordance  with  the  practice  of  these  rovers  to  give  the  name  of 
their  chiefs  not  only  to  the  mounds  in  which  they  were  buried, 
but  also  in  many  cases  to  the  valley  or  plain  in  which  these 
were  situated,  or  in  which  was  their  place  of- residence  ;  or 
to  those  ghylls  or  small  ravines,  which,  with  the  rivers  or 
brook.?,    were    most   frequently   the  boundaries  of  property. 


96 


Notes  to 


Bekan's  gill  may  be  associated  in  some  way  with  one  of  the 
northern  settlers  whose  name  has  thus  far  outlived  his  memoiy 
in  the  district. 

An  interesting  passage  in  Mr.  Ferguson's  "  Northmen  in 
Cumberland  and  Westmorland"  bears  upon  this  subject.  It 
refers  to  the  opening  of  an  ancient  barrow  at  a  place  called 
Beacon  Hill,  near  Aspatria  in  Cumberland,  in  1790,  by  its 
proprietor.  Speaking  of  the  barrow,  Mr.  Ferguson  says  : — 
"  From  its  name  and  its  commanding  situation  has  arisen  the 
very  natural  belief  that  this  hill  must  have  been  the  site  of  a 
beacon.  But  there  is  no  other  evidence  of  this  fact,  and  as 
Bekan  is  a  Scandinavian  proper  name  found  also  in  other 
instances  in  the  district,  and  as  this  was  evidently  a  Scandina- 
vian grave,  while  the  commanding  nature  of  the  situation 
would  be  a  point  equally  desired  in  the  one  case  as  the  other, 
there  can  hardly  be  a  doubt  that  the  place  takes  its  name  from 
the  mighty  chief  whose  grave  it  was.  On  levelling  the 
artificial  mound,  which  was  about  90  feet  in  circumference  at 
the  base,  the  workmen  removed  six  feet  of  earth  before  they 
came  to  the  natuial  soil,  three  feet  below  which  they  found  a 
vault  formed  with  two  large  round  stones  at  each  side,  and 
one  at  each  end.  In  this  lay  the  skeleton  of  a  man  measuring 
seven  feet  fi'om  the  head  to  the  ankle  bone — -the  feet  having 
decayed  away.  By  his  side  lay  a  straight  two-edged  sword 
corresponding  with  the  gigantic  proportions  of  its  owner, 
being  about  five  feet  in  length,  and  ha\'ing  a  guard  elegantly 
ornamented  with  inlaid  silver  flowers.  The  tomb  also  con- 
tained a  dagger,  the  hilt  of  which  appeared  to  have  been 
studded  with  silver,  a  two-edged  Danish  battle-axe,  part  of  a 
gold  brooch  of  semi-circular  form,  an  ornament  apparently  of 
a  belt,  part  of  a  spur,  and  a  bit  shaped  like  a  modern  snaffle. 
Fragments  of  a  shield  were  also  picked  up,  but  in  a  state  too 
much  decayed  to  admit  of  its  shape  being  made  out.  Upon 
the  stones  composing  the  sides  of  the  vault  were  carved  some 
curious  figures,  which  were  probably  magical  runes.  This 
gigantic  Northman,  who  must  have  stood  about  eight  feet 
high,  was  evidently,  from  his  accoutrements,  a  person  of  con- 
siderable importance." 

The  situation  of  Furness  Abbey,  in  Bekan's  Ghyll,  justifies 
the  choice  of  its  first  settlers.  The  approach  from  the  north 
is  such  that  the  rums  are  concealed  by  the  windings  of  the 
glen,  and  the  groves  of  forest  trees  which  cover  the  banks  and 
knolls  with  their  varied  foliage  :  but  unluckily  it  has  been 
thought  necessary  to  disturb  the    solitude  of  the  place    by 


Bekans  Gliyll.  97 


driving  a  railway  through  it,  within  a  few  feet  of  the  ruins, 
and  erecting  a  station  upon  the  very  site  of  the  Abbot's 
Lodge.  A  commodious  road  from  Dalton  enters  this  vale, 
■  and  crossing  a  small  stream  which  glides  along  the  side  of 
a  fine  meadow,  branches  into  a  shaded  lane  which  leads 
directly  to  the  ruins  of  the  sacred  pile.  The  trees  which 
shade  the  bottom  of  the  lane  on  one  side,  spread  their  bending 
branches  over  an  ancient  Gothic  arch,  adorned  with  picturesque 
appendages  of  '\xy.  This  is  the  principal  entrance  into  the 
spacious  enclosure  which  contains  the  Monastery.  The  build- 
ing appertaining  to  it  took  up  the  whole  breadth  of  the  vale ; 
and  the  rock  from  whence  the  stones  were  taken,  in  some 
parts  made  place  for  and  overtopped  the  edifice.  Hence  it 
was  so  secreted,  by  the  high  grounds  and  eminences  which 
surround  it,  as  not  to  be  discovered  at  any  distance.  The 
Western  Tower  must  have  originally  been  carried  to  a  very 
considerable  height,  if  we  judge  from  its  remains,  which 
present  a  ponderous  mass  of  walls,  eleven  feet  in  thickness, 
and  sixty  feet  in  elevation.  These  walls  have  been  addi- 
tionally strengthened  with  six  stiged  buttresses,  eight  feet 
broad,  and  projecting  nine  feet  and  a  half  from  the  face  of  the 
wall  ;  each  stage  of  which  has  probably  been  ornamented 
like  the  lower  one  now  remaining,  with  a  canopied  niche  and 
pedestal.  The  interior  of  the  tower,  which  measures  twenty- 
four  feet  by  nineteen  feet,  has  been  lighted  by  a  fine  graceful 
window  of  about  thirty  feet  in  height,  by  eleven  and  a  half  in 
width  ;  the  arch  of  which  must  have  been  beautifully  propor- 
tioned. A  series  of  grotesque  heads,  alternating  with  flowers, 
is  introduced  in  the  hollow  of  the  jambs,  and  the  label 
terminates  in  heads.  On  the  right  side  of  the  window  is  a 
loophole,  admitting  light  to  a  winding  staircase  in  the  south- 
west angle  of  the  tower,  by  which  its  upper  stories  might  be 
ascended,  the  entrance  to  the  stairs  being  by  a  door,  having  a 
Tudor  arch,  placed  in  an  angle  of  the  interior.  The  stairs  are 
yet  passable,  and  the  view  from  the  top  is  worth  the  trouble 
of  an  ascent. 

The  workmen  employed  by  the  late  Lord  G.  Cavendish, 
state  that  the  rubbish  in  this  tower,  accumulated  by  the  fall 
of  the  superstructure,  which  filled  up  the  interior  to  the  window 
sill,  was  rendered  so  compact  by  its  fall,  so  tenacious  by  the 
rains,  and  was  composed  of  such  strongly  cemented  materials, 
as  to  require  blasting  with  gunpowder  into  manageable  pieces 
for  its  removal.  Prior  to  its  clearance,  it  was  the  scene  of 
some  marvellous  tales  disseminated  and  credited  by  many,  who 


98 


Notes  to 


alleged  that  this  heap  covered  a  vault  to  which  the  staircase 
led,  containing  the  bells  and  treasure  of  the  abbey,  with  the 
usual  accompaniments  of  the  White  Lady,  at  whose  appear- 
ance the  lights  were  extinguished,  the  impenetrable  iron-grated 
door,  and  the  grim  guardian  genius.  Though  many  essayed, 
none  were  known  to  have  succeeded  in  the  discovery  of  this 
concealed  treasure  house,  much  less  of  its  contents.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  manor  house,  on  one  occasion,  were  roused 
from  their  slumbers  by  a  noise  proceeding  from  the  ruins,  and 
on  hastening  to  the  spot,  discovered  that  it  was  made  by  some 
scholars  from  the  neighbouring  town  of  Dalton,  digging 
among  the  mins  at  midnight,  in  quest  of  the  buried  spoils. 

Within  the  inner  enclosure,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Church 
at  St.  Mary's  Abbey  in  Furness,  a  few  tombstones  lie  scat- 
tered about  in  what  has  formerly  been  a  part  of  the  cemetery. 
One  of  these  bears  the  inscription,  partly  defaced, 

HIC   JACET   ANA    F TI    FLANDREN..., 

and  commemorates  one  of  the  ancient  family  of  Le  Fleming. 

Michael  Le  Fleming,  the  first  of  the  name,  called  also 
Flemengar,  and  in  some  old  writings  Flandrensis,  was  kinsman 
to  Baldwin,  Earl  of  Flanders,  father-in-law  to  the  Conqueror; 
by  whom  he  was  sent  with  some  forces  to  assist  William  in 
his  enterprise  against  England. 

After  the  Conquest  was  completed,  and  William  was  seated 
on  the  throne  of  England,  the  valiant  Sir  Michael,  for  his 
fidelity,  and  good  services  against  the  Saxons  and  Scots, 
received  from  his  master  many  noble  estates  in  Lancashire  ; 
Gleaston,  and  the  manor  of  Aldingham,  with  other  lands  in 
Furness.  William  de  Meschines  also  granted  him  Beckermet 
Castle,  vulgarly  at  that  time  called  Caernarvon  Castle,  with 
the  several  contiguous  manors  of  Frizington,  Rottington, 
Weddaker,   and  Arloghden,   all  in  Cumberland. 

Sir  Michael  and  his  heirs  first  settled  at  Aldingham.  By  a 
singular  accident,  the  time  of  which  cannot  now  be  ascertained, 
the  sea  swallowed  up  their  seat  at  this  place,  with  the  village, 
leaving  only  tlie  church  at  the  east  end  of  the  town,  and  the 
mote  at  the  west  end,  which  serve  to  show  what  the  extent 
of  Aldingham  has  been.  About  the  same  time,  it  is  supposed, 
the  villages  of  Crimilton  and  Ross,  which  tlie  first  Sir  Michael 
exchanged  with  the  monks  for  Bardsea  and  Urswick,  were 
also  swallowed  up.  After  this,  they  fixed  their  residence  at 
Gleaston  Castle  ;  and  it  has  been  conjectured,  from  the  nature 
of  the  building,  that  the  castle  was  built  on  the  occasion,  and 
m  such  haste,   as  obliged    them    to  substitute   mud   mortar 


Bekans  Ghyll.  99 


instead  of  lime,  in  a  site  that  abounds  with  limestone.  Sir 
Michael,  is  said,  to  have  also  resided  at  Beckermet. 

The  little  knowledge  that  we  are  now  able  to  gather  of  the  first 
Le  Fleming  exhibits  him  in  a  very  favourable  light.  He  was 
undoubtedly  a  valiant  man  ;  and  was  acknowledged  as  such 
by  his  renowned  master,  when,  with  other  Norman  chiefs,  he 
was  dispatched  into  the  north  to  oppose  the  Scots,  and  awe 
the  partisans  of  Edwin  and  Morcar,  two  powerful  Saxons  who 
opposed  themselves  to  the  Conqueror  for  some  time  after  the 
nation  had  submitted  itself  to  the  Norman  yoke,  and  whose 
power  William  dreaded  the  most.  His  regard  for  the  memory 
of  his  sovereign  he  expressed  in  the  name  conferred  upon  his  son 
and  heir,  William.  We  have  glimpses  too  that  in  his  house- 
hold there  was  harmony  and  kindness  between  him  and  his 
children.  To  the  Abbey  of  Fumess  he  was  a  great  benefactor. 
There  is  an  affecting  earnestness  in  the  language  with  which 
in  the  evening  of  his  long  life  he  declares  in  one  of  his 
charters — "  In  the  name  of  the  Father,  &c.  Be  it  known  to 
all  men  present  and  to  come,  That  I,  Michael  Le  Fleming, 
consulting  with  God,  and  providing  for  the  safety  of  my  soul, 
and  the  souls  of  my  father  and  mother,  wife  and  children,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1 153,  give  and  grant  to  St.  Mary  of  Furness, 
to  the  abbot  of  that  place,  and  to  all  the  convent  there  serving 
God,  Fordeboc,  with  all  its  appurtenances,  in  perpetual  alms  ; 
which  alms  I  give  free  from  all  claims  of  any  one,  with  quiet 
and  free  possession,  as  an  oblation  offered  to  God" — saltim 
vespertijiitm,  he  pathetically  adds,  in  allusion  to  his  great  age — 
",at  least  an  evening  one."  He  adds,  "signed  by  me  with  con- 
sent of  William  my  son  and  heir,  and  with  the  consent  of  all  my 
children.  Signed  by  William  my  son,  Gregory  my  grandson, 
and  Hugh."  Few  gifts  of  this  kind  show  greater  domestic 
harmony.  That  Michael  lived  to  a  very  advanced  age  is 
evident  from  this  charter  signed  eighty-seven  years  after  the 
Conquest  ;  supposing  him  to  be  the  same  Michael  Le  Fleming 
who  came  over  with  the  Conqueror.  He  was  buried  with  his 
two  sons  within  the  walls  of  the  Abbey  Church.  His  arms, 
a  fret,  strongly  expressed  in  stone  over  the  second  chapel  in 
the  northern  aisle  indicate  the  spot  where  he  found  a  resting 
place  ;  not  the  least  worthy  among  the  many  of  the  nobility 
and  gentry  who  in  those  days  were  interred  within  the  sacred 
precincts  of  St.  Mary's  Abbey  in  Furness. 

The  lands  in  Furness,  belonging  to  Sir  Michael,  were 
excepted  in  the  foundation  charter  of  Stephen  to  the  Abbey. 
This  exception,  and  the  circumstance  of  his  living  in  Furness, 


lOO  Notes  to 


occasioned  his  lands  to  be  called  Michael's  lands,  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  Abbey  lands  ;  and  now  they  are  called  Much- 
lands,  from  a  corruption  of  the  word  Michael.  In  like  manner 
Urswick  is  called  Much-Urswick  for  Michael's  Urswick  ;  and 
what  was  originally  called  the  manor  of  Aldingham,  is  now 
called  the  manor  of  Muchland. 

From  Baldwin's  kinsman,  the  first  Le  Fleming,  the  founder 
of  the  family  in  England,  two  branches  issued.  William,  the 
eldest  son  of  Sir  Michael,  inherited  Aldingham  Castle  and  his 
Lancashire  estates.  His  descendants,  after  carrying  the  name 
for  a  few  generations,  passed  with  their  manors  into  the 
female  line  ;  and  their  blood  mingling  first  with  the  de 
Cancefields,  and  successively  with  the  baronial  families  of 
Harrington,  de  Bonville,  and  Grey,  spent  itself  on  the  steps 
of  the  throne  in  the  person  of  Henry  Grey,  King  Edward  the 
Sixth's  Duke  of  Suffolk,  who  was  beheaded  by  Queen  Maiy 
on  the  23rd  of  Februai"y  1554-  This  nobleman  being  father  to 
Lady  Jane  Grey,  his  too  near  alliance  with  the  blood  royal 
gave  the  occasion,  and  his  supposed  ambition  of  being  father 
to  a  Queen  of  England  was  the  cause  of  his  violent  death. 
By  his  attainder  the  manors  of  Muchland,  the  possessions  of 
the  le  Flemings  in  Furness,  were  forfeited  to  the  Crown. 

Richard  le  Fleming,  second  son  of  the  first  Sir  Michael, 
having  inherited  the  estates  in  Cumberland  which  William  le 
Meschines  had  granted  to  his  father  for  his  military  services, 
seated  himself  at  Caernarvon  Castle,  Beckermet,  in  Cope- 
land.  After  two  descents  his  posterity,  having  acquired  by 
marriage  with  the  de  Urswicks  the  manor  of  Coniston  and  other 
considerable  possessions  in  Fumess,  returned  to  reside  in  that 
district.  The  Castle  of  Caernarvon  was  abandoned,  then 
erased,  and  Coniston  Hall  became  the  family  seat  for  seven 
descents.  About  the  tenth  year  of  Henry  IV.  Sir  Thomas 
le  Fleming  married  Isabella,  one  of  the  four  daughters  and 
co-heiresses  of  Sir  John  de  Lancaster,  and  acquired  with  her 
the  lordship  and  manor  of  Rydal.  The  manor  of  Coniston 
was  settled  upon  the  issue  of  this  marriage  ;  and  for  seven 
generations  more  Rydal  and  Coniston  vied  with  each  other 
which  should  hold  the  family  seat,  to  fbc  it  in  Westmorland 
or  Lancashire.  Sir  Daniel  le  Fleming  came,  and  gave  his 
decision  against  the  latter,  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  Since  that  event,  the  hall  of  Coniston,  pleasantly 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  lake  of  that  name,  has  been 
deserted. 

Singularly  enough,  the  inheritance  of  this  long  line  also  has 


Bekans  Ghyll.  loi 


been  broken  in  its  passage  through  the  house  of  Suffolk.  Sir 
Michael,  the  23rd  in  succession  from  Richard,  married,  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  last  centuiy,  Diana  only  child  of  Thomas 
Howard,  14th  Earl  of  Suffolk  and  Berkshire,  by  whom  he 
had  one  daughter,  afterwards  married  to  her  cousin  Daniel  le 
Fleming,  who  succeeded  her  father  in  the  title.  This  mar- 
riage being  without  issue,  on  the  demise  of  Lady  le  Fleming, 
the  estates  passed  under  her  will  to  Andrew  Huddleston  of 
Hutton-John,  Esq.,  and  at  his  decease,  which  occurred 
shortly  after,  in  succession  to  General  Hughes,  who  assumed 
the  name  of  Fleming  ;  both  these  gentlemen  being  near  of  kin 
to  the  family  at  Rydal.  The  title  descended  to  the  brother  of  Sir 
Daniel,  the  late  Rev.  Sir  Richard  le  Fleming,  Rector  of  Gras- 
mere  and  Windermere  ;  and  from  him  to  his  son,  the  present 
Sir  Michael,  the  twenty-sixth  in  succession  from  Richard,  the 
second  son  of  Michael,  Flandrensis,  the  Fleming,  who  came 
over  with  the  Conqueror,  and  founded  the  family  in  England. 

In  this  family  there  have  been  since  the  Conquest  twelve 
knights  and  seven  baronets. 

The  article  le  is  sometimes  omitted  in  the  family  writings 
before  the  time  of  Edward  IV.,  and  again  assumed.  Sir 
William  Fleming,  who  died  in  1756,  restored  the  ancient 
orthography,  and  incorporated  the  article  le  with  the  family 
name  at  the  baptism  of  his  son  and  heir. 

Rydal  Hall  suffered  much  from  the  parliamentary  party  : 
the  le  Flemings  remaining  Catholic  to  the  reign  of  James  II. 
For  their  adherence  to  the  royal  cause  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
I.,  they  were  forced  to  submit  to  the  most  exorbitant  demands 
of  the  Commissioners  at  Goldsmiths'  Hall,  in  London  (23 
Car.  i)  and  pay  a  very  great  sum  of  money  for  their  loyalty 
and  allegiance.  They  were  very  obnoxious  to  Oliver  Crom- 
well's sequestrators,  and  subjected  to  very  high  annual 
payments  and  compositions,  for  their  attachment  to  regal 
government. 


I02 


I 


THE  CHIMES  OF  KIRK-SUNKEN. 

Twelve  sunken  ships  in  Selker's  Bay 

Rose  up  ;  and,  righting  soon, 
With  mast  and  sail  stretched  far  away 

Beneath  the  midnight  moon. 

They  sailed  right  out  to  Bethlehem  ; 

And  soon  they  reached  the  shore. 
They  steered  right  home  from  Bethlehem  ; 

And  these  the  freights  they  bore. 

The  first  one  bore  the  frankincense  ; 

The  second  bore  the  myrrh  ; 
The  third  the  gifts  and  tribute  pence 

The  Eastern  Kings  did  bear. 

The  fourth  ship  bore  a  little  palm 

Meet  for  an  infant's  hands ; 
The  fifth  the  spikenard  and  the  balm ; 

The  sixth  the  swathing  bands. 


The  Chimes  of  Kirk- Sunken.      \o\ 

The  seventh  ship  bore  without  a  speck, 

A  mantle  fair  and  clean  ; 
The  eighth  the  shepherds  on  her  deck 

With  heavenward  eyes  serene. 

One  bore  the  announcing  Angel's  song  ; 

One  Simeon's  glad  record  ; 
And  one  the  bright  seraphic  throng 

Whose  tongues  good  tidings  poured. 

And  midst  them  all,  one,  favoured  more, 

Whereon  a  couch  was  piled. 
The  blessed  Hebrew  infant  bore, 

On  whom  the  Virgin  smiled. 

They  sailed  right  into  Selker's  Bay  : 

And  when  the  night  was  worn 
To  dawning  grey,  far  down  they  lay, 

Again  that  Christmas  mom. 

But  through  the  brushwood  low  and  clear 
Came  chimes  and  songs  of  glee, 

That  Christmas  morning,  to  my  ear 
Beneath  Kirk-sunken  Tree. 

Not  from  the  frosty  air  above. 

But  from  the  ground  below. 
Sweet  voices  carolled'songs  of  love, 

And  merry  bells  did  go. 


I04      The  Chimes  of  Kirk- Sunken. 

From  out  a  City  great  and  fair 

The  joyous  life  up-flow'd, 
Which  once  had  breathed  the  hving  air, 

And  on  the  earth  abode. 

A  City  far  beneath  my  feet 

By  passing  ages  laid  ; 
Or  buried  while  the  busy  street 

Its  round  of  life  convey'd. 

So  to  the  ground  I  bent  an  ear, 
That  heard,  as  from  the  grave. 

The  blessed  Feast-time  of  the  year 
Tell  out  the  joy  it  gave  ; 

The  gladness  of  the  Christmas  morn. 

O  fair  Kirk- Sunken  Tree  ! 
One  day  in  every  year's  return 

Those  sounds  flow  up  by  thee. 

They  chime  up  to  the  living  earth 

The  joy  of  them  below, 
At  tidings  of  the  Saviour's  birth 

In  Bethlehem  long  ago. 


I05 


NOTES  TO  "CHIMES  OF  KIRK-SUNKEN." 


In  the  parish  of  Bootle  is  a  small  inlet  of  the  sea,  called 
Selker's  Bay,  where  the  neighbouring  people  say,  that  in  calm 
weather  the  sunken  remains  of  several  small  vessels  or  galleys 
can  be  seen,  which  are  traditionally  stated  to  have  been  sunk 
and  left  there  on  some  great  invasion  of  the  northern  parts  of 
this  island,  by  the  Romans,  or  the  colonizing  Northmen. 

Various  circles  of  standing  stones,  or  what  are  generally 
called  Druidical  remains,  lie  scattered  about  the  vicinity  of 
Black  Combe  near  the  sea  shore  :  several  indicating  by  their 
name  the  popular  tradition  associated  with  them,  to  which 
the  inhabitants  around  attach  implicit  credence,  the  spot 
beneath  which  lie  the  ruins  of  a  church  that  sank  on  a  sudden, 
with  the  minister  and  all  the  congregation  within  its  walls. 
Hence,  they  say,  the  name  Kirk-Sank-ton,  Kirk-Sunken, 
Kirk-Sinking,  and  Sunken  Kirks. 


io6 


THE  RAVEN  ON  KERNAL  CRAG. 


A  Raven  alighted  on  Kernal  Rock 
Amid  thunder's  roar  and  earthquake's  shock. 
O'er  the  tumbling  crags  he  rolled  his  eye 
Round  valley  and  lake,  and  hills  and  sky. 
'Twas  a  gloomy  world.     He  settled  his  head 
Close  into  his  shoulders  and  meekly  said — 
"  Poor  Raven  ! " 


The  Raven  on  Kernal  Crag  grew  old  : 
A  human  voice  up  the  valley  rolled. 
Bel  was  worshipp'd  on  mountain  brows  : 
Men  made  huts  of  the  forest  boughs  : 
And  wrapt  in  skins  in  ambush  lay 
At  the  base  of  his  crag,  and  seized  their  prey. 
An  old  Raven. 


The  Raven  on  Kernal  Crag.      107 

The  Raven  sat  in  his^purple  cloke. 

A  Roman  column  the  silence  broke. 

He  had  watched  the  eagles  around  him  fly  : 

He  saw  them  perched  on  spears  go  by. 

The  legions  marched  from  hill  to  hill. 

He  settled  his  feathers  ;  and  all  was  still — 

Still  was  the  Raven. 


The  Raven  was  thinking,  on  Kernal  Stone. 
The  hammers  of  Thor  he  heard  them  groan 
Regin,  and  Korni,  and  Lodinn,  and  Bor, 
Clearing  the  forests  from  fell  to  shore ; 
With  Odin's  bird  on  their  banner  upraised. 
And  he  quietly  said  as  he  downward  gazed- 
"  A  Raven  ! " 


The  Raven  on  Kernal  was  musing  still. 
King  Dunmail's  hosts  went  up  the  hill, 
In  the  narrow  Pass,  to  their  final  fall. 
With  an  iron  gaze  he  followed  them  all ; 
Till,  piled  the  cairn  of  mighty  stones, 
Was  heaped  the  Raise  o'er  Dunmail's  bones. 

Ha  !  hungry  Raven  ! 


io8      The  Raven  on  Kernal  Crag. 

The  Raven  on  Kemal  saw,  in  a  trance, 
Knights  with  gorgeous  banner  and  lance, 
Castles,  and  towers,  and  ladies  fair. 
Music  floating  high  on  the  air 
Reached  his  nest  on  Kemal's  Steep, 
And  broke  the  spell  of  his  solemn  sleep. 

A  lonely  Raven. 


That  Raven  is  sitting  on  Kemal  Rock ; 
Counting  the  lambs  in  a  mountain  flock. 
Pleasant  their  bleat  is,  pleasant  to  hear, 
Pleasant  to  think  of;  but  shepherds  are  near. 
Cattle  are  calling  below  in  the  vale. 
Maidens  singing  a  true-love  tale. 

List  to  them,  Raven. 


That  Raven  will  sit  upon  Kernal  Rock 
Till  the  mountains  reel  in  the  world's  last  shock. 
Till  the  new  things  come  to  end  like  old. 
He  will  roll  his  eye,  and  his  wings  unfold. 
And  settle  again  ;  and  his  solemn  brow 
Draw  close  to  his  shoulders,  and  muse  as  now. 
That  Raven. 


I09 


NOTES  TO  "THE  RAVEN  ON  KERNAL  CRAG." 


Kemal  Crag  is  a  huge  mass  of  solid  rock,  with  a  face  of 
broken  precipice,  on  the  side  of  Coniston  Old  Man.  In  that 
unique  and  admirable  Guide  Book  entitled  "The  Old  Man; 
or  Ravdngs  and  Ramblings  round  Conistone,"  it  is  said  ;  "on 
this  Crag,  probably  for  ages,  a  pair  of  ravens  have  annually 
had  their  nest,  and  though  their  young  have  again  and  again 
been  destroyed  by  the  shepherds,  they  always  return  to  this 
favourite  spot ;  and  frequently  when  one  of  the  parents  has 
been  shot  in  the  brooding  season,  the  sumvor  has  immediately 
been  provided  with  another  helpmate  ;  and,  what  is  still  more 
extraordinary,  and  beautifully  and  literally  illustrative  of  a 
certain  impressive  scripture  passage — it  happened  a  year  or 
two  since,  that  both  the  parent  birds  were  shot,  whilst  the 
nest  was  full  of  unfledged  young,  and  their  duties  were  imme- 
diately undertaken  by  a  couple  of  strange  ravens,  who  attended 
assiduously  to  the  wants  of  the  orphan  brood,  until  they  were 
fit  to  forage  for  themselves." 


I  lO 


LORD  DERWENTWATER'S  LIGHTS. 
1716. 

You  yet  in  groves  round  Dilston  Hall 
May  hear  the  chiding  cushat's  call ; 
Its  true-love  burden  for  the  mate 
That  lingers  far  and  wanders  late. 

But  who  in  Dilston  Hall  shall  gaze 
On  all  its  twenty  hearths  ablaze ; 
Its  courteous  hosts,  its  welcome  free, 
And  all  its  hospitality  ; 

The  grace  from  courtly  splendour,  won 
By  Royal  Seine,  that  round  it  shone  ; 
Or  feel  again  the  pride  or  power 
Of  Radcliffe's  name  in  hall  and  bower ; — 

As  when  the  cause  of  exiled  James 
Filled  northern  hearts  with  loyal  flames, 
And  summers  wore  their  sweetest  smile 
Round  Dilston's  Courts  and  Derwent's  Isle ; 


Lord  Derwentwater  s  Lights.     1 1 1 

Ere  Mar  his  standard  wide  unrolled, 
And  tower  to  tower  the  rising  told, 
And  Southwards  on  the  gathering  came, 
All  kindling  at  the  Prince's  name  ? — 


The  glory  and  the  pomp  are  shorn  ; 
The  banners  rent,  the  charters  torn  ; 
The  loved,  the  loving,  dust  alone ; 
Their  honours,  titles  carved  in  stone. 


On  Witches'  Peak  the  winds  were  laid 
Crept  Glenderamakin  mute  in  shade  : 
El-Velin's  old  mysterious  reign 
Hung  stifling  over  field  and  plain. 


Around  on  all  the  hills  afar 
Had  died  the  sounds  foreboding  war. 
Only  a  dull  and  sullen  roar 
Reached  up  the  valley  from  Lodore. 


Through  all  the  arches  of  the  sky 
The  Northern  Lights  streamed  broad  and  high. 
Wide  o'er  the  realm  their  shields  of  light 
Flung  reddening  tumults  on  the  night. 


1 1 2     Lord  Derwentwater  s  Lights. 

Then  dalesmen  hoar  and  matrons  old 
Look'd  out  in  fear  from  farm  and  fold  : 
Look'd  out  o'er  Derwent,  mere  and  isle, 
On  Skiddaw's  mounds,  Blencathra's  pile. 

They  saw  the  vast  ensanguined  scroll 
Across  the  stars  the  streamers  roll  : 
The  Derwent  stain'd  with  crimson  dyes  : 
And  portents  wandering  through  the  skies. 

And  prophet-like  the  bodings  came — 
"  The  good  Earl  dies  the  death  of  fame  ; 
For  him  the  Prince  that  came  in  vain, 
A  King,  to  enjoy  his  own  again." — 

The  sightless  crone  cried  from  her  bed — 
"  'Tis  blood  that  makes  this  midnight  red. 
I  dreamed  the  young  Earl  heavenward  rode ; 
His  armour  flashed,  his  standard  glow'd." 

The  fearful  maiden  trembling  spoke — 
"  The  good  Earl  blessed  me,  and  I  woke. 
The  white  and  red  cockade  he  wore ; 
He  bade  adieu  for  evermore." — 

Far  show'd  huge  Walla's  craggy  wall 
The  '  Lady's  Kerchief  white  and  small, 
Dropt  when,  pursued  like  doe  from  brake. 
She  scaled  its  rampart  from  the  lake. 


Lord  Derwentwater  s  Lights.     113 

"  I  served  my  Lady  when  a  bride  : 
I  was  her  page  :" — A  stripUng  cried. 
"  I  served  her  well  on  bended  knee, 
And  many  a  smile  she  bent  on  me." — 

— "  Upon  this  breast,  but  twenty  years 
Are  pass'd" — a  matron  spoke  with  tears — 
"  I  nursed  her ;  and  in  all  her  ways,  , 
She  was  my  constant  theme  of  praise." — 

Like  flaming  swords,  that  round  them  threw 
Their  radiance  on  the  star-lit  blue, 
Flash'd  and  re-flash'd  with  dazzling  ray 
The  splendours  of  that  fiery  fray. 

— "  When  spies  and  foes  watch'd  Dilston  Hall, 
To  seize  him  ere  the  trumpet-call" — 
A  yeoman  spake  that  loved  him  well — 
"  I  brought  him  mid  our  huts  to  dwell. 

"  We  shelter'd  him  in  farm  and  bield. 
Till  all  was  rea^y  for  the  field. 
Till  all  the  northern  bands  around 
Were  arm'd,  and  for  the  battle  bound. 

"  Then  came  he  forth,  and  if  he  stay'd 
A  few  short  hours,  and  still  delay'd, 
'Twas  for  those  priceless  treasures  near, 
My  lady  and  her  children  dear. 


1 14     Lord  Derwentwater  s  Lights. 

"  I  heard  reproaches  at  his  side  ! 
— '  Or  take  this  jewelled  fan' — she  cried, 
With  high-bom  scornful  look  and  word — 
And  I  will  bear  the  warrior's  sword  !' 

"  He  called,  '  To  horse  !' — his  dapple  grey 
He  welcomed  forth,  and  rode  away. 
The  white  and  red  unstained  he  wore  : 
His  heart  was  stainless  evermore  !" — 

And  thus  the  night  was  filled  with  moan. 
And  was  the  good  Earl  slain  and  gone  ? 
For  him  the  Prince  that  came  in  vain, 
A  King,  to  enjoy  his  own  again. 

From  Derwent's  Island-Castle  gate. 
In  robe  and  coronet  of  state, 
A  phantom  on  the  vapours  borne. 
Passed  in  the  shadows  of  the  mom. 

Pale  hollow  forms  in  suits  of  woe 
Appear'd  like  gleams  to  come  and  go. 
And  wreathed  in  mists  was  seen  to  rest 
A  'scutcheon  on  Blencathra's  breast. — 

Full  soon  the  speeding  tidings  came. 
The  Earl  had  died  the  death  of  fame. 
By  axe  and  block,  on  bended  knee. 
For  true-love,  faith,  and  loyalty. 


Lord  Derwentwater  s  Lights.      1 1 5 

And  still,  when  o'er  the  Isles  return 
The  Northern  lights  to  blaze  and  bum ; 
The  vales  and  hills  repeat  the  moan 
For  him  the  good  Earl  slain  and  gone. 


ii6 


NOTES  TO  "LORD  DERWENTWATER'S  LIGHTS." 


Lord's  Island,  in  Keswick  Lake,  is  memorable  as  having 
been  the  home  of  James  Radcliffe,  third  and  last  Earl  of 
Derwentwater,  whose  life  and  great  possessions  were  forfeited 
in  1 716,  in  the  attempt  to  restore  the  royal  line  of  Stuart  to 
the  throne,  and  whose  memory  is  affectionately  cheiished  in 
the  north  of  England.  An  eminence  upon  its  shores,  called 
Castle-Rigg,  which  overlooks  the  vale  of  Keswick,  was  for- 
merly occupied  by  a  Roman  fort,  and  afterwards  by  the 
stronghold  of  the  Norman  lords,  who  were  called,  from  the 
locality  of  this  their  chief  residence,  de  Derwentwater.  Their 
early  history  is  wrapt  in  obscurity  ;  but  their  inheritance 
comprised  the  greater  part  of  the  parish  of  Crosthwaite,  in 
addition  to  possessions  in  other  parts  of  Cumberland,  and  in 
other  counties.  These  became  vested  in  the  Radcliffe  family 
in  the  reign  of  Henry  the  Fifth,  by  the  marriage  of  Margaret 
daughter  and  heiress  of  Sir  John  de  Derwentwater,  with  Sir 
Nicholas  Radcliffe,  of  lineage  not  less  ancient  than  that  of  his 
wife,  he  being  of  Saxon  origin,  and  of  a  family  which  derived 
Its  name  from  a  village  near  Bury  in  Lancashire.  In  later 
time  the  Norman  tower  on  Castle-Rigg  was  abandoned,  and 
its  materials  are  said  to  have  been  employed  in  building  the 
house  upon  that  one  of  the  three  wooded  islands  in  the  lake, 
which  is  called  Lord's  Island,  and  upon  which  the  Radcliffe 
family  had  a  residence.  This  island  was  originally  part  of  a 
peninsula  ;  but  when  the  house  was  built,  it  was  separated 
from  the  main  land  by  a  ditch  or  moat,  over  which  there  was 
a  draw-bridge,  and  the  approaches  to  this  may  still  be  seen. 
Of  the  house  itself,  little  more  than  the  moss-covered  founda- 
tions remain.  The  stones,  successively,  of  the  Roman  Castrum, 
of  the  Norman  Tower,  and  of  the  lord's  residence,  are  said  to 
have  been  subsequently  used  in  building  the  town-hall  of 
Keswick. 


Lord  Derwentwater  s  Lights.      1 1 7 


The  estate  of  the  Derwentwater  family  seems  to  have 
originally  extended  along  the  shores  of  the  lake  for  nearly  two 
miles,  and  for  a  mile  eastward  of  the  shore.  Ononesideof  it  lies 
the  present  road  from  Keswick  to  Ambleside,  on  the  other 
its  boundary  approached  Lodore,  whilst  the  crest  of  Walla 
Crag,  divided  it  from  the  common.  There,  surrounded  by  a 
combination  of  grandeur  and  beauty  which  is  almost  unrivalled 
in  this  country,  the  Knightly  ancestors  of  James  Radcliffe,  the 
third  and  last  Earl  of  Derwentwater,  whose  virtues  and  whose 
fate  have  encircled  his  name  with  traditional  veneration,  had 
their  paternal  seat. 

This  chivalrous  and  amiable  young  nobleman  was  closely 
allied  by  blood  to  the  Prince  Edward,  afterwards  called  ' '  the 
Pretender,"  in  whose  cause  he  fell  a  sacrifice  ;  his  mother,  the 
Lady  Mary  Tudor,  a  natural  daughter  of  King  Charles  II. 
and  Mrs.  Davis,  being  first  cousin  to  the  Prince.  He  was 
nearly  the  same  age  as  the  Prince,  being  one  year  younger  : 
and  in  his  early  childhood  was  taken  to  France  to  be  educated, 
when  James  the  Second  and  his  consort  were  living  in  exile 
at  St.  Germain's,  surrounded,  however,  by  the  noble  English, 
Scottish,  and  Irish  emigrant  royalists,  who  followed  the  for- 
tunes of  their  dethroned  monarch.  The  sympathies  of  his 
parents  having  also  led  them  thither,  the  youthful  heir  of 
Derwentwater  was  brought  up  with  the  little  Prince,  at  St. 
GeiTnain's,  sharing  his  infantine  pleasures  and  pastimes,  and 
occasionally  joining  his  studies  under  his  governess  the 
Countess  of  Powis.  A  friendship  thus  formed  in  youth, 
nurtured  by  consanguinity,  strengthened  by  ripening  age,  and 
cemented  by  the  extraordinary  good  qualities  of  the  young 
nobleman,  and  his  power  to  win  affection  and  esteem,  culmi- 
nated in  that  attachment  and  devotion  to  the  cause  of  his 
Prince  and  friend,  which  terminated  only  with  his  life. 

The  Earl  appears  to  have  visited  Dilston,  his  ancestral  home 
in  Northumberland,  for  the  first  time  in  1710,  when  he  was 
in  his  twenty-first  year  ;  and  in  the  spring  of  the  same  year  he 
spent  some  time  on  the  Isle  of  Derwent,  where  the  ancient 
mansion  of  the  Radcliffes  was  then  standing.  During  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  two  next  succeeding  years,  his  chief 
residence  appears  to  have  been  at  Dilston,  where  he  lived  in 
the  constant  exercise  of  hospitality,  and  in  the  practice  of  active 
benevolence  towards  not  only  the  peasantry  on  his  wide 
estates,  but  all  who  needed  his  assistance,  whether  known  to 
him  or  not,  and  whether  Papist  or  Protestant.  He  seems  to 
have  taken  great  delight  in  rural  pursuits,  and  in  the  pleasures 


1 1 8  Notes  to 


of  thejchase,  and  in  the  charms  of  nature  by  which  he  was 
surrounded. 

On  the  1 0th  of  July  1 712,  when  he  had  completed  his  23rd 
year,  he  espoused  Anna  Maria,  eldest  daughter  of  Sir  John 
Webb,  of  Canford,  in  the  county  of  Dorset,  Bart.  His 
acquaintance  with  this  charming  young  lady  began  in  the  early 
springtime  of  their  lives,  when  both  were  receiving  their 
education  in  the  French  capital.  The  lady  had  been  placed 
in  the  convent  of  Ursuline  Nuns  in  Paris  for  instruction  :  and 
they  had  frequent  opportunities  of  seeing  each  other  at  the 
Chateau  of  St.  Gennain's,  where  the  exiled  monarch  took 
pleasure  in  being  surrounded  by  the  scions  of  his  noble 
English  and  Scottish  adherents,  who  were  then  living  at  Paris. 

On  the  rising  of  the  adherents  of  the  house  of  Stuart  under 
the  Earl  of  Mar  in  August  1715,  it  was  very  well  known  to 
the  government,  that  the  Earl's  religion,  his  affections,  and 
sympathies,  were  all  on  the  side  of  the  exiled  heir  of  that 
family,  and  that  his  influence  in  the  north  of  England  was  not 
less  than  his  constancy  and  devotion.  A  warrant  was  issued 
for  the  apprehension  of  the  Earl  and  his  brother,  the  govern- 
ment hoping  by  thus,  as  it  were,  gaining  the  move  in  the 
game,  to  prevent  the  exercise  of  the  Earl's  influence  against 
King  George.  A  friendly  warning  of  the  attentions  which 
were  being  paid  to  him  at  Whitehall  reached  the  Earl  in  time  ; 
and  on  hearing  that  the  government  messengers  had  arrived  at 
Durham,  on  their  way  to  arrest  him  and  his  brother,  they 
withdrew  from  their  home,  and  proceeded  to  the  house  of  Sir 
Marmaduke  Constable,  where  they  stayed  some  days.  The 
Earl  afterwards  took  refuge  in  the  home  of  a  humble  cottager 
near  Newbiggin  House,  where  he  lay  hidden  some  time. 
He  remained  in  concealment  through  the  latter  part  of 
August,  and  the  whole  of  September.  During  this  time  of 
anxiety  and  surveillance,  all  the  money,  and  even  all  the 
jewels  of  the  Countess,  are  said  by  local  tradition  to  have 
become  exhausted  :  and  to  such  straits  was  she  reduced,  that 
a  silver  medal  of  Pope  Clement  XI.  struck  in  the  14th  year 
of  his  Pontificate  (1713),  for  want  of  money  is  said  to  have 
been  given  by  her,  when  encompassed  by  the  Earl's  enemies, 
to  a  peasant  girl,  for  selling  poultry,  or  rendering  some  such 
trifling  service. 

Early  in  October  it  was  represented  to  the  Earl  that  the 
adherents  of  the  exiled  Prince  were  ready  to  appear  in  arms, 
and  to  be  only  waiting  for  him  and  his  brother  to  join  them. 
It    would   appear   that    at   this   critical   moment,    the    Earl, 


Lord  Derwentwater  s  Lights.      1 19 


influenced  by  many  considerations,  personal  and  domestic,  as 
well  as  prudential,  wavered  in  his  resolution ;  and  tradition 
avers  that,  on  stealthily  revisiting  Dilston  Hall,  his  Countess 
reproached  him  for  continuing  to  hide  his  head  in  hovels  from 
the  light  of  day,  when  the  gentry  were  in  arms  for  their 
rightful  sovereign  ;  and  throwing  dovra  her  fan  before  her 
lord,  told  him  in  cruel  raillery  to  take  it,  and  give  his  sword 
to  her.  Something  of  this  feeling  is  attributed  to  her  in  the 
old  ballad  poem  entitled  "Lord  Derwentwater's  Farewell," 
wherein  the  following  lines  are  put  into  his  mouth  : — 

"  Farewell,  farewell,  my  lady  dear  : 

111,  ill  thou  counselled'st  me  : 
I  never  more  may  see  the  babe 

That  smiles  upon  thy  knee." 

The  popular  notion  that  the  Earl  was  driven  into  his  fatal 
enterprise  by  the  persuasions  of  his  lady  is  evidently  here 
referred  to.  But  the  amiable  and  gentle  character  of  the 
Countess,  that  affectionate  and  devoted  wife,  whom  the  Earl 
in  his  latest  moments  declared  to  be  all  tenderness  and  virtue, 
and  to  have  loved  him  constantly,  is  a  sufficient  refutation  of 
the  popular  opinion,  which  does  so  much  injustice  to  her 
memory.  Nevertheless  there  is  historical  reason  for  believing 
that  the  Earl  did  suddenly  decide  on  joining  the  Prince's 
friends,  who  were  then  in  arms ;  and  his  lady's  persuasions 
may  have  contributed  to  that  fatal  precipitation.  On  the  6th 
of  October,  the  little  force  of  horse  and  men,  consisting  of  his 
own  domestic  levy,  was  assembled  in  the  courtyard  of  his 
castle  ;  amis  were  supplied  to  them  ;  the  Earl,  his  brother, 
and  the  company,  crossed  the  Devil's  Water  at  Nunsburgh 
Ford  ;  and  the  fatal  step  was  irrevocably  taken.  Old  ladies 
of  the  last  century  used  to  tell  of  occurrences  of  evil  omen 
which  marked  the  departure  of  the  devoted  young  nobleman 
from  the  home  of  his  fathers,  to  which  he  was  destined  never 
to  return  ;  how  on  quitting  the  courtyard,  his  favourite  dog 
howled  lamentably  ;  how  liis  horse,  the  well-known  white  or 
dapple  gray,  associated  with  his  figure  in  history  and  poetry, 
became  restive,  and  could  with  difficulty  be  urged  forward  ; 
and  how  he  soon  afterwards  found  that  he  had  lost  from  his 
finger  a  highly  prized  ring,  the  gift  of  his  revered  grandmother, 
which  he  constantly  wore. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  upon  the  details  of  this  unfortu- 
nate and  ill-conducted  enterprise,  in  the  course  of  which 
James  III.  was  proclaimed  in  town  and  village,  in  Warkworth 


120  Notes  to 


;ind  Alnwick,  in  Penrith  and  Appleby,  Kendal  and  Lancaster, 
to  the  final  catastrophe  of  the  little  band  at  Preston.  There, 
hemmed  in  by  the  government  troops,  the  brave  and  devoted 
friends  of  the  royal  exiles,  w^ho  had  been  led  into  this  prema- 
ture effort  contrary  to  their  better  judgments,  and  went  forth 
with  a  determined  loyalty  which  good  or  bad  report  could  not 
subdue,  saw  reason  to  regret,  when  too  late,  their  misplaced 
confidence  in  their  leaders.  Already  they  saw  themselves 
about  to  be  sacrificed  to  the  divided  counsels  of  their  comrades 
and  the  incapacity  of  Foster,  their  general.  Defensive  means 
imperfectly  planned,  and  hastily  carried  out,  enabled  them  to 
hold  the  approaches  to  the  town  for  three  or  four  days  against 
the  Brunswickers,  whom  they  gallantly  repulsed,  in  a  deter- 
mined attack  upon  their  barricades.  But  overmatched  by 
disciplined  troops  ;  out-generalled,  and  out-numbered  ;  and 
finding  resistance  to  be  unavailing  ;  on  the  morning  of  Monday 
the  14th  of  October  they  surrendered  at  discretion  to  the  forces 
sent  to  oppose  them.  13eing  assembled  in  the  market  place 
to  the  number  of  1700,  they  delivered  up  their  arms,  and 
became  prisoners.  The  young  Earl  was  sent  to  London, 
which  he  reached  on  the  9th  of  December,  and  was  conducted 
to  the  Tower  on  the  capital  charge  of  high  treason.  Unavail- 
ing efforts  were  made  by  his  wife  and  friends  to  save  him. 
It  appears  that  on  the  20th  of  February  his  life  was  offered  to 
him  by  two  noblemen  who  came  to  him  in  the  tower,  in  the 
name  of  the  King,  if  he  would  acknowledge  the  title  of 
George  I.  and  conform  to  the  Protestant  religion  :  but  these 
terms  were  refused  by  him.  The  offer  of  his  life  and  fortune 
was  repeated  on  the  scaffold,  but  he  answered  that  the  terms 
"would  be  too  dear  a  purchase. "  The  means  proposed  to 
him,  he  looked  upon  as  "inconsistent  with  honour  and  con- 
science, and  therefore  I  rejected  them."  He  went  to  the 
block  with  firmness  and  composure  :  and  his  behaviour  was 
resolute  and  sedate.  In  an  address  which  he  delivered  on  the 
scaffold,  he  said  ' '  If  that  Prince  who  now  governs  had 
given  me  my  life,  I  should  have  thought  myself  obliged  never 
more  to  have  taken  up  arms  against  him."  And  the  axe 
closed,  by  a  "violent  and  'vengeful  infliction,"  the  brief 
career  of  the  beloved,  devoted,  and  generous  Earl  of  Derwent- 
water.     He  was  twenty-seven  years  of  age. 

Lady  Derwentwater,  who  had  been  unceasing  in  her  efTorts 
to  save  her  husband,  and  solaced  him  in  his  confinement  by 
her  society  and  tender  care,  after  his  death  succeeded  eventu- 
ally in  having  his  last  request  in  the  Tower  fulfilled.     She  had 


Lord  Derwentwater  s  Lights.      1 2 1 


his  body  borne  to  its  last  resting  place  in  the  peaceful  chapel 
at  Dilston  to  be  interred  with  his  ancestors.  She  made  a 
short  sojourn  at  Dilston  before  leaving  it  for  ever  ;  and  then 
repaired  with  her  little  son  and  daughter  to  Canford,  under  the 
roof  of  her  parents. 

Before  leaving  the  North,  the  Countess  visited  the  house 
and  estates  at  Derwentwater  ;  and  while  there  her  hfe  seems 
to  have  been  in  some  danger  ;  for  the  rude  peasantry  of  the 
neighbourhood,  to  whom  her  southern  birth  and  foreign 
education,  as  well  as  the  principles  and  attachments  in  which 
she  was  brought  up,  were  doubtless  uncongenial,  blamed  her, 
in  the  unreasoning  vehemence  of  their  grief,  for  the  tragic  fate 
of  their  beloved  lord  and  benefactor.  Accordingly,  not  far 
from  the  fall  of  Lodore,  a  hollow  in  the  wild  heights  of  Walla 
Crag  is  pointed  out  by  the  name  of  Lady's  Rake,*  in  which 
the  noble  widow  is  said  to  have  escaped  from  their  vengeance. 
HermisforLunes  needed  not  to  be  thus  undeservedly  augmented. 
A  more  pleasing  version  of  the  story  of  her  flight  is,  that  the 
Countess  escaped  through  the  Lady's  Rake  with  the  family 
jewels,  when  the  officers  of  the  crown  took  possession  of  the 
mansion  on  Lord's  Island.  No  doubt  this  loving  woman  did 
her  utmost  for  the  release  of  her  lord.  And  this  steep  and 
dangerous  way  has  a  human  interest  associated  with  it  which 
has  given  a  special  hold  upon  the  hearts  of  the  Keswick 
people.  In  old  times  a  large  white  stone  in  among  the 
boulders  used  to  be  pointed  out  as  the  Lady's  Pockathand- 
kerchief,  and  that  it  still  hung  among  the  crags,  where  no  one 
could  get  at  it. 

In  June,  1 716,  the  Countess  was  living  at  Kensington  Gravel 
Pits,  near  London  :  whence  she  soon  afterwards  went  to 
Hatherhope  ;  and  subsequently  made  a  brief  sojourn  under 
the  roof  of  her  parents  at  Canford  Manor  ;  after  which  she 
took  up  her  residence  at  Louvaine.  Here  she  died  on  the  30th 
of  August,  1723,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty  ;  having  survived 
her  noble  husband  little  more  than  seven  years  ;  and  was 
interred  there  in  the  Church  of  the  English  regular  Canonesses 
of  St.  Augustine. 

The  white  or  gray  horse  of  the  Earl  is  historical.     Shortly 

*  This  hollow,  in  the  summit  of  Walla  Crag,  is  visible  from  the  road 
below.  Rake,  the  term  applied  iu  this  country  to  openiogs  in  the  hiU.s 
like  this,  is  an  old  Noree  word,  signifjing  a  journey  or  excursioa.  It  is 
now  coniuiouly  applied  to  the  scene  of  an  e.vcur^iiou  as  the  Lady's  Rake 
in  Walla  Crag,  and  the  Scot's  Rake  at  the  head  of  Troutbeck,  by  wliicli  a 
band  of  Scottish  marauders,  is  said  to  have  descended  upon  the  vale. 


122  Notes  to 


before  the  rising,  and  when  he  was  in  danger  of  apprehension, 
the  following  short  note  was  written  by  him  : — 

"  Dilston,  July  27th,  1715. 

"  Mr.  Hunter, 

"  As  I  know  nobody  is  more  ready  to  serve  a  friend 
than  yourself,  I  desire  the  favour  you  will  keep  my  gray  horse 
for  me,  till  we  see  what  will  be  done  relating  to  horses.  I 
believe  they  will  be  troublesome,  for  it  is  said  the  D.  of 
Ormond  is  gone  from  his  house.  God  send  us  peace  and 
good  neighbourhood,— unknown  blessings  since  I  was  bom. 
Pray  ride  my  horse  about  the  fields,  or  any  where  you  think 
he  will  not  be  known,  and  you  will  oblige,  Sir,  your  humble 
servant, 

"  Darwentwater." 

"  He  is  at  grass." 
In  the  first  sentence  the  reference  is  made  to  the  jealous  penal 
regulation,  which  forbade  a  Roman  Catholic  to  possess  a  noble 
animal  of  height  and  qualities  suited  to  military  equipment. 

From  tradition  preserved  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Hunter  of 
Medomsley,  the  person  addressed,  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  the  gray  horse  mentioned  in  the  above  letter,  was 
the  identical  steed  which  was  brought  by  the  son  of  Mr. 
Hunter  to  Bywell,  and  taken  thence  by  Lord  Derwentwater's 
servant  to  Hexham  for  his  lordship's  use ;  and  upon  which 
the  devoted  Earl  rode  from  Hexham,  with  the  gallant  cham- 
pions of  the  Prince's  right,  on  the  19th  of  October  following. 

A  man  named  Cuthbert  Swinbum,  then  90  years  of  age, 
who  was  bom  at  Upper  Dilston,  and  whose  family  resided 
there  for  some  generations,  related  to  a  correspondent  of 
W.  S.  Gibson,  Esq.,  the  author  of  Memoirs  of  the  Earl  of  Der- 
wentwater,  that  he  remembered  the  young  Earl,  and  saw  him 
pass  their  house  riding  on  a  white  horse,  and  accompanied  by 
several  retainers,  on  the  morning  when  he  joined  his  neigh- 
bours in  the  Prince's  cause. 

In  a  ballad  relating  to  that  fatal  expedition  it  is  said — 
"  Lord  Derwentwater  rode  away 
Well  mounted  on  his  dapple  gray." 
And  in  the  touching  verses  well  lurown  as   "  Dei"wentwater's 
Farewell,"  his  "  own  gray  steed"  is  one  of  the  earthly  objects 
of  his  regard  to  which  he  is  supposed  to  bid  adieu. 

Of  the  house  on  Lord's  Island,  itself,  only  some  low  walls 
now  remain.  A  few  relics  of  the  mansion  are  preserved  in 
the  neighbourhood.      The  ponderous  lock  and  key  of  the 


Lord  Derwentwater  s  Lights.      1 2 , 


outer  door,  the  former  weighing  eleven  pounds,  are  preserved 
in  Crosthwaite's  museum.  The  door  itself,  which  was  of  oak 
studded  with  knobs  and  rivets,  was  sold  to  a  person  named 
Wilson,  of  Under  Mozzer,  a  place  thirteen  miles  from  Keswick. 
A  bell,  probably  the  dinner  bell  of  the  mansion,  is  in  the  town 
hall  oi  Keswick,  and  is  of  fine  tone.  A  fine  old  carved  chair 
is  preserved  in  the  RadclifTe  Room  at  Corby  Castle,  and 
known  as  "  My  Lady's  Chair."  In  Crosthwaite's  museum  is 
preserved  another  ancient  one  of  oak,  which  came  from  Lord 
Derwentwater's  house,  and  has  the  Radcliffe  arms  carved  upon 
it.  And  a  stately  and  most  elaborately  carved  oak  bedstead 
which  belonged  to  Lord  Derwentwater  vi-as  purchased  at  the 
sale  of  the  contents  of  his  house  on  Lord's  Island,  by  an 
ancestor  of  Mr.  Wood,  of  Cockermouth,  in  whose  family  it 
has  remained,  highly  valued,  ever  since  1716. 

Many  articles  of  furniture,  some  family  portraits,  and  other 
property,  that  once  belonged  to  Dilston  Hall,  still  linger  in 
the  vicinity  of  that  place,  where  they  are  greatly  treasured. 

The  Northumbrian  and  Cumbrian  peasantry  believed  that 
miraculous  appearances  marked  the  fatal  day  on  which  the 
Earl  of  Derwentwater  was  beheaded.  It  was  affirmed  that  the 
"  Divel's  Water"  acquired  a  crimson  hue,  as  if  his  fair 
domains  were  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  their  gallant  pos- 
sessor ;  and  that  at  night  the  sky  glowed  ominously  with 
ensanguined  streams.  "The  red  streamers  of  the  north"  are 
recorded  to  have  been  seen  for  the  first  time  in  that  part  of 
England,  on  the  night  of  the  fatal  24th  of  Februar)',  1716  ; 
and  in  the  meteor's  fiery  hue,  the  astonished  spectators  beheld 
a  dreadful  omen  of  the  vengeance  of  heaven.  The  phenome- 
non has  ever  since  been  known  as  ' '  Lord  Derwentwater's 
Lights."  On  the  i8th  of  October,  1848,  a  magnificent  and 
very  remarkable  display  of  aurora  borealis  was  witnessed  in 
the  northern  counties.  The  crimson  streamers  rose  and 
spread  from  the  horizon  in  the  form  of  an  expanded  fan,  and 
the  peasantry  in  Cumberland  and  elsewhere  said  at  the  time, 
that  nothing  like  that  display  had  been  seen  since  the  appear- 
ance of  "Lord  Derwentwater's  Lights,"  in  February,  1716, 
which  may  therefore  be  presumed  to  have  been  of  a  crimson 
or  rosy  hue. 


124 


THE  LAURELS  ON  LINGMOOR. 

High  over  Langdale,  vale  and  hill, 

The  swans  had  winged  their  annual  way  ; 
By  Brathay  pools  and  Dungeon-Ghyll 

The  lambs  as  now  were  \vild  at  play ; 
The  mighty  monarchs  of  the  vale, 

Twins  in  their  grandeur,  towered  on  high  ; 
And  brawling  brooks  to  many  a  tale 

Of  lowly  life  and  love  went  by. 

There  cheerful  on  the  lonely  wld 

One  happy  bower  through  shine  and  storm, 
Amidst  the  mountains  round  it  piled, 

Preserved  its  hearth-stone  bright  and  warm  ; 
AVhere  now  a  mother  and  her  boy 

Stood  parting  in  one  fond  embrace  ; 
The  shadow  of  their  faded  joy. 

Between  them,  darkening  either  face. 

"  I'll  think,  when  that  great  city's  folds 

Enclose  me  like  a  restless  sea, 
Of  all  this  northern  valley  holds 

In  its  warm  cottage  walls  for  me. 


Laurels  on  Lingmoor.  125 

I'll  think  amidst  its  ceaseless  roar, 
Within  these  little  bounds  how  blest 

Was  here  our  life,  and  long  the  more 
For  that  far-off  return  and  rest." — 

Forth  sped  the  youth  :  the  valley  closed 

Behind  him  :  adamantine  hills, 
Like  giants  round  the  gates  reposed 

Of  his  lost  Eden,  froAvmed  ;  the  rills 
With  fainter  murmurs  far  away 

Died  in  the  distance  j  and  at  length 
He  stood  amidst  the  proud  array 

Of  London  in  his  youth  and  strength. 

He  came  when  mid  the  moving  life 

The  Terror  and  the  Plague  went  by. 
He  walked  where  Panic  fled  the  strife 

Of  Strength  with  Death  the  Shadow  nigh. 
The  shaft  that  flew  unseen  by  night, 

The  deadly  plague -breath,  striking  down 
Thousands  on  thousands  in  its  flight, 

Made  soon  the  widow's  boy  its  own. 

Ah' !  woe  for  her  !  in  that  far  vale 

The  sorrow  reached  her  ;  for  there  came 
Dread  tidings  and  the  mournful  tale. 

Dear  relics  and  the  fatal  Name. 
All  in  the  brightness  of  the  noon 

She  bent  above  those  relics  dear  ; 
And  ere  the  glimmering  of  the  moon 

The  Shadow  from  his  side  was  near. 


126  Lattrels  on  Lingmoor. 

And  forth  from  out  her  home  there  stalked 

The  Terror  with  the  name  so  dread  ; 
It  pass'd  the  dalesman  as  he  walked  ; 

It  dogg'd  the  lonely  shepherd's  tread  ; 
It  breathed  into  the  farms  ;  it  smote 

The  homesteads  on  the  loneliest  moor  ; 
And  shuddering  Nature  cowered  remote  ; 

All  fled  the  plague-struck  widow's  door. 

Alone,  in  all  the  vale  profound  : 

Alone,  on  Lingmoor's  mosses  wide  : 
Alone,  with  all  the  hills  around 

From  Langdale  head  to  Loughrigg's  side  ; 
Alone,  beneath  the  cloud  of  night. 

The  morning's  mist,  the  evening's  ray  ; 
The  hearthstone  cold,  and  quenched  its  light ; 

The  Shadow  wrestled  with  its  prey. 

And  day  by  day,  while  went  and  came 

The  sunlight  in  the  cheerless  vale. 
Her  hearth  no  more  its  wonted  flame 

Renewed,  the  opening  morns  to  hail  : 
Glow'd  not,  though  beating  blasts  and  rain 

Drove  in  beneath  her  mournful  eaves, 
Through  Springs  that  brought  the  buds  again, 

And  Autumns  strew'd  with  fading  leaves. 

No  human  foot  its  timorous  falls 
Led  near  it,  venturing  to  unfold 

The  scene  within  those  mouldering  walls. 
The  mystery  in  that  lonely  hold. 


Laurels  on  Lingmoor.  127 

Nor  on  that  mountain  side  did  mom 
Or  noon  show  how,  or  where,  for  rest 

That  Earth  to  kindlier  earth  was  borne — 
The  kinless  to  the  kindred  breast. 

Only  the  huntsman  on  the  height, 

The  herdsman  on  the  mountain  way, 
Looked  sometimes  on  the  far-off  site 

How  desolate  and  lone  it  lay. 
Till  when  the  years  had  rolled,  their  eyes 

Saw  wondering,  where  that  home  decay'd, 
A  little  plot  of  green  arise 

Contiguous  to  the  ruined  shade. 

A  little  grove  of  half  a  score 

Of  laurels,  intertwining  round 
One  nameless  centre,  blossomed  o'er 

That  homestead's  desolated  bound  ; 
And  where  their  leaves  hang  green  above — 

A  lowly  circling  fence  of  stone 
Sprang,  reared  by  Powers  that  build  to  Love 

When  man,  too  weak,  forsakes  his  owti. 

And  there  where  all  lies  wild  and  bare — 

Where  mountains  rise  and  waters  flow, 
From  Langdale's  summits  high  in  air. 

To  Brathay  pools  that  sleep  below — 
A  green  that  never  fades,  one  grove 

Of  brighest  laurels  rears  its  boughs  ; 
While  o'er  that  home's  foundations  rove 

The  wild  cats,  and  the  asses  browse. 


128  Laurels  on  Lmgmoor. 

There,  if  the  song  birds  come,  their  notes 

Are  hushed,  that  nowhere  else  are  still  : 
And  when  the  winds  pipe  loud,  and  floats 

The  mist-cloud  down  from  Dungeon-Ghyll, 
Again  the  cottage-eaves  arise 

Within  it,  as  of  old,  serene, — 
Its  lights  shine  forth,  its  smoke  up  flies, 

And  fades  the  grove  of  laurels  green. 

But  dimly  falls  the  gleam  of  morn 

Around  it ;  on  the  ferns  the  shade 
Of  evening  leaves  a  look  forlorn 

That  elsewhere  Nature  has  not  laid. 
So,  lonely  on  its  height,  so,  drear, 

It  stands,  while  seasons  wax  and  fail, 
Unchanged  amid  the  changing  year, 

The  voiceless  mystery  of  the  vale. 


129 


NOTES   TO   "THE  LAURELS  ON  LINGMOOR." 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  long  hereditary  emulation 
among  the  inhabitants  of  these  districts  to  raise  their  sons 
beyond  the  situation  of  their  birth  ;  a  laudable  practice,  but 
one  which  until  recent  times  was  clouded  by  a  comparative 
neglect  of  their  daughters,  whose  education  at  the  best  was 
very  indifferent.  Hence  many  of  these  youths  have  risen  to 
be  respectable  merchants,  whose  early  circumstances  compelled 
them  to  toil  for  their  daily  bread,  and  to  be  educated  in  night 
schools  taught  durmg  the  winter  by  a  village  schoolmaster,  a 
parish  clerk,  or  some  industrious  mechanic.  Dr.  Todd  states, 
that  in  his  time  it  was  reported  that  Sir  Richard  Whittington, 
knight,  thrice  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  was  bom  of  poor 
parents  in  the  parish  of  Great  Salkeld,  in  East  Cumberland  ; 
that  he  built  the  church  and  tower  from  the  foundation  ;  and 
that  he  intended  to  present  three  large  bells  to  the  parish, 
which  by  some  mischance  stopped  at  Kirkby-Stephen  on  their 
way  to  Salkeld.  And  a  similar  tradition  is  yet  ciu-rent  in  the 
neighbourhood.  Less  apocryphal,  perhaps,  is  the  instance  of 
Richard  Bateman,  a  native  of  the  township  of  Staveley,  near 
Windennere  ;  who,  being  a  clever  lad,  was  sent  by  the  in- 
habitants to  London,  and  there  by  his  diligence  and  industry 
raised  himself  from  a  very  humble  situation  in  his  master's 
house  to  be  a  partner  in  his  business,  and  amassed  a  consider- 
able fortune.  For  some  years  he  resided  at  Leghorn  ;  but  his 
end  was  tragical.  It  is  said,  that  in  his  voyage  to  England, 
the  captain  of  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  sailing,  poisoned  him 
and  seized  the  ship  and  cargo.  The  pretty  little  Chapel  of 
Ings,  in  the  vicinity  where  he  was  bom,  was  erected  at  his 
expense,  and  the  slabs  of  marble  with  which  it  is  floored  were 
sent  by  him  from  Leghorn.  Hodgson  states,  that  he  gave 
twelve  pounds  a  year  to  the  Chapel,  and  a  thousand  pounds 
more  to  be  applied  in  purchasing  an  estate,  and  building  eight 
cottages  in  the  Chapehy  for  the  use  of  its  poor. 


130  Notes  to 


In  Westmorland  and  Cumberland,  thanks  to  the  piety  and 
local  attachments  of  our  ancestors,  endowed,  or,  as  they  are 
more  commonly  called,  free,  schools  abound.  Grammar 
schools  were  established  on  the  verge  of,  and  even  within,  the 
lake  district,  prior  to  the  dissolution  of  monasteries.  From 
these  institutions  a  host  of  learned  and  valuable  men  were 
distributed  over  England  ;  many  of  them  rose  to  great 
eminence  in  the  literaiy  world ;  and  contributed  to  the 
establishment  of  Schools  in  the  villages  where  they  were  bom. 
Before  the  conclusion  of  the  17th  centuiy,  seminaries  of  this 
kind  were  commenced  in  eveiy  parish,  and  in  almost  every 
considerable  village  ;  and  education  to  learned  professions, 
especially  to  the  pulpit,  continued  the  favourite  method  of  the 
yeomanry  of  bringing  up  their  younger  sons,  till  about  the  year 
1760,  when  commerce  became  the  high  road  to  wealth,  and 
Greek  and  Latin  began  reluctantly,  and  by  slow  gi^adation,  to 
give  way  to  an  education  consisting  chiefly  in  reading,  writing, 
and  arithmetic.  Many  of  this  new  species  of  scholars  were 
annually  taken  into  the  employment  of  merchants  and  bankers 
in  London,  and  several  of  them  into  the  Excise.  The  clergy- 
man generally  found  preferment  at  a  distance  from  home, 
where  he  settled  and  died  ;  but  the  merchant  brought  his 
riches  and  new  manners  and  habits  among  his  kindred. 

The  predilection  for  ancient  literature  and  the  learned  pro- 
fessions seems  to  have  been  a  kind  of  instinctive  propensity 
among  the  people  of  these  secluded  vales.  In  the  grammar 
schools  the  discipline  was  severe,  and  the  instruction  imparted 
was  respectable.  In  addition  to  the  endowment,  the  master's 
industry  was  usually  rewarded  at  Shrovetide  with  a  gift  in 
money  or  provisions,  proportioned  to  his  desert,  and  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  donor.  This  present  was  called  Cock-penny, 
a  name  derived  from  the  master  being  obliged  by  ancient  usage 
and  the  "barring-out"  rules,  to  give  the  boys  a  prize  to 
fight  cocks  for ;  which  cock-fighting  was  held  either  at 
Shrovetide  or  Easter.  Indeed  this  custom  seems  to  have 
originated  in  the  care  which  was  taken  to  instil  into  youth  a 
martial  and  enterprising  spirit.  This  appears  from  the 
founders,  in  many  of  the  schools,  having  made  half  of  the 
master's  salary  to  depend  on  the  cock-pennies  ;  and  if  the 
master  refused  to  give  the  customary  prize,  the  scholars  with- 
held the  present.  The  vacations  were  at  Christmas  and 
Pentecost,  for  about  a  fortnight ;  and  all  red-letter  days  were 
half-holidays.  But  between  the  former  seasons  the  Barring- 
out  occurred  ;    which  consisted  in  the  boys  taking  possession 


Later  els  on  Lingmoor.  131 


of  the  schoolroom  early  in  the  morning,  and  refusing  the 
master  admittance  until  he  had  signed  certain  rules  for  the 
regulation  of  the  holidays,  and  a  general  pardon  for  all  past 
offences,  demanding  a  iDondsman  to  the  instrument.  Then 
followed  a  feast  and  a  day  of  idleness. 

The  youths  of  a  neighbourhood,  rich  and  poor,  were  all 
educated  together  ;  a  circumstance  which  diffused  and  kept 
alive  a  plain  familiarity  of  intercourse  among  all  ranks  of  peo- 
ple, which  inspired  the  lowest  with  independence  of  sentiment, 
and  infused  no  insolent  or  unreal  consequence  into  the  wealthy. 
Thus  it  was  no  unusual  thing  for  the  yeoman  and  the  shepherd 
to  enliven  their  employments  or  festivities  with  recitations  from 
the  bucolics  of  Virgil,  the  idyls  of  Theocrites,  or  the  wars  of 
Troy.  A  story  is  told  of  the  late  Mr.  John  Gunson,  a  worthy 
miller,  who  formerly  kept  the  Plough  Inn,  a  small  public- 
house  near  the  Church  at  Ulpha.  Two  or  three  young  fellows 
from  a  neighbouring  town,  or,  as  some  say,  a  party  of  students 
from  St.  Bees  School,  being  out  on  a  holiday  excursion, 
called  at  John's,  and  after  regaling  themselves  with  his  ale, 
and  indulging  in  a  good  deal  of  quizzing  and  banter  at  the 
landlord's  expense,  demanded  their  bill.  John  in  his  homely 
country  dialect,  said,  "Nay,  we  niver  mak'  any  bills  here,  ye 
hev  so  much  to  pay" — mentioning  the  sum.  "O,"  replied 
one  of  the  wags,  "you  cannot  write  :  that  is  the  cause  of  your 
excuse."  John,  who  had  quietly  suffered  them  to  proceed 
in  their  remarks,  retired,  and  in  a  short  time  brought  them  in 
a  bill  written  out  in  the  Hebrew  language,  which  it  need 
scarcely  be  said  quite  puzzled  them.  He  then  sent  them  one 
in  Greek,  and  afterwards  in  Latin,  neither  of  which  they  could 
make  out.  They  then  begged  that  he  would  tell  them  in 
plain  English  what  they  had  to  pay.  John  laughed  heartily 
at  their  ignorance,  which  on  this  occasion  shone  as  conspicuous 
as  their  impertinence  to  their  learned  and  unassuming  host. 

If  such  was  the  level  upon  which  the  yeomanry  stood  in  an 
educational  sense,  their  favourite  plan  of  bringing  up  their 
younger  sons  to  the  learned  professions,  and  especially  the 
pulpit,  may  account  for  a  saying  which  is  almost  proverbial 
in  Cumberland,  "  Owt  '11  mak'  a  parson  !"  meaning  thereby 
that  if  one  of  their  sons  proved  more  stupid  than  another,  the 
church  was  the  proper  destination  for  him. 

In  the  more  secluded  valleys  the  scholars  were  taught  in  the 
church  ;  the  curate,  who  was  also  schoolmaster,  sitting  within 
the  communion  rails,  and  using  the  table  as  a  desk,  while  the 
children  occupied  the  pews  or  the  open  space  beside  him. 


1 1, 2  Notes  to 


In  the  parish  register  of  the  last  named  chapehy  is  a  notice, 
that  a  youth  who  had  quitted  the  valley,  and  died  in  one  of 
the  towns  on  the  coast  of  Cumberland,  had  i-equested  that  his 
body  should  be  brought  and  interred  at  the  foot  of  the  pillar 
by  which  he  had  been  accustomed  to  sit  while  a  school-boy. 

Teachers  of  writing  and  arithmetic  also  wandered  from 
village  to  village,  being  remunerated  by  a  whittle  gate.  The 
churches  and  chapels  have  mostly  a  little  school-house  adjoin- 
ing. In  some  places  the  school-house  was  a  sort  of  antichapel 
to  the  place  of  worship,  being  under  the  same  roof,  an 
arrangement  which  was  abandoned  as  irreverent.  It  continues 
however  to  this  day  in  Borrowdale  and  some  other  chapelries. 

vSuperstitious  fears  were  sometimes  entertained  lest  a  boy 
should  learn  too  far.  It  was  usual  to  consider  all  school- 
masters as  wise  men  or  conjurors.  Wise  men  were  such  as 
had  spent  their  lives  in  the  pursuit  of  science,  and  had  hanied 
too  much.  For  conjuration  was  supposed  to  be  a  science 
which  as  naturally  followed  other  parts  of  learning  as  com- 
pound addition  followed  simple  addition.  The  wise  man 
possessed  wonderful  power.  He  could  recover  stolen  goods, 
either  by  fetching  back  the  articles,  showing  the  thief  in  a 
black  mirror,  or  making  him  walk  round  the  cross  on  a  market 
day,  with  the  stolen  goods  on  his  shoulders.  The  last,  how- 
ever, he  could  not  do,  if  the  culprit  wore  a  piece  o^ green  sod 
upon  his  head.  When  any  person  applied  to  the  wise  man 
for  information,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  reach  home  before 
midnight,  as  a  storm  was  the  certain  consequence  of  the 
application,  and  the  applicant  ran  great  risk  of  being  tor- 
mented by  the  devil  all  the  way  home.  The  wise  men  were 
supposed  to  have  made  a  compact  with  the  devil,  that  he  was 
to  sei've  them  for  a  certain  number  of  years,  and  then  have 
them,  body  and  soul,  after  death.  They  were  compelled  to 
give  the  devil  some  living  animal  whenever  he  called  upon 
them,  as  a  pledge  that  they  intended  to  give  themselves  at 
last.  Instances  are  recorded  of  boys,  in  the  master's  absence, 
having  got  to  his  books,  and  raised  the  devil.  The  difficulty 
was  to  lay  him  again.  He  must  be  kept  employed,  or  have 
one  of  the  boys  for  the  trouble  given  to  him.  The  broken  flag 
through  which  he  rose  is  no  doubt  shown  to  this  day.  Such 
superstitions  are  not  so  completely  exploded  in  the  country, 
but  that  many  equally  improbable  tales  are  told  and  believed. 

The  old  register-book  of  the  parish  of  Penrith,  which 
appears  to  have  been  commenced  about  the  year  1599,  con- 
tains some  entries  of  an  earlier  date,  Avhich  have  been  either 


Laurels  on  Lin^moor. 


'^> ' 


copied  from  a  former  register,  or  inserted  from  memory.  The 
following  entries  occur  : — 

"  Liber  Registerii  de  Penrith  scriptus  in  anno  dni  1599  anno 
regni  regine  Elizabethe  41. 

Proper  nots  worth  keeping  as  followethe. 

Floden  feild  was  in  anno  dni  15  .  .  . 

Comotion  in  these  north  parts  1536. 

St.  George  day  dyd  fall  on  good  friday. 

Queene  Elizabethe  begene  her  rainge  1558. 

Plague  was  in  Penrith  and  Kendal  1554. 

Sollome  Mose  was  in  the  yere  .... 

Rebellion  in  the  North  Pai'tes  by  the  two  earls  of  Northum- 
berland &  Westmorland  &  leonard  Dacres  in  the  year  of  our 
lord  god  1569  &  the  9th  day  of  November. 

A  sore  plague  was  in  London,  notinghome  Derbie  &  lin- 
colne  in  the  year  1593. 

A  sore  plague  in  new  castle,  durrome  &  Demton  in  the 
year  of  our  lord  god  I597. 

A  sore  plague  in  Richmond  Kendal  Penrith  Carliell  Apul- 
bie  and  other  places  in  Westmorland  and  Cumberland  in  the 
year  of  our  lord  god  1598  of  this  plague  there  dyed  at  Kendal" 
—a  few  words  more,  now  very  indistinct,  follow,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  page  is  cut  or  torn  off. 

Several  records  of  the  ravages  committed  by  the  plague  in 
Cumberland  and  Westmorland  are  presen'cd  in  the  more 
populous  parts.  The  following  inscription  on  the  wall  in 
Penrith  Church  is  singular  : — 

AD  MDXCVIII 

Ex  gravi  peste  quse  regionibus  hisce 

incubuit,  obierunt  apud 

Penrith  2260 

Kendal  2500 

Richmond  2200 

Carlisle  H96 

Posteri 

Avertite  vos  et  vivite 

Ezek.  1 8th 32 

From  the  Register  it  appears  that  William  Wallis  was  vicar 
at  the  time  ;  the  following  entries  noting  the  beginning  and 
end  of  the  calamity  are  interesting  : — 

"  1597.  22d  of  September,  Andrew  Hodgson,  a  foreigner, 
was  buried." 

"Here  begonne  the  plague  (God's  punismet  in  Perith. )" 


1 34  Notes  to 


"  All  those  that  are  noted  with  the  Itre  P.  dyed  of  the  infec- 
tion ;  and  those  noted  with  F.  were  buried  on  the  Fell." 

"December  13th,  1598,  Here  ended  the  visitation." 

The  fear  of  infection  prevented  the  continuance  of  the  usual 
markets  ;  and  places  without  the  town  were  appointed  for 
purchasing  the  provisions  brought  by  the  country  people. 

The  Church  register  in  the  neighbouring  parish  of  Edenhall 
takes  notice  of  42  persons  dying  in  the  same  year,  of  the 
plague,  in  that  village. 

Some  centuries  previous  to  this,  in  1380,  when  the  Scots 
made  an  inroad  into  Cumberland,  under  the  Earl  of  Douglas, 
Penrith  was  suffering  from  a  visitation  of  the  same  nature  ; 
they  surprised  the  place  at  the  time  of  a  fair,  and  returned 
with  immense  booty  ;  but  they  introduced  into  their  country 
the  plague  contracted  in  this  town,  which  swept  away  one- 
third  of  the  inhabitants  of  Scotland. 

It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  these  calamitous  visitations  were 
confined  to  the  towns  and  villages.  Although  few  traces  may 
be  found  of  this  frightful  disease  having  invaded  the  more  re- 
mote and  scattered  population  of  the  dales.  Records  of 
isolated  cases  might  easily  be  lost  in  the  course  of  ages  ;  and, 
as  mere  memorials  of  domestic  affliction,  were  not  likely  to  be 
preserved  in  families.  Yet  tradition  has  its  utterances  where 
purer  history  fails.  On  the  side  of  Lingmoor  in  Great  Lang- 
dale,  a  small  stone-fenced  enclosure,  a  few  feet  across,  of  green 
and  shining  laurels,  indicates  a  spot  which  the  pestilence  had 
reached.  This  bright  circular  patch  of  evergreens  is  very 
conspicuous  amid  the  ferns,  from  the  heights  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  valley.  On  a  near  approach,  the  foundations  of 
what  appear  to  be  the  remains  of  an  ancient  dwelling  may  be 
traced  at  a  little  distance  from  it.  Still  more  distant  are  the 
ruins  of  one  or  two  deserted  cottages,  where  the  sheep  pasture 
along  the  base  of  the  mountain.  What  has  been  gathered 
from  the  dalespeople  about  the  laurels,  so  singular  in  such  a 
.spot,  is,  that  in  the  time  of  the  great  plague  in  England  a 
woman  and  her  son  occupied  a  cottage  near  the  place.  The 
youth  went  from  this  remote  district,  in  the  spirit  of  enterprise, 
to  push  his  fortunes  in  London,  was  smitten  by  the  pestilence, 
and  died.  After  a  time  some  clothes  and  other  things  belong- 
ing to  him  were  sent  to  his  home  among  the  hills,  infected  the 
mother,  and  spread  terror  throughout  the  neighbourhood. 
The  woman  having  fallen  a  victim  to  the  disease,  so  great  was 
the  dread  of  the  pestilence  that  the  ordinary  rites  of  burial 
could  not  be  obtained  for  her.     The  body  could  not  be  borne 


Laurels  on  Lingmoor.  135 


for  intennent  in  consecrated  ground.  It  mouldered  away,  it 
is  supposed,  on  the  spot  which  to  this  day  is  marked  by  the 
little  enclosure  of  evergreens,  a  memorial  of  the  fearful  visita- 
tion in  the  lonely  dale. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  characteristics  of  manners  in 
secluded  and  thinly-peopled  districts,  is  a  sense  of  the  degree 
ui  which  human  happiness  and  comfort  are  dependent  on  the 
contingency  of  neighbourhood.  This  is  implied  by  a  rhyming 
adage  common  here,  ^''Friends  are  far,  wheti  neighbours  are 
nar  "  (near).  This  mutual  helpfulness  is  not  confined  to  out- 
of-doors  work  ;  but  is  ready  upon  all  occasions.  Formerly,  if 
a  person  became  sick,  especially  the  mistress  of  a  family,  it 
was  usual  for  those  of  the  neighbours  who  were  more  particu- 
larly connected  with  the  party  by  amicable  offices,  to  visit  the 
house,  carrying  a  present ;  this  practice,  which  is  by  no  means 
obsolete,  is  called  owning  the  family,  and  is  regarded  as  a 
pledge  of  a  disposition  to  be  otherwise  serviceable  in  a  time  of 
disability  and  distress. 


136 


THE  VALE  OF  SAINT  JOHN. 

The  morn  was  fresh  ;  and  ere  we  won 
The  famous  Valley  of  Saint  John, 
For  many  a  rood  our  thoughts  had  plann'd 
The  scenery  of  that  magic  land. 
We  pictured  bowers  where  ladies  fair 
Had  breathed  of  old  enchanted  air  ; 
'  Groves  where  Sir  Knights  had  uttered  vows 
To  Genii  through  the  silvery  boughs  ; 
Piles  of  the  pride  of  ages  gone 
Cleft  between  night  and  morning's  sun, 
Or  veiled  by  mighty  Merlin's  power  ; 
And  her,  too,  Britain's  peerless  flower — 
Her,  chained  in  slumbering  beauty  fast 
While  generations  rose  and  pass'd, 
Gyneth  'mid  the  Wizard's  dens, 
King  Arthur's  child  and  Guendolen's  ! 
So,  led  by  many  a  wandering  gleam 
From  youth  and  poetry's  sweet  dream, 
We  climbed  the  old  created  hills, 
And  cross'd  the  everlasting  rills. 
Which  lay  between  us  and  the  unwon 
But  glorious  Valley  of  Saint  John. 


Vale  of  Saint  yohn.  137 

The  mom  was  fresh,  and  bright  the  sun 
Burst  o'er  the  drowsy  mountains  dun. 
A  moment's  pause  for  strength  renewed, 
And  we  our  pleasant  march  pursued. 
Blythely  we  scaled  the  steep,  surpass'd 
By  steeps  each  loftier  than  the  last ; 
O'er  rocks  and  heaths  and  wilds  we  follow 
The  vapoury  path  from  height  to  hollow ; 
And  through  the  winding  vale  below, 
Where  yellowing  fields  with  plenty  glow  ; 
And,  scattered  wide  and  far  between, 
Lay  white-walled  farms  and  orchards  green  ; 
The  hedge-rows  with  their  verdure  crowned 
Hemming  the  little  plots  of  ground  ; 
The  happy  kine  for  pastures  lowing ; 
The  rivulets  through  the  meadows  flowing ; 
The  sunshine  glittering  on  the  slopes  ; 
The  white  lambs  on  the  mountain  tops  ; 
No  vision  and  no  gleam  to  call 
Enchantment  from  her  airy  hall ; 
But  beauty  through  all  seasons  won 
From  Nature  and  her  parent  sun. 
There  brightening  as  through  ages  gone. 
Lay  round  us  as  our  hearts  sped  on 
To  reach  the  Valley  of  Saint  John. 

The  noon  was  past ;  the  sun's  bright  ray 
Sloped  slowly  down  his  westering  way 
With  mellower  light ;  the  sobering  gleams 
Touched  Glenderamakin's  farthest  streams  ; 
10 


1 38  Vale  of  Saint  John. 

Flung  all  the  richness  of  their  charms 

Round  lonely  Threlkeld's  wastes  and  farms  : 

And  high  beyond  fired  with  their  glow 

Blencathra's  steep  and  lofty  brow  ; 

When  suddenly — as  if  by  power 

Of  Magic  wrought  in  that  bright  hour — 

Shone  out,  with  all  the  circumstance 

And  splendour  of  restored  Romance, 

Southwards  afar  behind  us  spread. 

With  its  grey  fortress  at  its  head, 

The  Valley,  spell-bound  as  of  old. 

In  all  its  mingling  green  and  gold  ; 

In  all  the  glory  of  the  time 

When  Uther's  son  was  in  his  prime. 

And  chivalry  ranged  every  clime  ; 

And  peaceful  as  when  Gyneth,  kept 

In  Merlin's  halls,  beneath  it  slept. 

There  had  we  roamed  the  live-long  day 

Saint  John's  fair  fields  and  winding  way, 

With  hearts  unconsciously  beguiled 

By  witcheries  and  enchantment  wild  ! 

And  not  till  steps  that  toiled  no  more 

It's  utmost  bound  had  vanish'd  o'er, 

Knew  youth's  wild  thought  our  hearts  had  won, 

And  thrid  the  Valley  of  Saint  John. 


139 


NOTES  TO  "THE  VALE  OF  SAINT  JOHN." 

Near  the  village  of  Threlkeld,  the  road  from  Keswick  to 
Penrith,  branching  off  on  the  right,  discloses  obliquely  to  the 
view,  the  Vale  of  St.  John.  The  well  known  description  of 
this  beautiful  dell  by  Mr.  Hutchinson,  who  visited  it  in  the 
year  1773,  conferred  upon  it  a  reputation  which  was  greatly 
increased  when  the  genius  of  Scott  made  it  the  scene  of  his 
tale  of  enchantment  "  The  Bridal  of  Triermain."  The  interest 
which  it  derives  from  its  traditional  connection  with  the  wiles 
of  Merlin,  whose  magic  fortress  continues  to  attract  and  elude 
the  gaze  of  the  traveller,  is  well  given  in  the  words  of  the 
former  writer. 

"  We  now  gained  a  view  of  the  Vale  of  St.  John's,  a  very 
narrow  dell,  hemmed  in  by  mountains,  through  which  a  small 
brook  makes  many  meanderings,  washing  little  enclosures  of 
grass  ground,  which  stretch  up  the  risings  of  the  hills.  In  the 
widest  part  of  the  dale  you  are  struck  with  the  appearance  of 
an  ancient  ruined  castle,  which  seems  to  stand  upon  the  summit 
of  a  little  mount,  the  mountains  around  forming  an  amphi- 
theatre. This  massive  bulwark  shews  a  front  of  various 
towers,  and  makes  an  awful,  rude,  and  Gothic  appearance, 
with  its  lofty  turrets  and  nigged  battlements  :  we  traced  the 
galleries,  the  bending  arches,  the  buttresses.  The  greatest 
antiquity  stands  characterized  in  its  architecture  ;  the  mhabit- 
ants  near  it  assert  it  is  an  antidiluvian  structure. 

"The  traveller's  curiosity  is  roused,  and  he  prepares  to 
make  a  nearer  approach,  when  that  curiosity  is  put  upon  the 
rack,  by  his  being  assured  that,  if  he  advances,  certain  genii, 
who  govern  the  place,  by  virtue  of  their  supernatural  arts  and 
necromancy  will  strip  it  of  all  its  beauties,  and  by  enchantment 
transform  the  magic  walls.  The  vale  seems  adapted  for  the 
habitation  of  such  beings  ;  its  gloomy  recesses  and  retirements 
look  like  the  haunls  of  evil  spirits.  There  was  no  delusion  in 
the  report  ;  we  were  soon  convinced  of  its  truth  ;  for  this  piece 
of  antiquity,  so  venerable  and  noble  in  its  aspect,  as  we  drew 


140  Azotes  to 


near,  changed  its  figure,  and  proved  no  other  than  a  shaken 
massive  pile  of  rocks,  which  stand  in  the  midst  of  this  little 
vale,  dismiited  from  the  adjoining  mountains,  and  have  so 
much  the  real  form  and  resemblance  of  a  castle,  that  they  bear 
the  name  of  The  Castle  Rocks  of  St.  yohiCs." 

The  more  familiar  appellation  of  this  rocky  pile  among  the 
dalesmen  is  Green  Crag.  The  approach  into  the  valley  from 
Threlkeld  displays  it  in  the  most  poetical  point  of  view,  and 
under  some  states  of  atmosphere  it  requires  no  stretch  of  the 
imagination  to  transform  its  grey  perpendicular  masses  into  an 
impregnable  castle,  whose  walls  and  turrets  waving  with  ivy 
and  other  parasitical  plants,  form  the  prison  of  the  immortal 
Merlin. 

Other  atmospheric  effects,  which  occasionally  occur  in  this 
District,  have  been  alluded  to  elsewhere  in  these  notes  ;  as  the 
aerial  armies  seen  on  Souter  Fell,  and  the  Helm  Cloud  and 
Bar,  with  their  accompanying  wind,  generated  upon  Cross 
Fell. 

Phenomena  of  a  singular  character,  which  may  be  ascribed 
to  reflections  from  pure  and  still  water  in  the  lakes,  have  also 
attracted  observation.  Mr.  Wordsworth  has  described  two  of 
which  he  was  an  eye-witness.  "Walking  by  the  side  of 
Ulswater,"  says  he,  "upon  a  calm  September  morning,  I  saw 
deep  within  the  bosom  of  the  lake,  a  magnificent  Castle,  with 
towers  and  battlements  ;  nothing  could  be  more  distinct  than 
the  whole  edifice  ; — after  gazing  with  delight  upon  it  for  some 
time,  as  upon  a  work  of  enchantment,  I  could  not  but  regret 
that  my  previous  knowledge  of  the  place  enabled  me  to 
account  for  the  appearance.  It  was  in  fact  the  reflection  of  a 
pleasure  house  called  Lyulph's  Towei" — the  towers  and  battle- 
ments magnified  and  so  much  changed  in  shape  as  not  to  be 
immediately  recognised.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  pleasure 
house  itself  was  altogether  hidden  from  my  view  by  a  body  of 
vapour  stretching  over  it  and  along  the  hill-side  on  which  it 
extends,  but  not  so  as  to  have  intercepted  its  communication 
with  the  lake  ;  and  hence  this  novel  and  most  impressive 
object,  which,  if  I  had  been  a  stranger  to  the  spot,  would, 
from  its  being  inexplicable,  have  long  detained  the  mind  in  a 
state  of  pleasing  astonishment.  Appearances  of  this  kind, 
acting  upon  the  credulity  of  early  ages,  may  have  given  birth 
to,  and  favoured  the  belief  in,  stories  of  sub-aqueous  palaces, 
gardens,  and  pleasure-grounds — the  brilliant  ornaments  of 
Romance. 

"With  this  inverted  scene,"  he  continues,  "I  will  couple  a 


Vale  of  Saint  yo/in.  1 4 1 


much  more  extra-ordinary  phenomenon,  which  will  shew  how 
other  elegant  fancies  may  have  had  their  origin,  less  in  in- 
vention than  in  the  actual  process  of  nature. 

"About  eleven  o'clock  on  the  forenoon  of  a  winter's  day, 
coming  suddenly,  in  company  of  a  friend,  into  view  of  the 
Lake  of  Grasmere,  we  were  alarmed  by  the  sight  of  a  newly 
created  Island  ;  the  transitory  thought  of  the  moment  was, 
that  it  had  been  produced  by  an  earthquake  or  some  con- 
vulsion of  nature.  Recovering  from  the  alarm,  which  was 
greater  than  the  reader  can  possibly  sympathize  with,  but 
which  was  shared  to  its  full  extent  by  my  companion,  we 
proceeded  to  examine  the  object  before  us.  The  elevation  of 
this  new  island  exceeded  considerably  that  of  the  old  one,  its 
neighbour  ;  it  was  likewise  larger  in  circumference,  com- 
prehending a  space  of  about  five  acres  ;  its  surface  rocky, 
speckled  with  snow,  and  sprinkled  over  with  birch  trees  ;  it 
was  divided  towards  the  south  from  the  other  island  by  a 
firth,  and  in  like  manner  from  the  northern  shore  of  the  lake ; 
on  the  east  and  west  it  was  separated  from  the  shore  by  a 
much  larger  space  of  smooth  water. 

"  Marvellous  was  the  illusion  !  comparing  the  new  with  the 
old  Island,  the  surface  of  which  is  soft,  green,  and  unvaried, 
I  do  not  scruple  to  say  that,  as  an  object  of  sight,  it  was  much 
the  more  distinct.  '  How  little  faith,'  we  exclaimed,  '  is  due 
to  one  sense,  unless  its  evidence  be  confirmed  by  some  of  its 
fellows  !  What  stranger  could  possibly  be  persuaded  that  this, 
which  we  know  to  be  an  unsubstantial  mockery,  is  really  so  ; 
and  that  there  exists  only  a  single  Island  on  this  beautiful 
Lake?'  At  length  the  appearance  underwent  a  gradual 
transmutation  ;  it  lost  its  prominence  and  passed  into  a 
glimmering  and  dim  inversion,  and  then  totally  disappeared  ; — 
leaving  behind  it  a  clear  open  area  of  ice  of  the  same  dimen- 
sions. We  now  perceived  that  this  bed  of  ice,  which  was 
thirily  suffused  with  water,  had  produced  the  illusion,  by 
reflecting  and  refracting  (as  persons  skilled  in  optics  would  no 
doubt  easily  explain,)  a  rocky  and  woody  section  of  the 
opposite  mountain  named  Silver-how." 

Southey  describes  a  scene  that  he  had  witnessed  on  Derwent 
Lake,  as  "a  sight  more  dreamy  and  wonderful  than  any 
scenery  that  fancy  ever  yet  devised  for  Faery-land.  We  had 
walked  down,"  he  writes,  "to  the  lake  side,  it  was  a  delightful 
day,  the  sun  shining,  and  a  few  white  clouds  hanging  motion- 
less in  the  sky.  The  opposite  shore  of  Derwentwater  consists 
of  one  long  mountain,  which  suddenly  terminates  in  an  arch, 


142  Vale  of  Saint  John. 


thus  '-,  and  through  that  opening  you  see  a  long  valley 
between  mountains,  and  bounded  by  mountain  beyond  moun- 
tain ;  to  the  right  of  the  arch  the  heights  are  more  varied  and 
of  greater  elevation.  Now,  as  there  was  not  a  breath  of  air 
stirring,  the  surface  of  the  lake  was  so  peifectly  still,  that  it 
became  one  great  mirror,  and  all  its  waters  disappeared  ;  the 
whole  line  of  shore  was  represented  as  vividly  and  steadily  as 
it  existed  in  its  actual  being — the  arch,  the  vale  within,  Ihe 
single  houses  far  within  the  vale,  the  smoke  from  the  chimneys, 
the  farthest  hills,  and  the  shadow  and  substance  joined  at  their 
bases  so  indivisibly,  that  you  could  make  no  separation  even 
in  your  judgment.  As  I  stood  on  the  shore,  heaven  and  the 
clouds  seemed  lying  under  me  ;  I  was  looking  do%vn  into  the 
sky,  and  the  whole  range  of  mountains,  having  the  line  of 
summits  under  my  feet,  and  another  above  me,  seemed  to  be 
suspended  between  the  firmaments.  Shut  your  eyes  and  dream 
of  a  scene  so  unnatural  and  so  beautiful.  What  I  have  said  is 
most  strictly  and  scrupulously  true  ;  but  it  was  one  of  those 
happy  moments  that  can  seldom  occur,  for  the  least  breath 
stirring  would  have  shaken  the  whole  vision,  and  at  once 
unrealised  it.  I  have  before  seen  a  partial  appearance,  but 
never  before  did,  and  perhaps  never  again  may,  lose  sight  of 
the  lake  entirely  ;  for  it  literally  seemed  like  an  abyss  of  sky 
before  me,  not  fog  and  clouds  from  a  mountain,  but  the  blue 
heaven  spotted  with  a  few  fleecy  pillows  of  cloud,  that  looked 
placed  there  for  angels  to  rest  upon  them. " 


143 


THE  LUCK  OF  EDENHALL. 

The  martial  Musgraves  sheathed  the  sword, 
And  held  in  peace  sweet  Edenhall. 

For  never  that  house  or  that  house's  lord 
May  evil  luck  or  mischance  befal, 

While  their  crystal  chalice  can  soundly  ring, 

Or  sparkle  brim-full  at  St.  Cuthbert's  spring. 

Rude  warlike  men  were  the  race  of  old  : 
And  seldom  with  priest  of  holy  rood 

Or  penance  discoursed  their  knights  so  bold, 
Who  won  them  the  Forest  of  Inglewood. 

For  better  lov'd  they  to  grasp  the  spear, 

Than  beads  to  count  or  masses  to  hear. 

There  came  a  bright  Lady  from  over  the  sea, 
Once  to  look  on  their  youthful  heir. 

Saintly  and  like  a  spirit  was  she  ; 

And  sweetest  words  did  her  tongue  declare ; 

When  filling  a  beautiful  glass  to  the  brim 

At  St.  Cuthbert's  Well,  she  gave  it  to  him. 


144  The  Luck  of  EdenhalL 

Radiant  and  rare — from  her  garment's  hem 
To  her  shining  forehead,  all  dazzling  o'er, 

As  of  crystal  and  gold  and  enamel  the  gem 
Of  sparkling  light  from  the  fount  she  bore— 

Her  snow-white  fingers  unringed  she  spread 

On  the  gallant  young  Musgrave's  lordly  head. 


With  his  ruby  lips  he  touch'd  the  glass, 
And  quaff' d  off  the  crystal  draught  within. 

"  From  thee  and  from  thine  if  ever  shall  pass 
The  pledge  of  this  hour,  shall  their  doom  begin. 

Whenever  that  cup  shall  break  or  fall. 

Farewell  the  luck  of  Edenhall ! " 


While  marvelling  much  at  so  fair  a  sight, 
And  wooing  a  vision  so  sweet  to  stay, 

Like  a  vanishing  dream  of  the  closing  night 
Within  the  dark  Forest  she  pass'd  away ; 

And  left  him  musing,  with  senses  dim. 

On  the  gifts  the  bright  chalice  had  brought  to  him. 


He  clasped  it  close,  and  he  tum'd  it  o'er  ; 

Within  and  without  its  form  survey'd ; 
Till  the  deeds  and  thoughts  of  his  sires  of  yore 

Seem'd  to  him  like  rust  on  a  goodly  blade. 
And  the  more  the  glass  in  his  hands  he  turned, 
The  more  for  a  nobler  life  he  yearned. 


The  L  uck  of  EdenhaU.  1 4  5 

And  there  on  the  verge  of  the  Forest,  where  stood 

The  Hall  for  ages,  he  vow'd  to  be 
The  servant  of  Him  who  died  on  the  Rood, 

And  lay  in  the  Tomb  of  Arimathee ; 
And  to  drink  of  that  cup  at  the  Holy  Well. 
So  wrought  within  him  the  Lady's  spell. 

And  do\\Ti  the  twilight  came  on  his  thought ; 

And  sleep  fell  on  him  beneath  the  trees  ; 
When  an  errand  for  water  the  butler  brought 

To  the  spot,  where  around  the  slumberer's  knees 
The  envious  fairies,  a  glittering  band. 
Were  loosing  the  cup  from  his  slackening  hand. 

He  scared  them  forth  :  and  in  fierce  despite 

They  mocked,  and  mowed,  and  sang  in  his  ear, — 

"See  you  yon  horsemen  along  the  height? 

They  had  harried  the  Hall  had'st  thou  not  come 
near. 

WTienever  that  cup  shall  break  or  fall. 

Farewell  the  luck  of  EdenhaU." 


And  the  martial  lords  of  EdenhaU 

They  kept  their  cup  with  enamel  and  gold 

Where  never  the  goblet  could  break  or  fall, 
Or  fail  its  measure  of  luck  to  hold ; 

That  birth  or  bridal,  beneath  its  sway, 

Might  never  befal  on  an  evil  day ; 


146  The  Luck  of  Edenhall. 

And  land  and  lordship  stretching  wide, 

And  honour  and  worship  might  still  be  theirs  ; 

As  long  as  that  cup,  preserved  with  pride, 

Should  be  honoured  and  prized  by  Musgrave's 
heirs  : 

The  goblet  the  Lady  from  o.ver  the  wave 

To  their  sire  in  the  Forest  of  Inglewood  gave. 

It  has  sparkled  high  o'er  the  cradled  babe  : 
It  has  pledged  the  bride  on  her  nuptial  day  : 

It  has  bless'd  their  lips  at  life's  last  ebb, 
With  its  sacred  juice  to  cleanse  the  clay. 

For  the  touch  the  bright  Lady  left  on  its  brim 

Can  give  light  to  the  soul  when  all  else  is  dim. 

Long  prosper  the  luck  of  that  noble  line. 

May  never  the  Musgrave's  name  decay. 
And  to  crown  their  board,  when  the  goblets  shine, 

May  the  crystal  chalice  be  found  alway  ! 
For  Whenever  that  cup  shall  break  or  fall, 
Farewell  the  luck  of  Edenhall ! 


147 


NOTES  TO    "THE  LUCK  OF  EDENHALL." 

The  curious  ancient  drinking  glass,  called  the  Luck  of 
Edenhall,  on  the  preservation  of  which,  according  to  popular 
superstition,  the  prosperity  of  the  Musgrave  family  depends, 
is  well  known  from  the  humourous  parody  on  the  old  ballad 
of  Chevy  Chase,  commonly  attributed  to  the  Duke  of  Wharton, 
but  in  reality  composed  by  Lloyd,  one  of  his  jovial  com- 
panions, which  begins, 

"God  prosper  long  from  being  broke 
The  Luck  of  Edenhall." 
The  Duke,  after  taking  a  draught,  had  nearly  terminated 
"the  Luck  of  Edenhall;"  but  fortunately  the  butler  caught 
the  cup  in  a  napkin  as  it  dropped  from  his  grace's  hands.  It 
is  understood  tliat  it  is  no  longer  subjected  to  such  risks.  It 
is  now  generally  shown  with  a  damask  cloth  securely  held  by 
the  four  comers  beneath  it,  which  for  this  purpose  is  deposited 
along  with  the  vessel  in  a  safe  place  where  important  family 
documents  are  preserved. 

Not  withoiit  good  reason  do  the  Musgraves  look  with  super- 
stitious regard  to  its  careful  preservation  amongst  them.  The 
present  generation  could,  it  is  said,  tell  of  disasters  following 
swift  and  sure  upon  its  fall,  in  fulfilment  of  the  omen  em- 
bodied in  the  legend  attached  to  it. 

The  vessel  is  of  a  green  coloured  glass  of  Venice  manufacture 
of  the  loth  century,  ornamented  with  foliage  of  different 
colours  in  enamel  and  gold  ;  it  is  about  seven  inches  in  height 
and  about  two  in  diameter  at  the  base,  from  which  it  increases 
in  width  and  temiinates  in  a  gradual  curve  at  the  brim  where 
it  measures  about  four  inches.  It  is  carefully  preserved  in  a 
stamped  leather  case,  ornamented  with  scrolls  of  vine  leaves, 
and  having  on  the  top,  in  old  English  characters,  the  letters 
I.  H.  C.  ;  from  which  it  seems  probable  that  this  vessel  was 
originally  designed  for  sacred  uses.  The  covering  is  said  to 
be  of  the  time  of  Henry  VI.  or  Edward  IV.  The  glass  is 
probably  one  of  the  oldest  in  England. 


148 


Notes  to 


The  tradition  respecting  this  vessel  is  connected  with  the 
still  current  belief,  that  he  who  has  courage  to  rush  upon  a 
fairy  festival,  and  snatch  from  them  their  drinking  cup  or  horn, 
shall  find  it  prove  to  him  a  cornucopia  of  good  fortune  or 
plenty,  if  he  can  bear  it  safely  across  a  running  stream.  The 
goblet  still  carefully  preserved  in  Edenhall  is  supposed  to  have 
been  seized  at  a  banquet  of  the  elves,  by  one  of  the  ancient 
family  of  Musgi-ave  ;  or,  as  others  say,  the  butler,  going  to 
fetch  water  from  St.  Cuthbert's  Well,  which  is  near  the  hall, 
surprised  a  company  of  fairies  who  were  dancing  on  the  green, 
near  the  spring,  where  they  had  left  this  vessel,  which  the 
butler  seized,  and  on  his  refusal  to  restore  it,  they  uttered  the 
ominous  words,— 

' '  Whenever  this  cup  shall  break  or  fall. 
Farewell  the  luck  of  Edenhall." 

The  name  of  the  goblet  was  taken  from  the  prophecy.  There 
is  no  writing  to  shew  how  it  came  into  the  family,  nor  any 
record  concerning  it.  Its  history  rests  solely  on  the  tradition. 
Dr.  Todd  supposes  it  to  have  been  a  chalice,  when  it  was 
unsafe  to  have  those  sacred  vessels  made  of  costlier  metals,  on 
account  of  the  predatoiy  habits  which  prevailed  on  the  borders. 
He  also  says,  that  the  bishops  of  this  diocese  permitted  not 
only  the  parochial  or  secular,  but  also  the  monastic  or 
regular  clergy,  to  celebrate  the  eucharist  in  chalices  of  that 
clear  and  transparent  metal.  The  following  was  one  of  the 
canons  made  in  the  reign  of  king  Athelstan  : — Sacej-  calix 
ftisilis  sit,  noil  ligneiis — Let  the  holy  chalice  befzisile,  and  not  of 
wood,  which  might  imbibe  the  consecrated  wine. 

William  of  Newbridge  relates  how  one  of  these  drinking- 
vessels,  called  elfin  goblets,  came  into  the  possession  of  King 
Henry  the  First.  A  country-man  belonging  to  a  village  near 
his  ovra  birthplace,  returning  home  late  at  night,  and  tipsy, 
from  a  visit  to  a  friend  in  a  neighbouring  village,  heard  a 
sound  of  merriment  and  singing  within  a  hill ;  and  peeping 
through  an  open  door  in  the  side  of  the  hill,  he  saw  a  numerous 
company  of  both  sexes  feasting  in  a  large  and  finely  lighted 
hall.  A  cup  being  handed  to  him  by  one  of  the  attendants, 
he'took  it,  threw  out  the  contents,  and  made  off  with  his  booty, 
pursued  by  the  whole  party  of  revellers,  from  whom  he 
escaped  by  the  speed  of  his  mare,  and  reached  his  home  in 
safety.  The  cup,  which  was  of  unknown  material  and  of 
unusual  form  and  colour  was  presented  to  the  king. 

At   Muncaster   Castle   there  is  preserved  an  ancient  glass 


The  Luck  of  Edenhall.  149 


vessel  of  the  basin  form,  about  seven  inches  in  diameter, 
ornamented  with  some  white  enamelled  mouldings  ;  which, 
according  to  family  tradition,  was  presented  by  King  Henry 
VI.  to  Sir  John  Pennington,  Knight,  who  was  steadily  attached 
to  that  unfortunate  monarch,  and  whom  he  had  the  honour  of 
entertaining  at  Muncaster  Castle,  in  his  flight  from  the 
Yorkists.  In  acknowledgment  of  the  protection  he  had 
received,  the  King  is  said  to  have  presented  his  host  with  this 
curious  glass  cup  with  a  prayer  that  the  fa,mily  should  ever 
prosper,  and  never  want  a  male  heir,  so  long  as  they  preserved 
it  unbroken  :  hence  the  cup  was  called  "the  luck  of  Mun- 
caster." The  Hall  contains,  among  other  family  pictures, 
one  representing  "King  Henry  VI.  giving  to  Sir  John 
Pennington,  on  his  leaving  the  Castle  1461,  the  luck  of 
Muncaster." 

It  is  probable  that  the  king  was  here  on  two  occasions  ;  the 
first  being  after  the  battle  of  Towton,  in  1461,  when  accom- 
panied by  his  queen  and  their  young  son,  with  the  dukes  of 
Exeter  and  Somerset,  he  fled  with  great  precipitation  into 
Scotland  :  the  second,  after  the  battle  of  Hexham,  which  was 
fought  on  the  15th  of  May,  1463.  On  his  defeat  at  Hexham, 
some  friends  of  the  fugitive  king  took  him  under  their  pro- 
tection, and  conveyed  him  into  Lancashire.  During  the 
period  that  he  remained  in  concealment,  which  was  about 
twelve  months,  the  king  visited  Mimcaster.  On  this  occasion 
the  royal  visit  appears  to  have  been  attended  with  veiy  little 
of  regal  pomp  or  ceremony.  Henry,  having  made  his  way 
into  Cumberland,  ■with  only  one  companion  arrived  at  Irton 
Hall  soon  after  midnight ;  but  his  quality  being  unknown,  or 
the  inmates  afraid  to  receive  him,  he  was  denied  admittance. 
He  then  passed  over  the  mountains  towards  Muncaster,  where 
he  was  accidentally  met  by  some  shepherds  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  and  was  conducted  by  them  to  Muncaster  Castle. 
The  spot  where  the  meeting  took  place  is  still  indicated 
by  a  tall  steeple-like  monument  on  an  eminence  at  some 
distance  from  the  castle. 

The  "luck  of  Burrell  Green,"  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Lamb, 
yeoman,  in  Great  Salkeld,  Cumberland,  is  less  fragile  in 
structure,  is  not  less  venerated  for  its  traditional  alliance  with 
the  fortunes  of  its  possessors  than  the  lordly  cups  of  the  Penn- 
ingtons  and  Musgraves.  It  is  an  ancient  brass  dish  resembling 
a  shield,  with  an  inscription  round  it,  now  nearly  effaced. 
Like  the  celebrated  glass  of  Edenhall,  this  too  has  its  legend 
and  couplet,  the  latter  of  which  runs  thus  : — 


150  Notes  to 


"  If  this  dish  be  sold  or  gi'en, 
Farewell  the  luck  of  Burrell  Green. '' 

When  Ranulph  de  Meschines  had  received  the  grant  of 
Cumberland  from  William  the  Conqueror,  he  made  a  survey 
of  the  whole  county,  and  gave  to  his  followers  all  the  frontiers 
bordering  on  Scotland  and  Northumberland,  retaining  to  him- 
self the  central  part  between  the  east  and  west  mountains,  ' '  a 
goodly  great  forest,  full  of  woods,  red  deer  and  fallow,  wild 
swine,  and  all  manner  of  wild  beasts."  This  Forest  of  Ingle- 
wood  comprehends  all  that  large  and  now  fertile  tract  of 
country,  extending  westward  from  Carlisle  to  Westward, 
thence  in  a  direct  line  through  Castle  Sowerby  and  Penrith  to 
the  confluence  of  the  Eamont  and  the  Eden,  which  latter  river 
then  forms  its  eastern  boundary  all  the  way  northward  to  Car- 
lisle, forming  a  sort  of  triangle,  each  side  of  which  is  more 
than  twenty  miles  in  length.  The  Duke  of  Devonshire,  as 
lord  of  the  Honour  of  Penrith,  has  now  paramount  authority 
over  the  manors  of  Inglewood  Forest. 

The  Forest,  or  Swainmote,  court,  for  the  seigniory,  is  held 
yearly,  on  the  feast  of  St.  Barnabas  the  apostle  (June  11.)  in 
the  parish  of  Hesket-in-the-Forest,  in  the  open  air,  on  the 
great  north  road  to  Carlisle  ;  and  the  place  is  marked  by  a 
stone  placed  before  an  ancient  thorn,  called  Court-  Thorn. 
The  tenants  of  more  than  twenty  mesne  manors  attend  here, 
from  whom  a  jury  for  the  whole  district  is  empanelled  and 
sworn  ;  and  Dr.  Todd  says,  that  the  chamberlain  of  Carlisle 
was  anciently  foreman.  Here  are  paid  the  annual  dues  to  the 
lord  of  the  forest,  compositions  for  improvements,  purprestures, 
agistments,  and  puture  of  the  foresters. 

Until  the  year  1823,  there  was  an  old  oak  on  Wragmire 
Moss,  well  known  as  the  last  tree  of  Inglewood  Forest,  which 
had  survived  the  blasts  of  700  or  boo  winters.  This  "  time- 
honored  "  oak  was  remarkable,  not  only  for  the  beauty  of  the 
wood,  which  was  marked  in  a  similar  manner  to  satin-wood, 
but  as  being  a  boundary  mark  between  the  manors  of  the 
Duke  of  Devonshire  and  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  Carlisle,  as 
also  between  the  parishes  of  Hesket  and  St.  Cuthbert's,  Car- 
lisle ;  and  was  noticed  as  such  for  upwards  of  600  years. 
This  oak,  which  had  weathered  so  many  hundred  stormy 
winters  was  become  considerably  decayed  in  its  trunk.  It  fell 
not,  however,  by  the  tempest  or  the  axe,  but  from  sheer  old 
age  on  the  13th  of  June,  1823.  It  was  an  object  of  great 
interest,  being  the  veritable  last  tree  of  Inglewood  Forest  : 
iinder  whose  spreading  branches  may  have  reposed  victorious 


The  Luck  of  Edenhall.  1 5 1 


Edward  I.,  who  is  said  to  have  killed  200  bucks  in  this  ancient 
forest  ;  and,  perhaps  at  a  later  period,  "John  de  Corbrig,  the 
poor  hermit  of  Wragmire,"  has  counted  his  beads  beneath  its 
shade. 

On  the  same  day  on  which  this  tree  fell,  Mr.  Robert  Bow- 
man, who  was  bom  at  Hayton,  in  1705,  died  at  Irthington,  at 
the  extraordinary  age  of  117  years  and  8  months,  retaining  his 
faculties  till  about  three  months  before  his  death.  He  lived 
very  abstemiously,  was  never  intoxicated  but  once  in  his  life, 
and  at  the  age  of  III,  used  occasionally  to  assist  his  family  at 
their  harvest  work.  The  last  forty  years  of  his  life  were  spent 
at  Irthington,  and  in  his  109th  year  he  walked  to  and  from 
Carlisle,  being  14  miles,  in  one  day. 

The  most  remarkable  instance  of  longevity  in  a  native  of 
Cumberland  is  that  of  John  Taylor,  bom  at  Garragill  in  the 
parish  of  Aldston  moor.  He  went  underground  to  work  in  the 
lead  mines  at  eleven  years  of  age.  He  was  fourteen  or  fifteen 
at  the  time  of  the  great  solar  eclipse,  called  in  the  North  mirk 
Monday,  which  happened  29th  of  March,  1652.  From  that 
time  till  1752,  except  for  two  years,  during  which  he  was 
employed  in  the  mint  at  Edinburgh,  he  wrought  in  the  mines 
at  Aldston,  at  Blackball  in  the  Bishoprick  of  Durham,  and  in 
various  parts  of  Scotland.  His  death  happened  sometime  in 
the  year  1 772,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Moffat,  near  the  Lead- 
hills  mines,  in  which  he  had  been  employed  several  years. 
He  worked  in  the  mines  till  he  was  about  115.  At  the  time 
of  his  decease  he  must  have  been  135  years  of  age. 

The  Rev  George  Braithwaite,  who  died,  curate  of  St. 
Maiy's  Carlisle,  in  1753)  '^'^  ^^  ^g^  of  \io,  is  said  to  have 
been  a  member  of  the  Cathedral,  upwards  of  one  hundred 
years,  having  first  become  connected  with  the  establishment 
as  a  chorister. 

In  Cumberland  the  prevalence  of  longevity  seems  to  be  con- 
fined to  no  particular  district  :  the  parishes  which  border  on 
the  fells  on  the  east  side  of  the  county,  are  rather  more 
remarkable  for  longevity  than  those  on  the  Western  coast : 
but  there  is  little  difference  except  in  the  large-towns. 

A  list  of  remarkable  instances  of  longevity,  chiefly  taken 
from  the  registers  of  burials  in  the  several  parishes  in  Cumber- 
land, is  given  in  Lyson's  Magna  Britannia.  It  embraces  the 
period  between  1664  and  1814  inclusive,  and  gives  the  date, 
name,  parish,  and  age  of  each  individual.  In  that  space  of 
150  years,  the  list  comprises  144  individuals  ranging  from  lOO 
to  113  years  of  age.  Seventy  were  males,  seventy-four  were 
females. 


152  The  Luck  of  Edenhall. 


The  number  of  persons  in  Cumberland  who  have  reached 
from  90  to  99  years  inclusive,  since  the  ages  have  been  noted 
in  the  parish  registers  is  above  1120 :  of  these  about  one  fourth 
have  attained  or  exceeded  the  age  of  95  years. 


15. 


HOB-THROSS. 

Millom's  bold  lords  and  knights  of  old 
Quaff 'd  their  mead  from  cups  of  gold. 
A  lordly  life  was  theirs,  and  free, 
With  revel  and  joust  and  minstrelsy. 
Their  fields  were  full,  and  their  waters  flow'd ; 
On  a  hundred  steeds  their  warriors  rode  : 
And  glorious  still  as  their  line  began, 
It  broaden'd  out  as  it  onward  ran. 

Millom's  proud  courts  had  page  and  groom, 

To  serve  in  hall,  to  wait  in  room ; 

Maid  and  squire  in  fair  array  : 

But  better  than  these,  at  close  of  day — 

Better  than  groom  or  page  in  hall. 

Than  maid  and  squire,  that  came  at  a  call. 

Was  the  Goblin  Fiend,  that  shunn'd  their  sight. 

And  wrought  for  the  lords  of  Millom  by  night. 

When  sleepy  maidens  left  their  fires, 
Hob-Thross  forth  from  bams  and  byres 
Came  tumbling  in,  and  stretching  his  form 
Out  over  the  hearthstone  bright  and  warm, 
11 


154  Hob-  Thross. 

He  folded  his  stunted  thumbs,  to  dream 
For  an  idle  hour  ere  he  sipp'd  his  cream ; 
Or  smoothed  his  wrinkled  visage  to  gaze 
On  his  hairy  length  at  the  kindly  blaze. 

His  snipp'd  bro\vn  bowl  of  creamy  store 

Set  nightly — nothing  Hob  wanted  more. 

He  scoured,  and  delved,  and  groom'd,  and  churned  • 

But  favour  or  hire  he  scorned  and  spumed. 

Leave  him  alone  to  will  and  to  do, 

Never  were  hand  and  heart  so  true. 

Tempt  him  with  gift,  or  lay  out  his  hire — 

Farewell  Hob  to  farm  and  fire. 

Blest  the  manor,  and  blest  the  lord, 

That  had  Hob  to  work  by  field  and  board  ! 

Blest  the  field,  and  blest  the  farm. 

That  Hob  would  keep  from  waste  and  hann  ! 

Or  ever  a  wish  was  fairly  thought. 

Hob  was  ready,  and  all  was  ^vrought ; 

Was  grain  to  be  cut,  or  housed  the  com. 

All  was  finish'd  'twixt  night  and  mom. 

Millom's  great  lords  rode  round  their  land 
With  courteous  speech  and  bounteous  hand. 
Hob-Thross  too  went  forth  to  roam ; 
Made  every  hearth  in  Millom  his  home. 
He  thresh'd  the  oats,  he  chum'd  the  cream, 
He  comb'd  the  manes  of  the  stabled  team, 
And  fodder'd  them  well  with  com  and  hay. 
When  the  lads  were  laggards  at  peep  of  day. 


Hob-Thross.  155 

Millom's  good  lord  said — "  Nights  are  cool ; 

Weave  Hob  a  coat  of  the  finest  wool. 

Service  long  he  has  tender'd  free  : 

Of  the  finest  wool  his  hood  shall  be." — 

For  his  service  good,  in  that  ancient  hold, 

To  them  and  to  theirs  for  ages  told. 

They  wove  him  a  coat  of  the  finest  wool, 

And  a  hood  to  wrap  him  when  nights  were  cool. 

It  broke  his  peace,  and  he  could  not  stay. 

Hob  took  the  clothes  and  went  his  way. 

He  wrapp'd  him  round  and  he  felt  him  warm  : 

But  his  life  at  Millom  lost  all  its  charm. 

Night  and  day  there  was  heard  a  wail 

In  his  ancient  haunts,  through  wnd  and  hail, — 

"  Hob  has  got  a  new  coat  and  new  hood. 

And  Hob  no  more  will  do  any  good." 

Blight  and  change  pass'd  over  the  place. 
Came  to  end  that  ancient  race. 
Millom's  great  lords  were  found  alone 
Stretch'd  in  chancels,  carved  in  stone. 
Gone  to  dust  was  all  their  power ; 
Spiders  wove  in  my  lady's  bower. 
While  Hob  in  his  coat  and  hood  of  green 
Went  wooing  by  night  the  Elfin  Queen. 

Call  him  to  field,  or  wish  him  in  stall, 
Hob-Thross  answers  no  one's  call. 
The  snipp'd  brown  bowls  of  cream  in  vain 
On  the  hearths  he  loved  are  placed  again. 


1 56  Hob-  Thross. 

The  old  and  glorious  days  are  flown. 
Hob  is  too  proud  or  lazy  grown ; 
Or  he  goes  in  his  coat  and  his  hood  of  green 
By  night  a-wooing  the  Elfin  Queen. 


157 


NOTES  TO  "HOB-THROSS." 

The  lords  of  Millom  are  connected  with  an  ancient  legend 
of  Egremont  Castle,  which  is  given  elsewhere,  and  which 
especially  alludes  to  the  horn  and  hatterell  which  they  bore  on 
their  helmets.  This  crest  is  said  to  have  been  assumed  in  the 
time  of  Henry  I. ,  on  the  occasion  of  the  grant  of  this  seignory 
by  the  Lord  of  Egremont  to  Godard  de  Boyvill  or  Boisville, 
whose  descendants  retained  possession  of  the  greater  part  of  it 
for  about  one  hundred  years  when  it  became  vested  by  marriage 
in  Sir  John  Hudleston,  whose  pedigree  is  alleged  to  be  trace- 
able for  five  generations  before  the  Conquest.  In  this  family 
it  remained  for  about  five  hundred  years,  when,  for  failure  of 
male  issue  it  was  sold  to  Sir  James  Lowther,  nearly  a  century 
ago.  The  names  of  the  first  possessors  are  now  almost 
forgotten  in  their  own  lands.  The  castle  is  of  great  antiquity. 
It  is  uncertain  at  what  date  it  was  originally  built  ;  but  it  was 
foz'tified  and  embattled  by  Sir  John  Hudleston,  in  1335.  In 
ancient  times  it  was  surrounded  by  a  fine  park,  of  which  there 
are  some  scanty  remains  on  a  ridge  to  the  north.  The  great 
square  tower  is  still  habitable,  though  its  old  battlements  are 
gone.  The  castle  was  invested  during  the  parliamentary  war, 
and  the  old  vicarage  house  was  pulled  down  at  the  same  time, 
"lest  the  rebels  should  take  refuge  there."  There  are  traces 
of  the  ancient  moat  still  visible.  Between  the  broken  pillars 
of  an  old  gateway,  an  avenue  leads  to  the  front  of  the  ruin, 
which,  though  not  of  great  extent,  presents  a  fine  specimen  of 
the  decayed  pomp  of  early  times.  The  walls  of  the  court  yard 
are  all  weather-stained  and  worn  ;  and,  here  and  there,  deli- 
cate beds  of  moss  have  crept  over  them,  year  after  year,  so 
long,  that  the  moist  old  stones  are  now  matted  with  hues  of 
great  beauty.  The  front  of  the  castle  is  roofless,  and  some 
parts  of  the  massive  walls  are  thickly  clothed  with  ivy.  A 
fine  flight  of  worn  steps  leads  up  through  the  archway,  to  the 
great  tower,  in  the  inner  court.  Above  the  archway  a  stone 
siiield  bears  the  decayed  heraldries  of  the   Hudleston  family  ; 


158 


Notes  to 


and  these  arms  appear,  also,  on  a  slab  in  the  garden  wall,  and 
in  other  parts  of  the  buildings.  The  front  entrance  of  the 
great  tower,  from  the  inner  court,  when  open,  shews  within 
a  fine  old  carved  staircase,  which  leads  one  to  suppose  that  the 
interior  may  retain  many  of  its  ancient  characteristics. 

The  church  is  a  venerable  building,  with  its  quaint  little 
turret,  containing  two  bells.  The  edifice  consists  of  a  nave 
and  chancel,  a  south  aisle,  and  a  modern  porch  on  the  same 
side.  The  aisle  was  the  burial  place  of  the  Hudlestons.  Here 
is  an  altar- tomb,  ornamented  with  Gothic  tracery  and  figures 
bearing  shields  of  arms,  on  which  recline  the  figures  of  a  knight 
and  his  lady,  in  alabaster,  very  much  mutilated.  The  knight 
is  in  plate  armour,  his  head  resting  on  a  helmet,  and  having  a 
collar  of  S.S.  ;  the  lady  is  dressed  in  a  long  gown  and  mantle, 
with  a  veil.  They  appear  to  have  originally  been  painted  and 
gilt,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  colouring  has  been  rubbed  off. 
Near  the  altar-tomb  are  the  very  mutilated  remains  of  a  knight, 
carved  in  wood,  apparently  of  the  fourteenth  century.  A  few 
years  ago  there  was  a  lion  at  his  feet.  A  mural  marble  tablet 
to  the  memory  of  the  Hudleston  family  is  on  the  wall  of  the 
aisle. 

The  lordship  of  Millom  is  the  largest  seignory  within  the 
barony  of  Egremont ;  its  ancient  boundaries  being  described 
as  the  river  Duddon  on  the  east,  the  islands  of  Walney  and 
Piel  de  Foudray  on  the  south,  the  Irish  Sea  on  the  west,  and 
the  river  Esk  and  the  mountains  Hardknot  and  Wrynose  on 
the  north.  It  anciently  enjoyed  great  privileges  :  it  was  a 
special  jurisdiction  into  which  the  sheriff  of  the  county  could 
not  enter  :  its  lords  had  the  power  of  life  and  death,  and  en- 
joyed jtira  regalia  in  the  six  parishes  forming  their  seignory, 
namely,  Millom,  Bootle,  Whicham,  Whitbeck,  Corney,  and 
Waberthwaite.  Mr.  Denton,  writing  in  1688,  says  that  the 
gallows  stood  on  a  hill  near  the  Castle,  on  which  criminals 
had  been  executed  within  the  memory  of  persons  then  living. 
To  commemorate  the  power  anciently  possessed  by  the  lords 
of  this  seignory,  a  stone  has  recently  been  erected  with  this 
inscription — "Here  the  Lords  of  Millom  exercised  Jura 
Regalia. " 

This  lordship  still  retains  its  own  coroner. 

A  small  nunnery  of  Benedictines  formerly  existed  within 
this  seignory,  at  Lekely  in  Seaton,  which  lies  westward  from 
Bootle,  near  the  sea.  The  precise  date  of  its  foundation  can- 
not be  ascertained  :  but  it  appears  to  have  taken  place  on  or 
before  the  time  of  Henry  Boyvill,  the  fourth  lord  of  Millom, 


Hod-T/iross.  159 


who  lived  about  the  commencement  of  the  thirteenth  century  ; 
and  who  "gave  lands  in  Leakly,  now  called  Seat  on,  to  the 
nuns ; "  and  who  in  the  deed  of  feofment  of  the  manor  of 
Leakley  made  by  the  said  Heniy  to  Goynhild,  his  daughter, 
on  her  marriage  with  Henry  P'itz-WiUiam,  excepts  "  the  land 
in  Leakley  which  I  gave  to  the  holy  nuns  serving  God  and 
Saint  Mary  in  Leakley." 

The  nunnery  was  dedicated  to  St.  Leonard  ;  and  was  so 
poor  that  it  could  not  sufficiently  maintain  the  prioress  and 
nuns.  Wherefore  the  Duke  of  Lancaster,  afterwards  Hemy 
IV.,  by  his  charter,  in  1357,  granted  to  them  in  aid  the  hos- 
pital of  St.  Leonard,  at  Lancaster,  with  power  to  appoint  the 
chantry  priest  to  officiate  in  the  said  hospital.  At  the  dissolu- 
tion the  possessions  of  the  priory  were  only  of  the  annual  value 
of  ;i^i2  I2S.  6d.  according  to  Dugdale,  or  £12,  17s.  4d.  by 
Speed's  valuation. 

When  at  the  suppression  of  Abbeys  it  came  to  the  crown, 
Hemy  VIII.  gave  the  site  and  lands  at  Seaton  to  his  servant 
Sir  Hugh  Askew,  and  his  heirs.  This  Knight  was  descended 
from  Thurston  de  Bosco,  who  lived  in  the  days  of  King  John 
at  a  place  then  called  the  Aikskeugh,  or  Oakwood,  near  Mil- 
lom,  and  afterwards  at  Graymains,  near  Muncaster  ;  and  from 
a  poor  estate  was  raised  to  great  honour  and  preferment,  by 
his  service  to  King  Hemy  VIII.  in  his  house  and  in  the  field. 
Anne  Askew,  whose  name  stands  so  eminent  in  the  annals  of 
martyrology,  was  one  of  his  descendants. 

There  are  few  remains  of  the  convent  now  left :  some  part 
of  the  priory-chapel  is  still  standing,  particularly  a  fine  window 
with  lancets,  in  the  style  of  the  thirteenth  century.  Seton- 
Hall,  formerly  a  part  of  the  conventual  buildings,  and  subse- 
quently the  residence  of  Sir  Hugh  Askew,  is  now  occupied  as 
a  fann  house. 

Of  Seton  and  Sir  Hugh  Askew,  we  have  the  following 
quaint  story  in  Sandford's  M.S.  account  of  Cumberland  : — 

"Ffour  miles  southward  stands  Seaton,  an  estate  of  ;i^5°° 
per  annum,  sometimes  a  religious  house,  got  by  one  Sir  Hugo 
Askew,  yeoman  of  the  sellar  to  Queen  Catherine  in  Henry 
Eight's  time,  and  born  in  this  contry.  And  when  that  Queen 
was  divorced  from  her  husband,  this  yeoman  was  destitute. 
And  he  applied  for  help  to  (the)  Lo.  Chamberlain  for  some 
place  or  other  in  the  King's  service.  The  Lord  Steward  knew 
him  well,  because  he  had  helpt  to  a  cup  (of)  wine  ther  before, 
but  told  him  he  had  no  place  for  him  Isut  a  charcoal  carrier. 
'  Well '  quoth  this  monsir  Askew,   '  help  me  in  with  one  foot, 


i6o  Notes  to 


and  let  me  gett  in  the  other  as  I  can.'  And  upon  a  great 
holiday,  the  king  looking  out  at  some  sports,  Askew  got  a 
courtier,  a  friend  of  his,  to  stand  before  the  king  ;  and  Askew 
gott  on  his  velvet  cassock  and  his  gold  chine,  and  basket  of 
chercole  on  his  back,  and  marched  in  the  king's  sight  with  it. 
'  O, '  saith  the  king,  '  now  I  like  yonder  fellow  well,  that  dis. 
dains  not  to  do  his  dirty  office  in  his  dainty  clothes  :  what  ig 
he?'  Says  his  friend  that  stood  by  on  purpose,  'It  is  Mr 
Askew,  that  was  yeoman  of  the  sellar  to  the  late  Queen's 
Mtie,  and  now  glad  of  this  poor  place  to  keep  him  in  your 
ma  tie's  service,  which  he  will  not  forsake  for  all  the  world.' 
The  king  says,  '  I  had  the  best  wine  when  he  was  i'th  cellar. 
He  is  a  gallant  wine-taster  :  let  him  have  his  place  againe  ; ' 
and  after  knighted  him  ;  and  he  sold  his  place,  and  married 
the  daughter  of  .Sir  John  Hudleston ;  (and  purchased*  this 
religious  place  of  Seaton,  nye  wher  he  was  borne,  of  an  ancient 
freehold  family, )  and  settled  this  Seaton  upon  her,  and  she 
afterwards  married  monsir  Penengton,  Lo  :  of  Muncaster,  and 
had  Mr.  Joseph  and  a  younger  son  with  Penington,  and  gave 
him  this  Seaton." 

A  brass  plate  on  the  south  wall  of  the  chancel  of  Bootle 
Church,  bears  the  effigies  of  a  knight  in  armour,  with  the  fol- 
lowing inscription  in  old  English  characters,  indicating  his 
tomb.  "  Here  lieth  Sir  Hughe  Askew,  knyght.  late  of  the 
seller  to  Kynge  Edward  the  VI.  which  Sir  Hughe  was  made 
knyght,  at  Musselborough  felde,  in  ye  yeare  of  our  Lord, 
1547,  and  died  the  second  day  of  Marche,  in  the  yere  of  our 
Lord  God,  1562." 

Among  the  local  spirits  of  Cumberland,  whose  existence  is 
believed  in  by  the  \Tilgar,  is  one  named  Hob-Thross,  whom 
the  old  gossips  report  to  have  been  frequently  seen  in  the 
shape  of  a  "  Body  aw  ower  rough,"  lying  by  the  fire  side  at 
midnight.  He  was  one  of  the  class  of  creatures  called  Brownies, 
and  according  to  popular  superstition,  had  especially  attached 
himself  to  the  family  at  Millom  Castle.  He  was  a  solitary 
being,  meagre,  flat-nosed,  shaggy  and  wild  in  his  appearance, 
and  resembled  the  "  lubbar  fiend,"  so  admirably  described 
by  Milton  in  L' Allegro.  Gervase  of  Tilbury  speaks  of  him 
as  one  of  the  ' '  dsemones,  senile  vultu,  facie  corrugata,  statura 
pusilli,  dimidium  pollicis  non  habentes."  In  the  day  time  he 
lurked  in  remote  recesses  of  the  old  houses  which  he  delighted 
to  haunt,;  and,  in  the  night,  sedulously  employed  himself  in 
discharging  any  laborious  task  which  he  thought  might  be 
*  Qu.     Had  a  grant  of? 


Hob-Thross.  i6i 


acceptable  to  the  family,  to  whose  service  he  had  devoted 
himself.  He  loved  to  stretch  himself  by  the  kitchen  fire  when 
the  menials  had  taken  their  departure.  Before  the  glimpse  of 
morn  he  would  execute  more  work  than  could  be  done  by  a 
man  in  ten  days.  He  did  not  drudge  from  the  hope  of  recom- 
pense :  on  the  contrary,  so  delicate  was  his  attachment,  that 
the  offer  of  reward,  but  particularly  of  food,  infallibly  would 
occasion  his  disappearance  for  ever.  He  would  receive,  how- 
ever, if  placed  for  him  in  a  snipped fot,  a  quart  of  cream,  or  a 
mess  of  milk-porridge.  He  had  his  regular  range  of  fann 
houses  ;  and  seems  to  have  been  a  kind  spirit,  and  willing  to 
do  any  thing  he  was  required  to  do.  The  servant  girls  would 
frequently  put  the  cream  in  the  chum,  and  say,  "I  wish  Hob 
would  churn  that,"  and  they  always  found  it  done.  Hob's 
readiness  to  fulfil  the  wishes  of  his  friends  was  sometimes 
productive  of  ludicrous  incidents.  One  evening  there  was 
every  prospect  of  rain  next  day,  and  a  fanner  had  all  his  grain 
out.  "  I  wish,"  said  he,  "  I  had  that  grain  housed."  Next 
morning  Hob  had  housed  every  sheaf,  but  a  fine  stag  which 
had  helped  him  was  lying  dead  at  the  barn  door.  The  day 
however  became  extremely  fine,  and  the  farmer  thought  his 
grain  would  have  been  better  in  the  field:  "I  wish,"  said  he, 
"that  Hob-Thross  was  in  the  mill-dam ;"  next  morning  all  the 
farmer's  grain  was  in  the  mill-dam.  Such  were  the  tales  which 
were  constantly  told  of  the  Millom  Brownie,  and  as  constantly 
believed.  He  left  the  country  at  last,  through  the  mistaken 
kindness  of  some  one,  who  made  him  a  coat  and  hood  to  keep 
him  warm  during  the  winter.  He  was  heard  at  night  singing 
at  his  favourite  haunts  for  a  while  about  his  apparel,  and 
"occupation  gone,"  and  at  length  left  the  country. 

The  Cumberland  tradition  affirms  that  those  persons  who  on 
Fasting's-Even,  as  Shrove  Tuesday  is  vulgarly  called  in  the 
North  of  England,  do  not  eat  heartily,  are  crammed  with 
barley  chaff  by  Hob-Thross  :  and  so  careful  are  the  villagers 
to  set  the  goblin  at  defiance,  that  scarcely  a  single  hind  retires 
to  rest  without  previously  partaking  of  a  hot  supper. 

Sir  Walter  Scott  tells  us  that  the  last  Brownie  known  in 
Ettrick  Forest,  resided  in  Bodsbeck,  a  wild  and  solitaiy  spot, 
near  the  head  of  Moffat  Water,  where  he  exercised  his  func- 
tions undisturbed,  till  the  scrupulous  devotion  of  an  old  lady 
induced  her  to  hire  him  away,  as  it  was  termed,  by  placing  in 
his  haunt  a  porringer  of  milk  and  a  piece  of  money.  After 
receiving  this  hint  lo  depart,  he  was  heard  the  whole  night  to 
howl  and  cry,  "Farewell  to  bonnie  Bodsbeck!"  which  he 
was  compelled  to  abandon  for  ever. 


l62 


THE  ABBOT  OF  CALDER. 


The  Abbot  of  Calder  rode  out  from  his  gate 
To  the  to-\\ai,  saying,  "  Sorrow  lies,  early  and  late, 
In  this  wTetched  wide  world  upon  every  degree  ; 
And  each  child  of  the  Church  must  have  comfort 

from  me  ! 
So  on  palfrey  I  wend  to  Lord  Lucy's  strong  hold  : 
For  this  life  must  press  hard  on  these  barons  so 

bold." 


The  Abbot  was  welcome  to  Lucy's  proud  hall. 
And  he  sat  down  with  knights,  and  mth  ladies,  and 

all. 
High  at  feast,  joyous-hearted,  light,  gallant,  and  fair  : 
Where  to  speak  upon  woe  were  but  jesting  with  care. 
So  his  palfrey  re-mounting  at  evening,  he  troU'd, 
"  The  world  goes  not  ill  mth  these  barons  so  bold." 


A  bbot  of  Calder.  1 6 


o 


Ambling  on  by  the  forge,  he  drew  up  by  the  tiame, 
"  Well,  my  son  !    how  is  all  with  the  children  and 

dame? 
Toiling   on  !  " — "  Yes  !    but,   father,  not  badly  we 

speed ; 
We  have  health ;   and  for  wealth,  we  lack  nought 

that  we  need." 
Then  at  least,  thought  the  Monk,  here  no  text  I 

need  urge. 
For  the  world  passes  well  with  my  friend  at  the  forge  ! 

Turning  off  by  the  stream  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 
All  were  busy,  as  bees  in  a  hive,  at  the  mill. 
"  Benedicite  I  "  cried  he  to  women  and  wives, 
WTiere  they  sang  at  their  labour  as  if  for  their  lives, 
All  .so  fat,  fair,  and  fruitful.    -The  Abbot  jogg'd  on, 
Humming,   "  Sweet,  too,  is  rest  when  the  labour  is 
done." 

As  he  pass'd  by  the  lane  that  leads  up  to  the  stile, 
Pretty  Lillie  came  down  with  her  curtsey  and  smile, — 
"  Well,  my  daughter ! "   the  Abbot  said,  chucking 

her  chin ; 
"  How  is  Robin  ? — or  Reuben  ?  which — which  is  to 

win  ?" 
" — Thank  you  ! — Robin,"  she  said,  as  she  blushed 

in  her  sleeve  ; 
While  the   Monk,  spurring  on,   laughed  a  joyous 

"  good  eve  ! " 


1 64  A  bbot  of  Calder. 

On  the  verge  of  the  chase  rode  the  falconer  by  : 
With  a  song  on  his  Hp  and  a  laugh  in  his  eye, 
All  the  day  o'er  the  moors  he  had  gallop'd,  and  now 
He  was  off  to  the  quintain-match  over  the  brow  ; 
Then  to  crown  with  good  cheer  all  the  sports  of  the 

day. 
And  the  Abbot  sighed,  "  Springtime,  and  beautiful 

May ! " 

And  at  length  in  the  hollow  he  came,  as  he  rode, 

To  the  forester  Robin's  trim  cottage  abode. 

And  there  stood  the  youth,  ruddy,  stalwart,  and 
curled  : — 

" — Ha,  Robin  !  this  looks  not  like  strife  with  the 
world  ! " — 

"  No  !  and  please  you,  good  father,  she's  coming  to- 
morrow !  " 

"  — Well !  a  blessing  on  both  of  you  ! — keep  you 
from  sorrow." 

So  he  reached  his  fair  Abbey  by  Calder's  sweet 

stream, 
Well  believing  all  troubles  in  life  are  a  dream ; 
Looked  around  on  his  park  and  his  fertile  domain. 
With  a  thought  to  his  cellars,  a  glance  at  his  grain ; 
While  the  stream  through  his  meadow-lands  rippled 

and  purled  ; 
And   exclaimed,     "  What   a   place   is    a   sorrowful 

world  !  " 


A  bbot  of  C alder.  165- 

And  the  Abbot  of  Calder  that  night  o'er  his  bowl 
Felt  a  peace  passing  speech  in  the  depths  of  his  soul. 
And  he  dreamt  mid  the  noise  and  the  merry  uproar 
Of  the  brethren  beneath — all  his  fasting  was  o'er  ; 
That  earth's  many  woes  had  to  darkness  been  driven  ; 
And  the  sweet  woods  of  Calder  were  gardens  in 
Heaven. 


1 66 


NOTES  TO  "THE  ABBOT  OF  CALDER." 

On  the  northern  bank  of  the  river  Calder,  in  a  deeply 
secluded  vale,  sheltered  by  majestic  forest  trees,  which  rise 
from  the  skirts  of  level  and  luxuriant  meadows  to  the  tops  of 
the  surrounding  hills,  stands  the  ruined  Abbey  and  home  of 
that  little  colony  of  Monks,  who,  with  their  Abbot  Ceroid  at 
their  head,  were  detached  from  the  mother  Abbey  of  Furness 
in  1 134  to  begin  their  fortunes  under  the  auspices  of  Ranulph 
de  Meschines  (the  second  of  the  name)  their  powerful  neigh- 
bour and  founder.  Here  they  contrived  to  live  "in  some 
discomfort  and  great  poverty  for  four  years,  when  an  army  of 
Scots  under  King  David  despoiled  the  lately  begun  Abbey  and 
carried  away  all  its  possessions.  Finding  they  could  get  no 
help  elsewhere,  the  hapless  thirteen  resolved  to  return  to  the 
maternal  monastery"  for  refuge.  This  happened  about  the 
third  year  of  King  Stephen. 

The  Abbot  of  Furness  refused  to  receive  Ceroid  and  his 
companions,  reproaching  them  with  cowardice  for  abandoning 
their  monastery,  and  alleging  that  it  was  rather  the  love  of 
that  ease  and  plenty  which  they  expected  in  Furness, 
than  the  devastation  of  the  Scottish  army,  that  forced  them 
from  Calder.  Some  writers  say  that  the  Abbot  of  Furness 
insisted  that  Ceroid  should  divest  himself  of  his  authority,  and 
absolve  the  monks  from  their  obedience  to  him,  as  a  condition 
of  their  receiving  any  relief.  This,  Ceroid  and  his  companions 
refused  to  do,  and  turning  their  faces  from  Furness,  they,  with 
the  remains  of  their  broken  fortune,  which  consisted  of  little 
more  than  some  clothes  and  a  few  books,  with  one  cart  and 
eight  oxen,  taking  providence  for  their  guide,  went  in  quest  of 
better  hospitality. 

The  result  of  the  next  day's  resolution  was  to  address  them- 
selves to  Thurstan,  Archbishop  of  York,  and  beg  his  advice 
and  relief.  The  reception  they  met  with  from  him,  answered 
their  wishes  ;  the  Archbishop  graciously  received  them,  and 
charitably  entertained  them  for  some  time,  then  recommended 


A  bbot  of  Calder.  1 6  7 


them  to  Gundrede  de  Aubigny,  who  sent  them  to  Robert  de 
Ahicto,  her  brother,  a  hermit,  at  Hode,  in  the  East  Ridhig  of 
Yorkshire,  where  for  a  period  she  supphed  them  with 
necessaries.  They  afterwards  obtained  a  monastery  of  their 
o\n\  called  Byland,  when  they  vokmtarily  made  themselves 
dependant  upon  Savigny,  in  order  that  Furness  should  exercise 
no  right  of  paternity  over  them. 

In  the  same  year,  1 142,  the  Abbot  of  Furness  understanding 
that  Ceroid  had  obtained  a  settlement,  sent  another  colony, 
with  Hardred,  a  Furness  monk,  for  their  Abbot,  to  take  pos- 
session of  ravaged  Calder,  which  the  Lord  of  Egremont, 
William  Fitz-Duncan,  nephew  of  David,  King  of  Scots,  had 
refounded.  Their  endowments  and  revenues  were  chiefly  from 
the  founder's  munificence,  and  were  small,  being  valued,  at 
the  suppression,  at  about  sixty  pounds  per  annum. 

The  ruins  of  this  Abbey  are  approached  from  Calder-Bridge 
by  a  pleasant  walk  for  about  a  mile  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
presenting  several  glimpses  of  the  tower  rising  out  of  the  foliage 
of  the  forest  trees  by  which  it  is  surrounded. 

The  Abbey  Church  was  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and  small, 
the  width  of  the  chancel  being  only  twenty  five  feet,  and  that 
of  the  transepts  twenty  two.  Of  the  western  front  little  more 
than  the  Norman  doorway  remains.  The  five  pointed  arches 
of  the  north  side  of  the  nave,  dividing  it  from  the  aisle  ;  the 
choir  ;  the  transepts,  with  a  side  chapel  on  the  south  ;  the 
square  tower  supported  by  four  lofty  pointed  arches  ;  the 
walls  and  windows  of  a  small  cloister  running  south  ;  with  the 
remains  of  upper  chambers,  showing  a  range  of  eight  windows 
to  the  west  and  seven  to  the  east,  beautiful  specimens  of  early 
English  Architecture,  terminated  by  a  modem  mansion,  occu- 
pying the  site  of  the  conventual  buildings,  but  built  in  a  style 
altogether  unsuited  to  the  locality ;  these,  with  the  porter's  lodge 
at  a  short  distance  from  the  west  end,  and  a  large  oven  by  the 
side  of  a  rapid  stream  in  the  meadow  on  the  east,  all  so  changed 
since  the  times  of  Ceroid  and  Hardred,  constitute  in  our  days 
the  Abbey  of  Calder. 

Against  the  walls  of  the  Abbey  are  fragments  of  various 
sepulchral  figures,  which  from  the  mutilated  sculptures  and 
devices  on  the  shields,  would  seem  to  have  belonged  to  the 
tombs  of  eminent  persons.  One  of  them  is  represented  in  a 
coat  of  mail,  with  his  hand  upon  his  sword  ;  another  bears  a 
shield  reversed,  as  a  mark  of  disgrace  for  cowardice  or 
treachery;  "but,"  says  Hutchinson,  "the  virtues  of  I  he  one, 
and  the  errors  of  the  other,  are  alike  given  to  oblivion  by  the 
hand  of  time  and  by  the  scourging  angel  Dissolution." 


1 68  Notes  to 


Sir  John  le  Fleming,  of  Beckermet,  ancestor  of  the  Flem- 
ings of  Rydal  Hall,  Westmorland,  gave  lands  in  Great  Beck- 
ermet to  this  abbey,  in  the  26th  year  of  Henry  HI,  A.  D. 
1242.  He  died  during  that  long  reign,  and  was  buried  in  the 
abbey.  One  of  the  effigies  above  alluded  to,  with  the  shield 
charged  fretty,  is  probably  that  mentioned  by  Sir  Daniel 
Fleming,  who  says  that  in  his  time  (in  the  seventeenth  century) 
here  was  "  a  very  ancient  statue  of  a  man  in  armour,  with  a 
frett  (of  six  pieces)  upon  his  shield,  lying  upon  his  back,  with 
his  sword  by  his  side,  his  hands  elevated  in  a  posture  of 
prayer,  and  legs  across  ;  being  so  placed  probably  from  his 
taking  upon  him  the  cross,  and  being  engaged  in  the  holy 
war.  Which  statue  was  placed  there  most  probably  in 
memory  of  this  Sir  John  le  Fleming." 

Among  some  ancient  charters  and  documents  in  the  possession 
of  WiUiam  John  Charlton,  of  Hesleyside,  Esq.,  (1830)  and 
which  came  into  his  family,  in  1680,  by  the  marriage  of  his 
great-great-grandfather,  with  Maiy,  daughter  of  Francis 
Salkeld,  in  the  parish  of  All- Hallows,  in  Cumberland,  Esq., 
is  one  that  is  very  curious.  It  is  an  assignment  made  in 
A.D.  1291,  by  John,  son  of  John  de  Hudleston,  of  William, 
son  of  Richard  de  Loftscales,  formerly  his  native,  with  all  his 
retinue  and  chattels,  to  the  Abbot  and  Monks  of  Caldra.  The 
deed  is  witnessed  by  "Willmo.  Wailburthuait.  Willmo. 
Thuaites.  Johe  de  Mordhng.  Johe  Corbet.  Johe  de  Halle 
et  aliis  :"  and  is  alluded  to  in  the  following  passages  quoted 
by  Mr.  Jefferson  from  Archalogia  ALliaiia.  "  It  is,  in  fact, 
that  species  of  grant  of  freedom  to  a  slave,  which  is  called 
manumission  implied,  in  which  the  lord  yields  up  all  obligation 
to  bondage,  on  condition  of  the  native  agreeing  to  an  annual 
payment  of  money  on  a  certain  day.  The  clause,  '  so  that 
from  this  time  they  may  be  free,  and  exempt  from  all  servitude 
and  reproach  of  villainage  from  me  and  my  heirs,'  is  very 
curious,  especially  to  persons  of  our  times,  on  which  there  has 
been  so  much  said  about  the  pomp  of  Eastern  lords,  and  the 
reproachful  slavery  in  which  their  dependents  are  still  kept. 
Here  the  Monks  of  Caldra  redeemed  a  man,  his  family,  and 
property  from  slavery,  on  condition  of  his  paying  them  the 
small  sum  of  two  pence  a-year.  The  Hudleston  family  were 
seated  at  Milium,  in  the  time  of  Henry  the  Third,  when  they 
acquired  that  estate,  by  the  marriage  of  John  de  Hudleston 
with  the  Lady  Joan,  the  heiress  of  the  Boisville  family. " 

"  Slavery  continued  to  thrive  on  the  soil  of  Northumberland 
long  after  the  time  of  Edward  the  First ;  for  in  1470,  Sir  Roger 


Abbot  oj  C alder.  169 


Widdrington  manumitted  his  native,  William  Atkinson,  for 
the  purpose  of  making  him  his  bailiff  of  Woodhorn." 

The  inmates  of  Calder  were  probably  neither  better  nor 
worse  than  other  cowled  fraternities.  A  certain  Brother 
Beesley,  a  Benedictine  Monk,  of  Pei^shore,  in  Worcestershire, 
speaks  very  boldly  of  certain  shortcomings,  in  his  own  experi- 
ence of  "relygyus  men."  The  following  passage  occurs  in  a 
petition  addressed  by  him  to  the  Vicar-General  Cromwell,  at 
the  time  of  the  visitation  of  the  Monasteries  : — 

"  Now  y  wyll  ynstrux  your  grace  sum  watt  of  relygyus  men 

.       Monckes  drynke  an  bowll  after  collatyon  tyll  ten  or 

twelve  of  the  clok,  and  cum  to  matyns  as  dronck  as  myss 
(mice) — and  sum  at  cardys,  sum  at  dyes,  and  at  tabulles  ; 
sum  cum  to  mattyns  begenying  at  the  mydes,  and  sum  wen 
yt  ys  almost  dun,  and  wold  not  cum  there  so  only  for  boddly 
punyshment,  nothyng  for  Goddes  sayck." 


12 


170 


THE  ARMBOTH  BANQUET. 


To  Calgarth  Hall  in  the  midnight  cold 
Two  headless  skeletons  cross'd  the  fold. 
Undid  the  bars,  unlatched  the  door, 
And  over  the  step  pass'd  down  the  floor 

Where  the  jolly  rourrti  porter  sat  sleeping. 


With  a  patter  their  feet  on  the  pavement  fall ; 
And  they  traverse  the  stairs  to  that  Avindow'd  wall, 
Where  out  of  a  niche,  at  the  witch-hour  dark. 
Each  lifts  a  skull  all  grinning  and  stark, 
And  fits  it  on  with  a  creaking. 


Then  forth  they  go  with  a  ghostly  march  ; 
And  bending  low  at  the  portal  arch. 
Through  Calgarth  woods,  o'er  Rydal  braes, 
And  over  the  Pass  by  Dunmail-Raise 

The  Two  their  course  are  keeping. 


The  Armboth  Banquet.  I'ji 

Now  Wythebum's  lowly  pile  in  sight 
Gleams  faintly  beneath  the  new-moon's  light ; 
And  farther  along  dim  forms  appear, 
All  hurrying  do\vn  to  the  darksome  Mere, 
The  drunken  ferry-man  seeking. 

From  old  Helvellyn's  domain  they  come, 
A  spectral  band  demure  and  dumb  ; 
By  twos,  and  threes,  and  fours,  and  more. 
They  beckon  the  man  to  ferry  them  o'er, 

To  where  yon  lights  are  breaking. 

And  thither  the  t^vain  are  wending  fast ; 
For  there  from  many  a  casement  cast. 
The  festal  blaze  is  burning  high 
In  Armboth  Hall ;  the  hills  thereby 

In  uttermost  darkness  sleeping. 

In  Wythebum  City  there  wakes  not  one 
To  see  those  dim  forms  hastening  on  ; 
But  at  Wythebum  Ferry  may  travellers  wait. 
For  busy  \vith  guests  for  Armboth  gate, 

The  boatman's  sinews  are  aching. 

They've  reached  the  shore,  they've  cross'd  the  sward 
To  where  the  old  portal  stands  unbarr'd. 
With  courteous  steps  and  bearing  high 
They  pass  the  hollow-eyed  porter  by, 

With  his  torch  high  over  him  sweeping. 


172  The  A  rmboth  Banquet. 

Then  might  the  owls  that  move  by  night 
Have  seen  thin  shadows  flit  through  the  hght, 
Where  the  mndows  glared  along  the  wall 
In  every  chamber  of  Armboth  Hall, 

And  the  guests  high  revel  were  keeping. 

Then  too  from  cold  and  wear}'  ways 
A  traveller's  eyes  had  caught  the  rays  : 
And  wandering  on  to  the  silent  door 
He  knocked  aloud — he  knew  no  more ; 

But  the  lights  went  out  like  winking. 

A  wreath  of  mist  rushed  over  the  Mere, 
And  reached  Helvellyn  as  da\vn  grew  near ; 
And  two  thin  streaks  went  down  the  Avind 
O'er  Dunmail-raise  \vith  a  storm  behind, 
The  leaves  in  Grasmere  raking. 

On  Rydal  isles  the  herons  awoke  ; 
A  pattering  cloud  by  Wansfell  broke ; 
And  the  grey  cock  stretched  his  neck  to  crow 
In  Calgarth  roost,  that  ghosts  might  know 

It  was  time  for  maids  to  be  waking. 

The  skeletons  two  rushed  through  the  yard, 
They  pushed  the  door  they  left  unbarr'd, 
Laid  by  their  skulls  in  the  niched  wall, 
And  flew  like  wind  from  Calgarth  Hall 

Wiere  still  the  round  porter  sat  sleeping. 


The  Armboth  Banquet.  175 

As  out  they  rattled,  the  wind  nished  in 
And  slamm'd  the  doors  with  a  terrible  din ; 
The  grey  cock  crew ;  the  dogs  were  raised ; 
And  the  old  porter  rubb'd  his  eyes  amazed 
At  the  dawn  so  coldly  breaking. 

And  lying  at  mom  by  Armboth  gate 
Was  found  the  form  that  knocked  so  late ; 
A  traveller  footworn,  mired,  and  grey. 
Who,  led  by  marsh  lights  lost  his  way. 

And  coldly  in  death  was  sleeping. 


1/4 


NOTES  TO   "THE  ARMBOTH  BANQUET." 


The  Old  Hall  of  Calgarth,  whose  history,  it  has  been  said, 
belongs  to  the  world  of  shadows,  but  whose  remains  still  form 
an  object  of  interest  from  their  picturesqueness  and  antiquity, 
is  situated  within  a  short  distance  of  the  water,  upon  the 
narrowest  part  of  a  small  and  pleasant  plain  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  Windermere.  The  house  has  been  so  much  injured 
and  curtailed  of  its  original  proportions,  that  it  is  impossible 
to  make  out  what  has  been  its  precise  form  :  many  parts  hav- 
ing gone  entirely  to  decay,  and  others  being  much  out  of 
repair ;  the  materials  having  been  used  in  the  erection  of 
offices  and  out-buildings,  for  the  accommodation  of  farmers,  in 
whose  occupation  it  has  been  for  a  long  period.  Its  original 
character  has  been  quite  lost  in  the  additions  and  alterations 
of  later  days.  It  is  however  said  to  have  been  constructed 
much  after  the  style  of  those  venerable  Westmorland  mansions, 
the  Halls  of  Sizergh  and  Levens.  But  there  are  few  traces  of 
the  "fair  old  building,"  which  even  so  late  as  the  year  1774? 
Dr.  Burn  described  it  to  be  ;  and  the  destruction  of  this 
ancient  home  of  the  Philipsons  has  well  nigh  been  complete. 
What  is  now  called  the  kitchen,  and  the  room  over  it,  are  the 
only  portions  of  the  interior  remaining,  from  which  a  judg- 
ment may  be  formed  of  the  care  and  finish  that  have  been 
applied  to  its  internal  decoration.  In  the  former,  which  ap- 
pears to  have  been  one  of  the  principal  apartments,  though 
now  divided,  and  appropriated  to  humble  uses,  the  armorial 
achievements  of  the  Philipsons,  crested  with  the  five  ostrich 
plumes  of  their  house,  and  surmounted  by  their  motto,  "  Fide 
non  fraude,"  together  with  the  bearings  of  Wyvill  impaling 
Carus,  into  which  families  the  owners  of  Calgarth  intermarried, 
are  coarsely  represented  in  stucco  over  the  hearth,  and  still 
serve  to  connect  their  name  with  the  house.  The  large  old 
open  fireplace  has  been  filled  up  by  an  insignificant  modern 
invention.      The  window  still  retains  some  fragments  of  its 


The  Armboth  Banquet.  1 75 


former  display  of  heraldic  honours ;  the  ariiis  of  the  early 
owners,  impaling  those  of  Wy\'ill,  and  the  device  of  Briggs, 
another  Westmorland  family,  with  whom  the  Philipsons  were 
also  matrimonially  connected,  yet  appear  in  their  proper 
blazon.  And  in  the  same  window,  undei'neath  the  emblazonry, 
is  this  legend,  likewise  in  painted  glass  : — 

Robart.  Phillison. 

and.  Jennet.  Laibor 

ne.  his.  wife.  he.  die 

d.  in.  anno.  1539 

the.  ZZ.  Dece 

mbar  1579 

The  old  dining  table  of  black  oak,  reduced  in  its  dimensions, 
occupies  one  side  of  this  apartment.  The  room  over  the 
kitchen,  to  which  a  steep  stair  rises  from  the  threshold  of  the 
porch,  and  which  looks  over  the  lake,  has  been  nobly  orna- 
mented after  the  fashion  of  the  day,  by  cunning  artists,  and  it 
still  retains  in  its  dilapidated  oak  work,  and  riclily  adorned 
ceiling,  choice,  though  rude  remnants  of  its  former  splendour. 
It  has  a  dark  polished  oak  floor,  and  is  wainscotted  on  three 
sides,  with  the  same  tough  wood,  which,  bleached  with  age, 
is  elaborately  carved  in  regular  intersecting  panels,  inlaid  with 
scroll-work  and  tracery,  enriched  by  pilasters,  and  sunnounted 
by  an  embattled  cornice.  In  this  wainscot  two  or  three  doors 
indicate  the  entrances  to  other  rooms,  whose  approaches  are 
walled  up,  the  rooms  themselves  having  been  long  since 
destroyed.  The  ceiling  is  flat,  and  fonned  into  compartments 
by  heavy  square  intersecting  moulded  ribs,  the  intermediate 
spaces  of  which  are  excessively  adorned  with  cumbrous  orna- 
mental work  of  the  most  grotesque  figures  and  designs  imagin- 
able, amidst  which  festoons  of  flowers,  fruits,  and  other 
products  of  the  earth,  mingled  with  heraldic  achievements, 
moulded  in  stucco,  yet  exist,  to  tell  how  many  times  the  fniit- 
age  and  the  leaves  outside  have  come  and  gone,  have  ripened 
and  decayed,  whilst  they  endure  unchanged. 

In  the  window  of  the  staircase  leading  to  this  chamber 
tradition  has  localized  the  famous  legend  of  the  skulls  of  Old 
Calgarth.  The  dilapidated,  and  somewhat  melancholy  ap- 
pearance of  the  dwelling,  in  concurrence  with  the  superstitious 
notions  which  have  ever  been  common  in  country  places,  have 
probably  given  rise  to  a  report,  which  has  long  prevailed,  that 
the  house  is  haunted.  Many  stories  are  current  of  the  fright- 
ful visions  and   mischievous  deeds,   which   tlic  goblins  of  the 


176 


Notes  to 


place  are  said  to  have  performed,  to  terrify  and  distress  the 
harmless  neighbourhood  ;  and  these  fables  are  not  yet  entirely 
disbelieved.  Spectres  yet  are  occasionally  to  be  seen  within 
its  precincts.  And  the  two  human  skulls,  whose  history  and 
reputed  properties  are  too  singular  not  to  have  contributed 
greatly  to  the  story  of  the  house  being  haunted,  are,  although 
out  of  sight,  still  within  it,  and  as  indestructible  as  ever. 

These  were  wont  to  occupy  a  niche  beneath  the  window  of 
the  staircase  :  and  in  1775,  when  Mr.  West  visited  the  Hall, 
they  still  remained  in  the  place  where  they  had  lain  from  time 
immemorial.  All  attempts,  it  is  said,  to  dispossess  them  of 
the  station  they  had  chosen  to  occupy,  have  invariably  proved 
fruitless.  As  the  report  goes,  they  have  been  buried,  burnt, 
reduced  to  powder  and  dispersed  in  the  wind,  sunk  in  the 
well,  and  thrown  into  tlie  lake,  several  times,  to  no  purpose 
as  to  their  permanent  removal  or  destruction.  Till  at  length, 
so  persistent  was  found  to  be  their  attachment  to  the  niche 
which  they  had  selected  for  their  abiding  j^lace,  they  are  said 
to  have  been,  as  a  last  resource  to  keep  them  out  of  sight, 
walled  up  within  it ;  and  there  they  remain.  Of  course,  many 
persons  now  living  in  the  neighbourhood  can  bear  testimony 
to  the  fact  that  the  skulls  did  really  occupy  the  place  assigned 
to  them  by  tradition. 

A  popular  tale  of  immemorial  standing  relates  that  the 
skulls  were  those  of  an  aged  man  and  his  wife,  who  lived  on 
their  own  property  adjoining  the  lands  of  the  Philipsons,  whose 
head  regarded  it  with  a  covetous  eye,  and  had  long  desired 
to  number  it  among  his  extensive  domains.  The  owners  how- 
ever not  behig  willing  to  part  with  it,  he  determined  in  evil 
hour  to  have  it  at  any  cost. 

The  old  people,  as  the  story  runs,  were  in  the  habit  of  going 
frequently  to  the  Hall,  to  share  in  the  viands  which  fell  from 
the  lord's  table,  for  he  was  a  bounteous  man  to  the  poor  ;  and 
it  happened  once  that  a  pic  was  given  to  them,  into  which  had 
been  put  some  articles  of  plate.  After  their  return  home,  the 
valuables  were  missed,  and  the  cottage  being  searched,  the 
things  were  found  therein.  The  result  was  as  the  author  of 
the  mischief  had  plotted.  They  were  accused  of  theft,  tried, 
convicted,  and  sentenced  to  be  executed,  and  their  jjcrsecutor 
ultimately  got  their  inheritance.  When  brought  up  for  execu- 
tion, the  condemned  persons  requested  the  chaplain  in  attend- 
ance to  read  the  109th  psalm  ;  for  under  their  circumstances, 
there  was  an  awful  significance  in  the  imprecatory  verses, 
which  denounced  the  conduct  of  evil  doers  like  Philipson  ; 


The  Armboth  Banquet.  i ']'] 


and  in  the  solemn  malison  prophesied  against  the  cniel,  they 
pronounced  a  curse  upon  the  owners  of  Calgarth,  which  the 
gossips  of  the  neighbourhood  say  has  ever  since  cast  its  blight 
upon  the  proprietorship  of  the  estate  ;  and  that,  notwithstand- 
ing whatever  autlrentic  records  may  prove  to  the  contraiy,  the 
traditionary  malediction  has  been  regularly  fulfilled  down  to 
the  present  time.  After  the  death  of  his  victims,  the  oppressor 
was  greatly  tormented  ;  for,  as  if  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of 
such  injustice,  and  as  a  memento  of  their  innocence,  their 
skulls  came  and  took  up  a  position  in  the  window  of  one  of 
the  rooms  in  the  Hall,  from  whence  they  could  not  by  any 
means  be  effectually  removed,  the  common  belief  being  that 
they  were  for  that  end  indestructible,  and  it  was  stoutly  asserted 
that  to  whatever  place  they  were  taken,  or  however  used,  they 
invariably  reappeared  in  their  old  station  by  the  window. 

The  property  of  Calgarth  came  by  purchase  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  late  Dr.  Watson,  Lord  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  who 
built  a  mansion  upon  the  estate,  where  he  passed  much  of  the 
later  period  of  his  life  :  and  who  lies  buried  in  the  neighbour- 
ing churchyard  of  Bowness.  The  Bishop's  grandson,  Richard 
Luther  Watson,  Esquire,  is  the  present  possessor. 

It  is  believed  that  anciently  a  burial  ground  was  attached  to 
the  buildings  of  Old  Calgarth  ;  as  when  the  ground  has  been 
trenched  thereabouts,  quantities  of  human  bones  have  fre- 
quently been  turned  over  and  re-buried.  There  are  now  in 
the  dairy  of  the  Old  Hall  two  flat  tombstones,  with  the  name 
of  Phillipson  inscribed  upon  them,  which  not  very  many  years 
ago  were  dug  up  in  the  garden  near  the  house  ;  their  present 
use  being  a  desecration  quite  in  accordance  with  the  associa- 
tions which  hang  around  the  place.  This  circumstance  may 
afford  a  clue  to  the  re-appearance  of  the  skulls  so  frequently, 
after  every  art  of  destruction  had  been  tried  upon  them,  in  the 
mysterious  chambers  of  Old  Calgarth  Hall. 

The  old  house  at  Armboth,  on  Thirlmere,  has  also  the 
reputation  of  being  occasionally  at  midnight  supernaturally 
lighted  up  for  the  reception  of  spectres,  which  cross  the  lake 
from  Helvellyn  for  some  mysterious  purpose  within  its  walls. 
The  long  low  white  edifice  lying  close  under  the  fells  which 
rise  abnqDtly  behind  it,  with  the  black  waters  of  the  lake  in 
front,  has  something  very  gloomy  and  weird-like  about  its 
aspect,  which  does  not  ill  accord  with  those  superstitious 
ideas  with  which  it  is  sometimes  associated.  As  Miss 
Martineau  has  said,  "there  is  really  something  remarkable, 
and  like  witchery,  about  the  house.       On  a  bright  moonlight 


178  The  Armboth  Banquet. 


night,  the  spectator  who  looks  towards  it  from  a  distance  of 
two  or  three  miles,  sees  the  light  i-eflected  from  its  windows 
into  the  lake  ;  and  when  a  slight  fog  gives  a  reddish  hue  to  the 
light,  the  whole  might  easily  be  taken  for  an  illumination  of  a 
great  mansion.  And  this  mansion  seems  to  vanish  as  you  ap- 
proach,— being  no  mansion,  but  a  small  house  lying  in  a  nook, 
and  overshadowed  by  a  hill," 

The  City  of  Wytheburn  is  the  name  given  to  a  few  houses, 
some  of  them  graced  by  native  trees,  and  others  by  grotesquely 
cut  yew  trees,  distant  about  half  a  mile  from  the  head  of 
Thirlmere. 


179 


BRITTA  IN  THE  TEMPLE  OF  DRUIDS. 


(the  last  human  sacrifice.) 


Blencathra  from  his  loftiest  peak 
Had  often  heard  the  victims'  shriek, 

When  lapp'd  by  wreathing  fire, 
Their  hmbs  in  wicker  bondage  caged, 
Dying,  the  draught  and  plague  assuaged, 

And  calmed  the  Immortals'  ire. 


There  came  a  Rumour,*  strayed  from  far. 
Helvellyn's  bale-fire  paled  its  star  : 

Hoarse  Glenderaterra  moaned. 
The  dark  destroying  angel  fled  : 
And  from  Blencathra's  topmost  head 

Old  demons  shrunk  dethroned. 

*  Birth  of  Christ. 


i8o  Britta  in  the 

He  saw  beneath  his  nigged  brow 
The  temple  on  the  plain  below, 

By  sacred  Druids  trod  : 
Mountains  on  mountains  piled  around ; 
Forests  of  oak  with  acorns  crowned  : 

And  distant,  man's  abode. 


Where  men  had  hewn  by  stream  and  dell 
An  opening  in  the  woods  to  dwell, 

The  pestilence  by  night 
Had  fallen  amidst  their  little  throng ; 
Had  changed,  and  stricken  down  the  strong  ; 

And  put  the  weak  to  flight. 


Who  may  the  angry  god  appease  ? — 
The  oracle  that  all  things  sees. 

And  knows  all  laws  divine. 
Spake  from  the  awful  forest  bower — 
"A  maiden  in  her  virgin  flower 

"Must  her  young  life  resign. "- 


Fallen  is  the  lot  on  thee,  so  late 
Betrothed  to  love,  and  now  to  fate, 

Sweet  Britta  I — Forth  she  fares. 
Led  by  the  Druids  to  her  doom, 
Within  that  circle's  ample  room. 

For  which  the  rite  prepares. 


Temple  of  Dniids.  i8[ 

Fire  cleanses  :  she  must  cleanse  by  fire. 
With  oaken  garland,  white  attire, 

Bearing  the  mistletoe. 
Beside  the  wicker  hut  her  feet 
Pause — till  her  eyes  her  lover  greet, 

And  cheer  him  as  they  go. 


These  two  had  heard  of  what  had  been 
In  Judah — of  the  Nazarene — 

And  talked  of  new  things  bom 
To  them,  that  in  their  fathers'  place 
They  might  not  speak  of  to  their  race, 

But  thought  on  eve  and  mom. 


Now  when  the  sound  is  given  to  pile 
The  branches  each  one — friends-erewhile, 

Strangers,  yea  sisters,  sire. 
And  brethren — all  from  far  and  near, — 
Must  furnish  for  the  victim's  bier ; 

His  they  in  vain  require. 


No  might  of  Druid,  lord,  or  king, 
Could  move  that  hand  one  leaf  to  bring- 
No,  though  they  throng  to  slay. 
Calmly  beyond  the  crowd  he  stood, 
Holding  on  high  two  staves  of  wood 
Cross'd — till  she  turned  aAvay. 


1 82  Britta  in  the 

Then  hoary  Chief,  Arch  Druid,  came 
Thy  hands  to  minister  the  flame, 

Wrought  from  the  quick-rubb'd  pine. 
It  touch'd  :  it  leapt :  the  branches  blazed  ! 
When  to  the  hills  they  looked  amazed, 

And  owned  the  wrath  divine. 


Bellowed  the  mountains,  and  cast  forth 
Their  waters,  east,  south,  west,  and  north. 

Rivers  and  mighty  streams 
Down  from  their  raging  sides  out-poured 
Their  cataracts,  and  in  thunders  roared 

Along  earth's  opening  seams. 


They  rolled  o'er  all  the  temple's  bound, 
Quenching  the  angry  fire  around 

The  hut  unscathed  by  flame  : 
Then  backward  to  their  source  retired. 
While  like  a  seraph's  form  inspired 

The  white-robed  maiden  came. 


Upon  her  fair  head  garlanded 
No  brightest  leaflet  withered — 

No  berry  from  her  hand 
Dropt,  of  the  branching  mistletoe — 
With  crossing  palms  and  paces  slow 

She  mov'd  across  the  land. 


Temple  of  Druids.  1 8 

'I'hen  loud  the  hoary  Druid  cried, 
"The  god  we  serve  is  satisfied  ! 

His  are  the  unbidden  powers. 
A  human  sacrifice  no  more 
He  needs,  our  dwellings  to  restore, 

And  devastated  bowers. 


For  thee,  a  maiden  fair  and  pure. 
Thou  hast  a  treasure  made  secure 

In  heaven  :  depart  in  peace. 
Earth's  voices  witness  of  a  faith 
In  thee  serene  and  sure,  that  saith 

Here  we  too  soon  must  cease." 


o 


i84 


NOTES  TO  "BRITTA  IN  THE  TEMPLE  OF  THE 
DRUIDS." 

Traces  of  the  Celts  are  clearly  distinguishable  in  the  names 
of  some  of  the  more  prominent  mountains  within  a  few  miles 
of  Keswick,  Skiddaw,  Blencathra,  Glaramara,  Cat-Bells,  Hel- 
vellyn.  The  first  is  derived  from  the  name  of  the  solar  god, 
Ska-da,  one  of  the  appellations  of  the  chief  deity  of  Celtic 
Britain,  to  whom  Skiddaw  was  consecrated.  The  second  has 
been  supposed  to  be  a  corruption  of  blen-y-cathem,  the  "peak 
of  witches  "  ;  the  fourth  to  signify  "  the  groves  of  Baal "  ;  and 
the  last  El-Velin,  "the  hill  of  Baal  or  Veli. "  The  worship 
of  the  Assyrian  deity  was  celebrated  amongst  the  Celtic  in- 
habitants of  our  island  with  the  greatest  importance  and 
solemnity.  The  stone  circles  are  still  remaining  in  many 
places  where  the  bloody  sacrifices  to  his  honour  were  per- 
formed :  and  one  of  the  most  important  of  these  is  near  Kes- 
wick. In  the  immediate  vicinity  is  also  a  gloomy  valley, 
Glenderaterra,  the  name  of  which  is  sufficiently  indicative  of 
the  purpose  for  which,  like  Tophet  of  old,  it  was  ordained  ; 
Glyn-dera  taran  signifying  in  Celtic,  "  the  valley  of  the  angel 
or  demon  of  execution." 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  till  the  last  few  years,  a  trace  also  of 
the  ancient  worship  still  lingered  around  two  temples  in  this 
county,  where  it  was  once  habitually  performed.  Both  at 
Keswick,  and  at  Cumwhitton  where  there  is  a  similar  draidical 
circle,  the  festival  of  the  Beltein,  or  the  fire  of  Baal,  was  till 
very  recently  celebrated  on  the  first  of  May.  As  the  Jews  had 
by  their  "prophets  of  the  groves,"  made  their  children  "  pass 
through  the  fire  to  Baal"  ;  so  the  Britons,  taught  by  their 
Druids,  were  accustomed  once  a  year  to  drive  their  flocks  and 
herds  through  the  fire,  to  preserve  them  from  evil  during  the 
remainder  of  the  year.  Indeed  the  custom  still  prevails.  If 
the  cows  are  distempered,  it  is  actually  a  practice  in  many  of 


Temple  of  Druids.  1 8  5 


the  dales  to  light  "the  Need-fire";  notice  being  given 
throughout  the  neighbouring  valleys,  that  the  charm  may  be 
sent  for  if  wanted.  "Need-fire"  is  said  to  mean  cattle-fire, 
and  to  be  derived  from  the  Danish  nod,  whence  also  is  the 
northern  word  noU  or  nowte.  The  Need-fire  is  produced  by 
rubbing  two  sticks  together.  A  great  pile  of  combustible 
stuff  is  prepared,  to  give  as  much  smoke  as  possible.  When 
lighted,  the  neighbours  snatch  some  of  the  fire,  hurry 
home  with  it,  and  light  their  respective  piles ;  and  the 
cattle,  diseased  and  sound,  are  then  driven  through  the 
flame.  Mr.  Gibson  says,  that  in  1841,  when  the  cattle- 
murrain  prevailed  in  Cumberland,  he  had  many  oppor- 
tunities of  witnessing  the  application  of  this  charm  to  animals 
both  diseased  and  sound.  And  he  tells  us,  that  to  ensure 
its  efficacy  it  was  necessary  to  observe  certain  conditions. 
The  fire  had  to  be  produced  at  first  by  friction,  the  domestic 
fires  in  the  neighbourhood  being  all  previously  extinguished  ; 
then  it  had  to  be  brought  spontaneously  to  each  farm  by  some 
neighbour  unsolicited  :  and  neither  the  fire  so  brought,  nor 
any  part  of  the  fuel  used,  must  ever  have  been  under  a  roof. 
These  conditions  being  obsei-ved,  a  great  fire  was  made,  and 
the  cattle  driven  to  and  fro  in  the  smoke.  One  honest 
farmer  who  had  an  ailing  wife  and  delicate  children  passed 
thetn  through  this  ordeal,  as  was  averred  with  most  beneficial 
effect.  Another  inadvertently  carried  the  fire  just  brought  to 
him  into  his  house  to  save  it  from  extinction  by  a  sudden 
shower  :  and  it  was  declared  that  in  his  case  the  need-fire 
would  be  inoperative.  "It  is  interesting,"  says  Mr.  Ferguson, 
"  to  see  how  men  cling  to  the  performance  of  ancient  religious 
rites,  when  the  significance  of  the  ceremony  has  long  been 
forgotten  ;  and  what  a  hold  must  that  worship  have  held 
over  the  minds  of  men,  which  Thor  and  Odin  have  not 
supplanted,  nor  the  Christianity  of  a  thousand  years. " 

The  tribe  of  ancient  Britons  who  occupied  Cumberland  pre- 
vious to  the  Roman  conquest,  the  Brigantes,  who  were  as 
wild  and  uncultivated  as  their  native  hills,  subsisting  princi- 
pally by  hunting  and  the  spontaneous  fruits  of  the  earth  ; 
wearing  for  their  clothing  the  skins  of  animals,  and  dwelling 
in  habitations  formed  by  the  pillars  of  the  forest  rooted  in  the 
earth,  and  enclosed  by  interwoven  branches,  or  in  caves  ;  have 
left  one  undoubted  specimen  of  their  race  behind  them.  In 
the  parish  of  Scaleby,  in  Cumberland,  the  land  on  the  north 
end  is  barren,  and  large  quantities  of  peat  are  cut  and  sent  to 
Carlisle  and  other  places  for  sale.     At  the  depth  of  nine  feet 

13 


1 86  Notes  to  ''Britta  in  the 


in  this  peat  moss,  has  been  found  the  skeleton  of  an  ancient 
Briton,  enclosed  in  the  skin  of  some  wild  animal,  and  carefully 
"bound  up  with  thongs  of  tanned  leather.  It  is  conjectured 
that  the  body  must  have  lain  in  the  moss  since  the  invasion  of 
Julius  Cffisar,  and  from  the  position  in  which  the  skeleton  was 
found,  grasping  a  stick  about  three  feet  long  and  twelve  inches 
in  circumference,  it  is  supposed  he  must  have  perished  acci- 
dentally on  the  spot.  The  remains  were  not  long  ago  in  the 
possession  of  the  rector  and  Dr.  Graham  of  Netherhouse. 

In  this  part  of  the  island  the  Britons  were  not  in  the  worst 
state  of  mental  darkness  ;  these  were  not  ignorant  of  a  Deity, 
and  they  were  not  idolators.  Their  druids  and  bards  possessed 
all  the  learning  of  the  age.  And  it  is  believed  that  some  of 
the  Chief  Druids  had  their  station  in  Cumberland,  where  many 
of  their  monuments  still  remain,  and  of  these  one  of  the  most 
noble  and  extensive  of  any  in  the  island  is  the  circle  near  Kes- 
vdck.  It  stands  on  an  eminence,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  on 
the  old  road  to  Penrith,  in  a  field  on  the  right  hand.  The 
spot  is  the  most  commanding  which  could  be  chosen  in  that 
part  of  the  country,  without  climbing  a  mountain.  Derwent- 
water  and  the  vale  of  Keswick  are  not  seen  from  it,  only  the 
mountains  that  enclose  them  on  the  south  and  west.  Latrigg 
and  the  huge  side  of  Skiddaw  are  on  the  north  :  to  the  east  is 
the  open  country  towards  Penrith,  with  Mell  fell  in  the  dis- 
tance, wheie  it  rises  alone  like  a  huge  tumulus  on  the  right, 
and  Blencathra  on  the  left,  rent  into  deep  ravines.  On  the 
south  east  is  the  range  of  Helvellyn,  from  its  termination  at 
Wanthwaite  Craggs  to  its  loftiest  summits,  and  to  Dunmail 
Raise.  The  lower  range  of  Nathdale  Fells  lies  nearer  in  a 
line  parallel  with  Helvellyn.  The  heights  above  Leathes 
Water,  with  the  Borrowdale  mountains  complete  the  pano- 
rama. 

This  circle  is  formed  of  stones  of  various  forms,  natural  and 
unhewn,  of  a  species  of  granite  ;  of  a  kind,  according  to 
Clarke,  not  to  be  found  within  many  miles  of  this  place.  The 
largest  is  nearly  eight  feet  high,  and  fifteen  feet  in  circum- 
ference ;  most  of  them  are  still  erect,  but  some  are  fallen. 
They  are  set  in  a  form  not  exactly  circular ;  the  diameter 
being  thirty  paces  from  east  to  west,  and  thirty-two  from  north 
to  south.  At  the  eastern  end  a  small  enclosure  is  formed 
within  the  circle  by  ten  stones,  making  an  oblong  square  in 
conjunction  with  the  stones  on  that  side  of  the  circle,  seven 
paces  in  length,  and  three  in  width  within.  At  the  opposite 
side  a  single  square  stone  is  placed  at  the  distance  of  three 
paces  from  the  circle. 


Temple  of  Druids. "  187 


Concerning  this,  like  all  similar  monuments  in  great  Britain, 
the  popular  superstition  prevails,  that  no  two  persons  can  num- 
ber the  stones  alike,  and  that  no  person  will  ever  find  a  second 
count  confirm  the  first.  This  notion  is  curiously  illustrated  by 
the  various  writers  who  have  described  it.  According  to 
Cough,  Stukely  states  the  number  to  be  forty  ;  Gray  says  they 
are  fifty ;  Hutchinson  makes  them  fifty  ;  Clarke  made  them 
out  to  be  fifty-two ;  others,  more  correctly,  forty-eight. 
Southey  says,  the  number  of  stones  which  compose  the  circle 
is  thirty-eight,  and  besides  these  there  are  ten  which  form 
three  sides  of  a  little  square  witliin,  on  the  eastern  side,  three 
stones  of  the  circle  itself  forming  the  fourth  ;  this  being  evi- 
dently the  place  where  the  Druids  who  presided  had  their 
station  ;  or  where  the  more  sacred  and  important  part  of  the 
rites  and  ceremonies  (whatever  they  may  have  been)  were  per- 
formed. 

The  singularity  noticed  in  this  monument,  and  what  dis- 
tinguishes it  from  all  other  druidical  remains  of  this  nature, 
is  the  recess  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  area.  Mr.  Pennant 
supposes  it  to  have  been  allotted  for  the  Druids,  the  priests  of 
the  place,  as  a  peculiar  sanctuary,  a  sort  of  holy  of  holies, 
where  they  met,  separated  from  the  vulgar,  to  perform  their 
rites,  their  divinations,  or  to  sit  in  council  to  determine  on 
controversies,  to  compromise  all  differences  about  limits  of 
land,  or  about  inheritances,  or  for  the  trial  of  greater  criminals. 
The  cause  that  this  recess  was  on  the  east  side,  seems  to  arise 
from  the  respect  paid  by  the  ancient  Britons  to  Baal  or  the 
Sun ;  not  originally  an  idolatrous  respect,  but  merely  as  a 
symbol  of  the  Creator. 

The  rude  workmanship,  or  rather  arrangement,  of  these 
structures,  for  it  cannot  be  called  architecture,  indicates  the 
great  barbarity  of  the  times  of  the  Druids ;  and  furnishes 
strong  proof  of  the  savage  nature  of  these  heathen  priests. 
Within  this  magical  circle  we  may  conceive  any  incantations 
to  have  been  performed,  and  any  rites  of  superstition  to  have 
been  celebrated  ;  their  human  executions,  their  imposing  sac- 
rifices ;  and  their  inhuman  method  of  offering  up  their  victims, 
by  enclosing  them  in  a  gigantic  figure  of  Hercules  (the  emblem 
of  human  virtue)  made  of  wicker  work,  and  burning  them 
alive  in  sacrifice  to  the  divine  attribute  of  Justice. 

This  impressive  monument  of  former  times  (the  Keswick 
circle)  is  carefully  preserved  :  the  soil  within  the  enclosure  is 
not  broken  ;  a  path  from  the  road  is  left,  and  a  stepping  style 
has  been  placed,  to  accommodate  visitors  with  an  easy  access 


Notes  to  ''Britta  in  the 


to  it.  The  old  legend  about  the  last  human  sacrifice  of  the 
Druids  belongs  to  this  monument.  Gilpin  says,  ' '  a  romantic 
place  seldom  wants  a  romantic  story  to  adorn  it."  And  here 
certainly,  amidst  unmistakeable  evidences  of  the  worship  of 
Baal  :  within  sight  of  the  vale  (St.  John's)  which  reveals  the 
isolated  rock,  once  the  enchanted  fortress  of  the  powerful  Mer- 
lin :  within  sound  of  the  Greta,  "the  mourner,"  "the  loud 
lamenter,"  in  whose  torrents  are  heard  voices  complaining 
among  the  stones  :  within  range  of  Souter  Fell  with  its 
shadowy  annies  and  spectres  marching  in  military  array,  why 
and  whence  and  whither  we  know  not ;  here,  if  anywhere,  the 
very  realm  of  mystery  and  superstition  is  made  manifest  to  us, 
with  almost  avv^ul  significance  ;  overlying  the  fairest  scenes  of 
nature,  and  investing  them  with  all  the  charms  of  a  region  of 
romance. 

The  neighbourhood  of  this  temple,  too,  is  not  without  a 
certain  notoriety  on  account  of  the  violent  floods  with  which  it 
has  been  visited  even  in  modern  times.  Hutchinson  speaks  of 
a  remarkable  one  caused  by  impetuous  rains,  which  happened 
on  the  twenty-second  ol  August,  1749,  in  the  vale  of  St. 
John's.  "  The  clouds  discharged  their  torrents  like  a  water- 
spout ;  the  streams  from  the  mountains  uniting,  at  length 
became  so  powerful  a  body,  as  to  rend  up  the  soil,  gravel,  and 
stones  to  a  prodigious  depth,  and  bear  with  them  mighty  frag- 
ments of  rocks  ;  several  cottages  were  swept  away  from  the 
declivities  where  they  had  stood  in  safety  for  a  century  ;  the 
vale  was  deluged,  and  many  of  the  inhabitants  with  their  cattle 
were  lost.  A  singular  providence  protected  many  lives,  a 
little  school,  where  all  the  youths  of  the  neighbourhood  were 
educated,  at  the  instant  crowded  with  its  flock,  stood  in  the 
very  line  of  one  of  these  torrents,  but  the  hand  of  God,  in  a 
miraculous  manner,  stayed  a  rolling  rock,  in  the  midst  of  its 
dreadful  course,  which  would  have  crushed  the  whole  tenement 
with  its  innocents  :  and  by  its  stand,  the  floods  divided,  and 
passed  on  this  hand  and  on  that,  insulating  the  school-house, 
and  leaving  the  pupils  with  their  master,  trembling  at  once  for 
the  dangers  escaped  and  as  spectators  of  the  horrid  havock  in 
the  valley,  and  the  tremendous  floods  which  encompassed 
them  on  every  side."  He  received  this  account  from  one  of 
the  people  then  at  school  :  and  also  gives  the  following  des- 
cription of  that  inundation,  which  he  had  met  with.  "It 
began  with  most  terrible  thunder  and  incessant  lightning,  the 
preceding  day  having  been  extremely  hot  and  sultry  ;  the  in- 
habitants for  two  hours  before  the  breaking  of  the  cloud,  heard 


Temple  of  Druids. "  189 


a  strange  noise,  like  the  wind  blowing  in  the  tops  of  high  trees. 
It  is  thought  to  have  been  a  spout  or  a  large  body  of  water,  by 
which  the  Ughtning  incessantly  rarifying  the  air,  broke  at  once 
on  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  and  descended  upon  the  valley 
below,  which  is  about  three  miles  long,  half  a  mile  broad,  and 
lies  nearly  east  and  west,  bemg  closed  on  the  south  and 
north  sides  with  prodigious  high,  steep,  and  rocky  mountains. 
Legbert  Fells  on  the  north  side,  received  almost  the  whole 
cataract,  for  the  spout  did  not  extend  above  a  mile  in  length  ; 
it  chiefly  swelled  four  small  brooks,  but  to  so  amazing  a  de- 
gree, that  the  largest  of  them,  called  Catchertz  Ghyll,  swept 
away  a  mill  and  other  edifices  in  five  minutes,  leaving  the 
place  where  they  stood  covered  with  fragments  of  rocks  and 
rubbish  three  or  four  yards  deep,  insomuch  that  one  of  the 
mill  stones  could  not  be  found.  During  the  violence  of  the 
storm,  the  fragments  of  rock  which  rolled  down  the  mountain, 
choked  up  the  old  course  of  this  brook  ;  but  the  water  forcing 
its  way  through  a  shivery  rock,  formed  a  chasm  four  yards 
wide  and  about  eight  or  nine  deep.  The  brooks  lodged  such 
quantities  of  gravel  and  sand  on  the  meadows,  that  they  were 
irrecoverably  lost.  Many  large  pieces  of  rocks  were  carried  a 
considerable  way  into  the  fields  ;  some  larger  than  a  team  of 
ten  horses  could  move,  and  one  of  them  measuring  nineteen 
yai'ds  about."  Clarke  says,  "  Many  falsehoods  are  related  of 
this  inundation  :  for  instance,  the  insulation  of  the  school-house 
with  its  assembled  master  and  scholars,  which,  though  com- 
monly told  and  believed,  is  not  supported  by  any  tradition  of 
the  kind  presei"ved  in  the  neighbourhood.  No  doubt,  the 
circumstances  are  exaggerated  :  but  even  his  own  narrative 
shows  it  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  dreadful  and  destructive 
inundations  ever  remembered  in  this  country.  He  relates  that 
"all  the  evening  of  that  22nd  day  of  August,  horrid,  tumul- 
tuous noises  were  heard  in  the  air  ;  sometimes  a  puff  of  wind 
would  blow  with  great  violence,  then  in  a  moment  all  was 
calm  again.  The  inhabitants,  used  to  bosom-winds,  whirl- 
winds, and  the  howling  of  distant  tempests  among  the  rocks, 
went  to  bed  as  usual,  and  from  the  fatigues  of  the  day  were  in 
a  sound  sleep  when  the  inundation  awoke  them.  About  one 
in  the  morning  the  rain  began  to  fall,  and  before  four  such  a 
quantity  fell  as  covered  the  whole  face  of  the  country  below 
with  a  sheet  of  water  many  feet  deep  ;  several  houses  were 
filled  with  sand  to  the  first  story,  many  more  driven  down  ; 
and  among  the  rest  Legberthwaite  mill,  of  which  not  one  stone 
was  left  upon  another  ;  even  the  heavy  millstones  were  washed 


190  Temple  of  Druids. 


away  ;  one  was  found  at  a  considerable  distance,  but  the  other 
was  never  discovered.  Several  persons  were  obliged  to  climb 
to  the  tops  of  the  houses,  to  escape  instantaneous  death  ;  and 
there  many  were  obliged  to  remain,  in  a  situation  of  the  most 
dreadful  suspense,  till  the  waters  abated.  Mr.  Mounsey  of 
Wallthwaite  says,  that  when  he  came  down  stairs  in  the  morn- 
ing, the  first  sight  he  saw  was  a  gander  belonging  to  one  of 
his  neighbours,  and  several  planks  and  kitchen  utensils,  which 
were  floating  about  his  lower  apartments,  the  violence  of  the 
waters  having  forced  open  the  doors  on  both  sides  of  the  house. 
The  most  dreadful  vestiges  of  this  inundation,  or  water  spout, 
are  at  a  place  called  Lob-wath,  a  little  above  Wallthwaite ; 
here  thousands  of  prodigious  stones  are  piled  upon  each  other, 
to  the  height  of  eleven  yards  ;  many  of  these  stones  are  up- 
wards of  twenty  tons  weight  each,  and  are  thrown  together  in 
such  a  maimer  as  to  be  at  once  the  object  of  curiosity  and 
horror. 

"  The  quantity  of  water  which  had  fallen  here  is  truly  as- 
tonishing ;  more  particularly  considering  the  small  space  it 
had  to  collect  in.  The  distance  from  Lob-Wath  to  Wolf-Crag, 
is  not  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  there  could  none  col- 
lect much  above  Wolf-Crag ;  nor  did  the  rain  extend  more 
than  eight  miles  in  any  direction.  At  Melfell  only  three  miles 
distant,  the  farmers  were  leading  com  all  night  (as  is  customaiy 
when  they  fear  ill  weather, )  and  no  rain  fell  there  ;  yet  such 
was  the  fury  of  the  descending  torrent,  that  the  fields  at  Forn- 
side  exhibited  nothing  but  devastation.  Here  a  large  tree 
broken  in, two,  there  one  torn  up  by  the  root,  and  the  ground 
everywhere  covered  with  sand  and  stones."  The  rivulet  called 
Mosedale  Beck,  which  has  its  source  between  the  mountains 
Dodd  and  Wolf-Crag,  was  by  its  sudden  and  continuous  over- 
flow the  chief  contributory  of  the  inundation. 


191 


THE  LADY  OF  WORKINGTON  HALL. 


In  her  neat  country  kirtle  and  kerchief  array'd, 
A  wild  Httle  maiden  tripp'd  through  the  green  shade  ; 
With  her  pitcher,  just  filled  fi-om  the  rill,  at  her  side, 
And  a  song  on  her  lip  of  the  Solway's  rude  tide ; 
When  a  rider  came  by,  gallant,  youthful,  and  gay — 
*'  Pretty  Maid,  let  me  drink  !  and  good  luck  to 
your  lay ! " 


As  he  glanced  o'er  the  brim,  arch  and  sweet  was 

her  smile ; 
Then  "  Adieu  ! "    passing   on,  he   sang  gaily  the 

while — 
"Who  knows  what  may  happen,  or  what  may  befall? 

I  may  be "  something  she  could  not  recall : 

For  the  tramp  of  his  steed  mingled  in  with  the  tone, 
And   the   burden  ceased,  broken — the  singer  was 

gone. 


192      The  Lady  of  Workington  Hall. 

There  are  words,  notes,  and  whisperings,   broken 

and  few, 
That  from  depths  in  the  soul  will  oft  start  up  anew, 
Like  a  dream  voice,  unconsciously,  early  or  late. 
Mid  all  changes  of  circumstance,  fortune,  and  fate, 
Unappealed   to,   unsought   for,    unreck'd    of,    and 

brought 
From  afar  to  the  tongue  without  effort  or  thought. 


And  'twas  thus  the  few  notes  which  she  caught  of 

that  strain 
Often  stirr'd  on  the  lips  of  the  Maiden  again. 
When  a  child  at  the  school  or  a  maid  at  the  Hall — 
"  Who  knows  what  may  happen,  or  what  may  befall'  ? 
I  may  be — "  lilted  she  low,  as  she  sate 
At  her  finger-work  meekly,  or  stroll'd  by  the  gate. 


So  it  chanced  as  she  robed  on  one  morning  her 

bloom 
With  a  mantle  of  state,  in  her  lost  Lady's  room  ; 
While  the  mirror  gave  back  to  her  sight  all  her 

charms ; 
Came    that  strain    to  her    lip  as  she  folded  her 

arms — 
"  Who  knows  what  may  happen,  or  what  may  befall  ? 
I  may  be — Lady  of  Workington  Hall  !" 


The  Lady  of  Workington  Hall.      193 

Thus  the  wild-heaxted  Maid  ended  gaily  the  song. 
Like  a  flash  from  the  mirror  it  glanced  from  her 

tongue, 
Void  of  meaning  or  thought  of  the  future  ;  but  lo ! 
There's  a  witness  beside  her  the  glass  does  not 

show. 
From  a  distance  unseen  are  displayed  to  the  eyes 
Of  her  Lord  all  her  pranks  in  that  courtly  disguise. 


He  charged  the  proud  Butler,  that  evening  to  call 
To  high  feast  all  the  maidens  and  grooms  of  the 

Hall; 
To  send  round  the  bowl,  and  when  mirth  flowing 

high 
Brought  the  heart  to  the  lip,  the  bright  soul  to  the 

eye, 
At  the  sound  of  his  footstep  to  cro^vn  their  good 

cheer 
With  a  round  to  the  toast  he  has  breathed  in  his 

ear. 

Bold  and  stern,   on  that  evening  arose   mid   the 

crowd 
The  bold  Butler,  and  called  for  a  bumper  aloud  : 
Look'd  around  on  the  bevy  of  maidens  and  men  : 
Glanced  his  eye  past  the   Beauty,   and  spoke  out 

again — 
"  Who  knows  what  may  happen,  or  what  may  befall  ? 
Let  us  drink  to  the  Lady  of  Workington  Hall." 


194     The  Lady  of  Workington  Hall. 

How  they  stared  at  each  other,  how  glanced  at  their 

Lord, 
As  he  entered  that  moment  and  stood  by  the  board, 
How  they  trembled  to  witness  his  eye's  flashing 

ray. 
Was  a  sight  to  be  seen  that  no  art  can  portray. 
But  the  one   conscious    Maid  who  could  read   it 

alone, 
With  a  shriek,  like  a  vanishing  spirit  was  gone. 


But  in  vain  !  What  the  fates  have  determined  will 

come  ! 
And  in  time,  tired   of  clangour   of  trumpet,   and 

drum. 
Came  the  Heir  to  the  Hall  of  his  ancestry  old ; 
Met  the   Maid   of  the  pitcher  once   more   as   he 

stroll'd ; 
Woo'd  and  won  her,  in   spite    of  whate'er   might 

befall ; 
And  made  her  the  Lady  of  Workington  Hall. 


195 


NOTES  TO  "THE  LADY  OF  WORKINGTON 
HALL." 


The  ancient  family  of  the  Curwens  of  Workington  can  trace 
their  descent  to  Ivo  de  Tailbois  and  Elgiva  daughter  of 
Ethelred,  King  of  England.  Ivo  came  to  England  with  the 
Conqueror,  was  the  first  lord  of  the  barony  of  Kendal,  and 
brother  of  Fulk,  Earl  of  Anjou  and  King  of  Jerusalem. 
Ketel,  the  grandson  of  Ivo,  had  two  sons  ; — Gilbert,  the 
father  of  William  de  Lancaster,  from  whom  descended,  in  a 
direct  line,  the  barons  of  Kendal ;  and  Orme,  from  whom 
descended  the  Curwens.  These  took  their  surname  by 
agreement  from  Culwen,  a  family  of  Galloway,  whose  heir 
they  married.  It  is  said,  that  Culwen,  which  is  on  the  sea- 
coast  of  Galloway,  had  its  name  from  a  neighbouring  rock, 
which  was  thought  to  resemble  a  white  monk  ;  that  being  the 
meaning  of  the  word  in  the  Irish  language.  It  is  also  said, 
that  the  family  name  was  changed  to  Curwen,  by  a  cormp- 
tion,  which  first  appeared  in  the  public  records  in  the  reign  of 
King  Henry  VI.  Orme  having  espoused  Gunilda,  sister  of 
Waldieve,  first  lord  of  Allerdale,  received  in  marriage  with 
her  the  manor  of  Seaton  below  Derwent,  and  took  up  his 
abode  there.  Their  son,  Gospatrick,  received  the  manors  of 
Workington  and  Lamplugh  from  William  de  Lancaster  in 
exchange  for  Middleton,  in  Westmorland.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  Thomas,  who  became  lord  of  Culwen  in 
Galloway,  and  died  in  1152,  and  was  buried  in  the  Abbey  of 
Shap,  to  which  he  had  been  a  benefactor  ;  his  estates  de- 
scending to  his  second  son,  Patric  de  Culwen,  who  removed 
his  residence  from  Seaton  to  Workington,  where  his  descen- 
dants have  since  remained. 

Sir  Thomas  Curwen,  the  seventh  in  descent  from  Patric, 
died  in  the  thirty  fourth  year  of  Henry  VIII.  In  reference  to 
this  member  of  the  family,  Sandford  in  his  M.S.  History  of 
Cumberland  relates  an  instance    of  the  pleasant  manner  in 


196  Notes  to 


which  conventual  property  at  the  dissolution  was  dealt  with, 
and  disposed  of,  among  that  monarch's  favourites  and  friends. 
It  is  thus  given  : — "Sir  Tho.  Curwen  Knight  in  Heniy 
the  Eight's  time,  an  excellent  archer  at  twelve  score  merks  : 
And  went  up  with  his  men  to  shoote  with  that  reknowned 
King  at  the  dissolution  of  abbeis  :  And  the  King  says  to  him, 
Curwen,  why  doth  thee  begg  none  of  thes  Abbeis  :  I  wold 
gratifie  the  some  way :  Quoth  the  other,  thank  yow,  and  after- 
ward said  he  wold  desire  of  him  the  Abbie  of  ffuniess  (nye  unto 
him)  for  20  ty  one  years  :  Sayes  the  King,  take  it  for  ever  : 
Quoth  the  other,  its  long  enough,  for  youle  set  them  up 
againe  in  that  time  :  But  they  not  likely  to  be  set  up  againe, 
this  Sir  Tho.  Curwen  sent  Mr-  Preston  who  had  married  his 
daughter  to  renew  the  lease  for  him  ;  and  he  even  renneued 
in  his  owne  name  ;  which  when  his  father  in  law  questioned, 
quoth  Mr.  Preston,  yow  shall  have  it  as  long  as  ''  yow  live  : 
and  I  thinke  I  may  as  well  have  it  with  your  daughter  as 
another."* 

There  is  probably  some  truth  in  the  anecdote,  related 
by  Sandford.  For  it  is  said  by  West,  that  not  long  after 
the  dissolution  of  Monasteries,  Thomas  Preston,  of  Pres- 
ton-Patrick and  Levens,  purchased  the  site  and  immediate 
grounds  of  Furness  Abbey  from  the  trustees  of  the  crown, 
with  other  considerable  estates  to  the  value  of  ;i^3000  a  year  : 
after  which  he  removed  from  Preston-Patrick,  and  resided  at 
the  Abbey,  in  a  manor  house  built  on  the  spot  where  the  Abbot's 
apartments  stood.  Of  his  two  sons,  John  the  elder  married 
the  daughter  of  Cm'wen.  His  descendants  were  called 
Prestons  of  the  Abbey,  and  of  the  Manor  ;  and  continued  for 
four  generations,  when  the  two  great  grandsons  of  the 
purchaser  died  without  issue.  The  family  of  Christopher, 
his  second  son,  were  known  as  the  Prestons  of  Holker.  Of 
these,  Catharine,  the  fifth  in  the  direct  line  from  Christopher, 
was  the  mother  of  Sir  Thomas  Lowther,  Baronet,  of  York- 
shire, to  whom  on  the  failure  of  the  elder  branch,  the  property 
of  the  Prestons  in  Furness  was  granted  by  George  the  First. 
This  gentleman,  by  his  marriage  with  the  Lady  Elizabeth 
Cavendish,  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  had  an  only 
son  and  heir,  Sir  William  Lowther,  Baronet,  the  last  descend- 
ant of  the  Prestons  of  Preston-Patrick,  who  died  unmarried 
in  1756,  bequeathing  all  his  estates  in  Furness  and  Cartmel  to 

*  "  John  Preston  of  the  Manor  in  Furness,  Esquire,  married  Margaret 
daughter  of  Sir  Thos.  Curwen,  of  Workington,  and  had  issue,  tempore 
Henry  VIII." 


The  Lady  of  Workington  Hall.      197 


his  cousin  Lord  George  Augustus  Cavendish,  through  whom 
they  passed  by  inheritance  to  the  present  Duke  of  Devonshire. 
In  a  report  to  tlie  government  of  Queen  Ehzabeth,  of  the 
date  of  1588,  inserted  among  the  Burghley  Papers,  the  son 
and  heir  of  this  sharp-handed  son-in-law  of  Curwen  is  men- 
tioned in  somewhat  detractory  terms,  in  a  passage  which  de- 
scribes "the  Pylle  of  Folder,"  or  Pile  of  Fouldrey.  "The  same 
Pylle  is  an  old  decayed  castell  of  '  the  dowchie  of  Lancaster, 
in  Furness  Felles,  where  one  Thomas  Preestone  (a  Papyshe 
Atheiste)  is  depute  steward,  and  comaunders  the  menrede 
and  lands  ther,  which  were  sometime  members  appertayninge 
to  the  Abbeye  of  Fumes.'  " 

Workington  Hall,  the  seat  of  the  Curwens,  is  a  large 
quadrangidar  building,  with  battlemented  parapets,  situated 
on  a  woody  acclivity  over  looking  the  river  Derwent,  at  the  east 
end  of  the  town.  It  has  been  almost  entirely  rebuilt  within 
the  present  century.  The  old  mansion  was  castellated  pur- 
suant to  the  royal  license  granted  by  Richard  II.,  in  1379,  to 
Sir  Gilbert  de  Culwen.  It  is  remarkable  for  having  been  the 
first  prison-house  of  the  unfortunate  Mary  of  Scotland,  after 
she  had  landed  within  the  dominions  of  her  rival.  Having 
left  the  Scottish  shore  in  a  small  fishing  boat,  she  landed  with 
about  twenty  attendants  near  the  Hall  on  Sunday,  May  i6th, 
1568  ;  and  was  received  by  Sir  Henry  Curwen  as  became  her 
rank  and  misfortunes,  and  hospitably  entertained  by  him,  till 
she  removed  to  Cockermouth,  on  her  route  to  Carlisle.  The 
apartment  in  which  the  Queen  had  slept  was  long  preserved, 
out  of  respect  to  her  memory,  as  she  had  left  it.  But  some 
recent  alterations  of  the  mansion  having  become  necessary,  it 
was  found  that  these  could  not  be  effected  without  the  de- 
stniction  of  that  portion  which  had  been  so  long  distinguished 
as  the  Queen's  Chamber. 

Mr.  Denton,  who  wrote  about  the  year  1676,  says,  "  I  do 
not  know  any  seat  in  all  Britain  so  commodiously  situated  for 
beauty,  plenty,  and  pleasure  as  this  is."  And  Mr.  Sandford, 
who  wrote  about  the  same  time,  has  the  following  rapturous 
description,  "  And  a  very  fair  mansion-house  and  pallace-like  ; 
a  court  of  above  60  yards  long  and  40  yards  broad,  built 
round  about  ;  garretted  turret-wise,  and  toors  in  the  corner  ; 
a  gate  house,  and  most  wainscot  and  gallery  roomes  ;  and 
the  brave  prospect  of  seas  and  ships  almost  to  the  house, 
the  tides  flowing  up.  Brave  orchards,  gardens,  dovecoats, 
and  woods  and  grounds  in  the  bank  about,  and  brave  corn 
fields  and  meadows  below,  as  like  as  Chelsay  fields.    And  now 


1 98      The  Lady  of  Workington  Hall. 


the  habitation  of  a  brave  young  Sq.  his  father  Monsir  Edward 
Curwen,  and  his  mother  the  grandchild  of  Sir  Michael 
Wharton  o'  th'  Wolds  in  Yorkshire." 

Even  Mr  Gilpin,  a  century  later,  was  struck  with  "  its 
hanging  woods  and  sloping  lawns,"  and  speaks  of  its  situation 
as  "  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  beautiful  in  the  country." 

The  anecdote  upon  which  the  poem  is  founded  was  related 
by  a  person  who  about  fifty  years  ago  was  much  acquainted 
with  what  was  current  in  some  of  the  principal  families  in  the 
West  of  Cumberland.  She  stated  that  it  was  commonly 
repeated  among  the  servants  of  the  different  houses,  and  was 
quite  credited  by  them  :  and  that  she  herself  had  not  any 
doubt  as  to  the  truth  of  the  story,  but  could  not  give  the 
period  to  which  the  circumstances  refer. 

One  of  the  domestics  of  the  Hall  was  said  to  have  been 
surprised  by  her  master  in  the  manner  described,  and  to  have 
been  overheard  by  him,  uttering  the  words, — 

"  Who  knows  what  may  happen,  or  what  may  befall  ? 
I  may  be  Lady  of  Workington  Hall  !" 

The  butler  was  instructed  to  repeat  the  words  publicly  in  the 
presence  of  the  Maid,  who  fled  from  the  mansion,  over- 
whelmed with  confusion.  She  subsequently  formed  a  matri- 
monial alliance  with  a  principal  member  of  the  family  ;  and 
thus  in  a  manner  her  prediction  was  verified. 

Such  was  the  story,  and  such  the  narrator.  It  may  be 
added,  that  the  published  notices  of  the  family  are  devoid  of 
anything  to  give  confirmation  to  the  story  ;  but  as  it  was 
related  in  the  neighbourhood  in  the  spirit  alluded  to,  a  place 
has  been  given  to  it  among  the  traditions  of  Cumberland. 


199 


THE  ALTAR  ON  CROSS-FELL. 

(formerly  fiends'-fell.) 

Come  listen  and  hear  of  the  Fiends'-Fell  dread  ; 
And  the  helm  of  storm  that  shrouds  its  head, 
When  the  imps  and  cubs  of  Evil  that  tread 

Its  summit,  their  strifes  are  waging  : 
Who  made  their  haunt  on  its  topmost  height, 
And  down  the  valleys  came  often  by  night, 
To  affright  the  Shepherds,  the  herds  to  blight, 

And  set  the  strong  winds  raging. 


Ah,  dwellers  in  peaceful  vales  afar  ! 
The  cloudy  Helm  and  the  dismal  Bar — 
You  know  whose  work  on  the  Fell  they  are  ; 

And  you  know  whose  wort  they  are  brewing. 
And  you  wish  that  the  saintly  Augustine 
A  warier  man  on  his  errand  had  been, 
When  the  lizard  crept  into  his  chalice  unseen. 

The  power  of  his  spells  undoing. 


200         The  Altar  on  Cross- Fell. 

For  he  came,  by  good  men  sought,  they  say, 

To  the  Fiends'-Fell  foot,  a  weary  way, 

To  chase  the  fiends  fi-om  the  cloud  that  lay 

On  its  summit,  as  if  to  hide  it. 
At  an  hour  unmarked,  by  paths  unknown. 
He  climbed  up  the  mountain  side  alone, 
And  built  on  the  top  an  altar  of  stone, 

And  reared  the  cross  beside  it. 

And  there  within  that  mighty  cloud, 
Where  wrathful  spirits  were  raging  loud, 
The  old  good  man,  with  mind  unbow'd. 

But  body  so  oft-times  bending. 
Moved  to  and  fro  on  the  haunted  top. 
And  gathered  the  stones  from  off  the  slope. 
Nor  bated  a  jot  of  heart  or  hope 

While  the  Altar  pile  was  ascending. 

Then  while  the  sun  made  bright  below 
And  warmed  the  vales  with  its  cheerful  glow, 
The  mighty  cloud  began  to  blow, 

And  deafening  cries  flew  round  him. 
But  still  the  altar  on  high  begim 
With  heart  and  will,  from  his  labours  done 
The  crowning  recompence  now  has  won 

For  him,  to  that  end  who  bound  him. 
*• 
There  stands  the  Altar  the  saint  before. 
The  long  laborious  task  is  o'er. 
The  Cross  which  once  the  victim  bore, 

It  too  spreads  wide  its  arms. 


The  Altar  on  Cross- Fell.         201 

The  Chalice  is  there  with  the  juice  divine  ; 
The  wafer  that  bares  the  sacred  sign  ; 
And  the  tapers  beside  the  Cross  to  shine  ; 
To  work  out  the  counter-charms. 

All  ready  beside  the  holy  man 

Stood — when  for  a  moment  his  eyes  began 

To  droop,  and  a  feeling  of  slumber  ran 

Through  his  veins  oppress'd  and  weary. 
For  toil  an  old  man's  limbs  will  shake  : 
And  toil  an  old  man's  frame  will  break  : 
But,  that  instant  past,  he  stands  awake 

W' ithin  that  cloud  so  dreary. 

It  was  enough  :  No  counter-charm 
Might  work  that  day  the  fiend-cubs  harm. 
The  Chalice  he  offers  with  outstretched  arm 

Has  a  reptile  form  within  it ! 
And  neither  the  saint  nor  the  wine  has  power 
To  banish  one  fiend  from  the  Fell,  that  hour : 
For  a  lizard  the  edge  of  the  chalice  crept  o'er, 

WTiile  he  slept  but  that  tithe  of  a  minute. 

Then  blew  the  fiends,  as  if  they  would  blow 
The  mountain  itself  to  the  j^lain  below. 
And  when  the  saint  turned  round  to  go, 

Down  tumbled  the  Altar  behind  him  ; 
And  boiled  and  seethed  the  Helm  and  Bar, 
And  the  winds  rushed  do^^^^  on  the  valleys  afar  ; 
While  the  Saint  emerged,  like  a  shining  star, 

From  the  cloud  where  they  could  not  bind  him. 
14 


202         The  A  Itar  on  Cross-Fell. 

And  he  went  his  way  ;  and  the  fiends  prevailed. 
And  still  is  the  mountain  by  fiends  assailed. 
And  the  dismal  Helm  fi-om  afar  is  hailed 

As  a  tempest  surely  growing.    - 
The  herdsman  shudders,  and  hies  away 
To  his  hut  on  the  hills  at  close  of  day, 
For  he  knows  whose  cubs  are  abroad  at  play 

And  setting  the  Helm  wind  blowing. 

His  children  mourn  at  the  dolorous  roar, 
And  rush  to  his  arms  from  hearth  and  floor. 
But  the  good  man  thinks  of  his  stacks  and  store, 

His  fields  and  his  farmstead  wasting. 
The  housewife  prays  that  the  rain  may  fall : 
But  the  stars  are  shining  high  over  all  : 
And  the  Bar  extends  like  a  pitchy  wall 

In  the  West,  where  the  storm  is  hasting. 

The  long  loud  roar,  it  deepens  amain  ; 

And  down  from  the  Helm  along  valley  and  plain 

Goes  the  wind  with  invisible  hosts  in  its  train. 

And  they  mount  the  black  Bar-cloud  appalling ; 
And  they  heave  it  and  row  it,  those  mariners  dread, 
For  days,  till  it  anchors  on  Fiends'-Fell  head  : 
Then  the  big  drops  pour  from  the  skies  o'er  spread, 

And  the  torrents  to  torrents  are  calling. 


203 


NOTES  TO  "THE  ALTAR  ON  CROSS-FELL." 

The  Editor  of  Camden  (Bishop  Gibson),  speaking  of  huge 
stones  found  together  on  the  top  of  steep  and  high  moun- 
tains, thought  they  might  possibly  be  the  ruins  of  Churches 
or  Chapels  which  had  been  built  there.  "  For,"  says 
he,  "it  was  thought  an  extraordinary  piece  of  devotion,  upon 
the  planting  of  Christianity  in  these  parts,  to  erect  crosses, 
and  build  chapels  on  the  most  eminent  places,  as  being  both 
nearer  heaven  and  more  conspicuous  :  they  were  commonly 
dedicated  to  St.  Michael.  That  large  tract  of  mountains  on 
the  east  side  of  the  county  (of  Cumberland),  called  Cross- 
Fells,  had  the  name  given  them  upon  that  account ;  for  before, 
they  were  called  Fiends'-Fell,  or  Devil's  Fell ;  and  Dilston,  a 
small  town  under  them,  is  contracted  from  Devil's-town." 

Among  the  several  monuments  on  the  pavement  in  the 
cross-aisle  in  Hexham  Cathedral,  is  one  ornamented  with  a 
crosier,  and  inscribed,  "  Hie  Jacet  Thomas  de  Devilston." 

The  mountain,  Cross-Fell,  which  is  remarkable  for  the 
phenomenon  of  the  Helm-Cloud  upon  its  summit,  and  the 
Helm-wind,  as  it  is  called,  generated  within  it,  which  is 
sometimes  productive  of  such  destructive  effects  in  the  valleys 
below,  is  said  to  have  been  formerly  designated  Fiends'-Fell, 
from  the  common  belief  that  evil  spirits  had  their  haunt  upon 
it  ;  until  St.  Augustine,  to  whom  and  his  forty  followers, 
when  travelling  on  their  missionary  labours  in  these  parts,  a 
legendary  tradition  ascribes  the  expulsion  of  the  demons  of 
the  storms,  erected  a  Cross,  and  built  an  altar  on  the  summit, 
where  he  offered  the  holy  eucharist,  and  thus  was  supposed  to 
have  counter-channed  the  demons.  Since  that  time  it  has 
borne  the  name  of  Cross-Fell ;  and  the  people  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood style  a  heap  of  stones  lying  there,  the  Altar  upon 
Cross-Fell. 


204  Notes  to 


The  common  saying,  "  Its  brewing  a  storm,"  or  "A  storm 
is  brewing,"  is  one  of  the  many  phrases  in  which  we  only  re- 
peat the  thought  of  our  primeval  Scandinavian  ancestors  ; 
amongst  whom  the  beverage  quaffed  in  the  halls  of  Valhalla, 
the  drink  of  the  Gods,  was  conceived  to  be  a  product  of  the 
storm,  and  had  more  or  less  identity  with  the  Cloud-Water. 
In  Germany,  the  mists  that  gather  about  the  mountain  tops 
before  a  storm  are  said  to  be  accounted  for  in  like  manner,  as 
if  they  were  steam  from  the  brewing  or  boiling  in  which 
dwarfs,  elves,  or  witches  were  engaged.  Such  modes  of  ex- 
pression, according  to  the  dictionary  of  the  brothers  Grimm, 
are  of  extreme  antiquity. 

Some  such  ideas  seem  to  have  been  popvilarly  associated 
with  that  enormous  cloud,  which  is  often  seen,  like  a  helmet, 
to  cover  the  summit  of  Cross-Fell,  and  in  which  the  Helm- 
Wind  is  generated. 

In  speaking  of  the  Helm-Wind,  it  may  be  necessary  to  pre- 
mise that  Cross-Fell  is  one  continued  ridge,  stretching  without 
any  branches,  or  even  subject  mountains,  except  two  or  three 
conical  hills  called  Pikes,  from  the  N.N.W.  to  the  S.S.E., 
from  the  neighbourhood  of  Gilsland  almost  to  Kirkby- Stephen, 
that  is  about  forty  miles.  Its  direction  is  nearly  in  a  right 
line,  and  the  height  of  its  different  parts  not  very  unequal  ; 
but  is  in  general  such,  that  some  of  its  more  eminent  parts  are 
exceeded  in  altitude  by  few  hills  in  Britain,  being  2901  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  slope  to  the  summit  from  the 
east  is  gradual,  and  extends  over  perhaps  fifty  miles  of  country; 
whilst  on  the  west  it  is  abrupt,  and  has  at  five  miles  from  its 
base  the  river  Eden  running  parallel  to  the  mountain. 

Upon  the  upper  part  of  this  lofty  ridge,  there  often  rests,  in 
dry  and  sunny  weather,  a  prodigious  wreath  of  clouds,  extend- 
ing from  three  or  four  to  sixteen  or  eighteen  miles  each  way, 
north  and  south,  from  the  highest  point ;  it  is  at  times  above 
the  mountain,  sometimes  it  rests  upon  its  top,  but  most  fre- 
quently descends  a  considerable  way  down  its  side.  This 
mighty  collection  of  vapour,  from  which  so  much  commotion 
issues,  exhibits  an  appearance  uncommonly  grand  and  solemn  ; 
and  is  named  from  a  Saxon  word,  which  in  our  language  im- 
plies a  covering,  the  Helm.  The  western  front  of  this 
enormous  cloud  is  clearly  defined,  and  quite  separated  from 
any  other  cloud  on  that  side.  Opposite  to  this,  and  at  a  vari- 
able distance  towards  the  west,  and  at  the  same  elevation,  is 
another  cloud  with  its  eastern  edge  as  clearly  defined  as  the 
Helm ;  this  is  called  the  Bar  or  Bur.     It  is  said  to  have  the 


The  Altar-  on  Cross- Fell.         205 


appearance  of  being  in  continual  motion,  as  if  boiling,  or  at 
least  agitated  by  a  violent  wind. 

The  distance  between  the  Helm  and  the  Bar  varies  as  the 
Bar  advances  towards,  or  recedes  from,  the  Helm;  this  is  some- 
times not  more  than  half  a  mile,  some'imes  three  or  four  miles, 
and  occasionally  the  Bar  seems  to  coincide  with  the  western 
horizon  ;  or  it  disperses  and  there  is  no  Bar,  and  then  there  is 
a  general  east  wind  extending  over  all  the  country  westward. 

The  description  of  this  remarkable  phenomenon,  the  Helm- 
Wind,  we  will  give  from  observations  made  by  the  Rev.  John 
Watson,  of  Cumrew,  and  others.  The  places  most  subject  to 
it  are  Milburn,  Kirkland,  Ousby,  Melmerby,  and  Gamblesby. 
Sometimes  when  the  atmosphere  is  quite  settled,  hardly  a 
cloud  to  be  seen,  and  not  a  breath  of  wind  stirring,  a  small 
cloud  appears  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  and  extends 
itself  to  the  north  and  south  ;  the  Helm  is  then  said  to  be  on, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  the  wind  is  blowing  so  violently  as  to 
break  down  trees,  overthrow  stacks,  occasionally  blow  a  per- 
son from  his  horse,  or  overturn  a  horse  and  cart.  When  the 
wind  blows,  the  Helm  seems  violently  agitated  ;  and  on 
descending  the  fell  and  entering  it,  there  is  not  much  wind. 
Sometimes  a  helm  forms  and  goes  off  without  a  wind  ;  and 
there  are  easterly  winds  without  a  Helm.  The  open  space 
between  the  Helm  and  Bar  varies  from  eight  or  ten  to  thirty 
or  forty  miles  in  length,  and  from  half  a  mile  to  four  or  six 
miles  in  breadth  ;  it  is  of  an  elliptical  form,  as  the  Helm  and 
Bar  are  united  at  the  ends.  A  representation  of  the  Helm, 
Bar,  and  space  between,  may  be  made  by  opening  the  fore- 
finger and  thumb  of  each  hand,  and  placing  their  tips  to  each 
other  ;  the  thumbs  will  then  represent  the  Helm  on  the  top  of 
the  fell,  the  forefingers  the  Bar,  and  the  space  between,  the 
variable  limits  of  the  wind. 

The  open  space  is  clear  of  clouds  with  the  exception  of 
small  pieces  breaking  off  now  and  then  from  the  Helm,  and 
either  disappearing  or  being  driven  rapidly  over  the  Bar  ;  but 
through  this  open  space  is  often  seen  a  high  stratum  of  clouds 
quite  at  rest.  Within  the  space  described  the  wind  blows 
continually  ;  it  has  been  known  to  do  so  for  nine  days  to- 
gether, the  Bar  advancing  or  receding  to  different  distances. 
When  heard  or  felt  for  the  first  time  it  does  not  seem  so  very 
extraordinary  ;  but  when  heard  or  felt  for  days  together,  it 
gives  a  strong  impression  of  sublimity.  Its  sound  is  peculiar, 
and  when  once  known  is  easily  distinguished  from  that  of 
ordinary  winds  ;  it  cannot  be  heard  more  than  three  or  four 


2o6  Notes  to 


miles,  but  in  the  wind  or  near  it,  it  is  grand  and  awful,  and 
has  been  compared  to  the  noise  made  by  the  sea  in  a  violent 
storm. 

Its  first  effect  on  the  spirits  is  exhilarating,  and  it  gives  a 
buoyancy  to  the  body.  The  countiy  subject  to  it  is  very 
healthy,  but  it  does  great  injury  to  vegetation  by  beating 
grain,  grass,  and  leaves  of  trees,  till  quite  black. 

It  may  further  be  remarked  of  this  wind,  that  it  is  very 
irregular,  rarely  occurring  in  the  summer  months,  and  more 
frequent  from  the  end  of  September  to  May.  It  generally 
blows  from  Cross-Fell  longest  in  the  spring,  when  the  sun  has 
somewhat  warmed  the  earth  beneath,  and  does  not  cease  till 
it  has  effectually  cooled  it  ;  thus  it  sometimes  continues, 
according  to  Mr.  Ritson,  for  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks,  which 
he  considers  a  peculiarity  of  the  Helm  wind  of  Cross-Fell. 
The  wind  itself  is  very  chill,  and  is  almost  always  terminated 
by  a  rain,  which  restores,  or  to  which  succeeds,  a  general 
warmth,  and  into  which  the  Helm  seems  to  resolve  itself 

The  best  explanation  of  this  very  interesting  and  remarkable 
phenomenon  is  given  in  the  following  observations  of  Dr.  T. 
Barnes  of  Carlisle. 

The  air  or  wind  from  the  east  ascends  the  gradual  slope  of 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Penine  chain  or  Cross-Fell  range  of 
mountains,  to  the  summit  of  Cross- Fell,  where  it  enters  the 
Helm  or  cap,  and  is  cooled  to  a  low  temperature  ;  it  then 
rushes  forcibly  down  the  abrupt  declivity  of  the  western  side  of 
the  mountain  into  the  valley  beneath,  in  consequence  of  the 
valley  being  of  a  warmer  temperature,  and  this  constitutes  the 
Helm  wind. 

The  sudden  and  violent  rushing  of  the  wind  down  the 
ravines  and  crevices  of  the  mountains  occasions  the  loud  noise 
that  is  heard. 

At  a  varying  distance  from  the  base  of  the  mountain  the 
Helm  wind  is  rarified  by  the  warmth  of  the  low  ground,  and 
meets  with  the  wind  from  the  west,  which  resists  its  further 
course.  The  higher  temperature  it  has  acquired  in  the  valley, 
and  the  meeting  of  the  contrary  current,  occasion  it  to  rebound 
and  ascend  into  the  upper  region  of  the  atmosphere.  When 
the  air  or  wind  has  reached  the  height  of  the  Helm,  it  is  again 
cooled  to  the  low  temperature  of  this  cold  region,  and  is  con- 
sequently unable  to  support  the  same  quantity  of  vapour  it 
had  in  the  valley  ;  the  water  or  moisture  contained  in  the  air, 
is  therefore  condensed  by  the  cold,  and  forms  the  cloud  called 
the  Helm-Bar. 


The  Altar  on  Cross- Fell.         207 


The  meeting  of  the  opposing  currents  beneath, — where  there 
are  frequently  strong  gusts  of  wind  from  all  quarters,  and  the 
sudden  condensation  of  the  air  and  moisture  in  the  Bar-cloud, 
give  rise  to  its  agitation  or  commotion,  as  if  "  struggling  with 
contrary  blasts.  "  The  Bar  is  therefore  not  the  cause  of  the 
limit  of  the  Helm  wind,  but  is  the  consequence  of  it  It  is 
absurd  to  suppose  that  the  Bar,  which  is  a  light  cloud,  can 
impede  or  resist  the  Helm  wind  ;  but  if  it  even  possessed  a 
sufficient  resisting  power,  it  could  have  no  influence  on  the 
wind  which  is  blowing  near  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  which 
might  pass  under  the  Bar. 

The  variable  distance  of  the  Bar  from  the  Helm  is  owing  to 
the  changing  situation  of  the  opposing  and  conflicting  currents, 
and  the  difference  of  temperature  of  different  parts  of  the  low 
ground  near  the  base  of  the  mountain. 

When  there  is  a  break  or  opening  in  the  Bar,  the  wind  is 
said  to  rush  through  with  great  violence,  and  to  extend  over 
the  country.  Here  again,  the  effect  is  mistaken  for  the 
cause.  In  this  case,  the  Helm- Wind,  which  blows  always 
from  the  east,  has,  in  some  places  underneath  the  observed 
opening,  overcome  the  resistance  of  the  air,  or  of  the  wind 
from  the  west,  and  of  course  does  not  rebound  and  ascend  into 
the  higher  regions  to  form  the  Bar.  The  supply  being  cut 
off,  a  break  or  opening  in  that  part  of  the  Bar  necessarily 
takes  place. 

When  the  temperature  of  the  lower  region  has  fallen  and 
become  nearly  uniform  with  that  of  the  mountain  range,  the 
Helm  wind  ceases  ;  the  Bar  and  the  Helm  approach  and  join 
each  other,  and  rain  not  unfrequently  follows. 

When  the  Helm- Wind  has  overcome  all  the  resistance  of 
the  lower  atmosphere,  or  of  the  opposing  current  from  the 
west,  and  the  temperature  of  the  valley  and  of  the  mountain  is 
more  nearly  equalized,  there  is  no  rebound  or  ascent  of  the 
wind,  consequently  the  Bar  ceases  to  be  formed,  the  one 
already  existing  is  dissipated,  and  a  general  east  wind 
prevails. 

There  is  little  wind  in  the  Helm-cloud,  because  the  air  is 
colder  in  it  than  in  the  valley,  and  the  moisture  which  the 
air  contains  is  more  condensed  and  is  deposited  in  the  cloud 
upon  the  summit  of  the  mountain. 

There  is  rarely  either  a  Helm,  Helm-wind,  or  Bar,  during 
the  summer,  on  account  of  the  higher  temperature  of  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Cross-Fell  range,  and  the  upper  regions  of  the 
atmosphere,  at  that  season  of  the  year. 


2o8         The  Altar  on  Cross-Fell. 


The  different  situations  of  the  Helm,  on  the  side,  on  the 
summit,  and  above  the  mountain,  will  depend  on  the 
temperature  of  these  places  :  when  the  summit  is  not  cold 
enough  to  condense  the  vapour,  the  Helm  is  situated  higher 
in  a  colder  region,  and  will  descend  down  the  side  of  the 
mountains  if  the  temperature  be  sufficiently  low  to  produce 
that  effect. 

The  sky  is  clear  between  the  Helm  and  Bar,  because  the 
air  below  is  warmer  and  can  support  a  greater  quantity  of 
vapour  rising  from  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  this  vapour 
is  driven  forward  by  the  Helm-Wind,  and  ascends  up  in  the 
rebound  to  the  Bar.  In  short,  the  Helm  is  merely  a  cloud  or 
cap  upon  the  mountain,  the  cold  air  descends  from  the 
Helm  to  the  valley,  and  constitutes  the  Helm  Wind,  and 
when  warmed  and  rarified  in  the  valley,  ascends  and  forms 
the  Bar. 


209 


WILLIE  O'  SCALES. 

Said  Willie  o'  Scales,  at  break  of  day, 
"  The  hunt's  up  !  I  must  busk  and  away  ! 
Steed,  good  wife  ?  and  saddle  ?  I  trow, 
Willie  o'  Scales  is  steed  enow." 

— Scotland's  King  is  a  hunting  gone  : 
Willie  o'  Scales,  he  runs  alone  : 
Knights  and  Nobles  many  a  score  : 
Hounds  full  twenty  tongues  and  more. 

Through  the  covert  the  deer  he  sprang  : 
Over  the  heather  the  music  rarig. 
Dogs  and  steeds  well  speeded  they  : 
But  Willie  o'  Scales,  he  show'd  the  way. 

For  speed  of  foot  had  Willie  no  peer. 
He  outstripp'd  the  horses,  dogs,  and  deer. 
He  left  the  Nobles  far  behind. 
He  pass'd  the  King  like  a  puff  of  wind. 


2  I  o  Willie  d  Scales. 

At  the  close  of  day,  with  a  greenwood  bough, 
Beside  the  deer  he  fann'd  his  brow. 
And  "  There,  my  hege  ! "  to  the  Monarch  he  said, 
"  Is  as  gallant  a  stag  as  ever  lay  dead. 

"  I  count  him  fleet,  for  a  stag  of  ten  !  " — 
— "And  I  count  thee  chief  of  my  Border  men. 
No  gallanter  heart,  I  dare  be  sworn, 
Ever  drew  the  shaft  or  wound  the  horn. 

"  No  trustier  hand  than  thine  was  found 
When  foes  to  Scotland  hemm'd  us  round. 
Now  swifter  of  foot  than  our  fleetest  deer — 
We'll  try  thy  hold  upon  land  and  gear. 

"  For  his  speed  in  sport,  for  his  might  in  fray. 
Write,  'Gill's  broad  lands'  to  'Willie,  the  Rae  !' 
And  for  ever  a  Willie  the  Rae  be  here. 
When  the  King  comes  by  to  hunt  the  deer." — 

Thus  spoke  King  William,  where  he  stood. 
The  Lion  of  Scotland,  tierce  of  mood. 
And  musing  turned,  and  look'd  again 
On  his  Border  vassal ;  and  cross'd  the  plain. 

Centuries  long  have  rolled  away  : 
The  Monarch  is  dust,  his  Nobles  clay : 
Old  lines  are  changed,  are  changing  still : 
But  Willie  the  Rae  is  lord  of  Gill. 


21  I 


NOTES  TO  "WILLIE  O'  SCALES." 

The  long  and  scattered  hamlet  of  High  and  Low  Scales, 
is  on  the  west  side  of  Cnimmock  Beck,  near  Bromfield,  and 
a  few  miles  from  Wigton  in  Cumberland.  Skells  or  scales, 
from  a  Saxon  or  Gothic  word  signifying  a  cover,  was  the 
name  given  to  those  slight  temporary  huts  made  of  turf 
or  sods  which  in  the  mountainous  district  of  this  county  and 
Scotland  are  called  Bields.  They  were  erected  most  com- 
monly for  the  shelter  of  shepherds ;  and  during  the  later  periods, 
in  the  border  wars  to  protect  the  persons  who  were  appointed 
to  watch  the  cattle  of  the  neighbourhood.  Few  estates  in 
the  kingdom  have  belonged  to  one  family  longer  than  this 
of  The  Gill,  which  was  formerly,  however,  much  more 
extensive,  comprising  most  probably  the  neighbouring  hamlet 
of  Scales.  Another  somewhat  uncommon  circumstance 
belonging  to  it  is,  that,  to  the  close  of  last  centuiy,  and 
for  anything  we  know  to  the  contrary,  to  a  much  later  date, 
the  owner  had  always  lived  on  and  occupied  it  himself;  it 
had  never  been  in  the  hands  of  a  farmer. 

The  Reays  of  Gill,  however  variously  their  name  has  been 
spelled  and  pronounced  by  different  branches  of  the  family, 
derived  it  from  one  on  whom  it  was  undoubtedly  bestowed  as 
being  characteristical  and  descriptive  of  himself  The  active 
hunter,  the  companion  and  the  friend  of  William  the  Lion, 
was  called  in  the  commoner  Saxon  language  of  his  time  Ra, 
or  Raa,  a  Roe,  from  his  unparalleled  swiftness.  In  Scot- 
land and  Germany  a  roe  is  still  pronounced  rae,  as  it  was 
formerly  in  England. 

"  When  the  deer  and  the  rae 

Lightly  bounding  together, 
Sport  the  lang  simmer  day 

On  the  braes  of  Balquhither." 


2 1 2  Notes  to 


The  tradition  is  that  the  head,  or  chief,  of  this  family  had  a 
grant  of  the  lands  of  Gill  to  him,  and  his  heirs  for  ever,  from 
William  the  Lion,  King  of  Scotland,  whose  eventful  reign 
lasted  nearly  half  a  century  ;  and  vsrho  died  in  12 14.  This 
grant  is  said  to  have  been  made,  not  only  as  a  reward  for  his 
fidelity  to  his  prince,  but  as  a  memorial  of  his  extraordinary 
swiftness  of  foot  in  pursuing  the  deer,  outstripping  in  fleetness 
most  of  the  horses  and  dogs.  The  conditions  of  the  grants 
were,  that  he  should  pay  a  pepper  corn  yearly,  as  an  ac- 
knowledgment, and  that  the  name  of  William  should,  if 
possible,  be  perpetuated  in  the  family.  "  And  this  is  certain, " 
says  a  writer  in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  about  the  year 
1794,  "That  ever  since,  till  now,  a  "  William  Reay  has  been 
owner  of  the  Gill.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the 
present  John  Reay  is  the  first  instance  of  a  deviation."  It  is 
said  that  even  in  that  instance  the  deviation  was  not  made 
without  deliberation  ;  William  the  father  having  first  con- 
sulted an  eminent  lawyer,  whether  he  might  safely  call  his 
son  John.  It  was  replied  that  mere  length  of  occupancy  would 
quiet  the  possession  and  make  the  title  good. 

The  great  military  tenure  of  lands  in  this  district  was  by 
HOMAGE,  FEALTY  and  CORN  AGE.  This  last  (comage)  drew  after 
it  wardship,  marriage,  and  relief.  And  the  service  of  this  tenure 
was  knighfs  service.  Homage  was  the  most  honourable 
service,  and  the  most  humble  service  of  reverence,  that  a  free 
tenant  can  do  to  his  lord.  For  when  he  was  to  do  homage 
to  his  lord,  he  was  to  appear  ungirt,  bareheaded,  without  his 
sword,  and,  kneeling  on  both  knees,  his  hands  held  out  and 
clasped  between  his  lord's,  was  to  say — "I  become  your  man 
from  this  day  forward  of  life,  and  limb,  and  earthly  honour,  and 
unto  you  will  be  true  and  faithful,  and  faith  unto  you  will 
bear  for  the  tenements  that  I  claim  to  hold  of  you,  saving  the 
faith  that  I  owe  to  our  Sovereign  Lord  the  King."  And  then 
the  lord  so  sitting  was  to  kiss  him  ;  by  which  kiss  he  was 
bound  to  be  his  vassal  for  ever. 

When  a  free  tenant  was  to  do  FEALTY  to  his  lord,  he  was  to 
hold  his  right  hand  upon  a  book,  and  say  thus —  ' '  Know  ye 
this,  my  lord,  that  I  will  be  faithful  and  true  to  you,  and  faith 
to  you  will  bear  for  tlie  tenements  which  I  claim  to  hold  of 
you,  and  that  I  will  lawfully  do  to  you  the  customs  and 
services  which  I  ought  to  do  at  the  terms  assigned  ;  so 
help  me  God  and  his  Saints."  But  he  was  not  to  kneel, 
nor  make  such  humble  reverence  as  in  homage  ;  and  fealty 
might  be  done  before  the  steward  of  the  court,  but  homage 
could  only  be  done  to  the  lord  himself 


Willie  0  Scales.  2  i 


CoRNAGK,  called  also  horngeld,  and  nowtegeld  or  (cow- 
tax)  seems  early  to  have  been  converted  into  a  pecuniary  fine, 
being  a  stipulated  payment  in  the  first  instance  for  the  finding 
of  scouts  or  homers  to  procure  intelligence.  It  was  first  paid 
in  cattle.  The  tenants  who  held  by  cornage  were  boimd  to 
be  always  ready  to  serve  the  King  and  lord  of  the  manOr  on 
horseback,  or  on  foot,  at  their  own  charge  ;  and  when  the 
King's  army  marched  into  Scotland,  their  post  was  in  the 
vanguard  as  they  advanced,  and  in  the  vanguard  on  their 
return.  Because  they  best  knew  the  passes  and  defiles,  and 
the  way  and  manner  of  the  enemy's  attacking  and  retreating. 
Wardship  and  maryiage  were  included  in  this  tenure.  When 
the  tenant  died,  and  the  heir  male  was  within  the  age  of 
twenty  one  years,  the  lord  was  to  have  the  land  holden  of  him 
until  the  heir  should  attain  that  age  ;  because  the  heir  by 
intendment  of  law  was  not  able  to  do  knight's  service  before 
his  age  of  twenty-one  years.  And  if  such  heir  was  not 
married  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  his  ancestor,  then  the  lord 
was  to  have  the  wardship  and  marriage  of  him.  But  if  the 
tenant  died  leaving  an  heir  female,  which  heir  female  was  of 
the  age  of  fourteen  years  or  upwards,  then  the  lord  was  not 
to  have  the  wardship  of  the  land,  nor  of  the  body  ;  because  a 
woman  of  that  age  might  have  a  husband  to  do  knight's 
service.  But  if  such  heir  female  was  under  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  and  unmarried  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  her  ancestor, 
the  lord  was  to  have  the  wardship  of  the  land  holden  of  him 
until  the  age  of  such  heir  female  of  fourteen  years ;  within 
which  time  the  lord  might  tender  unto  her  convenable 
marriage  without  disparagement  ;  and  if  the  lord  did  not 
tender  such  marriage  within  the  said  age,  she  might  have 
entered  into  the  lands,  and  ousted  the  lord. 

Thus  the  consent  of  a  superior  lord  was  requisite  for  the 
marriage  of  a  female  vassal ;  and  this  power  was  distorted 
into  the  right  of  disposing  of  the  ward  in  marriage.  When 
the  King  or  lord  was  in  want  of  money  it  was  by  no  means 
unusual  to  offer  the  wards,  male  or  female,  with  their  lands, 
in  a  sense  to  the  highest  bidder.  If  the  ward  refused  to  fulfil 
the  marriage  so  n:iade,  then  a  sum  was  due  from  the  estates 
equal  to  what  they  would  have  fetched. 

Relief  vj^s  a  certain  sum  of  money,  that  the  heir,  on  coming 
of  age,  paitl  unto  the  lord,  on  taking  possession  of  the  inherit- 
ance of  his  ancestor. 

A  Kniglifs  fee  was  estimated,  not  according  to  the  quality 
but  the  quantity  of  the  land,   about  640  acres  ;  and  the  relief 


2 1 4  Notes  to 


was  after  the  rate  of  one  fourth  part  of  the  yearly  value  of  the 
fee. 

The  loi-cfs  rent  was  called  white  money,  or  white  rent,  from 
Its  being  paid  in  silver. 

ScuTAGE  or  service  of  the  shield,  was  another  compensation 
in  money,  instead  of  personal  service  against  the  Scots. 

The  DRENGAGE  tenure,  which  prevailed  about  Brougham  and 
Clifton,  was  extremely  servile.  The  tenants  seem  to  have 
been  drudges  to  perform  the  most  laborious  and  servile  offices. 
Dr.  Burn  quotes  authority  to  prove  that  Sir  Hugh  de  Morville 
in  Westmorland  changed  drengage  into  free  service ;  and 
that  Gilbert  de  Brougham  gave  one  half  of  the  village  of 
Brougham  to  Robert  de  Veteripont  to  make  the  other  half 
free  of  drengage.  One  of  the  de  Threlkelds  also,  who 
lived  at  Yanwath  Hall,  in  the  time  of  Edward  I.,  relieved  his 
tenants  at  Threlkeld  of  servile  bui-dens  at  four  pence  a  head. 
The  services  were  half  a  draught  for  one  day's  ploughing  ;  one 
day's  mowing ;  one  of  shearing  ;  one  of  clipping  ;  one  of 
salving  sheep  ;  one  carriage  load  in  two  years,  not  to  go 
above  ten  miles  ;  to  dig  and  load  two  loads  of  peat  every  year 
— the  tenants  to  have  their  crowdy  (a  coarse  mess  of  meal, 
dripping  and  hot  water)  while  they  worked  ;  the  cottagers  the 
same,  only  they  found  a  horse  and  harrow  instead  of  the  half 
plough,  and  a  footman's  load,  not  a  carriage  load. 

Many  of  these  have  long  been  lost  sight  of ;  and  now 
most  of  the  lands,  whether  held  on  customary  or  arbitrary 
tenures,  merely  pay  an  almost  nominal  rent,  besides  certain 
fines,  to  the  lord  of  the  manor.  Nevertheless  there  is  much 
truth  in  what  Blackstone  says  :  that  "copy  holders  are  only 
villeins  improved." 

Lands  of  arbitrary  tenure  pay,  with  certain  deductions, 
fines  of  two  years  value  on  the  death  of  lord  or  tenant,  or  of 
both,  and  on  alienation.  Some  pay  dower  to  the  widow ; 
others  do  not.  Some  pay  a  live  heriot,  which  means  the  best 
animal  in  the  tenant's  possession ;  others,  a  dead  heriot, 
that  is,  the  most  valuable  implement,  or  piece  of  furniture. 
In  Catholic  times,  the  Church  also,  on  some  manors,  claimed 
as  heriot  the  second  best  animal  the  tenant  might  die 
possessed  of,  and  on  others  the  best.  In  some  instances  a 
heriot  is  only  payable  when  a  widow  remains  in  possession 
of  the  tenement,  and  in  these  cases  the  original  object  of  the 
impost  was  to  recompense  the  lord  of  the  manor  for  the  loss 
of  a  man's  mihtary  service  during  the  widow's  occupancy.  In 
some  joint  manors  where  two,  or  perhaps  three,   lords  have 


Willie  0  Scales.  2 1 5 


claims  for  heriots,  very  discreditable,  and,  to  a  dying  tenant's 
family,  very  distressing  scenes  are  enacted  ;  for,  when  it  be- 
comes kno^vn  that  the  holder  of  a  tenement  so  burdened  is  on 
his  death-bed,  the  stewards  of  the  several  manors  place 
watches  round  the  premises,  who  ascertain  what  and  where 
the  best  animal  may  be,  and,  as  soon  as  the  demise  of  the 
tenant  is  announced,  a  rush  ensues,  and  an  unseemly  contest 
for  possession. 

In  arbitrary  lands  some  lords  claim  all  the  timber  ;  others 
only  the  oak  ;  others  the  oak  and  yew  ;  others  oak  and  white 
thorn  ;  and  so  on.  In  some  the  tenant  is  bound  to  plant  two 
trees  of  the  same  kind  for  every  one  he  fells  ;  but  tenants  have 
a  right  to  timber  for  repairs,  rebuilding,  or  implements, 
though  they  must  not  cut  down  without  license.  Many  lands 
are  bound  to  carry  their  grain  to  the  manorial  mill  to  be 
ground  and  miilturcd  ;  but  this  custom  has  fallen  into  disuse. 
Most  lords  retain  the  minerals  and  game  if  they  enfranchise 
the  soil,  as  many  have  done. 

Many  lands  used  to  pay  boons  of  various  kinds  ;  and  some 
of  these  services  are  still  enforced.  By  these  were  demanded 
so  many  men  or  boys,  horses,  carts,  &c.,  in  peat  cutting 
time,  hay  time,  han'est,  wood-cutting  and  carting,  and  so  on. 
In  Martindale  Chace,  near  Ulswater,  where  Mr.  Hasell  has 
a  herd  of  that  now  rare  species,  the  Red  Deer,  the  tenants 
are  bound  to  attend  the  lord's  hunt  once  a  year,  which  is  called 
on  their  court  roll  a  Boon  Hunt.  On  this  occasion,  they  each 
held  their  district  allotted  on  the  boundaries  of  the  Chace, 
where  they  are  stationed,  to  prevent  the  stag  flying  beyond 
the  liberty.  In  the  east  of  Cumberland,  the  tenants  were 
obliged  to  send  horses  and  sacks  to  St.  Bees,  for  salt  for  the 
lord's  use  ;  some  had  to  bring  their  own  provisions  v/hen  en- 
gaged in  these  services :  some  were  entitled  to  a  cake  of  a 
stated  size  for  each  man,  and  a  smaller  for  a  boy,  on  assembling 
in  the  morning  at  a  fixed  hour,  under  a  certain  tree,  as  was 
the  custom  at  Irton  Hall.  Breach  of  punctuality  forfeited 
this  cake,  but  the  work  was  always  exacted.  Certain  farms  in 
some  manors  were  bound  to  maintain  male  animals  for  the 
use  of  all  the  tenants,  subject  to  various  conditions  and  regu- 
lations. Formerly  many  tenants  paid  a  pound  of  pepper  at 
the  lord's  court  ;  others  only  a  pepper-corn  ;  and  some  lands 
are  still  held  by  this  custom. 

Many  other  peculiar  customs  connected  with  the  tenure  of 
land  formerly  existed. 

Curious  individual  exemptions  from  certain  burthens  .ire  to 


2 1 6  Willie  0  Scales. 


be  met  with  occasionally.  In  the  parish  of  Renwick  a  copy- 
holder is  released  from  payment  of  the  prescription  in  lieu  of 
tithe,  paid  by  all  his  neighbours,  because  one  of  his  ancestors 
slew  "a  cock-a-trice."  This  monster  is  alleged  to  have  been 
nothing  more  than  a  bat  of  extraordinary  size,  which  terrified 
the  people  in  church  one  evening,  so  that  all  fled  save  the 
clerk,  who  valiantly  giving  battle,  succeeded  in  striking  it 
down  with  his  staff.  For  this  exploit,  which  is  stated  to  have 
taken  place  about  260  years  ago,  he  was  rewarded  vsdth  the 
exemption  mentioned,  which  is  still  claimed  by  his  successors. 

In  the  parish  of  Castle-Sowerby,  the  ten  principal  estates 
were  anciently  called  Red  Spears,  on  account  of  the  singular 
service  by  which  the  tenants  held  them,  viz  : — that  of  riding 
through  the  town  of  Penrith  on  Whit-Tuesday,  brandishing 
their  spears.  Those  who  held  by  this  tenure  were  of  the 
order  of  Red  Knights,  mentioned  in  our  law  books  ;  a  name 
derived  from  the  Saxon,  who  held  their  lands  by  serving  the 
lord  on  horseback.  Delient  eqidfare  cum  domino  siio  de  man- 
erio  in  tnaneriu7!i,  vel  cum  domini  itxore.  In  times  of  peace, 
it  is  presumed  they  held  the  annual  service  above  noted  as  a 
challenge  to  the  enemies  of  their  country,  or  those  who  might 
dispute  the  title  of  their  lord,  similar  to  the  parade  of  the 
Champion  of  England  at  a  coronation.  The  spears  were 
about  nine  feet  in  length,  and  till  within  the  last  century,- 
some  of  them  remained  in  the  proprietors'  houses,  where  they 
were  usually  deposited  ;  and  were  sureties  to  the  sheriff  for 
the  peaceable  behaviour  of  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  ancient  owners  of  the  Red  vSpears  estates  annually 
served  as  jurors  at  the  forest  court  held  near  Hesket,  on  St. 
Barnabas  Day,  by  which  they  were  exempted  from  all  parish 
offices. 


217 


ERMENGARDE. 


It  was  the  early  summer  time, 

When  Maidens  stint  their  praying 
To  wander  forth  at  morning's  prime, 

With  happy  hearts,  a  maying  ; 
To  wash  their  rosy  cheeks  with  dew, 

And  roam  the  meadows  over  : 
And  ask  the  winds  to  tell  them  true 

Of  some  far  distant  lover. 


Then  litde  Ermengarde,  the  while 

To  graver  thoughts  awaking, 
Look'd  sadly  on  St.  Herbert's  Isle 

As  mom  was  brightly  breaking. 
Some  tapestry  for  his  altar  wrought 

Beside  her  bed  was  lying ; 
Her  beads,  and  little  scroll  for  thought, 

No  conscious  look  descrying. 
15 


2 1 8  Ermengarde. 

And  now  when  might  the  gentle  Saint 

Be  at  his  service  bending ; 
His  earnest  life,  without  a  taint 

Of  earth  still  heavenwards  tending — 
His  silver  voice,  oft  heard  in  prayer, 

Or  in  direction  pleading — 
His  manhood's  bright  angelic  air— 

Her  thought  too  fond  were  feeding. 

In  little  Ermengarde  her  love 

With  God  the  Saint  divided. 
Unknown  even  to  herself  she  wove 

The  threads  her  passion  guided. 
And  when  she  trembled  on  her  knees 

Confessing  faith  before  him — 
Ah  !  can  this  be  but  Man  she  sees, 

So  heart  and  soul  adore  him  ! 

So  little  Ermengarde  with  pale 

And  thoughtful  cheek  sat  sighing, 
When  rode  an  Elf-man  down  the  vale 

Her  open  lattice  eyeing. 
"  Good  morrow  !  May  my  Lady's  thought, 

This  happy  May-day,  blossom ; 
And  tenfold  blessedness  be  wrought 

Within  that  gentle  bosom  !" 

"  My  tongue  no  thought  or  wish  express'd"- 
— "  Yet,  trust  me,  fairest  Lady  ! 

"  In  Bowscale  tarn,  for  thy  behest. 
The  undying  twain  are  ready. 


Ermengarde.  2 1 9 

Ask  from  their  breasts  two  tiny  scales 

Of  gold  and  pearly  whiteness. 
These  on  thy  heart — fulfiU'd  prevails 

Thy  wish  in  all  its  brightness  !" — 

The  stranger  pass'd.     Away  she  hies, 

The  mountain  pathway  keeping, 
Where  deep  amid  the  silence  lies 

The  gloomy  water  sleeping. 
"  Come,  faithful  fishes  !  give  to  me 

Two  little  scales" — she  chanted — 
That  in  my  bosom  peace  may  be, 

And  all  my  wishes  granted." — 

They  gave  her  from  their  pearly  sides 

Two  little  scales.     She  bore  them 
Down  from  the  hill  the  Tarn  that  hides, 

And  in  her  bosom  wore  them. 
The  simple  Cross  her  mother  gave 

Was  on  her  neck,  a  token 
Of  that  pure  faith  to  which  she  clave  ; 

But  lo  !  the  link  was  broken  ! 

Down  Greta's  side  with  wild  delight 

The  little  Maiden  wandered  ; 
And  on  the  Saint  before  her  sight, 

Her  inmost  sight,  she  pondered  ; 
Now  thinking — O  that  wed  with  mine 

His  holy  heart  were  moving  ! 
How  shall  we  soar  in  thoughts  divine, 

How  walk  in  pathways  loving  ! 


2  20  Ermengarde. 

It  was  a  festal  day,  and  bands 

Of  youths  and  maids  were  trooping 
With  flowers  and  offerings  in  their  hands, 

And  round  the  altar  grouping. 
And  hark  the  little  bell !  it  calls 

To  every  heart  how  sweetly  ! 
But  most  on  Ermengarde's  it  falls 

With  joy  that  brings  her  fleetly. 

But  on  the  stony  river's  brim 

A  moment's  space  delaying, 
To  gaze — before  she  look'd  on  him — 

On  her  own  features  playing 
Within  the  mirror'd  pool  below — 

Its  broken  link  dissevering. 
Her  little  Cross  fell  sinking  slow 

Beyond  her  vain  endeavouring. 

And  from  the  stream  two  fin-like  arms 

Leapt  up  and  snatch'd  her  wailing. 
And  dragg'd  her  down  with  all  her  charms 

In  anguish  unavailing. 
And  down  the  rocks  they  bore  her  fast 

With  struggles  unrelenting  : 
And  Greta's  roar  mix'd  in  the  blast 

With  Ermengarde's  lamenting. 

And  far  ado^vn  the  rushing  tide 

Was  dragg'd  and  whirled  the  Maiden  ; 

And  \vildly  mid  the  pools  she  cried 
In  accents  horror-laden. 


Ermengarde.  2  2 1 

The  streams  dash'd  on  with  furious  roar ; 

No  aid  the  rude  rocks  lent  her ; 
Wild  and  more  wild  they  gather'd  o'er 

The  loud  and  lost  lamenter. 

So  she  whom  Magic's  wiles  had  driven, 

And  her  own  heart  persuaded, 
To  tempt  a  Saint  to  turn  from  heaven, 

Fell,  snatch'd  from  life  unaided. 
Yet,  not  for  ever  lost,  she  roves 

Amid  the  winding  currents. 
And  utters  to  the  hills  and  groves 

Her  wail  above  the  torrents. 

For  yet  some  bard  shall  wander  by 

With  harp  and  song  so  holy. 
That  they  shall  wrench  the  caves  where  lie 

Her  limbs  in  anguish  lowly. 
And  free  her  for  the  blessed  light 

And  air  again  to  greet  her 
Awhile,  before  she  takes  her  flight 

To  where  the  Saint  shall  meet  her. 

Even  I,  for  little  Ermengarde, 

Would  harp  a  life -long  morrow. 
But  to  reverse  that  doom  so  hard, 

And  lead  her  back  from  sorrow  ; 
Mid  happy  thoughts  again  to  beam. 

All  joyousness  partaking  ; 
But  never  more  of  Saints  to  dream 

When  summer  morns  are  breaking. 


222 


NOTES  TO   "ERMENGARDE." 

I. — St.  Herbert's  Isle,  placed  nearly  in  the  centre  of  Der- 
went  Lake,  derives  its  name  from  a  hermit  who  lived  there  in 
the  seventh  century,  and  had  his  cell  on  this  island. 

It  contains  about  four  acres  of  ground,  is  planted  with  firs 
and  other  trees,  and  has  a  curious  octagonal  cottage  built  with 
Unhewn  stones,  and  artificially  mossed  over  and  thatched. 
This  was  erected  many  years  ago  by  the  late  Sir  Wilfred 
Lawson,  to  whose  representative  the  island  at  present  belongs. 
A  few  yards  from  its  site  are  the  ruins  of  the  hermitage  for- 
merly occupied  by  the  recluse.  These  vestiges,  being  of  stone 
and  mortar,  give  the  appearance  of  its  having  consisted  of  two 
apartments  ;  an  outer  one,  about  twenty  feet  long  and  sixteen 
feet  broad,  which  has  probably  been  his  chapel,  and  another, 
of  narrower  dimensions,  his  cell,  with  a  little  garden  adjoin- 
ing. 

The  scene  around  was  well  adapted  to  excite  the  most 
solemn  emotions,  and  was  in  unison  with  the  severity  of  his 
religious  life.  His  plot  of  ground  and  the  waters  around  him 
supplied  his  scanty  fare  ;  while  the  rocks  and  mountains  in- 
spired his  meditations  with  the  most  sublime  ideas  of  the  might 
and  majesty  of  the  Creator.  It  is  no  wonder  that  "St.  Her- 
bert, a  priest  and  confessor,  to  avoid  the  intercourse  of  man, 
and  that  nothing  might  withdraw  his  attention  from  unceasing 
meditation  and  prayer,  chose  this  island  for  his  abode." 

There  is  no  history  of  St.  Herbert's  life  and  actions  to  be 
met  with,  or  any  tradition  of  his  works  of  piety  or  miracles, 
preserved  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  country.  His  contempor- 
ary existence  with  St.  Cuthbert,  and  his  equo-temporary  death 
with  him  obtained  by  the  prayers  of  the  saint,  at  the  time  and 
in  the  manner  related  below,  according  to  the  old  legends,  is 
all  that  is  known  of  him. 

Bede,  in  his  History  of  the  Church  of  England,  writes  thus 


Ermengarde.  223 


of  the  saint: — "There  was  a  certain  priest,  revered  for  his 
uprightness  and  peifect  life  and  manners,  named  Herberte, 
who  had  a  long  time  been  in  union  with  the  man  of  God  (St. 
Cuthbert  of  Farn  Isle)  in  the  bond  of  spiritual  love  and  friend- 
ship ;  for  living  a  solitary  life  in  the  isle  of  that  great  and 
extended  lake  from  whence  proceeds  the  river  Dervvent,  he 
used  to  visit  St.  Cuthbert  every  year,  to  receive  from  his  lips 
the  doctrines  of  eternal  life.  When  this  holy  priest  heard  of 
St.  Cuthbert's  coming  to  Luguballea  (Carlisle),  he  came,  after 
his  usual  manner,  desiring  to  be  comforted  more  and  more 
with  the  hopes  of  everlasting  bliss  by  his  divine  exhortations. 
As  they  sat  together,  and  enjoyed  the  hopes  of  heaven,  among 
other  things  the  Bishop  said,  '  Remember,  brother  Herberte, 
that  whatsoever  ye  have  to  say  and  ask  of  me,  you  do  it  now, 
for  after  we  depart  hence,  we  shall  not  meet  again,  and  see 
one  another  corporeally  in  this  world,  for  I  know  well  the 
time  of  my  dissolution  is  at  hand,  and  the  laying  aside  of  this 
earthly  tabernacle  draweth  on  apace.'  When  Herberte  heard 
this,  he  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and,  with  many  sighs  and  tears, 
beseeched  him,  for  the  love  of  the  Lord,  that  he  would  not 
forsake  him,  but  to  remember  his  faithful  brother  and  associate, 
and  make  intercession  with  the  gracious  God,  that  they  might 
depart  hence  into  heaven  together,  to  behold  his  grace  and 
glory  whom  they  had  in  unity  of  spirit  served  on  earth  ;  for 
you  know  I  have  ever  studied  and  laboured  to  live  according 
to  your  pious  and  virtuous  instructions  ;  and  in  whatsoever 
I  offended  through  ignorance  or  frailty,  I  straightway  used 
my  earnest  efforts  to  amend  after  your  ghostly  counsel,  will, 
and  judgment.' — At  this  earnest  and  affectionate  request  of 
Herberte's,  the  Bishop  went  to  prayer,  presently  being  certified 
in  spirit  that  this  petition  to  heaven  would  be  granted — 'Arise,' 
said  he,  '  my  dear  brother  ;  weep  not,  but  let  your  rejoicing 
be  with  exceeding  gladness,  for  the  great  mercy  of  God  hath 
granted  to  us  our  prayer.' — The  truth  of  which  promise  and 
prophecy  was  well  proved  in  that  which  ensued  ;  for  their 
separation  was  the  last  that  befell  them  on  earth  ;  on  the  same 
day,  which  was  the  19th  day  of  March,  their  souls  departed 
from  their  bodies,  and  were  straight  in  union  in  the  beatific 
sight  and  vision — and  were  transported  hence  to  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  by  the  service  and  hands  of  angels." 

It  is  probable  that  the  hermit's  little  oratoiy,  or  chapel, 
might  be  kept  in  repair  after  his  death,  as  a  particular  venera- 
tion seems  to  have  been  paid  by  the  religious  of  after  ages  to 
this  retreat,  and  the  memory  of  the  Saint. 


2  24  Notes  to 


There  is  some  variation  in  the  account  given  by  authors  of 
the  day  of  the  Saint's  death  ;  Bede  says  the  19th  day  of  March  : 
other  authors  the  20th  day  of  May,  A.D.,  687;  and  by  a 
record  given  in  Bishop  Appleby's  Register,  it  would  appear 
that  the  13th  day  of  April  was  observed  as  the  solemn 
anniversary. 

But,  however,  in  the  year  1374,  at  the  distance  of  almost 
seven  centuries,  we  find  this  place  resorted  to  in  holy  services 
and  procession,  and  the  hermit's  memory  celebrated  in 
religious  offices.  The  Vicar  of  Crosthwaite  went  to  celebrate 
mass  in  his  chapel  on  the  island,  on  the  day  above  mentioned, 
to  the  joint  honour  of  St.  Herbert  and  St.  Cuthbert ;  to  every 
attendant  at  which  forty  days'  indulgence  was  granted  as  a 
reward  for  his  devotion.  ' '  What  a  happy  holiday  must  that 
have  been  for  all  these  vales,"  says  Southey ;  "and  how 
joyous  on  a  fine  spring  day  must  the  lake  have  appeared,  with 
the  boats  and  banners  from  every  chapelry  ;  and  how  must 
the  chapel  have  adorned  that  little  isle,  giving  a  human  and 
religious  character  to  ihe  solitude  ! " 

In  the  little  church  of  St.  John's  in  the  Vale,  which  is  one 
of  the  dependent  chapelries  of  the  church  of  Crosthwaite,  is 
an  old  seat,  with  the  date  lOOl  carved  on  the  back  of  it,  to 
which  tradition  assigns,  that  it  was  formerly  in  St.  Herbert's 
Chapel,  on  the  island  in  Derwent  Lake. 

These  figures  correspond  with  those  on  the  bell  in  the  Town 
Hall  at  Keswick,  said  to  have  been  brought  from  Lord's 
Island. 

II. — Bowscale  Tarn  is  a  small  mountain  lake,  lying  to  the 
north-east  of  Blencathra.  It  is  supposed  by  the  country 
people  in  the  neighbourhood,  with  whom  it  has  long  been  a 
tradition,  to  contain  two  immortal  fish  ;  the  same  which  held 
familiar  intercourse  with,  and  long  did  the  bidding  of,  the 
Shepherd  Lord  when  he  studied  the  stars  upon  these  moun- 
tains, and  gathered  that  more  mysterious  knowledge,  ^^•hich, 
matured  in  the  solitude  of  Barden  Tower,  has  till  this  day 
associated  his  name  with  something  of  supernatural  interest  in 
this  district,  where  he  so  long  resided.* 

From  some  lines  of  Martial  (lib.  iv.  30)  it  appears  that  there 
were  some  fishes  in  a  lake  at  Baiiv  in  Campania  consecrated 
to  Domitian,  and  like  the  undying  ones  of  Bowscale  Tarn, 
they  knew  their  master  : — 

"*  Vide  Notes  to  Sir  Lancelot  Tlirflkeld.  for  a  notice  of  Lord  Clifford 
the  Shepherd. 


Erniengarde.  225 


"  Sacris  piscibus  hse  natantur  undiE, 

Qui  nonmt  dominum,  manumque  lambunt  ; 

et  ad  magistri 

\'ocem  quisquis  sui  venet  citatus." 

III. — It  has  been  stated  with  reference  to  the  river  Greta, 
that  its  channel  was  formerly  remarkable  for  the  immense 
stones  it  contained  ;  and  that  by  their  concussion  in  high 
floods  were  caused  those  loud  and  mournful  noises  which  not 
inappropriately  have  gained  for  it  the  characteristic  title  of 
"  Mourner. "  Mr.  Southey  has  given  the  following  description 
of  it  in  his  "Colloquies"  ; — "Our  Cumberland  river  Greta 
has  a  shorter  course  than  even  its  Yorkshire  namesake.  St. 
John's  Beck  and  the  Glenderamakin  take  this  name  at  their 
confluence,  close  by  the  bridge  three  miles  east  of  Keswick  on 
the  Penrith  road.  The  former  issues  from  Leathes  Water,  in 
a  beautiful  sylvan  spot,  and  proceeds  by  a  not  less  beautiful 
course  for  some  five  miles  through  the  vale  from  which  it  is 
called,  to  the  place  of  junction.  The  latter  receiving  the  stream 
from  Bowscale  and  Threlkeld  Tarns,  brings  with  it  the  waters 
from  the  south  side  of  Blencathra.  The  Greta  then  flows 
toward  Keswick  ;  receives  first  the  small  stream  from  Nath- 
dale  ;  next  the  Glenderaterra,  which  brings  dowTi  the  western 
waters  of  Blencathra  and  those  from  Skiddaw  Forest,  and 
making  a  wide  sweep  behind  the  town,  joins  the  Derwent 
under  Derwent  Hill,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  town, 
and  perhaps  half  that  distance  from  the  place  where  that  river 
flows  out  of  the  lake,  but  when  swollen  above  its  banks,  it 
takes  a  shorter  line,  and  enters  Derwent  Water. 

"  The  Yorkshire  stream  was  a  favourite  resort  of  Mason's, 
and  has  been  celebrated  by  Sir  Walter  Scott.  Nothing  can 
be  more  picturesque,  nothing  more  beautiful,  than  its  course 
through  the  grounds  at  Rokeby,  and  its  junction  with  the 
Tees ; — and  there  is  a  satisfaction  in  knowing  that  the  possessor 
of  that  beautiful  place  fully  appreciates  and  feels  its  beauties, 
and  is  worthy  to  possess  it.  Our  Greta  is  of  a  different 
character,  and  less  known  ;  no  poet  has  brought  it  into  notice, 
and  the  greater  number  of  tourists  seldom  allow  themselves 
time  for  seeing  anything  out  of  the  beaten  track.  Yet  the 
scenery  upon  this  river,  where  it  passes  under  the  sunny  side 
of  Latrigg,  is  of  the  finest  and  most  rememberable  kind  : 

— Ambiguo  lapsu,  refluitque  fluitque, 
Occurrensque  sibi  venturas  aspicit  undas. 

There   is   no    English   stream   to   which   this   truly   Ovidian 


226  Ermengarde. 


description  can  more  accurately  be  applied.  From  a  jutting 
isthmus,  round  which  the  tortuous  river  twists,  you  look  over 
its  manifold  windings,  up  the  water  to  Blencathra ;  down  it, 
over  a  high  and  wooded  middle  ground,  to  the  distant  moun- 
tains of  Newlands,  Cawsey  Pike,  and  Grizedale." 


227 


GU  N  I  L  D  A; 

OR,    THE    WOEFUL    CHASE. 

A  joyful  train  left  Lucy's  halls 
At  morning,  cheer'd  with  bugle  calls. 
That  long  ere  eve,  a  mournful  train. 
Returned  to  Lucy's  halls  again. 

They  went  with  hound  and  spear  and  bow, 
To  lay  the  prowling  wild-wolf  low. 
They  came  with  hound  and  bow  and  spear — 
And  one  fair  daughter  on  her  bier. 

Her  prancing  palfrey  starting  wide. 
She  gallop'd  from  Lord  Lucy's  side, 
A  shining  huntress,  gay,  and  bold. 
And  fair  as  Dian's  self  of  old. 

The  quarry  cross'd  her  lover's  view  ; 
He  led  the  chace  with  shrill  halloo. 
Through  brake  and  furze,  by  stream  and  dell, 
Nor  stopp'd  until  the  quarry  fell. 


2  28  Gunilda. 

Far  off  aloud  rang  out  his  horn 
The  triumph  on  the  echoes  borne, 
Long  ere  the  listening  maid  drew  rein 
To  woo  it  to  her  ear  in  vain. 

Bright  as  a  phantom,  far  astray, 
She  stood  where  broad  before  her  lay 
Wilton's  high  wastes  and  forest  rude, 
And  all  the  Copeland  solitude. 

Far  off,  and  farther,  rang  the  horn  : 
Farther  the  echoes  seem'd  to  mourn. 
"  Now,  my  good  Bay,  thy  frolic  o'er, 
Thy  swiftest  and  thy  best  once  more  !" 

By  Hole  of  Haile  she  turned  her  steed  : 
Coursed  gaily  on  by  Yeorton  Mead  ; 
Glanced  where  St.  Bridget's  hamlet  show'd ; 
And  down  into  the  coppice  rode. 

And  singing  on  in  gladness  there. 
She  pass'd  beside  the  she-wolfs  lair ; 
When  furious  from  her  startled  young 
The  wild  brute  on  Gunilda  sprung. 

From  frighted  steed  dragg'd  low  to  ground, 
The  she-wolf,  with  her  cubs  around, 
Made  havoc  of  that  peerless  form, 
And  heart  with  bounding  life  so  warm. 


Gunilda.  229 

Clearer  rang  out  their  horn,  to  cheer 
Their  lost  one  ;  and  proclaim'd  them  near. 
Proudly  they  said — "  Gunilda's  eyes 
Will  brighten  when  she  sees  our  prize  !" — 

They  found  her ;  but  their  words  were  "  Woe  ! 
"  Woe  to  the  bank  where  thou  liest  low  ! 
Woe  to  the  hunting  of  this  day, 
That  left  thy  limbs  to  beasts,  a  prey  !" 

With  downcast  faces,  eyeballs  dim, 
They  bore  her  up  that  mount — to  him 
A  Mount  of  Sorrow  evermore, 
Too  faithful  to  the  name  it  bore. 

They  made  in  Bega's  aisle  her  tomb, 
And  laid  her  in  the  convent  gloom  ; 
And  carved  her  ^^gy  in  stone. 
And  hew'd  the  she-wolf's  form  thereon — 

In  pity  to  this  hour  to  wake 
The  pilgrim's  sorrow  for  her  sake, 
And  his  who  blew  the  lively  horn, 
Expecting  her — and  came  to  mourn. 


2W 


NOTES   TO    "GUNILDA;    OR,    THE   WOEFUL 
CHASE." 


A  traditional  story  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Egremont 
relates  the  circumstance  of  a  lady  ot  the  Lucy  family  being 
devoured  by  a  wolf.  According  to  one  version  this  catastrophe 
occurred  on  an  evening  walk  near  the  Castle  ;  whilst,  a  more 
popular  rendering  of  the  legend  ascribes  it  to  an  occasion  on 
which  the  lord  of  the  manor,  with  his  lady  and  servants,  were 
hunting  in  the  forest ;  when  the  lady  having  been  lost  in  the 
ardour  of  the  chase,  was  after  a  long  search  and  heart-rending 
suspense,  found  lying  on  a  bank  slain  by  a  wolf  which  was  in 
the  act  of  tearing  her  to  pieces.  The  place  is  distinguished  by 
a  mound  of  earth,  near  the  village  of  Beckermet,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ehen,  about  a  mile  below  Egremont.  The  name  of 
Woto  Bank,  or  Wodow  Bank  as  the  modem  mansion  erected 
near  the  spot  is  called,  is  said  to  be  derived  by  traditionary 
etymology,  from  the  expression  to  which  in  the  first  transports 
of  his  grief  the  distracted  husband  gave  utterance — ' '  Woe  to 
this  bank." 

Hutchinson  is  inclined  to  believe  "  that  this  place  has  been 
witness  to  many  bloody  conflicts,  as  appears  by  the  monuments 
scattered  on  all  hands  in  its  neighbourhood  ;  and  by  some  the 
story  is  supposed  to  be  no  more  than  an  emblematic  allusion 
to  such  conflicts  during  the  invasion  of  the  Danes.  It  is 
asserted  that  no  such  relation  is  to  be  found  in  the  history  of 
the  Lucy  family  ;  so  that  it  must  be  fabulous,  or  figurative  of 
some  other  event." 

There  are,  however,  yet  to  be  seen  in  the  burial  ground 
attached  to  the  Abbey  Church  of  St.  Bees,  the  remaining 
parts  of  two  monumental  figures  which  may  reasonably  be 
presumed  to  have  reference  to  some  such  event  as  that  recorded 
by  tradition.       The  fragments,  which  are  much  mutilated,  are 


Gu7iilda.  231 


of  stone  ;  and  the  sculpture  appears  to  be  of  great  antiquity. 
Common  report  has  assigned  to  these  remains  the  names  of 
Lord  and  Lady  Lucy. 

In  their  original  state,  the  figures  were  of  gigantic  size. 
The  features  and  legs  are  now  destroyed.  The  Lord  is 
represented  with  his  sword  sheathed.  There  is  a  shield  on 
his  arm,  which  appears  to  have  been  quartered,  but  the 
bearings  upon  it  are  entirely  defaced.  On  the  breast  of  the 
Lady  is  an  unshapely  protuberance.  This  was  originally  the 
roughly  sculptured  limb  of  a  wolf,  which  even  so  lately  as  the 
year  1806,  might  be  distinctly  ascertained.  These  figures 
were  formerly  placed  in  an  horizontal  position,  at  the  top  of 
two  raised  altar  tombs  within  the  church.  The  tomb  of  the 
Lady  was  at  the  foot  of  her  Lord,  and  a  wolf  was  represented 
as  standing  over  it.  The  protuberance  above  mentioned,  on 
the  breast  of  the  Lady,  the  paw  of  the  wolf,  is  all  that  now 
remains  of  the  animal.  About  a  century  since,  the  figure  of  the 
wolf  wanted  but  one  leg,  as  many  of  the  inhabitants,  whose 
immediate  ancestors  remembered  it  nearly  entire,  can  testify. 
The  horizontal  position  of  the  figures  rendered  them  peculiarly 
liable  to  injuries,  from  the  silent  and  irresistible  ravages  of 
time.  Their  present  state  is,  however,  principally  to  be 
attributed  to  the  falling  in  of  the  outer  walls  of  the  priory,  and 
more  particularly  to  their  having  been  used,  many  years  since, 
by  the  boys  of  the  Free  Grammar  School,  as  a  mark  to  fire 
at.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  limb  of  the  wolf  has 
reference  to  the  story  of  one  of  the  Ladies  Lucy  related  above. 

It  may  not  however  be  unworthy  of  remark,  that  the  Lucies 
were  connected,  through  the  family  of  Meschines,  with  Hugh 
d'  Abrincis,  Earl  of  Chester,  who  in  the  year  1070  is  said  to 
have  borne  azure  a  wolf's  head  erased  argent,  and  who  had 
the  surname  of  Lupus. 

The  wife  of  Hugh  Lupus  was  sister  to  Ranulph  de  Mes- 
chin. 

The  family  of  Meschines  has  been  said  to  be  descended  from 
that  at  Rome  called  by  the  name  Msecenas,  from  which  the 
former  one  is  corrupted.  "Certainly,"  says  a  recent  writer, 
"it  has  proved  itself  the  Maecenas  of  the  Priory  of  St.  Bees, 
not  merely  in  the  foundation  of  that  religious  house,  but  also 
in  the  charters  for  a  long  course  of  years,  which  have  been 
granted  by  persons  of  different  names,  indeed,  but  descended 
from,  or  connected  with,  the  same  beneficent  stock."  This  is 
shown  in  the  following  extract  from  a  MS.  in  the  Harleian 
Collection  : — 


232  Notes  to 


"Be  yt  notid  that  Wyllyam  Myschen  son  of  Ranolf  Lord 
of  Egermond  founded  the  monastery  of  Saint  Beysse  of  blake 
monks,  and  heyres  to  the  said  Meschjai  ys  the  Lords  Fitzwal, 
the  Lord  Haryngton,  and  the  Lord  Lucy,  and  so  restyth 
founders  of  the  said  monastery  therle  of  Sussex  the  Lord 
Marques  Dorset,  therle  of  Northumberland  as  heyres  to  the 
Lords  aforesaid. " 

The  rehgious  house  thus  restored,  consisting  of  a  prior  and 
six  Benedictine  monks,  was  made  a  cell  to  the  mitred  Abbey 
of  Saint  Mary,  at  York.  And  under  this  cell,  Bishop  Tanner 
says,  there  was  a  small  nunnery  situated  at  Eottington,  about 
a  mile  from  .St.  Bees. 

At  the  dissolution,  the  annual  revenues  of  this  priory, 
according  to  Dugdale,  were  ^143  17^'.  2d.  ;  or,  by  Speed's 
valuation,  ;^I49  19J.  (id.  ;  from  which  it  appears  there  were 
only  two  religious  houses  in  the  county  more  amply  endowed, 
viz.  the  priory  of  Holme-Cultram,  and  the  Priory  of  St.  Mary, 
Carlisle  ;  which  latter  was  constituted  a  cathedral  church  at 
the  Reformation. 

The  conventual  church  of  St.  Bees  is  in  the  usual  form  of  a 
cross,  and  consists  of  a  nave  with  aisles,  a  choir,  and  transepts, 
with  a  massive  tower,  at  the  intersection,  which  until  lately 
terminated  in  an  embattled  parapet.  This  part  of  the  buildmg 
is  now  disfigm-ed  by  an  addition  to  enable  it  to  carry  some 
more  bells.  The  rest  of  the  edifice  is  in  the  early  English 
style,  and  has  been  thoroughly  restored  with  great  taste  and 
feeling.  On  the  south  side  of  the  nave  there  was  formerly  a 
recumbent  wooden  figure,  in  mail  armour,  supposed  to  have 
been  the  effigy  of  Anthony,  the  last  Lord  Lucy  of  Egremont, 
who  died  A.  D.  1368.  The  Lady  Chapel,  which  had  been  a 
roofless  ruin  for  two  centuries,  was  fitted  up  as  a  lecture-room 
for  the  College  established  by  Bishop  Law  in  18 17. 

The  priors  of  this  religious  house  ranked  as  barons  of  the 
Isle  of  Man  ;  as  the  Abbot  of  the  superior  house,  St.  Mary's, 
at  York,  was  entitled  to  a  seat  amongst  the  parUamentary 
barons  of  England.  As  such  he  was  obliged  to  give  his 
attendance  upon  the  kings  and  lords  of  Man,  whensoever  they 
required  it,  or  at  least,  upon  every  new  succession  in  the 
government.  The  neglect  of  this  important  privilege  would 
probably  involve  the  loss  of  the  tithes  and  lands  in  that  island, 
which  the  devotion  of  the  kings  had  conferred  upon  the  priory 
of  St.  Bees. 

In  the  library  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  Carlisle  is  the 
following  curious  account  of  the  discovery  of  a  giant  at  St. 
Bees  : — 


Gunilda.  23; 


"A  true  report  of  Hugh  Hodson,  of  Thomeway,  in  Cum- 
berland, to  Si"  Rob  Cewell  (qy.  Sewell)  of  a  Gyant  found  at 
S.  Bees,  in  Cumb'land,  1601,  before  Xt  mas. 

"  The  said  Gyant  was  buried  4  yards  deep  in  the  ground, 
wch  is  now  a  com  feild. 

' '  He  was  4  yards  and  an  half  long,  and  was  in  complete 
armour  :  his  sword  and  battle-axe  lying  by  him. 

"  His  sword  was  two  spans  broad  and  more  than  2  yards 
long. 

"  The  head  of  his  battle  axe  a  yard  long,  and  the  shaft  of  it 
all  of  iron,  as  thick  as  a  man's  thigh,  and  more  than  2  yards 
long. 

"  His  teeth  were  6  inches  long,  and  2  inches  broad ;  his 
forehead  was  more  than  2  spans  and  a  half  broad. 

"  His  chine  bone  could  containe  3  pecks  of  oatmeale. 

"  His  armour,  sword,  and  battle-axe,  are  at  Mr.  Sand's  of 
Redington,  (Rottington)  and  at  Mr.  Wyber's,  at  St.  Bees." — 

Machel  MSS.  Vol.  vi. 


16 


234 


THE  SHIELD  OF  FLANDRENSIS. 


The  Knight  sat  lone  in  Old  Rydal  Hall, 
Of  the  line  of  Flandrensis  burly  and  tall. 
His  book  lay  open  upon  the  board  : 
His  elbow  rested  on  his  good  sword : 
His  knightly  sires  and  many  a  dame 
Look'd  on  him  from  panel  and  dusky  frame. 
High  over  the  hearth  was  their  ancient  shield, 
An  argent  fret  on  a  blood-red  field — 
"Peace,  Plenty,  Wisdom." — "Peace?"  he  said: 
"  Peace  there  is  none  for  living  or  dead." 


The  Autumnal  day  had  died  away : 
The  reapers  deep  in  their  slumbers  lay: 
The  harvest  moon  through  the  blazoned  panes 
From  Scandale  Brow  poured  in  the  stains  : 
His  household  train,  and  his  folk  at  rest, 
And  most  the  child  that  he  loved  best : 


The  Shield  of  Flandrensis.      235 

His  startled  ear  caught  up  the  swell 

Of  distant  sounds  he  knew  too  well. 

By  his  golden  lamp  to  the  shield  he  said, 

*'  Peace?   Peace  there  is  none  for  living  or  dead." 


The  Knight  he  came  of  high  degree, 

None  better  or  braver  in  arms  than  he  : 

Worthy  of  old  Flandrensis'  fame. 

Whose  soul  not  battle  nor  broil  could  tame. 

That  neighing  and  trampling  of  horses  late, 

That  hubbub  of  voices  round  his  gate, 

That  sound  of  hurry  along  the  floors. 

That  dirge -like  wail  through  distant  doors, 

Tempestuous  in  the  calm,  he  heard  : 

And  he  looked  on  the  shield,  nor  spoke,  nor  stirr'd. 


From  inmost  chambers  far  remote 
Responsive  flow'd  one  dirge -like  note  : 
Loud  through  the  arches  deep  and  wide 
One  little  voice  did  sweetly  glide  ; 
Its  sad  accords  along  the  gloom 
Swelled  on  towards  that  lordly  room — 
"  We  wait  not  long,  our  watch  we  keep, 
We  all  are  singing,  and  none  may  sleep  : 
When  stone  on  stone  nor  roof  remain. 
The  unresting  shall  have  rest  again." 


236        The  Shield  of  Flandrensis. 

The  Knight  turned  Ustening  to  the  door. 

His  Httle  maid  came  up  the  floor. 

Her  nightly  robe  of  purest  white 

Gleamed  purer  in  the  taded  light. 

The  blazoned  moonbeams  slowly  swept 

The  spaces  round,  as  on  she  stept. 

And  lo  !  in  his  armour  from  head  to  toe, 

With  his  beard  of  a  hundred  winters'  snow, 

Stood  old  Flandrensis  burly  and  tall, 

With  his  breast  to  the  shield,  and  his  back  to  the  wall. 


The  six  score  winters  in  his  eyes 

Unfroze,  as  on  through  the  blazoned  dyes. 

Sable,  and  azure,  and  gules,  she  came. 

Through  his  heaving  beard  low  fluttered  her  name. 

But  slowly  and  solemnly,  leading  or  led 

By  phantoms  chanting  for  living  or  dead, 

Pass'd  on  the  little  voice  so  sweet — 

"We  all  are  singing:  we  all  must  meet" — 

And  into  the  gloom  like  a  fading  ray : 

And  the  form  of  Flandrensis  vanished  away. 


The  Knight,  alone,  in  his  ancient  hold, 
Sat  still  as  a  stone :  his  blood  ran  cold. 
For  his  little  maiden  was  his  delight. 
Then  forth  he  strode  in  the  face  of  the  night. 
His  dogs  were  in  kennel,  his  steeds  in  stall : 
His  deer  were  lying  about  his  hall : 


The  Shield  of  Flandrensis.       237 

His  swans  beneath  the  Lord's  Oak  Tree : 
The  silvery  Rotha  was  flomng  free. 
He  set  his  brow  towards  Scandale  hill: 
The  vale  was  breathing,  but  all  was  still. 


He  thought  of  the  spirits  the  snow -winds  rouse, 
The  Piping  Spirits  of  Sweden  Hows, 
That  wail  to  the  Rydal  Chiefs  their  fate — 
That  pipe  as  they  whirl  around  lattice  and  gate, 
With  their  grey  gaunt  misty  forms  :  but  now, 
There  was  not  a  stir  in  the  lightest  bough  : 
The  winds  in  the  mountain  gorge  were  laid ; 
No  sound  through  all  the  moonlight  stray'd. 
He  turned  again  to  his  ancient  Keep : 
There  all  was  silence,  and  calm,  and  sleep. 


But  all  grew  changed  in  the  gloomy  pile. 

His  little  maiden  lost  her  smile. 

The  menials  fled :  that  knightly  race 

Was  left  alone  in  its  ancient  place : 

The  pride  of  its  line  of  warriors  quailed — 

Those  sworded  knights  once  peerless  hailed : 

To  the  earth  broke  down  from  its  hold  their  shield. 

With  its  argent  fret  and  its  blood-red  field : 

And  they  fled  from  the  might  of  the  powers  that 

strode 
In  the  darkness  through  their  old  abode. 


238        The  Shield  of  Flandrensis. 

And  Sir  Michael  brooded  an  autumn  day, 

As  he  looked  on  the  slope  at  his  child  at  play, 

On  the  green  by  the  sounding  water's  fall : 

And  often  those  words  did  he  recall — 

"  We  wait  not  long,  our  watch  we  keep; 

We  all  are  singing,  and  none  may  sleep. 

When  stone  on  stone  nor  roof  remain. 

The  unresting  shall  have  rest  again." 

And  the  Knight  ordained,  as  he  brooded  alone- 

" There  shall  not  be  left  of  it  roof  or  stone." 


And  Sir  Michael  said — "  I  will  build  my  hall 
On  the  green  by  the  sounding  waterfall : 
And  an  arbour  cool  at  its  foot,  beside. 
And  I'll  bury  my  shield  in  the  crystal  tide, 
To  cleanse  it  from  blood  perchance,  that  so 
Peace,  Plenty,  and  Wisdom  again  may  flow 
Round  old  Flandrensis'  honours  and  name." — 
And  the  pile  arose  :  and  the  sun's  bright  flame 
Was  pleasant  around  it :  and  morn  and  even 
It  lay  in  the  light  and  the  hues  of  heaven. 


And  Sir  Michael  sat  in  the  arbour  cool. 
Where  the  waters  leapt  in  the  crystal  pool ; 
Saying — "  Gone  is  yon  keep  to  a  grim  decay. 
And  now,  my  little  one,  loved  alway  ! 
^Vhence  came  thy  singing  so  wild  and  deep?"- 


The  Shield  of  Flandrensis.       239 

— "  We  all  were  singing,  and  none  might  sleep, 
Till  all  the  Unmerciful  heard  their  strain. 
But  now  the  unresting  have  rest  again." — 

So  the  keep  went  down  to  the  dust  and  mould. 
And  the  new  pile  bore  the  blazon  of  old — 
The  pride  of  the  old  ancestral  shield — 
The  argent  fret  on  the  blood-red  field ; 
"  Peace,  Plenty,  Wisdom  " 
Beneath  enscroUed. 


240 


NOTES  TO  "THE  SHIELD  OF  FLANDRENSIS." 


The  ancient  Manor  house  at  Rydal  stood  in  the  Low  Park, 
on  the  top  of  a  round  hill,  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  leading 
from  Keswick  to  Kendal.  But  on  the  building  of  the  new 
mansion  on  the  north  side  of  the  highway,  in  what  is  called 
the  High  Park,  the  manor  house  became  ruinous,  and  got  the 
name  of  the  Old  Hall,  which,  says  Dr.  Burn,  in  his  time,  "it 
still  beareth."  Even  then  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but 
ruinous  buildings,  walks,  and  fish  ponds,  and  other  marks  of 
its  ancient  consequence ;  the  place  where  the  orchard  stood 
was  then  a  large  enclosure  without  a  fniit  tree  in  it,  and  called 
the  Old  Orchard.  At  the  present  day  few  indications  of  its 
site  remain.  Tradition  asserts  that  it  was  deserted  from 
superstitious  fears. 

The  present  mansion  was  erected  by  Sir  Michael  le  Fleming 
in  the  last  century.  It  stands  on  the  north  side  of  the  road, 
on  a  slope  facing  the  south,  is  a  large  old  fashioned  building, 
and  commands  a  fine  view  of  Windermere.  Behind  it  rises 
Rydal  Head,  and  Nab-Scar  a  craggy  mountain  1030  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  The  Park  is  interspersed  with  abundance 
of  old  oaks,  and  several  rocky  protuberances  in  the  lawn  are  < 
covered  with  fine  elms  and  other  forest  trees.  The  Lord's ' 
Oak,,  a  magnificent  specimen,  is  built  into  the  wall  on  the 
lower  side  of  the  Rydal  Road  over  which  it  majestically 
towers.  "The  sylvan,  or  rather  forest  scenery  of  Rydal 
Park,"  says  Professor  Wilson,  "was,  in  the  memory  of  living 
men,  magnificent,  and  it  still  contains  a  treasure  of  old  trees. ' 

The  two  waterfalls,  the  cascades  of  the  rivulet  which  run; 
through  the  lawn,  are  situated  in  the  grounds.  The  way  lead? 
through  the  park  meadow  and  outer  gardens  by  a  path  /)f 
singular  beauty  and  richness.       They  are  in  the  opinion  of 


The  Shield  of  Flandrensis.       2  4 1 


Gilpin  and  other  tourists  unparalleled  in  their  kind.  The 
upper  fall  is  the  finest,  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  prefer  the 
natural  accessories  of  a  cascade  :  but  the  lower  one,  which  is 
below  the  Hall,  is  beheld  from  the  window  of  an  old  summer 
house.  This  affords  a  fine  picture  frame  ;  the  basin  of  rock 
and  the  bridge  above,  with  the  shadowy  pool,  and  the  over- 
hanging verdure,  constituting  a  perfect  picture. 

The  heraldic  distinction,  the  fret,  is  found  more  than  once 
in  Furness  Abbey,  and  is  undoubtedly  the  ancient  arms  of  le 
Fleming.  An  entire  seal  appended  to  a  deed  from  Sir 
Richard  le  Fleming  of  Furness  dated  44  Edward  the  Third 
(1371)  shews  a  fret  hung  cornerwise,  the  crest,  on  a  helmet  a 
fern,  or  something  like  it.  The  seal  annexed  to  another  deed 
dated  6  Henry  V.  (14 19)  is  the  same  as  above  described  ;  the 
motto,  S.   Thome  Flemin,  in  Saxon  characters. 

The  present  crest  and  motto  are  of  modern  date,  and 
explain  each  other  :  the  serpent  is  the  emblem  of  wisdom,  as 
the  olive  and  the  vine  are  of  peace  and  plenty.  But  upon 
what  occasion  this  distinction  was  taken  does  not  appear. 


242 


THE  ROOKS  OF  FURNESS. 


"  Caw  !  Caw  !"  the  rooks  of  Furness  cry, 
"  Caw  !  Caw  !"  the  Furness  rooks  reply. 
In  and  about  the  saintly  pile, 
Over  refectory,  porch,  and  aisle. 
Perching  on  archway,  window,  and  tower, 
Hopping  and  cawing  hour  by  hour. 
Saint  Mary  of  Furness  knows  them  well ! 
They  are  souls  of  her  Monks  laid  under  a  spell. 
They  were  once  White  Monks  ;  ere  the  altars  fell, 
And  the  vigils  ceased,  and  the  Abbey  bell 
Was  hush'd  in  the  Deadly  Nightshade  Dell. 


"  Caw  !  Caw  !"  for  ever,  from  morn 
Till  night  they  trouble  the  niins  forlorn  : 
Roger  the  Abbot,  parading  in  black, 
Briand  the  Prior,  and  scores  at  his  back 


The  Rooks  of  Furness.  24, 

Of  those  old  fathers  cawing  amain, 
All  robed  in  rooks'  black  feathers,  in  vain 
Waiting  again  for  the  Abbey  to  rise, 
For  matins  to  waken  the  morning  skies, 
And  themselves  to  chant  the  litanies. 

"  Caw  !  Caw  !"     No  wonder  they  caw  I 
To  see — where  their  vigorous  rule  was  law — 
Fair  Love  with  his  troops  of  youths  and  maids, 
With  holiday  hearts,  through  greenwood  shades 
Come  forth,  and  in  every  Muse's  name, 
With  songs,  a  joyful  time  proclaim  ; 
And  to  hear  the  car-borne  Demon's  yell, 
The  Steam-Ghoul  screeching  the  fatal  knell 
Of  peace  in  the  Deadly  Nightshade  Dell. 

"Caw  !  Caw  !"  still  over  the  walls 
You  wheel  and  flutter,  with  ceaseless  calls ; 
Thinking,  no  doubt,  of  your  cells  and  holes, 
You  poor  old  Monks'  translated  souls  ! 
Sad  change  for  you  to  be  cawing  here. 
And  black,  for  many  a  hundred  year  ! 
But  haunt  as  you  may  your  ancient  pile. 
You  will  never  more  chant  in  the  holy  aisle  ; 
You  never  will  kneel  as  you  knelt  of  yore ; 
Nor  the  censer  swing,  nor  the  anthem  pour ; 
And  your  souls  shall  never  shake  off  the  spell 
That  binds  you  to  all  you  loved  so  well. 
Ere  the  altars  fell,  and  the  Abbey  bell 
Was  hush'd  in  the  Deadly  Nightshade  Dell. 


244  ^^^^  Rooks  of  Furness. 

"  Caw  !  Caw  !"     In  the  ages  gone, 

When  the  mountains  Avith  oak  were  overgrown, 

Up  the  glen  the  Norskmen  came. 

Lines  of  warriors,  chiefs  of  fame — 

With  Bekan  the  Sorcerer,  earthward  borne, 

By  toil,  and  battle,  and  tempest  worn — 

Crowding  along  the  dell  forlorn. 

Over  the  rill,  high  on  the  steep, 

There  in  his  barrow  wide  and  deep, 

With  axe  and  hoe  those  armed  men 

Buried  him  down,  by  the  narrow  glen, 

With  the  flower,  at  his  feet,  ot  wondrous  spell : 

Buried  him  do\vn,  and  covered  him  well. 

And  left  him  hid  by  the  lonely  Dell. 


"Caw !  Caw !"  O  would  the  wise  Monks  had  known 
\\Tio  slept  his  sleep  in  that  barrow  alone, 
When  they  gathered  the  bekan  he  made  to  gi'ow, 
And  bore  it  to  bloom  in  the  dell  below. 
For  they  pulled  at  the  heart  of  the  mighty  Dead ; 
And  they  broke  his  peace  in  his  narrow  bed ; 
And  on  fibre  and  root  the  Sorcerer's  power 
Fasten'd  the  spell  that  changed  the  flower ; 
From  sweet  to  bitter  its  juices  pass'd ; 
And  the  deadly  fruit  on  the  poisoned  blast 
Scattered  its  sorcery  ages  down. 
And  where  once  with  cowl  and  gown, 
Hymning  the  Im])erial  Queen  of  Light, 
AVent  forth  the  Monks — the  shade  of  night 


The  Rooks  of  Furness.  245 

Was  spread  more  deadly  than  tongue  can  tell. 
Witchery  walked  where  all  had  been  well : 
Well  with  all  that  hymned  and  prayed  ; 
Well  with  Monk,  and  well  with  maid 
That  sought  the  Abbey  for  solace  and  aid. 
But  the  lethal  juices  wrought  their  spell : 
One  by  one  was  nmg  their  knell : 
One  by  one  from  choir  and  cell 
They  floated  up  with  a  hoarse  farewell ; 
And  the  altars  fell,  and  the  Abbey  bell 
Was  hush'd  in  the  Deadly  Nightshade  Dell. 


246 


NOTES  TO  "THE  ROOKS  OF  FURNESS." 


In  the  southern  extremity  of  Funiess,  about  half  a  mile  to 
the  west  of  Dalton,  a  deep  narrow  vale  stretches  itself  from 
the  north,  and  opens  to  the  south  with  an  agreeable  aspect  to 
the  noonday  sun  ;  it  is  well  watered  with  a  rivulet  of  fine 
water  collected  from  the  adjacent  springs,  and  has  many  con- 
venient places  for  mills  and  fish-ponds.  This  romantic  spot 
is  the  Vale  of  Deadly  Nightshade,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  Bekangs-Gill. 

The  solitary  and  private  situation  of  this  dell  being  so  well 
formed  and  commodious  for  religious  retreat  had  attracted 
the  attention  of  Evanus,  or  Ewanus,  a  monk,  originally 
belonging  to  the  monastery  of  Savigny  in  Normandy,  from 
which  he  and  a  few  associates  had  migrated,  and  had 
recently  seated  themselves  at  Tulket,  near  Preston  in 
Amoundemess,  where  Evanus  was  chosen  to  be  their  first 
abbot.  Accordingly,  they  were  induced  to  change  their 
residence  ;  and  exactly  three  years  and  three  days  after 
their  settling  at  Tulket  on  the  fourth  of  the  nones 
of  July,  1 1 24,  they  removed  to  the  sequestered  shades  of 
Bekangs-Gill,  and  there  began  the  foundation  of  the  magnifi- 
cent Abbey  of  St.  Mary  in  Furness,  in  magnitude  only  second 
of  those  in  England  belonging  to  the  Cistercian  Monks,  and 
the  next  in  opulence  after  Fountains  Abbey  in  Yorkshire, 
being  endowed  with  princely  wealth  and  almost  princely 
authority,  and  not  unworthy  of  the  style  in  which  its  charter 
records  the  gifts  and  grants,  with  all  their  privileges,  of  its 
Royal  founder,  '"to  God  and  St.  Mary,"  in  the  following 
words  : — 

"In  the  name  of  the  Blessed  Trinity,  and  in  honour  of  St. 
Mary  of  Furness,  I  Stephen,  earl  of  Bulloign  and  Mortaign, 
consulting  God,  and  providing  for  the  safety  of  my  own  soul, 


Tlie  Rooks  of  Furness.  247 


the  soul  of  my  wife  the  countess  Matilda,  the  soul  of  my  lord 
and  uncle  Henry  king  of  England  and  duke  of  Normandy, 
and  for  the  souls  of  all  the  faithhil,  living  as  well  as  dead,  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  1127  of  the  Roman  indiction,  and  the 
5th  and  1 8th  of  the  epact  : 

"Considering  every  day  the  uncertainty  of  life,  that  the 
roses  and  flowers  of  kings,  emperors,  and  dukes,  and  the 
crowns  and  palms  of  all  the  great,  wither  and  decay ;  and 
that  all  things,  with  an  uninterrupted  course,  tend  to  dissolu- 
tion and  death  : 

"I  therefore  return,  give  and  grant,  to  God  and  St.  Mary 
of  Furness,  all  Furness  and  Walney,  with  the  privilege  of 
hunting  ;  with  Dalton,  and  all  my  lordship  in  Furness,  with 
the  men  and  everything  thereto  belonging,  that  is,  in  woods 
and  in  open  grounds,  in  land  and  in  water  ;  and  Ulverston, 
and  Roger  Braithwaite,  with  all  that  belongs  to  him  ;  my 
fisheries  at  Lancaster,  and  Little  Guoring,  with  all  the  land 
thereof;  with  sacl^,  and  soc  2,  tol3,  and  team'l,  infange- 
netheof  5 ,  and  every  thing  within  Furness,  except  the  lands 
of  Michael  Le  Fleming  ;  with  this  view,  and  upon  this  con- 
dition. That  in  Furness  an  order  of  regular  monks  be  by 
divine  permission  established  :  which  gift  and  offering  I  by 
supreme  authority  appoint  to  be  for  ever  observed  :  and  that 
it  may  remain  firm  and  inviolate  for  ever,  I  subscribe  this 
charter  with  my  hand  ;  and  confirm  it  with  the  sign  of  the 
Holy  Cross. 

"Signed  by 

Henry,  King  of  England  and  Duke  of  Normandy. 
Thurstan,  Archbishop  of  York. 


Audin,  7  ij-  1, 
Boces,  i  ^^^^°P^- 


Robert,  Keeper  of  the  Seal. 

Robert,  Earl  of  Gloster." 
The  magnitude  of   the   Abbey  may   be  known    from  the 
dimensions  of  the   ruins  ;    and  enough  is  standing  to    show 
the  style  of  the  architecture,  which  breathes  the  same  sim- 

1  Saccwm. — The  power  of  imposing  fines  upon  tenants  and  vassals 
within  the  lordship. 

2  Soccaiii. — The  ix)wer  and  authority  of  administei-ing  justice. 

3  Tollum. — A  duty  paid  for  buying  and  selling,  &c. 

4  Tlieain,  Team. — A  royalty  granted  for  trying  bondmen  and  villains, 
with  a  sovereign  power  over  their  villain  tenants,  their  wives,  children, 
and  goods,  to  dispose  of  them  at  pleasure. 

5  Infaiiyenetheof.—lihti  power  of  judging  of  thefts  committed  within 
the  liberty  of  Furness. 


248 


Notes  to 


plicity  of  taste  which  is  found  in  most  houses  belonging  to 
the  Cistercian  monks,  which  were  erected  about  the  same 
time  with  Furness  Abbey.  The  round  and  pointed  arches 
occur  in  the  doors  and  windows.  The  fine  clustered  Gothic 
and  the  heavy  plain  Saxon  pillars  stand  contrasted.  The 
walls  shew  excellent  masonry,  are  in  many  places  counter- 
arched,  and  the  ruins  discover  a  strong  cement.  But  all  is 
plain  :  had  the  monks  even  intended,  the  stone  would  not 
admit  of  such  work  as  has  been  executed  at  Fountains  and 
Rieval  Abbeys.  The  stone  of  which  the  buildings  have  been 
composed  is  of  a  pale  red  colour,  dug  from  the  neighbouring 
rocks,  now  changed  by  time  and  weather  to  a  tint  of  dusky 
brown,  which  accords  well  with  the  hues  of  plants  and 
shrubs  that  everywhere  emboss  the  mouldering  arches. 

The  church  and  cloisters  were  encompassed  with  a  wall, 
which  commenced  at  the  east  side  of  the  great  northern  door, 
and  formed  the  strait  enclosure  ;  and  a  space  of  ground,  to 
the  amount  of  sixty-five  acres,  was  surrounded  with  a  strong 
stone  wall,  which  enclosed  the  porter's  lodge,  the  mills, 
granaries,  ovens,  kilns,  and  fish-ponds  belonging  to  the  Abbey, 
the  ruins  of  which  are  still  visible.  This  last  was  the  great 
enclosure,  now  called  the  deer-park,  within  which,  placed  on 
the  crown  of  an  eminence  that  rises  immediately  from  the 
Abbey,  and  seen  over  all  low  Furness,  are  the  remains  of  a 
beacon  or  watch-tower,  raised  by  the  society  for  their  further 
security,  and  commanding  a  magnificent  prospect.  The  door 
leading  to  it  is  still  remaining  in  the  enclosure  wall,  on  the 
eastern  side. 

During  the  residence  of  the  monks  at  Tulket,  and  until  the 
election  of  their  fifth  Abbot  (Richard  de  Bajocis)  they  were  of 
the  order  of  Savigny  under  the  rule  of  St.  Benedict ;  and  from 
their  habit  or  dress  were  called  Grey  Monks  ;  but  at  the  time 
of  the  general  matriculation  of  the  Savignian  monasteries  with 
that  of  Citeaux,  the  monks  of  Furness  also  accepted  of  the 
reform,  exchanged  their  patron  St.  Benedict  for  St.  Bernard, 
changed  their  dress  from  grey  to  white,  and  so  became  White 
Monks,  Bernardins,  or  Cistercians,  the  rule  of  which  order  they 
religiously  obsei-ved  until  the  dissolution  of  the  monasteries. 

The  Cistercian  order  in  its  origin  was  devoted  to  the  practice 
of  penance,  silence,  assiduous  contemplation,  and  the  angelical 
functions  (as  Mr.  West  expresses  it)  of  singing  the  divine 
praises  ;  wherefore  it  did  not  admit  of  the  ordinary  dissipation 
which  attends  scholastic  enquiries.  St.  Bernard  who  was 
himself  a  man  of  learning,  well  knowing  how  far  reading  was 


The  Rooks  of  Fumes s.  249 


necessary  to  improve  the  mind  even  of  a  recluse,  took  great 
care  to  furnish  his  monks  with  good  Hbraries.  Such  of  them 
as  were  best  quahfied  were  employed  in  taking  copies  of 
books  in  every  branch  of  literature,  many  of  which,  beauti- 
fully written  on  vellum,  and  elegantly  illuminated,  are  at  this 
time  to  be  seen  in  their  libraries.  They  used  neither  furs  nor 
linen,  and  never  eat  any  flesh,  except  in  time  of  dangerous 
sickness  ;  they  abstained  even  from  eggs,  butter,  milk,  and 
cheese,  unless  upon  extraordinary  occasions,  and  when  given 
to  them  in  alms.  They  had  belonging  to  them  certain  religious 
lay  brethren,  whose  office  was  to  cultivate  their  lands,  and 
attend  to  their  secular  affairs  :  these  lived  at  their  granges  and 
farms,  and  were  treated  in  like  manner  with  the  monks,  but 
were  never  indulged  with  the  use  of  wine.  The  monks  who 
attended  the  choir  slept  in  their  habits  upon  straw  ;  they  rose 
at  midnight,  and  spent  the  rest  of  the  night  in  singing  the 
divine  office.  After  prime  and  the  first  mass,  having  accused 
themselves  of  their  faults  in  public  chapter,  the  rest  of  the  day 
was  spent  in  a  variety  of  spiritual  exercises  with  unintermpted 
silence.  From  the  Feast  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Holy  Cross 
(the  14th  of  September)  until  Easter  they  observed  a  strict 
fast  :  and  flesh  was  banished  from  their  infirmaries  from  Sep- 
tuagesima  until  Easter.  This  latter  class  of  monks  was  con- 
fined to  the  boundary  wall,  except  that  on  some  particular 
days  the  members  of  it  were  allowed  to  walk  in  parties 
beyond  it,  for  exercise  and  amusement  ;  but  they  were  very 
seldom  permitted  either  to  receive  or  pay  visits.  Much  of 
these  rigorous  observances  was  mitigated  by  a  bull  of  Pope 
Sixtus  IV.,  in  the  year  1485,  when  among  other  indulgencies 
the  whole  order  was  allowed  to  eat  flesh  three  times  in  every 
week  ;  for  which  purpose  a  particular  dining-room,  separate 
and  distinct  from  the  usual  refectory,  was  fitted  up  in  eveiy 
monastery.  They  were  distinguished  for  extensive  charities 
and  liberal  hospitality ;  for  travellers  were  so  sumptuously 
entertained  at  the  Abbey,  that  it  was  not  till  the  dissolution 
that  an  inn  was  thought  necessary  in  this  part  of  Fumess, 
when  one  was  opened  for  their  accommodation,  expressly 
because  the  Monastery  could  no  longer  receive  them.  With 
the  rules  of  St.  Bernard  the  monks  had  adopted  the  white 
cassock,  with  a  white  caul  and  scapulary.  Their  choral  dress 
was  either  white  or  grey,  with  caul  and  scapulary  of  the  same, 
and  a  girdle  of  black  wool  ;  over  that  a  hood  and  a  rocket, 
the  front  part  of  which  descended  to  the  girdle,  where  it 
ended  in  a  round,   and   the  back  part  reached  down  to  the 

17 


250  Notes  to 


middle  of  the  leg  behind  :  when  they  appeared  abroad,  they 
wore  a  caul  and  full  black  hood. 

The  privileges  and  immunities  granted  to  the  Cistercian 
order  in  general  were  very  numerous :  and  those  to  the  Abbey 
of  Furness  were  proportioned  to  its  vast  endowments.  The 
Abbot  held  his  secular  court  in  the  neighbouring  castle  of 
Dalton,  where  he  presided,  with  the  power  of  administering 
not  only  justice,  but  injustice,  since  the  lives  and  property 
of  the  villain  tenants  of  the  lordship  of  Furness  were 
consigned  by  a  grant  of  King  Stephen  to  the  disposal 
of  the  lordly  Abbot !  The  monks  also  could  be  arraigned, 
for  whatever  crime,  only  by  him.  The  military  establish- 
ment of  Furness  likewise  depended  upon  the  Abbot. 
Every  mesne  lord  and  free  homager,  as  well  as  the  customary 
tenants,  took  an  oath  of  fealty  to  the  Abbot,  to  be  true  to 
him  against  all  men,  except  the  king.  Every  mesne  lord 
obeyed  the  summons  of  the  Abbot,  or  his  steward,  in  raising 
his  quota  of  armed  men  ;  and  every  tenant  of  a  whole  tene- 
ment furnished  a  man  and  a  horse  of  war  for  guarding  the 
coast,  for  the  border  service,  or  any  expedition  against  the 
common  enemy  of  the  king  and  kingdom.  The  habiliments 
of  war  were  a  steel  coat,  or  coat  of  mail,  a  falce,  or  ialchion, 
a  jack,  the  bow,  the  byll,  the  crossbow,  and  spear. 

What  wonder,  says  a  lively  winter,  that  Abbot  Pele,  or  any 
other  man,  owniing  such  vast  possessions  and  having  such  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  privileges  as  the  following,  should  have 
gro^vn  proud  and  gross,  and  contumacious  !  Within  the 
limits  of  his  own  district  he  was  little  short  of  omnipotent. 
The  same  oath  of  fealty  was  taken  to  him  as  to  the  king 
himself ;  he  had  no  less  than  twelve  hundred  and  fifty-eight 
able  men  armed  with  coats  of  mail,  spears,  and  bows  and 
arrows,  upon  the  possessions  of  the  Monastery,  ready  for 
active  service,  four  hundred  of  whom  were  cavalry ;  besides 
manorial  rights,  he  had  extended  feudal  privileges,  appoint- 
ment of  sheriff,  coroner,  and  constable,  wreck  of  the  sea, 
freedom  from  suit  of  county  ;  a  free  market  and  fair  at  Dalton, 
^vith  a  court  of  criminal  jurisdiction  ;  lands  and  tenements 
exempt  from  all  toll  and  tax  whatever  ;  the  emoluments  inci- 
dental to  wardship,  such  as  the  fining  of  young  ladies  who 
married  against  his  will,  &c.  He  had  the  patronage  of  all  the 
churches  save  one  ;  no  bailiff  could  come  into  his  territories 
under  any  pretence  whatever ;  and  no  man  was  to  presume 
in  any  way  to  molest  or  disturb  him  on  pain  of  forfeiting  ten 
pounds  to  the  king.     In  addition  to  its  rich  home  territory  in 


The  Rooks  of  Furness.  251 


the  North  Lonsdale,  the  Abbey  possessed  the  manor  of  Beau- 
mont in  the  south  ;  land  and  houses  at  Bolton,  and  in  many 
other  places  near  Lancaster  ;  five  villages  in  Yorkshire,  with 
much  land  and  pasturage ;  and  a  mansion  for  the  abbot,  in 
York  itself;  all  beautiful  Borrowdale  in  Cumberland  was 
their  property ;  houses  at  Boston  in  Lincolnshire ;  land  in  the 
Isle  of  Man ;  and  houses  in  Drogheda  and  two  other  towns 
in  Ireland.  The  home  lordship  comprehended  the  rich  dis- 
trict of  Low  Furness  and  all  the  district  included  between  the 
river  Duddon  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Elter  (beginning  at  the 
Shire  Stones  on  the  top  of  Wrjniose),  Lake  Windermere  and 
the  Leven  on  the  other ;  with  the  isles  of  VValney  and  Foulney, 
and  the  Pile  of  Fouldrey.  They  had  an  excellent  harbour  of 
refuge  fitted  to  accommodate  the  largest  vessels  of  that  era  at 
any  time  of  tide,  and  they  had  four  good  iron  mines  in  their 
near  neighbourhood,  the  ore  of  which,  however,  they  do  not 
seem  to  have  exported.  The  total  income  of  the  society 
appears,  at  the  time  of  its  dissolution  in  1537,  to  have  been 
more  than  nine  hundred  pounds  a-year  ;  which  would  be 
represented  by  about  ten  times  that  value  in  our  time,  or  nine 
thousand  a-year. 

But  in  the  reign  of  Edward  the  First,  its  revenues  seem  to 
have  been  nearly  as  large  again.  According  to  the  late  Mr. 
Beck,  the  author  of  Annales  Fnrnesienses,  to  which  we  are 
indebted  for  much  of  these  particulars,  the  tenants  of  the 
Abbey  paid  great  part  of  their  rents  by  provisioning  the 
monks  with  grain,  lambs,  calves,  &c.,  or  bartered  them  for 
beer,  bread,  iron,  wood,  and  manure.  More  than  two 
hundred  gallons  of  beer  were  distributed  weekly  among  these 
tenants  upon  tunning  days,  accompanied  with  about  tlu'ee 
■  score  of  loaves  of  bread ;  the  expenditure  in  this  particular 
alone,  per  annum,  must  have  been  at  least  one  thousand 
pounds  of  our  present  money :  one  ton  of  malleable  iron  was 
also  given  to  the  same  people  for  the  repair  of  their  ploughs, 
and  wood  for  that  of  their  houses  and  fences.  They  might 
take,  too,  all  the  manure — amounting  yearly  to  four  or  five 
hundred  cartloads — with  the  exception  of  that  from  the 
Abbot's  and  high  stables.  The  tenants  paid  by  way  of  fine, 
or  admission  to  their  tenements,  but  one  penny,  called  "God's 
Penny,"  and  were  sworn  to  be  true  to  the  king  and  to  the 
convent.  What  alms  were  distributed  amongst  the  poor  by 
this  wealthy  and  pious  society  we  have  no  means  of  dis- 
covering. It  was  bound,  upon  the  anniversary  of  Saints 
Crispin  and  Crispmian,  to  distribute  two  oxen,  two  cows,  and 


252  Notes  to 


one  bull  among  the  poor  folks  who  assembled  for  that  purpose 
at  the  Porter's  Lodge.  At  the  same  place,  ninety-nine 
shillings'  worth  of  bread,  and  six  maze  of  fresh  herrings, 
valued  at  forty  shillings,  were  also  given  in  alms  every  Monday 
and  Tuesday  ;  the  convent  maintained  from  its  very  com- 
mencement thirteen  poor  men,  allowing  each  of  them  thirty- 
three  shillings  and  fourpence  yearly  :  and  eight  widows 
received  a  similar  allowance  of  provisions  to  that  allowed  for 
the  same  number  of  monks.  They  had  five  flagons  of  ale 
weekly,  and  each  of  them  a  clibanics*  which  it  is  supposed 
must  have  been  a  certain  quantity  of  bread.  Lastly,  there 
were  two  schools  held  in  some  part  of  the  monastery,  where 
the  children  of  those  tenants  who  paid  their  rent  in  provisions, 
and  who  it  is  probable  lived  in  the  neighbourhood,  received 
their  education  gratuitously,  and  dined  in  the  hall  during  their 
attendance  as  well.  If  one  of  these  showed  symptoms  of 
superior  intelligence,  he  had  the  privilege  of  being  elected 
into  the  society  in  preference  to  all  others,  by  which  step  he 
might  rise  by  good  fortune  or  finesse  even  to  be  Lord  of 
Furness. 

The  society  numbered  three  and  thirty  monks  at  the  time 
of  its  dissolution,  and  about  one  hundred  converts  and 
servants,  and  no  convert  was  admitted  who  could  not  pay  for 
the  labour  of  an  hireling.  To  have  been  head  of  such  a 
colony  at  home,  and  to  have  wielded  such  a  power  abroad, 
must  have  made  even  the  most  pious  of  abbots  "draw  too 
proud  a  breath;"  and  yet  with  all  the  faults  and  all  the  vices 
of  that  cowled  priesthood,  we  cannot  now  forbear  to  pity  their 
sad  fate,  when  bidden  by  the  remorseless  king  to  leave  their 
grand  old  residences  and  quiet  ways  of  life  wherein  they  had 
lived  so  long ! 

It  must  be  added,  that  to  so  much  power  and  so  great 
prosperity,  with  all  the  beneficence  and  usefulness  of  the 
society  there  had  come  to  be  allied  an  amount  of  profligacy 
and  irreligion  proportionate  to  the  many  advantages  which  it 
had  enjoyed. 

The  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century  found  the  morality 
of  the  monastery  represented  in  many  instances  by  social 
arrangements  in  direct  violation  of  the  injunctions  laid  upon 
all  monastic  institutions,  "in  the  king's  behalf;"  amongst 
others,  of  that  one  which  especially  enjoins  that  "women  of 
what  state  or  degree  soever  they  be,  be  utterly  e.Kcluded  from 

*  Ciibanus,  a  portable  oven :  the  term  probably  represents  the 
quantity  of  bread  contained  in  it  at  one  baking. 


The  Rooks  of  Furness.  253 


entering  into  the  limit  or  circuit  of  this  monastery  or  place, 
unless  they  first  obtain  license  of  the  King's  Highness,  or  his 
visitor."  It  was  stated,  and  apparently  well  authenticated, 
that  Rogerus  Pele  (abbot)  had  two  wives,  or  what  amounted 
to  the  same  thing,  two  concubines  ;  and  amongst  his  subordi- 
nate monks,  Johannes  Groyn  had  one,  whilst  Thomas  Hornsby 
had  five.  Thus,  evil  days  in  one  sense  had  already  come  ; 
and  others  were  fast  drawing  nigh.  The  mandate,  moreover, 
had  been  prepared  for  their  destruction  independently  of 
these  and  such  like  shortcomings  ;  but  they  afforded  a 
powerful  handle  by  which  to  wrest  them  to  destruction. 

First  came  the  commissioners  appointed  by  the  King  for 
visiting  the  monasteries  in  the  North  of  England,  with  their 
searching  examination  into  everything  connected  with  each 
separate  society :  next,  the  list  of  crimes  charged  on  the 
monks  at  the  time  of  the  visitation  :  then  the  devices  of  the 
Earl  of  Sussex  "advertised"  in  his  letter  to  the  King,  wherein 
"I,  the  said  erle,  devising  with  myselfe,  yf  one  way  would 
not  serve,  how,  and  by  what  other  means,  the  said  monks 
might  be  ryd  from  the  said  abbey  ;"  the  summons  to  Whalley 
of  the  unhappy  Abbot  to  make  his  proposal,  in  his  own 
handwriting,  according  to  the  "ded  enrolled,  which  A.  Fitz- 
herbert  hath  drawn"  for  the  sun-ender  of  his  monastery  to  the 
King  :  and  then  the  final  consummation  of  all.  For  come  it 
must.  On  the  7th  day  of  April,  1537,  in  spite  of  prayers  to 
the  "kynge,"  in  spite  of  many  a  "shillinge  in  golde"  given 
to  the  "right  honerable  and  our  singler  goode  Mr.  Mayster 
Thomas  Cromwell,  secretarie  to  the  Kynge' s  highness,"  the 
royal  commissioners  came  down  upon  their  prey.  After 
hanging  the  Abbot  of  Whalley,  and  the  royal  injunction  that 
"all  monks  and  chanons,  that  be  in  any  wise  faultie,  are  to  be 
tyed  uppe  without  further  delay  or  ceremonie,^''  the  Abbot  of 
Fumesse  is  found  "to  be  of  a  veiy  facile  and  ready  minde," 
and  all  hope  of  averting  his  doom  being  over,  and  his  sense 
of  peril  hastening  his  submission,  "it  coming  freely  of  himself 
and  without  enforcement,"  he  signed  the  fatal  deed  of  sur- 
render, confessing  with  contrition  ' '  the  mysorder  and  evil  lyfe 
both  to  God  and  our  prynce  of  the  brethren  of  this  monas- 
terie  ;"  the  pen  passed  from  the  hand  of  the  Superior  to  each 
monk  in  succession,  and  the  "lamp  on  the  altar  of  St.  Mary 
of  Furness  was  extinguished  for  ever." 

With  forty  shillings  given  to  them  by  the  King,  and  clad  in 
"secular  wedes"  (that  is,  lay  garments),  without  which  they 
were  not   permitted  to  dejinrt,  they  turned  their  faces  from 


254  The  Rooks  of  Furness. 


their  magnificent  home  in  the  Nightshade  Dell.  To  the 
degraded  Abbot  was  given  the  Rectoiy  of  Dalton,  valued  at 
^33  6s.  gd.  yearly,  obtained  with  difficulty,  and  even  of 
which  he  was  not  allowed  undisturbed  possession.  But  no 
traces  of  his  associates  at  the  Abbey  appear  to  have  survived 
their  departure  from  it,  unless  we  dimly  discern  them  in  the 
miserable  record  which  relates  that  sixteen  years  after  the 
period  of  their  dissolution,  fifteen  pounds*  were  still  paid  in 
annuities  out  of  the  revenues  of  the  late  monastery ;  that 
noble  possession  which  the  hapless  Thirty  surrendered  to  the 
King. 

Of  the  three  and  thirty  monks  of  which  the  society  at 
Fumess  was  composed,  the  names  of  the  Abbot,  the  Prior, 
and  twenty-eight  of  the  brethren,  were  appended  to  the  deed  : 
two  had  been  committed  to  ward  and  sure  custody  in  the 
King's  castle  of  Lancaster,  for  being  "found  faultye:"+  and 
one  of  the  number  remains  unaccounted  for. 


*  This  sum  is  stated  by  West  to  be  £151,  which  Mr.  Beck  says  is  a 
mistake.  The  deed  of  suiTendev  of  Bolton  Priory  was  signed  by  the 
Prior  and  fourteen  canons.  Of  the  subscribers  to  this  instrument,  two, 
in  1553,  whicli  woiJd  be  about  sixteen  years  after  their  dissolution, 
continued  to  receive  annuities  of  £6  13s.  4d.;  one,  £6;  seven,  £5  6s.  Sd. 
each;  and  one,  £4.  The  other  canons  were  dead,  or  otherwise 
provided  for. 

t  For  treason.  One  of  them,  Henry  TaUey,  had  said  that  no  secular 
knave  should  be  head  of  the  Church  ;  and  the  other  had  declared  that 
the  king  was  not  the  true  king,  and  no  rightful  heir  to  the  crown. 


255 


KING  DUNMAIL. 

They  buried  on  the  mountain's  side 
King  Dunmail,  where  he  fought  and  died. 
But  mount,  and  mere,  and  moor  again 
Shall  see  King  Dunmail  come  to  reign. 

Mantled  and  mailed  repose  his  bones 
Twelve  cubits  deep  beneath  the  stones  ; 
But  many  a  fathom  deeper  down 
In  Grisedale  Mere  lies  Dunmail's  cro\vn. 

Climb  thou  the  rugged  pass,  and  see 
High  midst  those  mighty  mountains  three, 
How  in  their  joint  embrace  they  hold 
The  Mere  that  hides  his  crown  of  gold. 

There  in  that  lone  and  lofty  dell 
Keeps  silent  watch  the  sentinel. 
A  thousand  years  his  lonely  rounds 
Have  traced  unseen  that  water's  bounds. 


256  King  Dunmail. 

His  challenge  shocks  the  startled  waste, 
Still  answered  from  the  hills  with  haste. 
As  passing  pilgrims  come  and  go 
From  heights  above  or  vales  below. 

When  waning  moons  have  filled  their  year, 
A  stone  fi-om  out  that  lonely  Mere 
Down  to  the  rocky  Raise  is  borne, 
By  martial  shades  with  spear  and  horn. 

As  crashes  on  the  pile  the  stone, 
The  echoes  to  the  King  make  known 
How  still  their  faithful  watch  they  hold 
In  Grisedale  o'er  his  crown  of  gold. 

And  when  the  Raise  has  reached  its  sum, 
Again  will  brave  King  Dunmail  come ; 
And  all  his  Warriors  marching  do\vn 
The  dell,  bear  back  his  golden  crown. 

And  Dunmail,  mantled,  crowned,  and  mailed, 

Again  shall  Cumbria's  King  be  hailed ; 
And  o'er  his  hills  and  valleys  reign 
When  Eildon's  heights  are  field  and  plain. 


257 


NOTES  TO  '-KING  DUNMAIL." 

The  heroic  king  Dunmail  was  the  last  of  a  succession  of 
native  princes,  who  up  to  the  tenth  century  ruled  over  those 
mountainous  provinces  in  the  north-western  region  of  England 
which  were  chiefly  peopled  by  the  earliest  masters  of  Britain, 
the  Celtic  tribes  of  Cynnri,  or  Picts.  The  territories  of 
Dunmail,  as  king  of  Cumbria,  included  the  entire  tract  of 
country  from  the  western  limits  of  the  Lothians  in  Scotland 
to  the  borders  of  Lancashire,  and  from  Northumberland  to 
the  Irish  Sea. 

The  several  British  kingdoms  which  were  originally  com- 
prised within  this  area  maintained  a  long  and  resolute 
resistance  against  the  power  of  the  first  Saxon  monarchs  ; 
and  although  in  the  course  of  time  most  of  them  were  brought 
under  the  supremacy  of  those  strangers,  as  tributaiy  provinces, 
they  still  continued  a  sort  of  independent  existence,  electing 
their  own  kings  and  obeying  their  own  laws. 

On  the  establishment  of  the  Heptarchy,  several  of  these 
provinces  were  included  within  the  Saxon  kingdom  of  North- 
umbria  ;  but  although  they  were  claimed  by  the  Northumbrian 
monarchs,  there  was  even  then  little  admixture  of  their  people 
with  the  fair-haired  followers  of  Hengist  and  Horsa,  and  each 
continued  to  be  governed  by  its  owii  chieftain  or  king  until 
the  Norman  conquest,  and  existed  under  what  was  called  the 
Danish  law.  So  long  as  the  native  chieftains  were  allowed  to 
exercise  a  subordinate  authority,  the  Northumbrian  kings  had 
no  occasion  to  interfere  with  the  internal  government  of  the 
subject  provinces.  If  the  tribute  was  duly  rendered,  they 
remained  unmolested ;  if  it  was  withheld,  payment  was 
enforced  by  arms  ;  or,  in  extreme  cases,  the  refractory  state 
(to  use  a  modem  phrase)  was  "annexed,"  and  the  domestic 
government  extinguished. 


258 


Notes  to 


Of  the  petty  ralers  of  these  British  kingdoms  no  notices 
have  been  transmitted  to  us.  These  are  confined  to  the  kings 
of  Strathclyde,  or,  as  they  are  designated  by  our  earliest 
informers,  of  Alclyde ;  the  latter  being  the  name  of  their 
capital,  which  stood  on  a  rocky  eminence,  adjacent  to  the 
modem  town  of  Dumbarton  ;  whilst  the  former  significantly 
describes  the  position  of  their  territory  in  the  great  strath  or 
valley  of  the  Clyde.  This  little  district  (of  Strathclyde), 
which  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  larger  territory  of 
Cumbria,  that  as  yet  had  no  existence  under  any  general 
government  or  common  name,  comprised  the  modem  counties 
of  Lanark,  Ayr,  and  Renfrew,  on  the  south  of  the  Clyde, 
and,  probably,  Dumbartonshire  on  the  north.  In  the  series 
of  Strathclydian  kings,  tradition  has  placed  the  name  of  the 
celebrated  King  Arthur  ;  and  the  local  nomenclature  is  said 
to  afford  many  traces  of  his  fame,  especially  in  the  case  of  their 
citadel  of  Alclyde,  or  Dumbarton,  which  is  styled  "Castrum 
Arthuri,"  in  a  record  of  the  reign  of  David  the  Second. 
Ryderic,  the  successor  of  Arthur,  died  in  6oi,  in  the  eighth 
year  of  the  reign  of  Ethelfrith,  king  of  Northumberland  ;  and 
from  that  time  onward,  during  the  remainder  of  this  and  the 
succeeding  reigns  of  Edwin  and  Oswald,  we  hear  nothing 
of  the  independent  existence  of  this  people,  nor  do  we  even 
know  the  names  of  their  chieftains  ;  it  is  probable  that  they 
had  been  reduced  to  subjection.  But  in  the  very  year  of 
Oswald's  disastrous  death,  a.d.  642,  we  find  the  Britons 
carrying  on  important  military  operations  on  their  own 
account,  in  which  Owen  their  king  distinguished  himself,  by 
slaying  on  the  battle-field  of  Strath-carmaic,  Donal  Break, 
king  of  the  Scots.  During  the  long  reign  of  Oswi  in  North- 
umberland, we  read  of  one  king  of  Strathclyde,  Guinet,  but 
the  record  is  only  of  his  death,  a.d.  657,  not  of  any  exploit 
which  he  performed.  On  the  death  of  Ecgfrith,  a.d,  670, 
the  Britons  of  Strathclyde  appear  to  have  recovered  their 
liberty  ;  and  thenceforward  we  have  a  tolerably  complete  list 
of  their  kings  during  the  two  succeeding  centuries. 

Ethelfrith,  who  had  effected  the  conquest  of  the  central 
and  western  portion  of  Northumbria,  and  may  be  regarded  as 
the  founder  of  the  Northumbrian  kingdom,  "conquered,"  as 
we  read  in  Beda,  "more  territories  from  the  Britons  than 
any  other  king  or  tribune  ;"  but  although  he  was  thus  able 
to  overnm  a  vast  district  of  countiy,  his  followers  were  not 
sufficiently  numerous  to  colonise  it.  In  some  places,  indeed, 
"he  expelled  the  inhabitants,   and   placed  Angles  in  their 


King  Dunmail.  259 


stead,"  but  "in  others,"  and  doubtless  to  a  much  greater 
extent,  "he  allowed  the  vanquished  to  retain  their  lands,  "  on 
payment  of  tribute."  In  the  reign  of  Edwine,  too,  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  population  were  under  his  immediate  government ;  the 
petty  British  States  were  still  ruled  by  tributary  princes. 
And  no  doubt  their  political  condition  continued  more  or  less 
the  same  during  the  century  and  half  which  preceded  the 
dissolution  of  the  Heptarchy,  and  after  the  reconstruction  of 
its  several  parts  under  one  crown. 

On  Northumbria  being  overnm  by  the  renowned  Danish 
Viking  Healfdene,  A.  D.  875,  fifty  years  after  the  Heptarchal 
kingdoms  had  been  dissolved,  it  is  recorded  that  the  indige- 
nous inhabitants  of  the  part  called  Cymriland,  the  Cumbrians, 
or  Britons,  being  too  weak  to  defend  themselves  from  the 
hateful  aggressions  of  the  Danes,  and  deprived  of  the  protec- 
tion of  the  Saxon  kings  of  Northumbria,  who  had  themselves 
succumbed  to  the  common  enemy,  turned  for  aid  to  the  only 
neighbours  who  seemed  sufficiently  powerful  to  resist  the 
invaders.  They  therefore  implored  the  aid  of  Grig  or  Gregory, 
king  of  Scotland,  by  whose  assistance  in  the  following  year 
the  Scandinavian  ravagers  were  expelled.  These  Indigence,  or 
British  inhabitants,  must  have  been  the  people  of  Galloway, 
and  of  the  district  around  Carlisle ;  for  the  Strathclyde 
Britons  were  already  under  the  authority  of  Gregory,  as  the 
guardian  of  Eocha,  a  minor,  who,  as  the  son  of  Hu  king  of 
Strathclyde,  and  nephew  of  the  second  Constantine,  king  of 
Scotland,  succeeded  to  the  crowns  of  both  these  realms. 
Whether  the  Britons  subsequently  quarrelled  with  their 
powerful  ally,  and  being  defeated  in  battle,  were  obliged  to 
cede  to  the  victor  their  rocky  highlands  and  adjacent  places  ; 
or  they  voluntarily  submitted  themselves  to  Gregory,  with 
their  lands  and  possessions,  thinking  it  preferable  to  be  subject 
to  the  Scots,  who,  although  enemies,  were  Christians,  than 
to  infidel  pagans,  there  does  not  appear  to  be  any  evidence  to 
determine. 

The  vigour  of  Gregory  king  of  Scotland  having  been  found, 
notwithstanding  his  prowess  and  the  success  of  his  arms, 
inadequate  to  support  an  authority  which  had  been  usurped 
by  him  as  regent  during  the  minority  of  Eocha,  after  holding 
the  reins  of  government  in  Scotland  and  Strathclyde  during 
eleven  years,  was  expelled,  together  with  Eocha,  by  Donal, 
son  of  the  late  King  Constantine  II.,  a.d.  893. 

To  Donal,  who  was  slain  by  the  Danes,  a.  n.  904,  succeeded 
his  cousin  Constantine  III.,  the  son  of  Aodh,  who  had  been 


26o  Notes  to 


slain  by  Gregory.  Another  Donal,  brother  to  Constantine 
III.,  had  been  "elected"  king  of  the  Strathclyde  Britons 
four  years  before  the  elevation  of  that  monarch  to  the  throne 
of  Scotland.  During  the  life  of  this  Donal,  the  districts  of 
Carhsle  and  Galloway  were  not  united  to  Strathclyde,  but 
remained  attached  to  Scotland  ;  from  which,  however,  they 
were  separated  after  his  decease,  and  given  to  his  son  and 
successor,  Eugenius. 

To  the  new  kingdom,  thus  founded  by  Constantine  in  favour 
of  his  nephew  and  presumptive  heir,  by  the  union  of  Carlisle 
and  Galloway  with  Strathclyde,  was  given  the  name  of  Cumbria, 
derived  from  the  common  appellation  of  its  inhabitants.  Its 
extent  is  precisely  defined  in  a  return  made  by  the  prior  and 
convent  of  Carlisle  to  a  writ  of  Edward  the  First,  requiring 
them,  as  well  as  other  religious  houses,  to  furnish,  from 
chronicles  or  other  documents  in  their  possession,  any  infor- 
mation bearing  upon  the  alleged  right  of  supremacy  over 
Scotland  vested  in  the  English  crown.  The  return  sets  forth, 
"That  district  was  called  Cumbria,  which  is  now  included  in 
the  bishoprics  of  Carlisle,  Glasgow,  and  Whitherne,  together 
with  the  country  lying  between  Carlisle  and  the  river 
Duddon:"  in  other  words,  the  entire  tract  from  the  Clyde  to 
the  confines  of  Lancashire.  In  the  "Inquisitio  Davidis," 
which  does  indeed  extend  to  all  parts  of  Cumbria  which 
remained  in  David's  possession,  we  are  expressly  told  that 
"he  had  not  then  within  his  dominion  the  whole  Cumbrian 
region,"  the  present  county  of  Cumberland,  or,  as  it  was  then 
called.  Earldom  of  Carlisle,  having  been  severed  from  it  soon 
after  the  Norman  Conquest.  Although  Fordun  is  the  only 
author  who  narrates  the  cession  of  Carlisle  and  Galloway  to 
Gregory,  and  the  subsequent  grant  of  these  districts  to 
Eugenius,  whereby  they  were  united  to  Strathclyde,  and  the 
whole  merged  into  a  single  government,  we  have  abundant 
evidence  of  the  existence  of  Cumbria  and  the  intimate  union 
of  Constantine  and  Eugenius  at  this  period.  In  the  year  938, 
these  princes,  in  conjunction  with  the  Danes  and  Welsh, 
attempted  to  wrest  the  sovereign  power  out  of  the  vigorous 
hands  of  Athelstane.  The  combined  forces  were  signally 
defeated  by  the  Anglo-Saxon  monarch  at  Brunanburgh  (sup- 
posed by  some  to  be  Bromborough,  near  Chester) ;  Eugenius 
was  slain,  and  Constantine  escaped  only  by  a  precipitate 
retreat. 

It  is  at  this  period  that  Dunmail,  the  second  and  last  sole 
"king  of  rocky   Cumberland,"   appears   upon   the  historic 


King  Dunmail.  261 


stage.  It  has  been  thouglit  not  improbable  that  he  was  the 
son  of  Eugenius  or  Owen,  the  preceding  king,"  and  the  same 
person  who  is  described  as  Dunvvallon,  "the  son  of  Owen," 
and  who  died  at  Rome  thirty  years  after  his  memorable 
engagement  with  Edmund  of  England  and  Leoline  of  South 
Wales,  in  the  mountain  pass  which  is  distinguished  by  his 
name.  "In  the  annals  of  Ulster,  indeed,"  say  the  supporters 
of  this  supposition,  "this  Dunwallon  is  described  as  king  of 
Wales,  but  Caradoc  calls  him  prince  of  Strathclyde,  and  his 
patronymic  designation  seems  to  identify  him  with  Dunmail, 
if,  as  we  assume,  the  latter  was  the  son  of  the  first  king  of 
Cumberland."  But  by  whatever  means  Dunmail  obtained 
the  crown  ;  whether  by  inheritance  as  the  son  of  Eugenius, 
or  by  "election"  as  one  of  the  native  Cumbrian  princes,  and 
according  to  the  ancient  custom  of  the  Britons ;  we  soon  find 
him  supporting  the  Northumbrians  in  hostilities  against  the 
Saxon  monarch,  Edmund  the  First.  That  monarch,  although 
victorious,  was  so  weakened  that  he  dared  not  pursue  Dunmail 
without  the  assistance  of  the  Scots.  And  the  condition  upon 
which  Malcohn,  king  of  Scotland,  joined  Edmund  with  his 
forces,  was,  that  if  they  were  successful,  Malcolm  should 
possess  Cumbria  by  paying  homage  to  Edmund  and  his 
successors.  The  subjection  of  this  wild  race  of  mountaineers 
was  then  determined  upon  as  a  necessary  step  towards  the 
pacification  of  the  kingdom  ;  and  the  last  record  which  his- 
tory affords  us  of  the  Cumbrian  Britons,  is  that  of  their  defeat, 
A.D.  945,  iu  the  heart  of  their  native  mountains,  between 
Grasmere  and  Keswick,  and  their  final  dispersion  or  emigra- 
tion into  Wales. 

The  place  where  Dunmail  determined  to  hazard  the  battle 
which  proved  fatal  to  him  was  the  famous  Pass  which  bears 
his  name.  Edmund  slew  his  vanquished  enemy  upon  the  spot 
which  is  still  commemorated  by  the  rude  pile  of  stones  so  well 
known  as  his  cairn  ;  and,  in  conformity  with  the  barbarous 
customs  of  that  age,  put  out  the  eyes  of  his  two  sons ;  after 
which,  having  completely  ravaged  and  laid  waste  the  territories 
of  Dunmail,  he  bestowed  them  on  his  ally  Malcolm  ;  the  latter 
undertaking  to  presei^ve  in  peace  the  Northern  parts  of 
England,  and  to  pay  the  required  fealty  and  homage  to 
Edmund.  Upon  the  same  conditions  they  were  afterwards 
confirmed  to  him  by  one  of  Edmund's  successors,  Edgar  ; 
which  monarch  also  divided  what  at  that  time  remained  of 
the  ancient  kingdom  of  Northumbria  into  Baronies,  and 
constituted   it   an    Earldom.      Thenceforward    these    north 


262  Notes  to 


western  regions  were  held  as  a  military  benefice  subject  to  the 
English  sceptre  by  the  heir  to  the  crown  of  Scotland,  under 
the  title  of  the  Principality  of  Cymriland  or  Cumbria.  This 
Principality,  which  included  Westmorland,  continued  in 
possession  of  the  heirs  to  the  Scottish  crown  during  the  reigns 
of  Harold  and  Hardicanute,  the  last  Danish  Kings,  and  of 
Edward  the  Confessor  and  Harold  the  Second,  the  last  Saxon 
monarchs  of  England. 

The  only  circumstance  which  is  recorded  of  it  during  the 
century  which  followed  the  defeat  of  Dunmail,  is  its  total 
devastation  by  Ethelred,  king  of  England,  a.d.  iooo,  at 
which  time  it  is  represented  by  Henry  of  Huntingdon  as  the 
principal  rendezvous  of  the  marauding  Danes. 

In  the  year  1052,  Macbeth  held  the  Scottish  throne,  whilst 
Malcolm,  the  son  of  his  predecessor,  the  murdered  Duncan, 
sat  on  that  of  Cumbria.  Siward,  earl  of  Northumberland, 
was  commissioned  by  Edward  the  Confessor  to  invade  Scot- 
land, and  avenge  the  "murder"  of  Duncan.  In  this  he 
succeeded,  defeated  and  slew  Macbeth,  and  placed  the  king 
of  Cumbria,  or,  as  some  historians  assert,  his  son,  on  the 
throne  of  Scotland.  This  Malcolm,  sumamed  Canmore, 
held  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest,  Cumbria  and  Lothian,  in 
addition  to  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Scotland. 

In  the  year  1072,  the  Earldom  of  Carlisle,  containing  the 
present  County  of  Cumberland,  with  the  Barony  of  West- 
morland, was  wrested  from  Malcolm  Canmore  by  William 
the  Conqueror,  who  granted  it  to  his  powerful  noble,  Ranulph 
de  Meschin,  one  of  that  numerous  train  of  military  adventurers, 
amongst  whom  he  had  distributed  all  the  fair  territory  of 
Britain,  to  hold,  with  a  sort  of  royal  power,  by  the  sword,  as 
he  himself  held  the  kingdom  by  virtue  of  the  crown, — teiure 
ita  liber e  ad  gladium,  sic  11 1  ipse  rex  ttnebat  Angliam  per 
coronam. 

Thus  the  existing  limits  were  established  between  England 
and  Scotland.  The  kingdom  of  Cumbria  was  reduced  to  the 
dimensions  indicated  by  the  "  Inquisitio  Davidis,"  and  was 
held  as  a  principality  dependent  on  the  crown  of  Scotland  ; 
until  it  at  length  became  formally  attached  to  the  Scottish 
dominions. 

Meanwhile  the  Barony  of  Westmorland  having  been 
separated  from  the  Earldom  of  Carlisle,  there  remained  the 
district  comprised  within  the  present  limits  of  the  County  of 
Cumberland,  to  which  alone  that  name  was  thenceforward 
applied. 


King  Dunmail.  263 


The  circular  heap  of  stones  which  forms  the  pile  called 
Dunmail-Raise,  and  gives  its  name  to  the  mountain  Pass 
between  the  vales  of  Grasmere  and  Wytheburn,  is  seen 
adjoining  the  high-road,  where  it  is  crossed  by  the  wall  which 
there  marks  the  boundaries  of  Westmorland  and  Cumberland. 
The  stones  constituting  this  rude  monument  are  thrown  loosely 
together  on  each  side  of  an  earthen  mound  in  a  huge  cairn 
or  raise,  the  history  of  which  is  little  known,  and  concerning 
which  antiquarians  are  by  no  means  agreed.  It  measures 
twenty-four  yards  in  diameter,  and  rises  gradually  to  an 
elevation  of  six  feet,  being  flat  at  the  top,  and  the  centre 
indicated  by  a  well  defined  space  in  rather  larger  stones. 

Mr.  Gilpin  conjectures  that  the  pile  was  probably  intended  to 
mark  a  division  not  between  the  two  Counties  of  Cumberland 
and  Westmorland,  but  rather  between  the  two  kingdoms  of 
England  and  Scotland,  in  elder  times,  when  the  Scottish 
border  extended  beyond  its  present  bounds.  The  generally 
received  tradition,  however,  concerning  this  cairn  is,  that  it  was 
raised  to  commemorate  the  name  and  defeat  of  Dunmail,  the  last 
king  of  Cumbria,  in  the  year  945,  in  his  conflict  with  the 
Saxon  Edmund,  on  the  occasion  above  related.  "But," 
says  Mr.  Gilpin,  "for  whatever  purpose  this  rude  pile  was 
fabricated,  it  hath  yet  suffered  little  change  in  its  dimensions  ; 
and  is  one  of  those  monuments  of  antiquity,  which  may  be 
characterized  by  the  scriptural  phrase  of  remaining  to  this  very 
day." 

The  legend  of  the  Cumbrian  hero  and  his  host,  awaiting 
the  completion  of  their  rocky  pile  beneath  the  lonely  mountain 
pass ;  from  which  they  are  to  issue  in  their  appointed  time  to 
join  "in  that  great  battle  which  will  be  fought  before  the  end 
of  the  world  ;  "  is  but  one  of  the  beliefs  which  seem  to  have 
been  left  behind  them  by  our  Scandinavian  ancestors.  It  is 
in  fact  another  version  of  the  story  of  Woden  and  his  host, 
whose  wnter  trance  is  enacted  by  various  popular  heroes  ; 
and  which  has  not  only  been  localised  amongst  ourselves, 
but  has  almost  overspread  all  Christendom.  The  original 
nature  of  Woden  or  Odin  was  represented  as  that  of  a 
storm  god,  W'ho  swept  through  the  air  in  roaring  winds, 
either  alone  or  with  a  great  retinue  consisting  of  souls  of 
the  dead  which  have  become  winds.  The  whirlwind, 
which  precedes  the  tempest,  and  has  ravaged  the  woods  and 
fields,  is  pursued  to  its  death  in  the  last  storms  of  autumn. 
Sometimes  the  god  is  pictured  as  a  hunter,  and  the  winds 
have  taken  the  shapes  of  men,  dogs,  etc.,  whilst  the  whirlwind 


264 


Notes  to 


figures  as  a  boar.  The  achievement  of  its  death  is  soon 
followed  by  that  of  the  hunter  Woden  himself ;  who  during 
the  winter  is  dead,  or  asleep,  or  enchanted  in  the  cloud 
mountain.  From  this  beautiful  fiction  of  a  twilight  age,  the 
winter  trance  of  Woden,  has  grown  up  the  story  of  those 
caverned  warriors,  which,  under  whatever  name  they  are 
known,  and  wherever  they  repose,  are  all  representations  of 
Odin  and  his  host. 

Arthur,  the  vanished  king,  our  own  Arthur,  whose  return 
is  expected  by  the  Britons,  according  to  mediaeval  Germany, 
is  said  to  dwell  with  his  men  at  arms  in  a  mountain  ;  all  well 
provided  with  food,  drink,  horses,  and  clothes. 

Charlemagne  slumbers  with  his  enchanted  army  in  many 
places  ;  in  the  Desenberg  near  Warburg,  in  the  Castle  of 
Herstella  on  the  Weser,  in  the  Karlsburg  on  the  Spessart, 
the  Frausberg  and  the  Donnersberg  on  the  Pfalz,  etc. 

The  Emperor  Henry  the  Fowler  is  entranced  in  the  Suder- 
nerberg,  near  Goslar. 

The  Emperor  Frederick  Barbarossa  is  in  a  cavern  in  the 
Kyffhailser  mountain,  in  the  old  palatinate  of  the  Saxon 
imperial  house.  There  with  all  his  knights  around  him,  he 
sits  to  this  day,  leaning  his  head  upon  his  arm,  at  a  table 
through  which  his  beard  has  grown,  or  round  which,  according 
to  other  accounts,  it  has  grown  twice.  When  it  has  thrice 
encircled  the  table  he  will  wake  up  to  battle.  The  cavern 
glitters  with  gold  and  jewels,  and  is  as  bright  as  the  sunniest 
day.  Thousands  of  horses  stand  at  mangers  filled  with  thorn 
bushes  instead  of  hay,  and  make  a  prodigious  noise  as  they 
stamp  on  the  ground  and  rattle  their  chains.  The  old  Kaiser 
sometimes  wakes  up  for  a  moment  and  speaks  to  his  visitors. 
He  once  asked  a  herdsman  who  had  found  his  way  into  the 
Kyflfhaiiser,  "Are  the  ravens  (Odin's  birds)  still  flying  about 
the  mountain  ?  "  The  man  replied  that  they  were.  "Then," 
said  Barbarossa,  ' '  I  must  sleep  a  hundred  years  longer. " 

The  Eildon  Hills,  which  witnessed  of  old  the  magical 
exploits  of  Michael  Scott,  are  three  in  number.  These  were 
originally  one  :  their  present  formation  being  the  work  of  a 
demon,  for  whom  the  wizard,  in  fulfilment  of  some  infernal 
contract,  was  obliged  to  find  employment,  and  by  whom  the 
mighty  task  was  achieved  in  a  single  night.  They  are  nearly 
of  the  same  height,  changing  gieatly  their  appearance,  and, 
as  it  were,  their  attitude,  with  the  point  of  view  ;  at  one  time 
one  of  them  only  being  visible,  at  another  time  two,  and 
again  all  three.     They  form  a  peculiar  and  romantic  feature 


King  Dunmail.  265 


in  the  scenery  of  the  Tweed  :  and  are  still  to  the  eye  of 
the  imagination  what  they  once  were  in  the  common  belief, — 
wizard  hills,  the  subjects  of  wild  traditions  and  unearthly 
adventures.  In  them  lay  for  centuries  those  "caverned 
warriors,"  which  Thomas  the  Rhymer  showed  at  night  to  the 
daring  horse  jockey,  who  went  by  appointment  to  the  Lucken 
Hare  to  receive  the  price  of  the  black  horse  which  he  had 
sold  to  the  venerable  favourite  of  the  Fairy  Queen.  His 
money  having  been  paid  to  him,  in  ancient  coin ;  on  the 
invitation  of  his  customer  to  view  his  i^esidence,  he  followed 
his  guide  in  the  deepest  astonishment  through  long  ranges  of 
stalls,  in  each  of  which  a  horse  stood  motionless,  while  an 
armed  warrior  lay  equally  still  at  the  charger's  feet.  "All 
these  men,"  said  the  prophet  in  a  whisper,  "will  awaken  at 
the  battle  of  Sheriffmuir." 

The  small  mountain  lake,  called  Gi4sedale  Tarn,  is  situated 
at  a  very  considerable  elevation  above  the  surrounding  vales, 
in  a  depression  formed  at  a  point  where  the  shoulders  of 
Helvellyn,  Seat-Sandal,  and  Fairfield  touch  each  other ;  and 
just  below  the  summit  of  the  "hause"  or  pass  through  which 
winds  the  mountain  track  that  leads  from  Grasmere  into 
Patterdale. 


18 


266 


THE  BRIDALS  OF  DACRE. 

The  Baron  of  Greystoke  is  laid  in  the  quire. 
Who  is  she  that  sits  lone  in  her  mourning  attire  ? 
Her  maids  all  in  silence  stand  weeping  apart : 
Or  but  whisper  the  woe  that  is  big  at  her  heart. 

From  her  guardian  the  King  the  dread  summons  has 

come  ; 
And  Greystoke's  sweet  orphan  must  quit  her  lone 

home  : 
With  the  proudest  of  Barons  to  wait  on  her  word — 
His  domain  for  her  pleasaunce,  her  safeguard  his 

sword. 

But  what  is  to  her  all  their  homage  and  state, 
Since  the  youthful  Lord  Dacre  may  pass  not  their 

gate? 
Even  now  he  forgets  her,  she  thinks  in  her  gloom ; 
And  the  Cliffords  to-morrow  will  beaxhertoBrough'm. 


The  Bridals  of  D acre.  267 

"With  him,  O  with  him,"  in  her  sorrow  she  cried, 
"  With  the  gallant  Lord  Dacre  to  run  by  my  side 
"In  the  fields,  as  of  old,  with  his  hand  on  my  rein, 
"I  would  give  all  the  wealth  the  wide  world  can 
contain." — 


Lord  Dacre  forget  her  ?     No  !  sooner  the  might 
Of  Helvellyn  shall  bend  to  the  storm  on  its  height ; 
He  has  vow'd — "Let  them  woo!  but  in  spite  of  the 

King 
"The  wide  north  with  her  bridal  at  Dacre  shall  ring." 


As  the  Cliffords  rode  hard  on  that  morrow  to  claim 
The  fair  ward  of  the  King,  by  Lord  Dacre's  they 

came. 
And  they  cast  out  their  words  in  derision  and  scorn, 
As  they  pass'd  by  his  tower  in  the  prime  of  the  mom. 


"  Shall  we  greet  the  bright  heiress  of  Greystock  for 

thee? 
"  Or  aw^ait  thee  at  Brough'm  her  rich  bridal  to  see?" 
— "In  our  annals,"  he  cried,  "we've  a  story  of  old, 
"A  fit  tale  for  a  bridal,  that  tudce  shall  be  told. 


268  The  Bridals  of  D acre. 

"  In  your  Skipton's  high  hall,  in  your  stateliest  room 
"Of  Pendragon,  and  high  through  the  arches  of 

Brough'm, 
"  Have  your  bridals  been  sung,  but  not  one  to  the  lay 
"  That  I'll  ring  through  old  Brough'm  for  the  bride 

on  that  day. 


"Your  meats  may  be  scant,   and  unbrimm'd  the 

bright  bowl ; 
"  But  the  notes  of  that  tale  through  your  fortress 

shall  roll  ! 
"  Here  I  pledge  me,  proud  Cliffords  !  come  friend, 

or  come  foe, 
"  With  that  tale  of  old  times  to  her  bridal  I'll  go !" — 


Loud  laugh'd  they  in  scorn  as  hard  onward  they  rode : 
And  the  horsemen  and  horses  all  gallantly  show'd. 
With  bright  silver  and  gold,  too,  her  harness  did  ring, 
As  they  rode  back  to  Brough'm  with  the  Ward  of 
the  King. 


And  proud  was  the  welcome,  and  courtly  the  grace. 
And  warm  was  the  clasp  of  that  stately  embrace. 
When  the  Lady  of  Brough'm  took  her  home  to  her 

breast, 
Like  a  lamb  to  the  fold,  a  lone  dove  to  its  nest. 


The  Bridals  of  D acre.  269 

But  in  still  hours  of  night,  and  mid  pastimes  by  day, 
To  the  wild  woods  of  Greystoke  her  heart  fled  away, 
To  the  fields  where,  as  once  with  his  hand  on  her 

rein, 
She  would  give  all  the  world  to  ride  child-like  again. 


It  was  night ;  when  the  moon  through  her  circle  had 

worn  ; 
And  back  into  darkness  her  crescent  was  borne ; 
Not  in  fancy  nor  dreams  came  a  voice  to  her  side — ■ 
"Sweet,  awake  thee,  Lord  Dacre  is  come  for  his 

bride." 


Through  the  lattice  he  bore  her,  and  fast  did  he  fold 
In  his  arms  the  sweet  prize  from  the  wind  and  the 

cold ; 
Sprang  the  wall  to  his  steed,  and  o'er  moorland  and 

plain 
Bore  her  off  to  his  Tower  by  the  Dacor  again. 


And  the  Cliffords  that  morn  in  their  banquetting  hall 
Read  the  legend  his  dagger  had  traced  on  the  wall — 
"  In  the  annals  of  Dacre  the  story  is  old 
Of  Matilda  the  Fair  and  Lord  Ranulph  the  Bold  ! 


270  The  Bridals  of  D acre. 

"  The    bride-meats   unbaked,    and    the    bride-cup 

unbrew'd, 
Not  by  bridesmaid  for   bride  even  a  rose  to  be 

strew'd, 
Was  the  way  with  our  sire  in  that  story  of  old 
Of  Matilda  the  Fair  and  Lord  Ranulph  the  Bold  ! 


"  But  they  woke  up  to  fury  in  Warwick  that  morn. 
For  a  bride  from  their  Fortress  by  night  had  been 

borne. 
And  your  annals  in  Brough'm  of  its  sluggards  shall 

ring, 
That  have  lost  for  the  Cliffords  the  Ward  of  their 

King." 


The  beard  of  that  Baron  curled  fiercely  with  ire. 
And  the  blood  through  his  veins  raged — a  torrent  of 

fire, 
As  he  glanced  from  the  panel  by  turns  to  his  sword  ; 
And  then  strode  from  the  hall  without  deigning  a 

word. 


They  sought  her  through  turret,  by  bush,  and  by 

stone ; 
But  the  bower  had  been  broken,  the  Beauty  was 

gone ; 


The  Bridals  of  Dacre.  271 

And   the    joy-bells   of  Dacre   from   Greystock   to 

Brough'm 
Pealed  the  news  through  the  vales  that  the  bride 

was  brought  home. 


272 


NOTES  TO    "THE  BRIDALS  OF  DACRE." 


Dacre  Castle,  one  of  the  outermost  of  a  chain  of  border 
fortresses  stretching  down  tlie  valleys  of  the  Eamont  and  the 
Eden  in  Cumberland,  is  a  plain  quadrangular  building,  with 
battlemented  parapets,  and  four  square  turrets,  one  at  each 
corner  ;  it  is  now  converted  into  a  farm  house.  The  moat  is 
filled  up,  although  the  site  is  still  to  be  traced,  and  the 
outworks  are  destroyed.  There  are  two  entrances — one  at 
the  west  tower,  and  another  between  the  towers  in  the  east 
front.  Tlie  walls  are  about  seven  feet  in  thickness.  There 
are  two  arched  dungeons  communicating  by  steps  with  the 
ground  floor ;  and  access  was  obtained  to  the  roof  by  means 
of  four  circular  staircases,  one  in  each  tower ;  some  of  which 
are  now  closed  up.  The  staircases,  however,  did  not  conduct 
to  the  top  of  the  towers  ;  this  was  gained  by  means  of  stone 
steps  from  the  roof  of  the  Castle. 

Bede  mentions  a  monastery,  which  being  built  near  the 
river  Dacor,  took  its  name  from  it,  over  which  the  religious 
man  Suidbert  presided.  It  was  probably  destroyed  by  the 
Danes,  and  never  restored;  and  there  are  no  vestiges  of  it 
remaining  :  the  present  church  is  supposed  to  have  been  built 
from  the  ruins. 

William  of  Malmesbury  speaks  of  a  Congress  held  at  Dacre 
in  the  year  934,  when  Constantine,  king  of  Scotland,  and  his 
nephew  Eugenius,  king  of  Cumberland,  met  king  Athelstan, 
and  did  homage  to  him  at  Dacre.  This  fact  is  singularly 
corroborated  by  tlierc  being  in  the  Castle  a  room  called  to 
this  day  the  "room  of  the  three  kings,"  while  the  historical 
fact  itself  is  entirely  forgotten  in  the  country.     This  proves 


The  Bridals  of  D acre.  27^ 


the  antiquity  of  the  tradition,  which  has  survived  the  original 
building  and  attached  itself  to  the  present,  no  part  of  which 
dates  from  an  earlier  period  than  the  fourteenth  centuiy. 
That  Dacre  was  in  those  remote  times  a  place  of  some 
importance  is  evident  from  the  meeting  aforesaid.  The  occa- 
sion appears  to  have  been  the  defection  of  Guthred,  with 
Anlaff  his  brother,  and  Inguld  king  of  York,  when  Athelstan 
levied  a  great  force,  and  entered  Northumberland  so  unex- 
pectedly, that  the  malcontents  had  scarcely  time  to  secure 
themselves  by  flight.  Guthred  obtained  protection  under 
Constantine,  king  of  Scotland,  to  whom  Athelstan  sent 
messengers,  demanding  his  surrender,  or  upon  refusal,  he 
threatened  to  come  in  quest  of  him  at  the  head  of  his  army. 
Constantine,  although  greatly  piqued  at  this  message,  yet 
afraid  of  the  formidable  arms  of  Athelstan,  consented  to 
meet  him  at  Dacre;  to  which  place  he  came,  attended  by 
the  then  king  of  Cumberland,  where  they  did  homage  to 
Athelstan. 

After  the  Conquest,  if  not  before,  Dacre  was  a  mesne 
manor  held  of  the  barons  of  Greystoke  by  military  suit  and 
service.  The  parish,  manor,  rivulet,  and  castle,  were  all 
blended  with  the  name  of  the  owners.  Their  arms,  the 
pilgrim's  scallop,  may  possibly  have  been  taken  from  their 
being  engaged  in  Palestine ;  but  as  the  name  of  their  place 
dates  as  far  back  as  the  time  of  Athelstan,  the  Dacres  no 
doubt  took  their  name,  like  most  of  the  families  of  the 
district,  from  the  place  where  they  were  settled,  and  with  all 
deference  to  the  cross-legged  knight*  in  the  church,  who  may 
or  may  not  have  battled  at  the  siege  of  Acre,  its  present 
Norman  spelling  is  more  likely  to  have  arisen  from  the 
manner  in  which  it  is  entered  in  the  Domesday  Book  than 
from  any  exploits  of  his  before  that  famous  fortress.  That 
they  were  men  of  high  spirit  and  enterprise,  and  favourites  of 
the  ladies,  there  exists  convincing  evidence.  Matilda,  the 
great  heiress  of  Gilsland,^-  was  by  Randolph  Dacre  carried 
off  from  Warwick  Castle,  in  the  night-time,  while  she  was 
Edwai-d  the  Third's  Ward,  and  under  the  custody  and  care  of 
Thomas    de  Beauchamp,   a   stout  Earl   of   Warwick  ;     and 

*  Cross-legs  have  beeu  pioved  of  late  not  to  indicate  Crusaders  always. 

+  Matilda  de  jyiulton.  tlie  daughter  and  heir  of  Thomas  de  Multon, 
of  Gilsland,  was  only  thii'teen  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  father's 
death,  when  she  became  the  ward  of  King  Edward  II.  ;  but  in  1317  by 
the  marriage  which  consummated  this  act  of  daring  chivalry,  the  barony 
was  transferred  to  the  Dacre  family. 


2  74  Notes  to 


Thomas  Lord  Dacre  dashingly  followed  the  example  of  his 
ancestor,  nearly  two  centuries  afterwards,  by  carrying  off, 
also  in  the  night  time,  from  Brougham  Castle,  Elizabeth  of 
Greystoke,  the  heiress  of  his  superior  lord,  who  was  also  the 
King's  ward,  and  in  custody  of  Henry  Lord  Clifford,  who, 
says  Mr.  Howard,  probably  intended  to  marry  her.  Their 
vigour  and  ability  displayed  as  wardens  of  the  Marches  must 
also  add  favourably  to  our  estimate  of  them  as  men. 

Sandford  in  his  MS.  gives  the  following  curious  account, 
written  apparently  immediately  after  the  repair  of  the  Castle 
by  the  Earl  of  Sussex: — "And  from  Matterdale  mountains 
comes  Daker  Bek;  almost  at  the  foot  thereof  stands  Dacker 
Castle  alone,  and  no  more  house  about  it.  And  I  protest  looks 
very  sorrowfuU,  for  the  loss  of  its  founders,  in  that  huge 
battle  of  Teuton  feild  :  and  that  totall  eclips  of  that  great 
Lord  Dacres,  in  that  Grand  Rebellion  with  lords  North- 
umberland, and  Westmorland  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  time,  and 
in  the  north  called  Dacre^s  Raide. 

" but  it  seems  an  heroyick  Chivaleir,  steeles  the 

heir  of  Lord  Moulton  of  Kirkoswald  and  Naward  and 
Gilsland,  forth  of  Warwick  Castle,  the  5th  year  of  King 
Edward  the  3rd  ;  and  in  the  9th  year  of  the  same  king  had 
his  pdon  for  marying  her  and  Created  Lord  Dacres  and 
Moulton.  In  King  Henry  the  eight's  time  the  yong  Lord 
Dacres  steels  the  female  heir  of  the  Lord  Graistoke  forth  of 
Broham  Castle  besides  Peareth :  where  the  Lord  Clifford  had 
gott  her  of  the  king  for  his  sons  mariage  :  and  thereupon  was 
the  statute  made  of  felony  to  marry  an  heir.  And  thus 
became  the  Lord  Dacres  decorate  with  all  the  hono'"*'  and 
Lands  of  the  Lord  Graistok  a  very  great  Baron  :  but  the  now 
Earle  of  Sussex  Ancestore  had  married  the  female  heir  of  the 
Lord  Dacres  in  King  Edward  the  4th  time,  before  the  Lands 
of  Graistock  came  to  the  Lord  Dacre's  house." 

The  Barony  of  Greystoke,  which  comprehends  all  that  part 
of  Cumberland,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Forest  of  Inglewood, 
between  the  seignory  of  Penrith  and  the  manor  of  Castlerigg 
near  Keswick,  and  contains  an  area  comprehending  the 
parishes  of  Greystoke,  Dacre,  and  part  of  Crosthwaite,  and 
nearly  twenty  manors,  was  given  by  Ranulph  de  Meschines, 
Earl  of  Cumberland,  to  one  Lyulph,  whose  posterity  assumed 
the  name  of  the  place,  and  possessed  it  until  the  reign  of 
Henry  the  Seventh,  when  their  heiress  conveyed  it  in  mar- 
riage to  Thomas  Lord  Dacre,  of  Gilsland,  whose  family 
ended  in  two  daughters,  who  married  the  two  sons  of  the  Duke 


The  Bridals  of  Dacre.  275 


of  Norfolk.  Philip  Howard,  Earl  of  Arundel,  the  Duke's 
eldest  son,  had,  with  his  wife,  Lady  Anne  Dacre,  the  lands 
of  Greystoke,  which  have  since  continued  in  his  illustrious 
family. 

The  original  fortress  of  Greystock  was  built  in  the  reign  of 
Edward  III.  by  Lord  William  de  Greystock,  that  nobleman 
having  obtained  the  king's  license  to  castellate  his  manor- 
house  of  Greystock  in  the  year  1353.  Being  garrisoned  for 
Charles  I. ,  it  was  destroyed  by  a  detachment  of  the  Parlia- 
mentary army  in  June,  1648,  except  one  tower  and  part  of 
another.  The  Castle  was  almost  entirely  rebuilt  about  the 
middle  of  last  century  by  the  Hon.  Charles  Howard,  and 
additional  extensions  were  subsequently  made  by  his  great- 
grandson,  the  eleventh  Duke  of  Norfolk,  who  bequeathed  it 
to  the  present  Mr.  Howard,  by  whom  the  work  of  renovation 
was  continued  and  completed  in  1846.  In  the  night  of  the  3rd 
and  4th  of  May,  1868,  it  was  very  seriously  damaged  by  fire. 

Elizabeth  Greystoke,  Baroness  Greystoke  and  Wemme,  was 
a  minor  at  the  time  of  her  father's  death.  She  was  the  only 
daughter  of  Sir  Robert  Greystoke,  knight,  who  died  Jime 
17th,  1483,  in  the  lifetime  of  his  father,  Ralph,  seventeenth 
Baron  Greystoke.  By  an  inquisition  held  after  the  death  of 
that  nobleman,  it  was  found  that  he  died  on  Friday  next  after 
the  Feast  of  Pentecost,  in  the  second  year  of  King  Henry 
VII.,  namely,  June  ist,  1487.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Elizabeth,  his  grand-daughter  and  heiress,  who  during  her 
minority  was  a  ward  of  the  crown,  and  had  special  livery  of 
all  her  lands  in  1506.  This  lady  married  Thomas,  ninth 
Baron  Dacre  of  Gillesland,  and  third  Lord  Dacre  of  the 
North ;  by  which  marriage  the  Barony  of  Greystoke  became 
united  with  that  of  Gillesland. 

The  nobleman  in  whose  custody  the  King  had  placed  his 
ward  was  Henry  the  tenth  Baron  Clifford,  better  known  as 
Lord  Clifford  the  Shepherd.  He  had  married  a  cousin  of 
Henry  VII.,  and  on  the  accession  of  that  monarch  had  been 
restored,  by  the  reversal  of  his  father's  attainder,  to  his 
honours  and  estates.  Their  sons  had  been  educated  together, 
and  brought  up  in  habits  of  intimacy ;  and  the  friendship 
thus  formed  in  youth  was  continued  after  the  one  had 
succeeded  to  the  crown  as  Henry  VIII.,  and  the  other  had 
ceased  to  be  "Wild  Henry  Clifford,"  and  had  been  advanced 
by  his  royal  kinsman  and  associate  to  the  dignity  of  Earl  of 
Cumberland. 

Of  the  Lady  Elizabeth  it  is  stated  that  "lord  Clifford  gott 


276 


Notes  to 


her  of  the  kiug  for  his  son's  marriage  ;"  or  for  himself,  "who 
probably  intended  to  marry  her."  These  suppositions  lose 
something  of  their  importance  when  we  learn  that  a  con- 
siderable disparity  in  years  existed  between  Lord  Clifford  and 
the  Lady,  as  well  as  between  her  and  his  son  ;  the  former 
being  nearly  thirty  years  her  senior,  and  the  latter  almost  a 
dozen  years  her  junior ;  and  during  a  great  portion  of  her 
minority,  the  first  Lady  Clifford,  though  probably  residing 
much  apart  from  her  husband,  or  unhappily  with  him,  was 
yet  alive.  He  was,  however,  a  nobleman  nearly  allied  to  the 
king,  of  great  power  and  influence  in  the  north  of  England, 
and  had  been  neighbour  to  the  old  Lord  Greystoke,  her 
grandfather.  Under  the  circumstances,  the  selection  made  by 
the  sovereign  was  a  natural  one.  Her  youth,  her  rank,  and 
her  rich  inheritance,  were  a  prize  worthy  of  the  aspiration  of 
the  noblest  among  her  peers,  whoever  may  have  been  the 
suitor  intended  for  her  by  the  king ;  and  they  were  won  by 
one  who  afterwards  showed  that  he  was  as  gallant  in  war  as 
he  had  proved  himself  to  be  daring  and  loyal  in  love. 

Lord  Dacre,  after  imitating  the  spirited  bearing  of  his 
ancestor  in  his  love  affair,  exhibited  it  in  an  equal  degree  in  a 
more  serious  enterprise,  when  it  was  attended  with  equal 
success.  He  had  a  principal  command  in  the  English  army 
in  the  battle  of  Flodden  Field,  which  was  gained  on  the  9th 
of  September,  15 14,  over  the  Scots,  who  had  invaded  the 
kingdom  during  the  absence  of  Henry  VHL  at  Tournay. 
He  commanded  the  right  wing  of  the  army;  and  wheeling 
about  during  the  action,  he  fell  upon  the  rear  of  the  enemy 
and  put  them  to  the  sword  without  resistance,  and  thus  con- 
tributed greatly  to  the  complete  victory  which  followed. 

The  gratitude  of  his  sovereign  for  his  faithful  services 
invested  him  with  the  dignity  of  the  most  noble  Order  of  the 
Garter,  and  with  the  office  of  Lord  Warden  of  the  West 
Marches.  He  died  October  24th,  1525,  and  was  buried  with 
his  wife,  under  the  rich  altar-tomb,  in  the  south  aisle  of  the 
choir  of  Lanercost. 

Brougham  Castle  in  the  thirteenth  century,  the  time  of  John 
de  Veteripont,  the  most  ancient  owner  that  history  points  out, 
is  called  in  instruments  wherein  his  name  is  mentioned,  the 
house  of  Brougham  ;  from  which  it  is  inferred  that  license  had 
not  then  been  procured  to  embattle  it.  It  came  to  the 
Cliffords  by  the  marriage  of  his  grand-daughter  Isabella,  the 
last  of  the  Veteriponts,  with  Roger,  son  and  heir  of  Roger 
ClifTord,    of  Clifford   Castle,    Herts,    whom   the    king    had 


The  Bridals  of  Dacre.  277 


appointed  guardian  to  her  during  her  minority.*  This  Roger 
de  Clifford  buih  the  greater  part  of  the  Castle,  and  had  placed 
over  its  inner  gateway  the  inscription — This  made  Roger  ; 
"which,"  says  Bishop  Nicholson,  "some  would  have  to  be 
understood  not  so  much  of  his  raising  the  Castle,  as  of  the 
Castle  raising  him,  in  allusion  to  his  advancement  of  fortune 
by  his  marriage,  this  Castle  being  part  of  his  wife's  inherit- 
ance." On  the  death  of  Roger,  who  was  slain  in  the  Isle  of 
Anglesey,  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Welsh,  his  widow,  during 
her  son's  minority,  sat  as  sheriffess  in  the  county  of  Westmor- 
land, upon  the  bench  with  the  judges  there,  "concerning  the 
legality  of  which,"  says  the  Countess  of  Pembroke,  "  I 
obtained  Lord  Hailes  his  opinion. "+ 

Her  grandson  Robert  built  the  eastern  parts  of  the  Castle. 
During  the  subsequent  centuries  it  fell  several  times  into 
decay,  ha\ing  been  destroyed  by  the  Scots  and  by  fire,  and 
was  as  often  restored. 

King  James  was  magnificently  entertained  at  Brougham 
Castle,  on  the  sixth,  seventh,  and  eighth  days  of  August, 
161 7,  on  his  return  from  his  last  journey  out  of  Scotland. 
After  this  visit  it  appears  to  have  been  again  injured  by  fire, 
and  to  have  lain  ruinous  until  165 1  and  1652,  when  it  was 
repaired  for  the  last  time,  by  Anne,  Countess  of  Pembroke, 
who  tells  us,  ' '  After  I  had  been  there  myself  to  direct  the 
building  of  it,  did  I  cause  my  old  decayed  Castle  of  Brougham 
to  be  repaired,  and  also  the  tower  called  the  Jioman  Tower, 
in  the  said  old  castle,  and  the  court  house,  for  keeping  my 
courts  in,  with  some  dozen  or  fourteen  rooms  to  be  built  in  it 

*  The  King  committed  these  ladies  (Isabella  and  Idonea  de  Veteripont), 
being  then  young,  to  the  guardianship  of  Roger  de  Clilibrd,  of  Clifford 
Castle,  Herefordshire,  and  Roger  de  Leyboume.  According  to  the 
custom  of  the  times,  and  the  real  intent  of  the  trust,  as  soon  as  the 
heu'esses  were  of  proper  age.  they  were  married  to  the  sons  of  their 
guardians.  — Pennant. 

t  It  has  again  and  again  been  stated,  that  the  Countess  herself  in  the 
seventeenth  century  repeated  this  exhibition  of  her  ancestress  in  the 
thii-teenth  :  and  not  merely  as  an  assertion  of  her  right,  but  frequently 
and  haljitually.  Xo  evidence  has  been  found,  that  she  ever  did  so  at 
ail.  She  was,  however,  recognized  as  sheriff,  and  she  exercised  the 
authority  of  the  office  by  deputy.  Thiis  we  have  her  recording  that  she 
appoint^  such  a  deputy  sheriff  in  1651.  The  office  appears  to  have  been 
regarded  as  attached  to  the  estate  of  Brougham  Castle,  or  the  other  lands 
which  had  originally  belonged  to  the  Veteriponts  ;  it  descended  with 
those  estates  to  the  Earls  of  Thanet  :  but  in  ISoO  a  sheritt'  was  appointed 
by  the  crown,  under  the  authority  of  an  Act  passed  in  the  previous 
session  ot  Parliament,  entitled  "An  Act  to  provide  for  the  execution  for 
one  year  of  the  Office  of  Sheriff  in  the  County  of  Westmorland." 


278  The  Bridals  of  D acre. 


upon  the  old  foundation."  The  tower  of  leagues  and  the 
Pagan  tower  are  mentioned  in  her  Memoirs  ;  and  also  a  state 
room  called  Greystocke  Chamber.  But  the  room  in  which  her 
father  was  born,  her  "blessed  mother"  died,  and  King  James 
lodged  in  161 7,  she  never  fails  to  mention,  as  being  that  in 
which  she  lay,  in  all  her  visits  to  this  place.  After  the  death 
of  the  Countess,  the  Castle  appears  to  have  been  neglected, 
and  has  gradually  gone  to  decay. 


2  79 


THRELKELD  TARN : 


OR,    TRUTH    FROM   THE    DEEPS. 


By  doubts  and  darkest  thoughts  oppress'd, 
From  cheerful  hope  out-driven, 

A  sceptic  laid  him  down  to  rest 
Mid  regions  earthquake-riven. 


And  scanning  Nature's  awful  face, 

And  all  the  glorious  sky. 
He  cried — "  To  perish,  and  no  trace 

Survive  us  when  we  die,— 


"  This,  spite  of  hope,  is  man's  forlorn 

And  unremitting  lot ; 
No  realm  awaits  the  heart  out-worn  ; 

Earth  fades,  and  heaven  is  not. 


28o  Threlkeld  Tarn. 

"  For  Reason's  ray,  like  yon  bright  sun, 

Rebukes  the  feebler  light 
Of  hope  from  star-eyed  Fable  won, 

And  old  Tradition's  night. 

"  We  shall  no  more  to  life  arise, 

Nor  reassume  our  breath. 
Nor  light  revisit  these  dim  eyes 

Once  closed  in  endless  death. 

"  As  soon  shall  stars  at  noontide  beam 
While  burns  the  sun's  bright  ray, 

As  stand  before  high  Truth  the  dream 
That  Thought  survives  the  clay." — 

He  turned  :  beside  him  yawning  wide 

Lay  Mountains  hugely  rent : 
Whence  far  within  their  depths  espied, 

A  little  gleam  was  sent. 

One  star  the  blackened  pool  below 

Reflected  bright  and  clear, 
While  earth  was  revelling  in  the  glow 

And  sunshine  of  the  year. 

Then  starting,  cried  he — "  Heaven  !  thou  art 

Above  our  powers  to  know. 
Take  thou  this  blindness  from  my  heart. 

And  let  me,  trusting,  go." 


2«I 


NOTES  TO  "THRELKELD  TARN;  OR  TRUTH 
FROM  THE  DEEPS." 

Threlkeld  or  Scales  Tarn  is  a  small  lake  lying  deeply 
secluded  in  a  recess  on  the  north  eastern  side  of  Saddleback, 
or  Blencathra,  between  that  mountain  and  Scales  Fell.  From 
the  peculiarity  of  its  situation  it  has  excited  considerable 
curiosity :  but  the  supposed  difficulty  of  access  to  it,  its 
insignificant  size,  and  the  peculiar  nature  of  its  attractions, 
cause  it  to  be  seldom  visited  except  by  those  who  take  it  on 
their  way  to  the  top  of  Linethwaite  Fell,  the  most  elevated 
point  of  the  Saddleback  range. 

Having  gained,  by  a  toilsome  and  rugged  ascent  from  the 
south-east,  the  margin  of  the  cavity  in  which  the  Tarn  is 
imbedded,  let  the  traveller  be  supposed  to  stand  directly  facing 
the  middle  of  the  mountain,  the  form  of  which  gives  its  name 
to  Saddleback.  From  the  high  land  between  its  two  most 
elevated  points  before  him,  and  jutting  right  out  to  the  north- 
east, depends  an  enormous  perpendicular  rock  called  Tarn 
Crag  ;  at  the  base  of  which,  engulphed  in  an  immense  basin 
or  cavity  of  steeps,  above  and  on  the  left  lofty  and  precipitous, 
and  gradually  diminishing  as  they  curve  on  the  right,  lies 
Threlkeld  Tarn,  described  as  a  beautiful  piece  of  circular 
transparent  water,  covering  a  space  of  from  thirty  to  thirty- 
five  acres,  and  surrounded  with  a  well  defined  shore.  From 
the  summit,  elevated  upwards  of  two  hundred  yards  above  it, 
its  surface  is  black,  though  smooth  as  a  mirror  ;  and  it  lies  so 
deeply  imbedded,  that  it  is  said,  the  reflection  of  the  stars  may 
be  seen  therein  at  noonday.  It  is  generally  sunless  ;  and 
when  illuminated,  it  is  in  the  morning,  and  chiefly  through  an 
aperture  to  the  east,  formed  by  the  running  waters  in  the 
direction  of  Penrith.  "  A  wild  spot  it  is,"  says  Southey,  "  as 
ever  was  chosen  by  a  cheerful  party  where  to  rest,   and  take 

19 


282  Notes  to 


their  merry  repast  upon  a  summer's  day.  The  green  mountain, 
the  dark  pool,  the  crag  under  which  it  Hes,  and  the  Uttle 
stream  which  steals  from  it,  are  the  only  objects  ;  the  gentle 
voice  of  tliat  stream  the  only  sound,  unless  a  kite  be  wheeling 
above,  or  a  sheep  bleats  on  the  fell  side.  A  silent  solitary 
place ;  and  such  solitude  heightens  social  enjoyment,  as  much 
as  it  conduces  to  lonely  meditation." 

Southey  adds,  in  a  note — -"Absurd  accounts  have  been 
-  published  both  of  the  place  itself,  and  the  difficulty  of  reaching 
it.  The  Tarn  has  been  said  to  be  so  deep  that  the  reflection 
of  the  stars  may  be  seen  in  it  at  noon-day — and  that  the  sun 
never  shines  upon  it.  One  of  these  assertions  is  as  fabulous 
as  the  other — and  the  Tarn,  like  all  Tarns,  is  shallow." 

Its  claim  to  this  singularity  need  not  be  wholly  rejected, 
however,  on  the  ground  of  shallowness,  if,  to  be  deeply 
imbedded,  rather  than  to  be  deep,  be  the  essential  condition. 
Several  of  the  most  credible  inhabitants  thereabouts  have 
affirmed  that  they  frequently  see  stars  in  it  at  mid-day  ;  but  it 
is  also  stated  that  in  order  to  discover  that  phenomenon, 
there  must  be  a  concurrence  of  several  circumstances,  viz  : 
the  firmament  must  be  perfectly  clear,  the  air  and  the  water 
unagitated  ;  and  the  spectator  must  be  placed  at  a  certain 
height  above  the  lake,  and  as  much  below  the  summit  of  the 
partially  surrounding  ridge. 

The  impression  produced  upon  travellers  a  century  ago  by 
the  features  of  Blencathra  at  a  considerable  elevation,  will 
excite  a  smile  in  tourists  of  the  present  day.  The  Southern 
face  of  the  mountain  is  "furrowed  with  hideous  chasms." 
One  of  these  "though  by  far  the  least  formidable,"  is  described 
as  "  uuconceivably  horrid  : "  "its  width  is  about  two  hundred 
yards,  and  its  depth  at  least  six  hundred."  Between  two  of 
these  horrible  abysses,  and  separated  from  the  body  of  the 
mountain  on  all  sides  by  deep  ravines,  a  portion  of  the  hill 
somewhat  pyramidal  in  shape  stands  out  like  an  enormous 
buttress.  ' '  I  stood  upon  this, "  says  the  narrator,  whose 
account  is  quoted,  ' '  and  had  on  each  side  a  gulf  about  two 
hundred  yards  wide,  and  at  least  eight  hundred  deep  ;  their 
sides  were  rocky,  bare,  and  rough,  scarcely  the  appearance  of 
vegetation  upon  them  :  and  their  bottoms  were  covered 
with  pointed  broken  rocks."  Again  he  "  arrived  where  the 
mountain  has  every  appearance  of  being  split ;  and  at  the 
'  bottom '  he  '  saw  hills  about  forty  yards  high  and  a  mile  in 
length,  which  seem  to  have  been  raised  from  the  rubbish  that 
had  fallen  from  the  mountain.'"    From  the  summit  he  "could 


Threlkeld  Tarn.  28' 


not  help  observing  that  the  back  of  this  mountain  is  as  remark- 
ably smooth,  as  the  front  is  horrid." 

Over  this  front  of  Blencathra,  the  bold  and  rugged  brow 
which  it  presents  when  seen  from  the  road  to  Matterdale,  or 
from  the  Vale  of  St.  John's,  the  view  of  the  country  to  the 
south  and  east  is  most  beautiful.  The  northern  side  is,  as  has 
been  said,  remarlv.ably  smooth,  and  in  striking  contrast  to  that 
so  ruggedly  and  grandly  broken  down  towards  the  south, 
where  every  thing  around  bears  evident  marks  of  some  great 
and  terrible  convulsion  of  nature. 

iVIr.  Green  with  his  companion,  Mr.  Otley,  was  among  the 
early  adventurers  who  stood  on  the  highest  ridge  of  Blencathra. 
This  accurate  observer,  whose  descriptions  of  this,  and  other 
unfrequented  and  unalterable  places,  will  never  be  old, 
describes  without  exaggeration  the  difficulties  of  the  ground 
about  the  upper  part  of  this  mountain.  Describing  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Tarn,  he  says,  "From  Linthwaite  Pike 
on  soft  green  turf,  we  descended  steeply,  first  southward,  and 
then  in  an  easterly  direction  to  the  tarn, — a  beautiful  circular 
piece  of  transparent  water,  with  a  well  defined  shore.  Here 
we  found  ourselves  engulphed  in  a  basin  of  steeps,  having 
Tarn  Crag  on  the  north,  the  rocks  falling  from  Sharp  Edge 
on  the  east,  and  on  the  west,  the  soft  turf  on  which  we  made 
our  downward  progress.  These  side  grounds,  in  pleasant 
grassy  banks,  verge  to  the  stream  issuing  from  the  lake, 
whence  there  is  a  charming  opening  to  the  town  of  Penrith  ; 
and  Cross  Fell  seen  in  the  extreme  distance.  Wishing  to 
vary  our  line  in  returning  to  the  place  we  had  left,  we  crossed 
the  stream,  and  commenced  a  steep  ascent  at  the  foot  of  Sharp 
Edge.  We  had  not  gone  far  before  we  were  aware  that  our 
journey  would  be  attended  with  perils  ;  the  passage  gradually 
grew  narrower,  and  the  declivity  on  each  hand  awfully 
precipitous.  From  walking  erect,  we  were  reduced  to  the 
necessity  either  of  bestriding  the  ridge  or  of  moving  on  one  ot 
its  sides,  with  our  hands  lying  over  the  top,  as  a  security 
against  tumbling  into  the  tarn  on  the  left,  or  into  a  frightful 
gully  on  the  right,  both  of  immense  depth.  Sometimes  we 
thought  it  prudent  to  return  ;  but  that  seemed  unmanly,  and 
we  proceeded;  thinking  with  Shakespeare,  that  "dangers 
retreat  when  boldly  they're  confronted."  Mr.  Otley  was  the 
leader,  who,  on  gaining  steady  footing,  looked  back  on  the 
writer,  whom  he  perceived  viewing  at  leisure  from  his  saddle 
the  remainder  of  his  upward  course." 


284 


ROBIN  THE  DEVIL'S  COURTESY. 


While  the  vales  of  the  North  keep  the  Philipsons' 

fame, 
Calgarth  and  Holm-Isle  will  exult  at  their  name  ! 
Ever  true  to  the  lights  of  the  King,  and  his  throne, — 
Now  hearken  how  Robin  was  true  to  his  own  ! 


"  Ride,  brother  !  ride  stoutly,  ride  in  from  Carlisle  ! 
For  the  Roundheads  from  Kendal  beleaguer  Holm- 
Isle. 
On  land  and  on  mere  I  have  fifty  at  bay ; 
And  I  speed  on  mine  arrow  this  message  away  !  " — 


The  arrow  struck  truly  the  henchman's  far  door ; 
And  swift  from  the  arrow  that  message  he  tore. 
Then,  booted  and  spurr'd,  over  mountain  and  plain 
He  rides  as  for  life,  and  he  rides  not  in  vain. 


Rodtn  the  Devil's  Courtesy.       285 

He  has  reached  the  fair  City,  has  sought  through 

the  crowd 
The  bold  form  of  his  master,  and  thus  spoke  aloud — 
"  The  Roundheads  beleaguer  my  lord  in  his  Isle, 
And  he  bids  thee  for  life  to  ride  in  from  CarHsle." — 


He  rode  with  his  men,  and  he  came  to  the  Mere, 
When  a  shout  for  the  Philipsons  burst  on  his  ear ; 
And  his  errand  sped  well ;    for  the  Whigs  to  a  man. 
At  the  sight  of  his  horsemen,  all  mounted  and  ran. 


"  Now  listen,  my  Brother  ! — I  stay'd  by  the  Isle, 
Whilst  thou  for  the  King  wert  array'd  at  Carlisle ; 
I  have  stood  by  thy  treasure  ;  I've  guarded  thy  store; 
I  have  kept  our  good  name ;  and  now  this  I'll  do 
more  ! 


*'  Yon  braggart,  that  thief-like  came  on  in  the  dark. 
And  thought  to  catch  Robin — but  miss'd  his  good 

mark  ! 
I'll  repay  him  his  visit ;  and,  by  the  great  King  1 
I'll  be  straight  with  the  varlet,  and  make  his  casque 

ring.':— 


286       Robin  the  Devil's  Courtesy. 

With  a  half-score  of  horsemen,  next  Sunday  at  morn, 
While  the  sound  of  the  bells  o'er  the  meadows  was 

borne. 
To  the  Kent  he  rode  easily — on  to  the  town — 
And  along  the  dull  street — with  clenched  hand  and 

dark  frown. 


"  Is  there  none  of  this  Boaster's  fanatical  crew 
In  all  Kendal  to  give  me  the  welcome  that's  due  ? 
Not  a  blade  of  old  Noll's,  or  in  street  or  in  porch  ? 
By  the  Rood,  then  I'll  look  for  such  grace  in  the 
church  ! " 


He  spurr'd  his  wild  horse  through  the  open  church 

door; 
He  spurr'd  to  the  chancel,  and  scann'd  it  well  o'er  ; 
Then  turned  by  the  Altar,  and  glanced  at  each  one 
Of  the  Roundheads  that  leapt  from  their  knees,  and 

look'd  on. 


But  their  Leader,  the  trooper,  his  foe  at  the  Mere, 
His  eye  could  not  'light  on — "  He  cannot  be  here  !" 
So  he  rushed  at  the  portal ;  but  not  ere  arose 
From  the  panic -loosed  swordsmen  harsh  words  and 
hard  blows. 


Robin  the  Devil's  Courtesy.       287 

He  dashed  at  the  doorway,  unstooping ;  a  stroke 
From  the  arch  rent  his  hehiiet,    his  saddle-girths 

broke ; 
Half-stunn'd  from  the  ground  he  strove  up  to  his 

steed, 
And  ungirth'd  has  he  mounted,  and  off  with  good 

speed. 


With  his  men  at  his  back,  that  stood  keeping  true 

ward 
By  each  gate,  when  he  entered  alone  the  churchyard, 
Soon  left  he  the  rebel  rout  straggling  behind ; 
And  was  off  to  his  Mere  like  a  hawk  on  the  wind. 


And  there  with  his  half-score  of  horsemen  once  more 
He  cross'd  to  his  calm  little  Isle,  from  the  shore ; 
And  then  said  bold  Robin — "  I've  miss'd  him,  tis 

true; 
But  I  paid  back  his  visit — so  much  was  his  due  ! 


"Had  I  caught  but  a  glance  of  the  low  canting 

knave, 
The  next  psalm  that  they  sung  had  been  over  his 

grave  ! " — 
And  they  guess'd  through  all  Westmorland  whose 

was  the  hand 
That  would  dare  such  a  deed  with  so  feeble  a  band. 


288       Robin  the  Devil' s  Courtesy. 

Saying — "  Robin  the  Devil,  who  man  never  fear'd, 
Would   have  dared  to  take  Satan  himself  by  the 

beard ; 
Then  why  not  a  troublesome  Whig  at  his  prayers  ! 
— He'll  not  try  to  catch  Robin  again  unawares." 


28q 


NOTES  TO    "ROBIN  THE   DEVIL'S  COURTESY." 

Holm  Isle,  Belle  Isle,  or  Curwen's  Island,  as  it  is  some- 
times called  from  the  name  of  its  present  proprietor,  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Philipsons  of  Calgarth,  an  ancient  family  in 
Westmorland.  It  is  the  largest  island  in  Windermere,  lying 
obliquely  across  the  lake,  just  above  its  narrowest  part  called 
the  Straits,  and  opposite  to  Bowness.  It  is  of  an  oblong 
shape,  distant  on  one  side  from  the  shore  about  half  a  mile, 
on  the  other  considerably  less,  while  at  its  northern  and 
southern  points  there  is  a  large  sheet  of  water  extending  four 
or  five  miles.  It  is  about  one  mile  and  three-quarters  in 
circumference,  and  contains  nearly  thirty  acres  of  land.  Its 
shores  are  irregular,  occasionally  retiring  into  bays,  or  breaking 
into  creeks.  A  circular  structure  surmounted  by  a  dome- 
shaped  roof  was  erected  upon  it  in  1776,  which  is  so  planned 
as  to  command  a  prospect  of  the  whole  lake.  The  plantations, 
consisting  of  Weymouth  pines,  ash  and  other  trees,  are 
disposed  so  as  to  afford  a  complete  shelter  to  the  house, 
without  intercepting  the  view.  The  grounds  are  tastefiilly 
laid  out ;  and  the  island  is  surrounded  by  a  gravel  walk, 
which  strangers  are  permitted  to  use.  In  the  middle  are  a  few 
clumps  of  trees  ;  and  a  neat  boat-house  has  been  erected 
contiguous  to  the  place  of  landing. 

When  the  ground  underneath  the  site  of  the  house  was 
excavated,  traces  of  an  ancient  building  were  discovered  at  a 
considerable  depth  below  the  surface  ;  among  which  were  a 
great  number  of  old  bricks,  and  a  chimney-piece  in  its  perfect 
state.  Several  pieces  of  old  amioxu",  weapons,  and  cannon 
balls  were  also  found  embedded  in  the  soil.  In  levelling  the 
gi'ound  on  the  north  part  of  the  building,  a  beautiful  pave- 
ment formed  of  a  small  kind  of  pebbles,  and  several  curious 
gravel  walks  were  cut  through.     These  were  probably  some 


290  Notes  to 


remains  of  "the  strong  house  on  the  island,"  in  which 
Huddleston  Philipson  is  said  to  have  left  the  family  treasure 
under  the  care  of  his  brother  "Robin,"  while  he  was  absent 
in  the  Royal  cause  at  the  siege  of  Carlisle. 

During  the  civil  wars  these  two  members  of  the  Philipson 
family  served  the  king.  Huddleston,  the  elder,  who  was  the 
proprietor  of  this  island,  commanded  a  regiment.  Robert 
held  a  commission  as  major  in  the  same  service.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  spirit  and  enterprise  ;  and  for  his  many  feats  of 
personal  valour,  had  obtained  among  the  Oliverians  of  those 
parts  the  appellation  of  Robin  the  Devil. 

After  the  war  had  subsided,  and  the  more  direful  effects  of 
public  opposition  had  ceased,  revenge  and  private  malice 
long  kept  alive  the  animosities  of  individuals.  Colonel  Briggs, 
a  distant  kinsman  of  the  Philipsons,  of  whom,  notwithstanding, 
he  was  a  bitter  enemy,  and  a  steady  friend  to  the  usurpation, 
resided  at  this  time  at  Kendal ;  and  under  the  double  character 
of  a  leading  magistrate  and  an  active  commander,  held  the 
county  in  awe.  This  person  having  heard  that  Major 
Philipson  was  at  his  brother's  house,  on  the  island  in  Winder- 
mere, resolved,  if  possible,  to  seize  and  punish  a  man  who 
had  made  himself  so  particularly  obnoxious.  With  this  A^iew 
he  mustered  a  party  which  he  thought  sufficient,  and  went 
himself  on  the  enterprise.  How  it  was  conducted  the 
narrator  does  not  inform  us — whether  he  got  together  the 
navigation  of  the  lake,  and  blockaded  the  place  by  sea,  or 
whether  he  landed,  and  carried  on  his  approach  in  fomi.  It 
is  probable,  as  he  was  reduced  to  severe  privation,  that  Briggs 
had  seized  all  the  boats  upon  the  lake,  and  stopped  the 
supplies.  Neither  do  we  leani  the  strength  of  the  garrison 
within,  nor  of  the  works  without,  though  every  gentleman's 
house  was  at  that  time  in  some  degree  a  fortress.  All  we 
learn  is,  that  Major  Philipson  endured  a  siege  of  eight  or  ten 
days  with  great  gallantly ;  till  his  brother  the  Colonel, 
hearing  of  his  distress,  raised  a  party,  and  relieved  him  ;  or, 
as  another  account  says,  till  his  brother  returned  from  Carlisle, 
after  the  siege  of  that  city  was  raised. 

It  was  now  the  Major's  turn  to  make  reprisals.  He  put 
himself  therefore  at  the  head  of  a  little  troop  of  horse,  and 
rode  to  Kendal.  Here  being  informed  that  Colonel  Briggs 
was  at  prayers  (for  it  was  on  a  Sunday  morning),  he  stationed 
his  men  properly  in  the  avenues,  and  himself,  anned,  rode 
directly  into  the  church.  It  is  said  he  intended  to  seize  the 
Colonel  and  cany  him  off ;  but  as  this  seems  to  have  been 


Robin  the  Devil's  Courtesy.       291 


totally  impracticable,  it  is  rather  probable  that  his  intention 
was  to  kill  him  on  the  spot ;  and  in  the  midst  of  the  confusion, 
to  escape.  Whatever  his  intention  was,  it  was  frustrated,  for 
Briggs  happened  to  be  elsewhere. 

The  congregation,  as  might  be  expected,  was  thrown  into 
great  confusion  on  seeing  an  armed  man,  on  horseback,  make 
his  appearance  amongst  them  ;  and  the  Major,  taking 
advantage  of  their  astonishment,  turned  his  horse  round,  and 
walked  quietly  out.  But  having  given  an  alarm,  he  was 
presently  assaulted  as  he  left  the  assembly ;  and,  being  seized, 
his  girths  were  cut,  and  he  was  unhorsed. 

Another  account  says,  that  having  dashed  foi^ward  dovra. 
the  principal  aisle  of  the  church,  and  having  discovered  that 
his  principal  object  could  not  be  effected,  he  was  making  his 
escape  by  another  aisle,  when  his  head  came  violently  in 
contact  with  the  arch  of  the  doorway,  which  was  much  lower 
that  that  through  which  he  had  entered  ;  that  his  helmet  was 
struck  off  by  the  blow,  his  saddle  girth  gave  way,  and  he 
himself,  much  stunned,  was  thrown  to  the  ground. 

At  this  instant  his  party  made  a  furious  attack  on  the 
assailants,  who  taking  advantage  of  his  mishap,  attempted  to 
detain  him  ;  and  the  Major  killed  with  his  own  hand  the  man 
who  had  seized  him,  clapped  the  saddle,  ungirthed  as  it  was, 
upon  the  horse,  and  vaulting  into  it,  rode  full  speed  through 
the  streets  of  Kendal,  calling  his  men  to  follow  him,  and 
with  his  whole  party  made  a  safe  retreat  to  his  asylum  on  the 
lake,  which  he  reached  about  two  o'clock. 

The  action  marked  the  man.  Many  knew  him ;  and  they 
who  did  not,  knew  as  well  from  the  exploit,  that  it  could  be 
nobody  but  Robin  the  Dcvil. 

In  the  Bellingham  Chapel,  in  Kendal  Church,  is  suspended 
high  over  an  ancient  altar  tomb,  a  battered  helmet,  through 
whose  crust  of  whitewash  the  rust  of  ages  is  plainly  to  be 
discerned.  Whether  this  antique  casque  belonged  to  Sir 
Roger  Bellingham,  who  was  interred  A.  d.  1557  in  the  tomb 
beneath,  and  was  exalted  as  a  token  of  the  distinction  he  had 
received,  when  made  a  knight  banneret  by  the  hand  of  his 
sovereign  on  the  field  of  battle,  or  was  won  by  the  puissant 
burgesses  of  Kendal  from  one  of  the  Philipsons,  and  elevated 
to  its  present  position  as  a  trophy  of  their  valour,  it  is, 
strangely  enough,  called  the  "Rebel's  Cap,"  and  forms  the 
theme  of  the  bold  and  sacrehgious  action  recorded  of  Robert 
Philipson. 

As  for   "Robin"  (who   has  also,    though    unjustly,   been 


292  Notes  to 


calumniated  and  accused  of  having  murdered  the  persons  to 
whom  the  skulls  at  Calgarth  belonged,  aud  who  figures,  it  is 
said,  in  many  other  desperate  adventures),  after  the  final 
defeat  at  Worcester  had,  by  depressing  for  a  time  the  hopes  of 
the  royalists,  in  some  degree  restored  a  sort  of  subdued  quiet 
to  the  kingdom,  finding  a  pacific  life  irksome  to  his  restless 
spirit,  he  passed  over  into  the  sister  country,  and  there  fell  in 
some  nameless  rencontre  in  the  Irish  wars,  sealing  by  a 
warrior's  fate  a  course  of  long  tried  and  devoted  attachment 
to  his  king  ;  in  his  death,  as  in  his  life,  affording  a  memorable 
illustration  of  the  fine  sentiment  embodied  in  these  proud 
lines — 

"  Master  !  lead  on  and  I  will  follow  thee 
To  the  last  gasp,  with  truth  and  loyalty." 

Duiing  the  Protectorate  of  Cromwell,  Briggs  ruled  in  the 
ascendancy  ;  but  on  the  accession  of  Charles  the  Second,  he 
was  obliged  for  a  long  period  to  hide  in  the  wilds  of  Furness. 

Two  hundred  years  have  rolled  away,  since  the  generation 
that  saw  those  events  has  vanished  from  the  earth,  and  every 
tangible  memorial  of  the  island  hero  has  been  fhought  to  have 
perished  with  him.  Nevertheless,  time  has  spared  one  fragile, 
though  little  noticed  relic  ;  for  in  the  library  of  that  most 
interesting  of  our  northern  English  fanes,  the  Parish  Church 
of  Cartmel,  whose  age-stricken  walls,  so  rich  in  examples  of 
each  style  of  Gothic  architecture,  rise  but  a  few  miles  from  the 
foot  of  the  lake,  in  the  centre  of  a  vale  of  much  beauty  of  a 
monastic  character,  there  is  retained  upon  the  shelves  a  small 
volume  in  Latin,  entitled  "  Vincentii  Lirinensis  ha;res,  Oxoni?s, 
1631,"  on  one  of  the  blank  leaves  of  which  is  this  inscription 
in  MS.,  the  signature  to  which  has  been  partly  torn  off: — 
"  For  Mr  Rob.  Phillipson. 
Inveniam,  spero,  quamvis  Peregrinus,  amicos  : 
Mite  peto  tecum  cominus  hospitium.  R " 

It  is  pleasing  to  dwell  on  this  enduring  testimony  of  regard 
for  a  man,  whose  portrait,  as  limned  on  the  historic  canvas,  has 
hitherto  been  looked  upon  as  that  only  of  a  bold  unnurtured 
rufHer  in  an  age  of  strife.  Seen  under  the  effect  of  this  touch 
by  the  hand  of  friendship,  a  gentler  grace  illumes  the  air  of  one, 
whose  unwavering  principles  and  firm  temper  well  fitted  him 
to  encounter  the  troubles  of  a  stormy  epoch,  while,  as  long  as 
the  island  itself  shall  endure,  his  heroic  shadow  rising  over  its 
groves,  will  cast  the  enthralling  interest  of  a  romantic  episode 
upon  a  scene  so  captivating  by  its  natural  loveliness. 


Robin  the  Devil' s  Courtesy.       293 


That  the  individual  so  addressed,  was  our  Robin  of  Satanic 
notoriety,  there  cannot  reasonably  be  a  doubt,  as  the  pedigree 
of  the  Crook  Hall  Philipsons  does  not  recognise  any  other 
member  of  the  family  of  that  name,  living  between  the  time  of 
the  publication  of  the  book,  and  the  death  of  their  last  male 
heir.  Neither  is  the  genealogical  tree  of  the  Calgarth  branch 
enriched  with  the  name  between  that  and  1652,  when 
Christopher  Philipson  (of  the  house  of  Calgarth)  who,  amid 
the  bitter  struggle  of  parties,  seems  to  have  been  devoted  to 
the  cultivation  of  letters,  and  who  is  supposed  to  have  pre- 
sented the  book,  along  with  others,  to  the  library  at  Cartmel, 
died.  Therefore  to  the  successful  soldier,  whose  actions  gave 
to  himself  and  his  cause  so  chivalrous  a  colouring,  alone,  must 
the  inscription  be  applied,  the  evidence  it  affords  furnishing 
another  illustration  of  the  saying  that  "the  Devil  is  not  always 
as  black  as  he  is  painted."  But  whether  it  be  questionable 
that  it  was  directed  to  the  royalist  Robin,  or  not,  the 
probability  is  sufhciently  great  to  justify  what  has  been  said 
on  the  subject. 

Recent  research  through  public  archives  has  ascertained 
that  the  family  of  the  Philipsons  was  established  in  Westmor- 
land at  least  as  far  back  as  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  for  in  an 
inquisition  relative  to  the  possessions  of  the  chantry  on  Saint 
Mary's  Holme,  taken  in  1355,  the  name  of  John  Philipson  is 
recorded  as  tenant  to  certain  lands  belonging  to  that  religious 
foundation. 

This  family  owned  not  only  Calgarth  Hall  and  extensive 
domains  which  reached  along  the  shores  of  Windermere,  from 
Low  Wood  to  Rayrigg,  consisting  of  beautiful  woods  and  rich 
pastures,  but  also  Crook  and  HoUing  Halls,  with  much  of  the 
surrounding  country,  as  well  as  the  large  island  in  the  centre 
of  the  lake,  opposite  to  Bowness,  in  documents  of  the  13th 
century  especially  designated  "  Le  Holme,"  i>ut  the  earliest 
name  of  which  was  Wynandermere  Isle,  afterwards  changed 
to  the  "Long  Holme,"  which  latter  word  signifies,  in  the  old 
vernacular,  "an  island  or  plain  by  the  water  side,"  and  in 
which  they  had  a  mansion  of  the  old  fashioned  Westmorland 
kind,  strongly  fortified,  called  the  Holme  House. 

Their  alliances  having  connected  them  with  many  of  the 
chief  families  of  the  county,  they  fixed  their  principal  dwelling 
places  at  Holling,  and  at  Crook  or  Thwatterden  Halls;  which 
latter  abode  in  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth  again  became  the 
seat  of  a  younger  branch  of  the  house  at  Calgarth. 

With   Sir  Christopher  Philipson,   the  last  heir  male  of  the 


294       Robin  the  Devil' s  Courtesy. 


family  of  Crook  Hall,  who,  according  to  Mr.  West,  lived  in 
the  Holme  in  1705,  and  who  died  in  that  year,  the  race  was 
extinguished.  Their  mouldered  dust  lies  beneath  the  pave- 
ment in  Windermere  Church,  and  their  homes,  for  the  most 
part  but  grey  and  naked  ruins,  know  them  no  more. 


295 


THE  LAY  OF  LORD  LUCY  OF 
EGREMOND. 

On  that  Mount  sumamed  "  of  Sorrow  " 

Glass'd  in  Enna's  winding  flood, 
Looking  forth  through  many  a  morrow 

Both  the  warriors,  Lucies,  stood  ; 
Stood  beside  the  ramparts  hoary, 

Brothers,  vow'd  their  brows  to  wreathe 
In  the  Holy  Land  with  glory, 

Or  its  sands  to  rest  beneath. 


Quietly  the  vale  was  lying. 

Farm  and  meadow,  forge  and  mill, 
As  the  day-star  faintly  dying 

Paled  above  the  eastern  hill. 
But  beneath  the  cullis'd  portal 

Press'd  the  pent-up  throng  of  war, 
Eager  for  the  strife  immortal 

With  the  Soldan's  hosts  afar. 


296  The  Lay  of  Lord  Lucy. 

Fame  has  all  his  soul's  embraces — 

Clasps  Lord  Lucy  maid  nor  wife, 
As  the  warriors'  vizor'd  faces 

Turn  towards  the  land  of  strife. 
Through  the  gate  beneath  the  towering 

Pile  they  wind  in  shining  mail. 
Soon  afar  the  fortress  lowering 

Sinks  beneath  them  in  the  vale. 

Scawfell  saw  them  take  the  billow, 

Man  by  man  on  Cumbria's  shore ; 
Carmel's  foot  was  first  their  pillow 

When  again  to  land  they  bore. 
And  in  holy  fight  they  bound  them 

To  their  Saviour's  service  true; 
Fought  and  bled,  through  hosts  around  them, 

Till  their  ranks  were  faint  and  few. 

Then  beneath  the  foe  contending, 

Faithful,  fearless,  but  in  vain, 
Lo,  the  brothers  bound  and  bending 

Drag  the  hopeless  captive's  chain. 
In  the  Moslem  dungeon  wasting, 

England's  bravest,  both  they  lie  ; 
No  sweet  hope  nor  solace  tasting, 

Only  blank  captivity. 

Months  have  rolled  ;  and  moons  are  waning ; 

Then  stood  Lucy  forth  and  said, — 
"  Emir,  over  millions  reigning  ! 

We  are  two  in  dungeon  laid. 


The  Lay  of  Lord  Lucy.  297 

1,  who  bore  a  noble's  banner, 

I  have  halls  and  realms  afar, 
Wealth  which  many  a  lordly  manor 

Yields,  beneath  the  western  star. 

"  Let  the  Emir's  heart  be  gracious  ! 

Free  my  brother  at  my  side  ; 
And  a  ransom  rich  and  precious 

We  will  bring  o'er  ocean  wide. 
So  we  two,  whose  arms  avail'd  not 

Here  our  freedom  to  sustain, 
But  whose  constant  courage  fail'd  not, 

May  be  Freedom's  sons  again." 

Greed  for  gain  o'er  wrath  prevailing 

Softened  soon  the  tyrant's  mind. 
Homewards  one  is  swiftly  sailing ; 

Calmly  one  will  wait  behind. 
For  a  twelve-months  thus  they  parted. 

Weary  months,  the  year,  went  o'er. 
But  that  brother,  evil-hearted, 

From  the  West  return'd  no  more. 

Then  the  Emir's  soul  no  longer 

Would  its  vengeance  stern  forego ; 
All  his  rage  suppress'd  the  stronger, 

Bum'd,  and  burst  upon  his  foe. 
And  he  bade  his  hair  be  knotted 

Into  cords  around  a  beam. 
There  to  chain  him  till  he  rotted. 

Where  no  light  of  heaven  could  gleam. 
20 


298  The  Lay  of  L ord  L ucy. 

And  in  hunger  sore  he  wasted ; 

And  his  nails  grew  Hke  a  bird's  ; 
Day's  sweet  blessed  airs  untasted, 

And  no  sound  of  human  words  ! 
Changed  in  soul,  and  form,  and  feature, 

Ah  !  how  changed  from  that  fair  mould. 
In  which  heaven  had  stamped  its  creature 

Man  and  warrior,  mild  as  bold  ! 

Yet  one  heart  whose  daily  gladness 

Once  had  been,  from  latticed  bower 
To  look  dowTi  on  him  in  sadness 

Walking  forth  at  evening  hour ; . 
She,  the  Emir's  fairest  daughter, 

Sees  brave  Lucy  now  no  more, — 
Till  unresting  love  has  brought  her 

Trembling  to  his  dungeon's  floor. 

There,  with  one  mute  form  attending. 

Swift  her  arm  the  faulchion  drew 
Through  his  locks  ;  the  hatterel  rending* 

From  him,  as  it  cleaved  them  through. 
And  with  words  of  woman-kindness 

\^^lisper'd  she — "  To  light  and  air, 
Life  and  love,  from  dungeon  blindness, 

Are  we  come  the  brave  to  bear." 

And  for  love  of  him  she  bore  him 

To  a  ship,  wherein  he  rode 
Seaward  till  the  bright  sky  o'er  him 

Circled  round  his  own  abode. 
*  The  scalp  with  the  hair  attached. 


The  Lay  of  Lord  Lucy.  299 

Then  his  castle-horn  he  sounded, 

Which  none  other's  skill  could  sound, 

Where  the  traitor  sat,  confounded, 
With  his  bold  retainers  round. 

But  brave  Lucy's  soul  forgave  him 

All  that  Avrong  so  foully  done ; 
Him  who  went  not  back  to  save  him 

With  the  ransom  he  had  won. 
Yea,  and  more  :  "  From  Duddon's  borders 

Far  as  Esk,  and  from  the  sea 
To  where  Hard-knott's  ancient  warders 

Sleep,"  he  said,  "  I  give  to  thee. 

"Here  once  more  by  vale  and  mountain, 

On  these  ramparts  side  by  side. 
Wells  up  from  my  heart  a  fountain 

Wastes  and  dungeons  have  not  dried." 
And  his  stately  halls  he  entered. 

Borne  mid  cheers  and  warriors'  clang  ; 
While  a  thousand  welcomes,  centred 

In  one  shout  of  triumph,  rang. 

High  the  feast  and  great  the  story 

Then  that  fill'd  his  ancient  halls. 
Healths  to  Lucy's  House  and  glory 

Shook  the  banners  on  the  walls. 
And  their  deep  foundations  hail'd  him 

With  such  echoes  as  were  born 
>Vhen  his  own  true  breath  avail'd  him 

On  the  faithful  Castle-horn. 


joo  The  Lay  of  Lord  Lucy. 

And  'twas  joy  again  to  wander 

On  his  own  fair  fields,  and  chase 
There  the  wild  wolf,  and  bring  under 

The  strong  deer  in  deadly  race. 
And  if  sometimes  more  the  forest 

Won  him,  museful  and  alone ; 
'Twas  when  secret  thoughts  were  sorest, 

Turn'd  upon  the  past  and  gone. 

But  that  lone  and  lordly  bosom 

Sought  no  mate  of  high  degree ; 
Wooed  no  fair  and  beauteous  blossom 

From  a  noble  kindred  tree, — 
As  might  have  beseem'd,  to  wear  her 

Throned  wthin  a  warrior's  breast ; 
Evermore  to  bloom,  the  sharer 

Of  its  love,  its  life,  its  rest. 

So  in  field,  and  hall,  and  tourney, 

As  he  lived — upon  a  day, 
Wearied  with  a  toilsome  journey. 

Came  a  guest  from  far  away ; 
Feebly  at  his  gate  and  humbly 

Asking,  "  Dwells  Lord  Lucy  here?" 
But  all  question  parried  dumbly. 

Till  the  voice  she  sought  was  near. 

Then  indeed  the  sorrow-laden. 
Travel-stricken  form  sunk  do^vn  ; 

Slow  the  hatterel  forth  the  maiden 
Drew ;  he  knew  her  !  'twas  his  own  ! 


The  Lay  of  L ord  L ticy.  30 1 

Knew  her,  as  she  stood  before  him 

On  that  barren  Syrian  shore, 
When  from  wrath  and  death  she  bore  him 

\¥here  no  wrong  might  touch  him  more. 

Bear  her  in  !  he  tells  them  of  her, 

Tells  them  all  with  eye-balls  dim. 
Cannot  be  but  he  must  love  her. 

For  she  bears  such  love  to  him. 
She  has  left  her  father's  mansion, 

Left  her  country,  faith,  and  name, 
Travell'd  o'er  the  sea's  expansion, 

Him  to  find  in  life  and  fame. 

Was  there  ever  like  devotion  ? — 

Is  he  husband,  father  ;  she 
Who  has  braved  the  boundless  ocean 

Will  his  serving  maiden  be. 
No  !  she  shall  abide  in  honour, 

One  for  ever  at  his  side ; 
Every  gift  and  grace  upon  her 

That  beseems  a  warrior's  bride. 

Then  again  his  days  were  gladden'd 

With  more  joys  than  e'er  of  yore. 
And  if  thought  at  times  was  sadden'd 

With  the  memories  which  it  bore. 
Clasping  oft  his  wife  with  true  love, 

He  would  say  with  whispering  breath — 
"  Love  is  life  indeed  !  for  through  love 

I  am  here,  reprieved  from  death  !" 


302  The  Lay  of  Lord  Lucy. 

And  his  soul's  allegiance  fail'd  not 

That  fair  consort,  all  his  days. 
And  their  blissful  love — ^avail'd  not 

Chance  or  time  to  quench  its  rays. 
Love  unto  his  gate  had  brought  her 

O'er  the  seas  from  far  beyond. 
And  with  love  the  Emir's  daughter 

Ruled  the  halls  of  Egremond. 

But  that  kinsman,  far  divided 

From  them  by  remorse  and  shame, 
Round  his  courts  in  secret  glided 

Ghost-like — nevermore  the  same  : 
Conscience-torn,  repentant,  weary. 

Burning,  longing  for  the  close 
Of  that  pilgrimage  so  dreary. 

Power  had  come,  but  not  repose. 

Shadows  the  rebuked  and  chastened. 

Worn-out  warrior  lowly  laid. 
And  from  Bega's  cloisters  hastened 

Thrice  the  prior  with  his  aid  : 
Thrice  :  And  ere  the  leaves  had  taded. 

Brave  Lord  Lucy  clasped  his  breast ; 
*Kiss'd  him;  and  the  convent  shaded 

One  more  spirit  into  rest. 

*  In  the  early  and  middle  ages  kissing  was  the  common 
form  of  salutation,  and  the  oscitlitm  pads  was  a  sign  of 
reconciliation  and  charity.  Examples  will  occur  to  evei"y 
reader  of  Scri])ture  and  the  classics. 


30. 


NOTES  TO  "THE  LAY  OF  LORD  LUCY  OF 
EGREMOND." 

The  name  of  Egremont  seems  to  be  derived  from  its  ancient 
possessors,  the  Normans,  and  being  changed  by  a  trifling 
corruption  of  their  language,  carries  the  same  meaning,  and 
signifies  the  Mount  of  Sorrow. 

The  charter  of  Richard  de  Lucy,  granted  to  the  burgesses 
in  the  time  of  King  John,  declares  it  to  be  given  and  con- 
finned  "burgensibus  meis  de  Acriiiionte,''''  &c. 

William  the  Conqueror  having  established  himself  on  the 
throne  of  England,  and  added  the  county  of  Cumberland, 
which  he  wrested  from  Malcolm,  king  of  Scotland,  to  his 
northern  possessions  ;  he  gave  it,  together  with  the  barony  of 
Westmorland,  to  Randolph  or  Ranulph  du  Briquesard,  also 
surnamed  le  Meschin,  Vicomte  du  Bessin,  elder  brother  of 
William  le  Meschin.  This  nobleman  was  allied  to  the 
Conqueror  by  marriage  with  his  niece,  and  was  one  of  his 
numerous  train  of  militaiy  adventurers.  He  was  the  first 
Norman  paramount  feudatory  of  Cumberland.  When  Ranulph 
gi'anted  out  to  his  several  retainers  their  respective  allotments ; 
reserving  to  himself  the  forest  of  Inglewood,  he  gave  to  his 
brother,  William  le  Meschin,  the  great  barony  of  Copeland, 
bounded  by  the  rivers  Duddon  and  Derwent,  and  the  sea. 
The  latter  seated  himself  at  Egremont  and  there  erected  a 
castle  ;  and  in  distinction  of  this  his  baronial  seat,  he  changed 
the  name  of  the  whole  territory  to  that  of  the  barony  of  Egre- 
mont. After  possessing  this  estate  with  great  power  for 
several  years,  and  dying  without  male  issue,  it  devolved  to  his 
daughter  Alice,  married  to  Robert  de  Romiii,  Lordof  Skipton. 


P4  Notes  to 


They  having  no  male  issue,  these  two  great  baronies  descended 
to  their  only  daughter  Alice,  who  married  William  Fitz-  ' 
Duncan,  Earl  of  Murray,  nephew  to  David,  King  of  Scots. 
By  this  marriage  there  was  issue  a  son,  who  died  in  infancy, 
and  three  daughters  who  divided  the  vast  inheritance.  To 
Amabil,  the  second  daughter,  the  barony  of  Egremont  came 
in  partition  ;  and  by  her  marriage  with  Reginald  Lucy,  passed 
to  that  family.  William  Fitz-Duncan  was  Lord  of  the 
adjoining  Cumbrian  seigniory  or  honor  of  Cockermouth,  and 
of  the  barony  of  AUerdale  below  Derwent,  which  large  estates 
had  descended  to  hnn  from  his  mother  Octreda,  who  inherited 
them  from  her  grandfather  Waldeof,  first  lord  of  AUerdale,  to 
whom  they  had  been  granted  by  Ranulph  de  Meschin. 
Waldeof  was  the  son  of  Gospatrick,  Earl  of  Dunbar. 

Particular  mention  is  made  of  two  only  of  the  name  of  Lucy 
in  succession :  Reginald  de  Lucy,  who  was  governor  of 
Nottingham  for  the  King,  in  the  rebellion  of  the  Earl  of 
Leicester,  and  who  also  attended  the  coronation  of  Richard  I. 
among  the  other  Barons  ;  and  Richard  de  Lucy,  his  son,  who, 
in  the  reign  of  King  John,  paid  a  fine  of  three  hundred  marks 
for  the  livery  of  all  his  lands  in  Coupland  and  Canteberge, 
and  to  have  the  libej-ty  of  quarrying  whom  he  pleased,  &c.  He 
married  Ada,  one  of  the  two  daughters  and  co-heiresses  of 
Hugh  de  Morville  ;  and  obtained  a  grant  from  King  John,  by 
which  he  claimed  and  held  the  whole  property  of  his  father- 
in-law,  without  partition  to  the  other  daughter,  Joane.  He 
died  before  or  about  the  15th  year  of  King  John,  leaving  two 
daughters,  between  whom  the  estates  were  divided,  and  who 
both  married  into  the  Multon  family. 

At  that  time,  and  long  after,  it  was  a  part  of  the  King's 
prerogative  to  interfere  in  the  marriages  of  his  nobility.* 

The  subsequent  acts  of  the  widowed  Ada  de  Lucy  afford  us 
a  fine  illustration  of  the  exercise  of  this  prerogative  on  the 
part  of  the  sovereign  in  the  matters  of  widows  and  heiresses. 
Ada  paid  a  fine  of  five  hundred  marks  for  livery  of  her 
inheritance  ;  as  also  for  dowry  of  her  late  husband's  lands  ; 
and  that  she  might  not  be  compelled  to  marry  again.  She 
espoused,  however,  without  compulsion,  and  without  the 
king's  licence,  Thomas  de  Multon  ;  in  consequence  of  which, 
the  Castle  of  Egremont,  and  her  other  lands,  were  seized  by 
the  Crown.  But  upon  paying  a  compensation,  they  were 
restored,  and  she  had  livery  of  them  again.  Her  second 
husband,  on  his  payment  of  one  thousand  marks  to  the  crown, 
*  Dr.  Whilaker.     Vide  uotes  to  the  "  Bridals  of  Dacre,"  for  instances. 


The  Lay  of  Lord  Lucy.  305 


was  made  guardian  over  the  two  daughters,  and  co-heiresses, 
of  her  first  husband,  de  Lucy  :  and  as  a  necessary  consequence, 
and,  in  fact,  in  accordance  with  the  permission  imphed  by  the 
arrangement,  he  married  them  to  his  two  sons  by  his  first 
wife. 

These  two  daughters  and  co-heiresses  of  Lucy  having 
married  the  two  sons  of  Thomas  de  Multon,  the  elder  carried 
with  her  the  lordship  of  Egremont  ;  while  the  son  of  the 
younger  assumed  the  surname  of  his  maternal  family,  and  was 
ancestor  of  the  barons  Lucy  of  Cockermouth.  The  infant 
daughter  of  Anthony,  the  third  and  last  baron  Lucy,  dying  in 
the  year  following  his  own  demise,  the  barony  was  carried  by 
the  marriage  of  his  sister  Maude  with  the  first  Earl  of  North- 
umberland to  the  Percy  family  :  thence  to  the  Seymoitrs, 
Dukes  of  Somerset ;  and  through  them  to  Wyndham,  Earl  of 
Egremont,  by  whose  descendant,  the  first  Lord  Leconfield,  it 
is  at  present  enjoyed. 

Egremont  was  anciently  a  borough,  sending  two  members 
to  parliament ;  but  was  disfranchised  on  the  petition  of  the 
burgesses,  to  avoid  the  expense  of  representation.  The 
burgesses  possessed  several  privileges,  but  all  records  of  them 
are  lost.  The  ordinances  of  Richard  de  Lucy  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  borough  is  a  curious  record,  in  which  several 
singularities  are  to  be  observed,  which  point  out  to  us  the 
customs  of  that  distant  age.  By  this  burgage  tenure,  the  people 
of  Egremont  were  obliged  to  find  armed  men,  for  the  defence  of 
the  Castle,  forty  days  at  their  own  charge.  The  lord  was 
entitled  to  forty  days'  credit  for  goods,  and  no  more  ;  and  his 
burgesses  might  refuse  to  supply  him,  till  the  debt  which  had 
exceeded  that  date  was  paid.  They  were  bound  to  aids  for 
the  redemption  of  the  lord  and  his  heir  from  captivity  ;  for  the 
knighthood  of  one  of  the  lord's  sons,  and  the  marriage  of  one 
of  his  daughters.  They  were  to  find  him  twelve  men  for  his 
military  array.  They  were  to  hold  watch  and  ward.  They 
could  not  enter  the  forest  with  bow  and  arrow.  They  were 
relieved  from  cutting  off  the  dogs'  feet  within  the  borough, 
as  being  a  necessary  and  customary  defence  :  on  the  borders, 
the  dogs  appointed  to  be  kept  for  defence,  were  called  slougk 
dogs :  this  privilege  points  out,  that  within  the  limits  of 
forests,  the  inhabitants  keeping  dogs  for  defence  were  to  lop 
off  one  foot  or  more,  to  prevent  their  chasing  the  game  ;  which 
did  not  spoil  them  for  the  defence  of  a  dwelling.  A  singular 
privilege  appears  in  the  case  of  a  burgess  committing  fornication 
with  the  daughter  of  a  rustic,  one  who  was  not  a  burgess  ; 


;o6  Notes  to 


that  he  should  not  be  hable  to  the  fine  imposed  in  other  cases 
for  that  offence,  unless  he  had  seduced  by  promise  of  marriage. 
The  fine  for  seducing  a  woman  belonging  to  the  borough  was 
three  shillings  to  the  lord.  By  the  rule  for  inspecting  dyers, 
weavers,  and  fullers,  it  seems  those  were  the  only  trades  at 
that  time  within  the  borough  under  the  character  of  crafts- 
men. The  burgesses  who  had  ploughs  were  to  till  the  lord's 
demesne  one  day  in  the  year,  and  every  burgess  to  find  a 
reaper  :  their  labour  was  from  morning  ad  nojiam,  which  was 
three  o'clock,  as  from  six  to  three. 

Egremont  was  probably  a  place  of  strength,  and  the  seat  of 
some  powerful  chief,  during  the  Heptarchy,  and  in  the  time 
of  the  Danes.  The  ruins  of  the  Castle,  on  the  west  of  the 
town,  stand  on  an  eminence,  the  northern  extremity  of  which 
forms  a  lofty  mound,  seventy-eight  feet  in  perpendicular 
height  above  the  ditch  which  surrounds  the  fortress.  On  the 
crown  of  this  hill,  it  is  believed,  there  formerly  stood  a  Danish 
fortification.  The  mound  is  said  to  be  artificial.  Tradition 
goes  so  far  as  to  assert  that  it  is  formed  of  soil  brought  by  St. 
Bega  from  Ireland,  as  ballast  for  her  ship.  The  miraculous 
power  of  the  Saint  must  have  been  largely  exercised  to 
increase  it  to  its  present  proportions.  It  still,  however, 
retains  the  virtue  given  to  Irish  earth  by  the  blessing  of  St. 
Patrick,  and  no  reptile  can  live  upon  it. 

This  fortress  is  not  of  very  great  extent,  but  bears  singular 
marks  of  antiquity  and  strength.  The  approach  and  grand 
entrance  from  the  south,  has  been  kept  by  a  draw-bridge  over 
a  deep  moat.  The  entrance  to  the  castle  is  by  a  gateway 
vaulted  with  semi-circular  arches,  and  guarded  by  a  strong 
tower.  The  architecture  of  this  tower,  which  is  the  chief 
part  of  the  fortress  now  standing,  points  out  its  antiquity  to  be 
at  least  coeval  with  the  entry  of  the  Normans.  The  outward 
wall  has  enclosed  a  considerable  area  of  a  square  form  ;  but  it 
is  now  gone  so  much  to  decay,  that  no  probable  conjecture 
can  be  made  as  to  the  particular  manner  in  which  it  was 
fortified.  On  the  side  next  the  town  a  postern  remains.  To 
the  westward,  from  the  area,  there  is  an  ascent  to  three  narrow 
gates,  standing  close  together,  and  on  a  straight  line,  which 
have  communicated  with  the  outworks  :  these  are  apparently 
of  more  modem  architecture,  and  have  each  been  defended 
with  a  portcullis.  Beyond  these  gates  is  the  lofty  mount, 
which  has  already  been  referred  to,  and  on  which  anciently 
stood  a  circular  tower,  the  western  side  of  which  endured  the 
rage  of  time  till  within  the  last  century.     The  whole  fortifi- 


The  Lay  of  Loi'd  Lucy.  307 


cation  is  surrounded  by  a  moat,  more  properly  so  called  than 
a  ditch,  as  it  appears  to  have  been  walled  on  both  sides.  This 
is  strengthened  with  an  outward  rampart  of  earth,  which  is 
five  hundred  paces  in  circumference.  A  small  brook  runs  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Castle,  and  it  may  be  presumed, 
anciently  filled  the  moat.  The  mode  of  building  which 
appears  in  part  of  the  walls,  is  rather  uncommon,  the  con- 
struction being  of  large  thin  stones,  placed  in  an  inclined 
position,  the  courses  lying  in  different  directions,  so  as  to  form 
a  kind  of  feathered  work,  the  whole  nm  together  with  lime 
and  pebbles,  impenetrably  strong.  It  seems  to  have  been 
copied  from  the  filling  parts  of  the  Roman  wall. 

An  old  tradition  connects  the  lords  of  this  Castle  with  the 
Crusades.  One  version  of  it  given  in  the  histories  of  Cumber- 
land, for  it  is  variously  related,  is  to  this  effect: — "The 
Baron  of  Egremont  being  taken  prisoner  beyond  the  seas  by 
the  infidels,  could  not  be  redeemed  without  a  great  ransom, 
and  being  for  England,  entered  his  brother  or  kinsman  for  his 
surety,  promising  with  all  possible  speed  to  send  him  money 
to  set  him  free  ;  but  upon  his  return  home  to  Egremont,  he 
changed  his  mind,  and  most  unnaturally  and  unthankfully 
suffered  his  brother  to  lie  in  prison,  in  great  distress  and 
extremity,  until  the  hair  was  grown  to  an  unusual  length,  like 
to  a  woman's  hair.  The  Pagans  being  out  of  hopes  of  the 
ransom,  in  great  rage  most  craelly  hanged  up  their  pledge, 
binding  the  long  hair  of  his  head  to  a  beam  in  the  prison, 
and  tied  his  hands  so  behind  him,  that  he  could  not  reach  to 
the  top  where  the  knot  was  fastened  to  loose  himself :  during 
his  imprisonment,  the  Paynim's  daughter  became  enamoured 
of  him,  and  sought  all  good  means  for  his  deliverance,  but 
could  not  enlarge  him  :  she  understanding  of  this  last  cruelty, 
by  means  made  to  his  keeper,  entered  the  prison,  and  taking 
her  knife  to  cut  the  hair,  being  hastened,  she  cut  the  skin  of 
his  head,  so  as,  with  the  weight  of  his  body,  he  rent  away  the 
rest,  and  fell  down  to  the  earth  half  dead  ;  but  she  presently 
took  him  up,  causing  surgeons  to  attend  him  secretly,  till  he 
recovered  his  former  health,  beauty,  and  strength,  and  so 
entreated  her  father  for  him  that  he  set  him  at  liberty.  Then, 
desirous  to  revenge  his  brother's  ingratitude,  he  got  leave  to 
depart  to  his  country,  and  took  home  with  him  the  hatterell 
of  his  hair  rent  off  as  aforesaid,  and  a  bugle-horn,  which  he 
commonly  used  to  carry  about  him,  when  he  was  in  England, 
where  he  shortly  arrived,  and  coming  to  Egremont  Castle 
about  noontide  of  the  day,  where  his  brother  was  at  dinner, 


3o8 


Notes  to 


he  blew  his  bugle-horn,  which  (says  the  tradition)  his  brother 
the  baron  presently  acknowledged,  and  thereby  conjectured 
his  brother's  return  ;  and  then  sending  his  friends  and  servants 
to  learn  his  brother's  mind  to  him,  and  how  he  had  escaped, 
they  brought  back  the  report  of  all  the  miserable  torment 
which  he  had  endured  for  his  unfaithful  brother  the  baron, 
which  so  astonished  the  baron  (half  dead  before  with  the 
shameful  remembrance  of  his  own  disloyalty  and  breach  of 
promise)  that  he  abandoned  all  company  and  would  not  look 
on  his  brother,  till  his  just  wrath  was  pacified  by  diligent 
entreaty  of  their  friends.  And  to  be  sure  of  his  brother's 
future  kindness,  he  gave  the  lordship  of  Milium  to  him  and 
his  heirs  for  ever.  Whereupon  the  first  Lords  of  Milium  gave 
for  their  arms  the  horn  and  the  hatterell. 

Others  relate  that  it  was  the  baron  who  x'emained  as  hostage  : 
and  that  on  his  release  from  captivity  by  the  Paynim's 
daughter,  and  after  his  departure  to  his  native  country,  urged 
by  her  love  towards  him,  she  found  her  way  across  the  sea, 
and  presenting  herself  at  his  castle-gate,  with  the  hatterell  of 
his  hair  which  she  had  preserved  as  a  token,  was  joyfully 
recognized  by  the  Baron,  who  made  her  his  wife  and  the 
mistress  of  his  halls. 

It  is,  on  various  grounds,  an  anachronism  to  refer  this 
tradition  to  the  period  when  the  Lucies  were  Lords  of 
Egremont.  For,  according  to  Denton,  the  great  seignory  of 
Millom  "  in  the  time  of  King  Henry  L  was  given  by  William 
Meschines,  Lord  of  Egremont,  to  .  .  .  de  Boyvill,  father 
to  Godard  de  Boyvill,  named  in  ancient  evidences  Godardus 
Dapifer."  This  accords  with  the  tradition,  which  is  very  old, 
and  is  given  by  both  Denton  and  Sandford,  and  which 
makes,  as  we  have  seen,  the  Boyvills  to  be  very  near  of  kin  to 
the  Lords  of  Egremont.  It  also  particularises  the  occasion 
upon  which  Millom  was  transferred  to  that  family  ;  who  took 
their  surname  from  the  place,  and  were  styled  de-Millom. 

That  some  members  of  the  family  were  engaged  in  the 
crusades,  we  learn  from  the  record  that  Arthur  Boyvill  or  de 
Millom,  the  third  lord,  and  the  son  of  Godardus  Dapifer, 
granted  to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Mary  in  Furness  the  services  of 
Kirksanton  in  Millom,  which  Robert  de  Boyvill,  his  cousin- 
german,  then  held  of  him  ;  and  soon  after  he  mortgaged  the 
same  to  the  Abbot  of  Furness,  until  his  return  from  the  Holy 
Land. 

The  crest  of  Huddleston  of  Hutton  John  is.  Two  arms, 
dexter  and  sinister  embowed,  vested,  argent,  holding  in  their 


The  Lay  of  Lord  Liicy.  309 


hands  a  scalp  proper,  the  inside  gides.  The  tradition  of  the 
Horn  of  Egremont  Castle,  which  could  only  be  sounded  by 
the  rightful  lord,  and  which  forms  the  subject  of  a  fine  poem 
by  Mr.  Wordsworth,  is  said  properly  to  belong  to  Hutton- 
John,  an  ancient  manor  of  the  Huddlestous,  who  were 
descended  from  the  Boyvills  in  the  female  line  ;  Joan,  the 
daughter  and  heiress  of  the  last  of  the  de-Milloms,  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  III.,  having  married  Sir  John  Hudleston,  Kt.; 
and  thus  transferred  the  seignory  into  that  family,  with  whom 
it  continued  for  a  period  of  about  500  years. 

The  name  of  Egiemont  will  remind  the  poetical  reader  of 
the  story  of  the  "Youthful  Romili,"  celebrated  by  Wordsworth 
in  his  noble  ballad  "The  Founding  of  Bolton  Priory,"  and 
by  Rogers  in  his  less  ambitious  lines  "The  Boy  of  Egremond." 
It  seems  to  be  by  no  means  certain  to  which  generation  of 
William  le  Meschines'  descendants  the  tale  belongs.  Denton 
says,  "Alice  Romley,  the  third  daughter  and  co-heir  of 
William  Fitz-Duncan,  was  the  fourth  lady  of  AUerdale  :  but 
having  no  children  alive  at  her  death,  she  gave  away  divers 
manors  and  lands  to  houses  of  religion,  and  to  her  friends  and 
kinsmen.  She  had  a  son  named  W^illiam,  who  was  drowned 
in  Craven  coming  home  from  hunting  or  hawking.  His  hound 
or  spaniel  being  tied  to  his  girdle  by  a  line,  (as  they  crossed 
the  water  near  Barden  Tower,  in  Craven)  pulled  his  master 
from  off  his  horse  and  drowned  him.  When  the  report  of  his 
mischance  came  to  his  mother,  she  answered,  "  Bootless  bayl 
brings  endless  sorro'cu."  She  had  also  three  daughters,  Alice, 
Avice,  and  Mavice,  who  all  died  unmarried,  and  without 
children ;  wherefore  the  inheritance  was  after  her  death 
parted  between  the  house  of  Aibemarl  and  Reginald  Lucy, 
Baron  of  Egremont,  descending  to  her  sister's  children  and 
their  posterity." 

This  is  Whitaker's  statement : — "In  the  year  1121  William 
le  Meschines  and  Cecilia  his  wife  founded  a  Priory  for  canons 
regular,  at  Embsay,  which  was  dedicated  to  St.  Mary  and  St. 
Cuthbert,  and  continued  there  about  thirty-three  years,  when 
it  is  said  by  tradition  to  have  been  translated  to  Bolton,  on 
the  following  account. 

' '  The  founders  of  Embsay  were  now  dead,  and  had  left  a 
daughter,  who  adopted  her  mother's  name,  Romill§,  and  was 
married  to  William  Fitz-Duncan.  They  had  issue  a  son, 
commonly  called  the  Boy  of  Egremond  (one  of  his  grand- 
father's baronies,  where  he  was  probably  born),  who,  surviving 
an  elder  brother,  became  the  last  hope  of  the  family. 


3IO  Notes  to 


"  In  the  deep  soKtude  of  the  woods  betwixt  Bolton  and 
Barden,  the  Wharf  suddenly  contracts  itself  to  a  rocky  channel 
little  more  than  four  feet  wide,  and  pours  through  the 
tremendous  fissure  with  a  rapidity  proportionate  to  its  confine- 
ment. This  place  was  then,  as  it  is  yet,  called  the  Strid,  from 
a  feat  often  exercised  by  persons  of  more  agility  than  prudence, 
who  stride  from  brink  to  brink,  regardless  of  the  destruction 
which  awaits  a  faltering  step.  Such,  according  to  tradition, 
was  the  fate  of  young  Romille,  who  inconsiderately  bounding 
over  the  chasm  with  a  greyhound  in  his  leash,  the  animal 
hung  back,  and  drew  his  unfortunate  master  into  the  torrent. 
The  forester,  who  accompanied  Romillg,  and  beheld  his  fate, 
returned  to  the  Lady  Aaliza,  and,  with  despair  in  his  counten- 
ance, enquired,  'What  is  good  for  a  bootless  Bene?'  To 
which  the  mother,  apprehending  that  some  great  calamity  had 
befallen  her  son,  instantly  replied,  'Endless  Sorrow.' 

"The  language  of  this  question,  almost  unintelligible  at 
present,  proves  the  antiquity  of  the  story,  which  nearly 
amounts  to  proving  its  tnith.  But  '  bootless  Bene '  is 
unavailing  prayer ;  and  the  meaning,  though  imperfectly 
expressed,  seems  to  have  been,  '  What  remains  when  prayer 
is  useless?'  " 

The  accuracy  of  this  account,  though  admitted  to  be  true  so 
far  as  the  death  of  a  scion  of  Romili's  house,  is  however 
doubted  by  Dr.  Whitaker,  who  states  that  the  son  of  the  Lady 
Alice  or  Aaliza  was  a  party  and  witness  to  the  charter  of 
translation  to  Bolton  in  1154  of  the  Canons  of  the  Priory  of 
Embsay,  founded  in  1 121  by  William  de  Meschines  and 
Cecilia  de  Romili  his  wife.  Besides,  as  the  Boy  of  Egremond 
was  alive  in  1 1 60,  and  a  partaker  in  the  rebellion  of  the  Pictish 
Celts  of  Scotland,  of  which  the  object  was  to  set  him  on  the 
throne  as  the  rightful  heir,  Dr.  Whitaker  is  of  opinion  that 
the  story  refers  to  one  of  the  sons  (both  of  whom  died  young) 
of  Cecilia  le  Meschines,  grandmother  of  Lady  Alice. 

There  is  however  an  oversight  of  some  importance  in 
Whitaker's  statement.  He  altogether  omits  the  second 
generation  of  the  descendants  of  William  le  Meschines. 
Alice,  the  daughter  of  W.  le  Meschines,  married  Robert  de 
Romili ;  Alice,  her  daughter,  married  Fitz-Duncan,  who 
assumed  the  name  of  his  wife,  and  was  William  le  Romili. 
If  their  son  was  "the  Boy  of  Egremond,"  he  could  not  have 
been  a  witness  to  the  charter  of  translation  in  1154.  If  he 
was  drowned  in  the  Wharf,  his  death  could  not  have  been  the 
occasion  of  the  refounding  of  the  Priory  at  Bolton.     If  the  son 


The  Lay  of  Lord  Lucy.  3 1 1 


of  Cecilia  le  Meschines  was  "the  Boy  of  Egremond"  ;  as  he 
might  be  so  styled  from  his  father  s  barony  ;  he  may  have  been 
drowned  at  the  Strid,  but  his  mother  could  not  have  been  the 
second  foundress  of  the  Priory  ;  for,  as  Whitaker  says,  the 
founders  of  Embsay  were  already  dead.  Tradition,  moreover, 
clings  to  the  name  of  the  Lady  Alice,  as  being  that  of  the 
pious  dispenser  of  her  goods  to  sacred  and  religious  uses. 
And  however  history  may  conflict  with  tradition,  there  will 
remain,  that  the  Lady  of  Skipton,  Cockermouth,  and  the 
Allerdales,  bestowed  her  lands  and  goods  most  liberally  upon 
the  Abbeys  of  Fountains  and  Pomfret,  and  other  religious 
confraternities ;  that  she,  the  Lady  Alice,  seems  always  to 
have  cherished  those  dispositions  whose  spiritual  convictions 
moved  in  uniso'l^  with  the  votive  religious  practices  of  the  age  ; 
and  although  she,  for  the  health  of  her  dear  son's  soul  (if  he  it 
were  who  perished  in  the  Wharf)  could  not  have  founded 
near  the  scene  of  his  untimely  fate,  the  Priory  before  men- 
tioned ;  its  legendary  history,  which  has  so  enshrined  her 
affections  and  her  sorrows,  will  continue  to  connect  in  the 
future,  as  in  the  past,  the  image  of  the  youthful  Romili  with 
her  griefs,  and  the  stately  Priory  of  Bolton  with  his  imperish- 
able name. 


312 


SOLVAR-HOW. 


Up  the  valley  of  Brathay  rode  Dagmar  the  Dane. 
There  was  gold  on  her  bit,  there  was  silk  on  her  rein. 
You  might  see  her  white  steed  in  the  distance  afar, 
On  the  green-breasted  hill,  shining  out  like  a  star ; 
Where  beyond  her  on  high  in  his  barrow  lay  sleeping 
Old  Solvar  the  chief;  and  the  shade,  that  sat  keeping 
His  fame,  by  his  tomb  sang  the  Norseland's  wild 
strain. 


As  the  white  steed  of  Dagmar  shone,  breasting  the 

hill; 
To  the  mound  where  old  Solvar  lies  lonely  and  still. 
In  the  red  light  of  evening,  arresting  her  gaze, 
Flocked  the  meek  mountain  ewes  and  the  steers  up 

the  ways, 


Sulvar  How.  3 1 3 

With  the  firsthngs  and  yeariings,  from  hill  top  and 

hollow, 
Gathering  far,  the  sweet  voice  of  the  Phantom  to 

follow — 
To  them  sweeter  than  murmur  of  fountain  and  rill. 


There  was  joy  in  their  looks,  in  their  eyes  the  clear 

light 
Glistened  searchingly  forth  on  that  mystical  sight. 
And  from  far,  too,  the  white  steed  of  Dagmar  the 

Dane 
Pricked  his  ears,  stepping  proudly,  unheeding  the 

rein ; 
And  aside  to  the  summit  turned  joyfully  pacing  ; 
WTiile   the   steers  and  the  ewes  listened  wistfully 

gazing. 
And  the  Phantom  sat  singing  of  Solvar  the  Bright. 


O'er  the  pools  of  the  Brathay,  from  Skelwith's  lone 

tower 
The  sire  of  the  princess  looked  forth  in  that  hour. 
He  beheld  the  white  steed  of  his  child,  like  a  star 
On  the  green-breasted  hill,  and  he  cried  from  afar — 
"She  has  heard    his    wild  strains    on    the    hill-top 

awaken, 
And  I  from  this  hour  am  alone  and  forsaken. 
— Not  her  voice  nor  her  foot-fall,  to  come  to  me 


21 


3 1 4  Solvar  How. 

For  to  Dagmar  the  fair,  when  the  flocks  of  the  field 
And   the  herds  were   in   motion  their   homage  to 

yield 
To  the  bright  Norseland  Boy — with  the  fire  and 

the  grace 
Of  his  sires  in  his  limbs  and  their  pride  in  his  face — 
In  the  garb  of  his  country,  rehearsing  the  story 
Of  chiefs  and  of  kings  and  the  Norseland's  old  glory — 
Was  the  Phantom  in  all  his  bright  beauty  revealed. 


There  entranced  in  that  vision,   enchained  by  his 

tongue, 
As  the  strains  through  his  harp-strings  melodiously 

rung, 
Sat  the  maid  on  White  Svend  mid  the  yearlings  ; 

till  now 
Far  departing  he  turns  from  the  hill's  sunny  brow ; 
And  the  ewes  at  his  feet  awhile  falteringly  follow. 
Then  range  back  bewildered  to  hill-top  and  hollow  ; 
While  the  Maid  on  his  fast-fading  accents  still  hung. 


Through  the  still  light  receding  his  loose  tresses 

streamed ; 
But  to  fly  with  him  still  was  the  dream  she  had 

dreamed ; 
Side  by  side  o'er  the  hills,  through  the  valleys,  and  on 
To  the  Norseland  to  hear  his  wild  songs  all  alone ; 


Solvar  How.  3 1 5 

And  to  chase  from  his  Hps  every  accent  of  sorrow, 
As  they  walked  through  the  dawTi  of  a  brighter 

to-morrow 
Into  sunhght  that  heaven  upon  earth  never  beamed. 


Springing  do\\Ti  from  \Vhite  Svend,  swiftly  Dagmar 

the  Dane 
Cast  aside  on  his  neck  the  rich  silk-tassel'd  rein ; 
With  her  eyes  fixed  afar  o'er  the  green  mountain 

sward, 
Whence  the  bright  Norseland  Boy  cast  a  backward 

regard. 
Call  aloud  from  thy  Tower,  call  aloud  and  implore  her, 
Hapless  sire  !  to  return,  ere  the  night  gathers  o'er  her ! 
She  can  hear  but  the  voice  of  the  Phantom's  sweet 

strain. 


Light  and  fleet  was  her  foot  over  hollow  and  hill ; 
Till  they  reached  the  rude  cleft  of  the  deep-roaring 

Ghyll. 
On  the  black  dungeon's  brink  not  a  moment  he 

stay'd ; 
O'er  the  black  roaring  Ghyll  glided  softly  the  Shade. 
Like  a  thin  wreath  of  mist  she  descried  him  far  over — 
And   her   cry   pierced   the  night-boding   hill    tops 

above  her ; 
When  do\vn  the  loose  rocks  plunged,  and  bridged 

the  dark  Ghyll. 


3 1 6  Solvar  How. 

Heard  the  eagle  that  shriek  from  his  eyrie  on  high  ? 
Struck  his  wings  the  poised  rocks  as  he  rushed  to 

the  sky? 
Did  the  wild  goat  leap,  startled,  and  press  from  their 

hold 
With  his  hoof  the  loose  crags  ? — that  they  bounded 

and  roll'd 
Far  above,  down,  and  on,  soughing,  plunging,  and 

clashing, 
Till  they  reached  the  dark  Ghyll,  and  fell,  wedging 

and  crashing, 
Jn  the  gulf's  horrid  jaws,  there  for  ever  to  lie. 


The  fleet  foot  of  Dagmar  sprang  light  to  the  stone, 
Where  it  bridged  the   dread  gulf,  in   the  twilight, 

alone. 
For  one  moment  she  stood  with  her  eyes  straining 

o'er 
Into  space,  for  the  bright  one   that  answered  no 

more. 
He  was  gone  from  the  hand  she  stretched,  vainly 

imploring ; 
He   was    gone   from   tne   heart   that   beat,   madly 

adoring  : 
And   a   voice   from    the   waters   cried   wailingly — 

"Gone!" 


Solvar  How.  3 1 7 

Roar  thou  on,  Dungeon-Ghyll !  there  was  mourning 

in  vain 
In  the  fortress  of  Skehvith  for  Dagmar  the  Dane. 
From  their  tower  on  the  diff  they  looked,  tearful 

and  pale, 
On  her  riderless  steed  as  it  came  do\vn  the  vale. 
In  her  bower  and   in  hall  there  was  wailing  and 

sorrow. 
And  the  hills  shone  renewed  with  each  glorious 

to-morrow. 
But  their  bright  star,  their  Dagmar,  they  knew  not 

again. 


318 


NOTES   TO    "SOLVAR   HOW." 


While  many  Celtic  names  of  places  remain  to  attest  the 
prolonged  sovereignty  of  the  Britons  in  Cumbria,  by  far  the 
greater  number  refer  to  a  period  when  the  enterprising 
Northmen,  coming  from  various  shores,  but  all  included 
under  the  comprehensive  title  of  Danes,  had  pushed  their 
conquests  into  the  mountain  country  of  Cumberland  and 
Westmorland  and  those  portions  of  the  north  of  Lancashire, 
which  are  comprised  within  the  district  of  the  English  Lakes. 
This  territory  had  become  the  exclusive  possession  of  the 
Norwegian  settlers.  Every  height  and  how,  every  lake  and 
tarn,  every  swamp  and  fountain,  every  ravine  and  ghyll,  every 
important  habitation  on  the  mountain  side,  the  dwelling  place 
amidst  the  cleared  land  in  the  forest,  the  narrow  dell,  the 
open  valley,  every  one  is  associated  with  some  fine  old  name 
that  belonged  to  our  Scandinavian  forefathers.  Silver  How 
is  the  hill  of  Solvar,  and  Butter-lip-how,  the  mound  of 
Buthar,  surnamed  Lepr  the  Nimble  ;  Windermere  and  But- 
termere,  and  Elter-water  are  the  meres  and  water  called 
after  the  ancient  Norsemen,  Wiudar,  and  Buthar  or  Butar, 
and  Eldir,  Gunnerskeld,  and  Ironkeld,  and  Butter-eld-keld, 
are  the  spring  or  marsh  of  Gunnar,  and  Hiarn,  and  Buthar 
the  Old,  or  Elder.  Bekangs-Ghyll,  and  Staingill,  and  Thortill- 
gill,  indicate  the  ravines  or  fissures,  which  were  probably  at 
one  time  the  boundaries  respectively  of  the  lands  of  Bekan, 
and  Steini,  and  Thortil ;  Seatallau  and  Seatoller  were  once 
the  dwelling  places  whence  EUi  and  Oiler  looked  on  the 
plains  below  them ;  and  in  Ormthwaite,  and  Branthwaite, 
and  Gillerthwaite  we  recognise  the  lands  cleared  amid  the 
forests  with  the  axe,  whose  several  possessors  were  Ormr,  and 


Solvar  How.  3 1 9 


Bioni,  and  Geller ;  while  Bonodale,  and  Ennerdale,  and 
Riggindale,  and  Bordale  recall  the  days  when  these  remote 
valleys  were  subject  to  the  lordly  strangers  Borrhy,  and  Einar, 
and  Regin,  and  Bor.  All  these  names  are  Scandinavian  pro- 
per names,  and  are  to  be  found  in  the  language  of  that  ancient 
race,  of  whose  sojourn  amongst  our  hills  so  many  traces  remain 
in  the  nomenclature  of  the  district. 

Coming  from  the  wildest  and  poorest  part  of  the  Norwegian 
coast,  and  mixing  with  the  Celtic  tribes  of  these  regions,  in 
the  early  ages  ;  those  hardy  sons  of  the  sea  made  extensive 
and  permanent  settlements  among  them.  They  penetrated 
into  the  remotest  recesses  of  the  mountains,  carrying  thither 
their  wild  belief  in  the  old  northern  god.s,  and  their  rude  ideas 
of  a  future  life.  Their  warlike  recollections,  and  their  attach- 
ment to  the  scenes  of  their  valorous  exploits,  fostered  the 
notion  which  was  not  uncommon  among  them,  that  the  spirits 
of  chieftains  could  sometimes  leave  the  halls  of  Valhalla,  and, 
seated  each  on  his  own  sepulchral  hill,  could  look  around  him 
on  the  peaceful  land  over  which  in  life  he  had  held  rule,  or 
on  that  beloved  sea  which  had  borne  him  so  often  to  war  and 
conquest.  It  was  this  thought  that  induced  them  to  select  for 
their  burial  places  high  mountains,  or  elevated  spots  in  the 
valleys  and  plains.  As  a  natural  result  of  their  long  continued 
dominion  in  the  North  of  England,  they  came  to  be  classed 
in  the  imagination  of  the  people  with  invisible  and  mystic 
beings  which  haunted  that  district.  The  shadows  of  the 
remote  old  hills  were  the  abodes  of  enchantment  and  super- 
stition. And  the  spirits  of  the  departed  wei^e  supposed  to  be 
seen  visiting  the  earth,  sometimes  in  the  guise  of  a  Celtic 
warrior  careering  on  the  wind,  and  sometimes  in  the  form  of 
one  of  the  old  northern  chieftains  sitting  solitary  upon  his 
barrow.  It  is  related  of  one  being  permitted  to  do  so  for  the 
purpose  of  comforting  his  disconsolate  widow,  and  telling  her 
how  much  her  sorrow  disquieted  him.  Hence  also  the 
dwellers  among  the  hills,  it  is  said,  still  fancy  they  hear  on  the 
evening  breeze  musical  tones  as  of  harp  strings  played  upon, 
and  melancholy  lays  in  a  foreign  tongue  ;  a  beautiful  concert, 
to  which  we  owe  the  exquisite  medieval  legend  of  the  cattle, 
in  thraldom  to  the  potent  spirit  of  harmony  that  rings  through 
the  air,  often  when  no  musical  sound  is  audible  to  the,  organ 
of  man,  pricking  up  their  ears  in  astonishment,  as  they  listen 
to  the  Danish  or  Norselaud  Boy,  sadly  singing  the  old  bardic 
lays  over  the  barrows  of  his  once  mighty  forefathers. 

It  has  been  conjectured  that  the  colonization  of  this  district 


320  Notes  to 


by  the  Northmen  was  effected  at  two  distinct  periods,  by  two 
separate  streams  of  emigration,  issuing  from  two  different  parts 
of  the  Scandinavian  shore.  The  first  recorded  invasion  of 
Cumberland  by  the  Danes  appears  to  have  taken  place  about 
the  year  875  ;  when  an  army  under  the  command  of  Halfdene, 
having  entered  Northumberland  and  made  permanent  settle- 
.  ments  there,  commenced  a  series  of  incursions  into  the  adjacent 
countries  lying  on  the  north  and  west,  and  thereby  reached  the 
borders  of  the  lake  region,  first  plundering  them  and  finally 
settling  there.  The  indications  of  the  presence  of  the  northern 
adventurers  in  that  quarter  are  found  to  be  more  purely  of  a 
Danish  character  than  those  which  abound  beyond  the  eastern 
line  of  the  district,  and  which  may  with  great  probability  be 
referred  to  a  colonization  more  particularly  Norwegian. 

Our  own  histories  make  no  mention  of  anything  bearing 
upon  the  subject,  but  there  seem  to  be  good  reasons  for 
concluding  that  Cumberland  was  also  invaded  from  the  sea 
coast.  The  Norwegian  sea-rover  Olaf,  according  to  Snorro 
Sturlessen,  had  visited,  among  other  countries,  both  Cumber- 
land and  Wales.  And  Mr.  Ferguson  supposes,  from  various 
circumstances,  which  concur  to  fix  the  date  of  the  Norwegian 
settlements  here  in  the  interval  between  945  and  looo,  that 
his  descents  must  have  taken  place  somewhere  about  the  year 
990.  At  that  period  the  Cumbrian  Britons  had  been  for  half 
a  century  in  subjugation  to  the  Saxons,  and  since  the  death  of 
Dunmail  thefr  country  had  been  handed  over  to  Malcolm  to  be 
held  in  fealty  by  the  Scottish  crovwi.  The  scattered  remnants 
of  the  Celtic  tribes  were  for  the  most  part  shut  up  amongst 
their  hills,  or  had  retired  into  Wales.  The  plains  of  Westmor- 
land and  Cumberland  on  the  north  and  east  were  probably 
chiefly  occupied  by  a  mixed  Saxon  and  Danish  population  ; 
for  nearly  a  century  had  elapsed  since  the  Danes  from  North- 
umberland had  overrun  them.  In  fifty  years  more  the  result 
of  events  was,  as  we  are  informed  by  Heniy  of  Huntingdon, 
that  one  of  the  principal  abodes  of  the  "  Danes,"  under  which 
title  old  writers  comprehend  all  Northmen,  was  in  Cumberland. 
A  stream  of  Northern  emigrants,  issuing,  it  may  be  supposed, 
from  the  districts  of  the  Tellemark,  and  the  Hardanger,  a 
name  signifying  "a  place  of  hunger  and  poverty,"  had 
descended  along  the  north  of  Scotland,  swept  the  western  side 
of  the  island,  fixed  its  head-quarters  in  the  Isle  of  Man,  and 
from  thence  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  firm  footing  upon  the 
opposite  shore  of  England  ;  a  land,  like  their  own,  of  moun- 
tains and  valleys,  waiting  for  a  people   as    they   were  for  a 


Solvar  How.  321 


settlement,  a  wild  and  untamed  country,  always  thinly  pop- 
ulated and  never  cultivated,  a  land  of  rocks  and  forests  and  of 
desolation.  These  protected  by  their  ships,  having  command 
of  the  coast,  and  being  unopposed  except  by  the  apparently 
impenetrable  mountain  barriers  before  them,  these  warlike 
settlers  cleared  for  themselves  homes  amidst  the  woods,  began 
to  gather  tribute  from  the  mountain  sides,  and  laid  the  found- 
ations of  those  "thwaites"  and  "seats"  and  "gates"  and 
"garths,"  which  at  the  end  of  almost  nine  centuries  of 
fluctuation  and  change  still  bear  testimony  to  their  wide-spread 
rule  and  are  called  by  their  Northern  names. 

Not  only  do  traces  of  them  everywhere  survive  in  names 
which  indicate  possession  and  location,  or  in  words  which 
particularise  the  multiform  features  of  the  country  and  describe 
the  minor  variations  of  its  surface  ;  but  the  sites  of  their 
legislative  and  judicial  institutions,  and  their  places  of  burial, 
as  well  as  their  towns  and  villages,  are  preserved  in  that  local 
nomenclature  which  lives  in  the  language  spoken  by  their 
kinsmen  in  the  motlier-land  at  the  present  day.  The  old 
Norse  element  has  penetrated,  and  diffused  itself,  and  hardened 
into  the  dialect  of  the  Cumberland  and  Westmorland  "fell- 
siders,"  and  emphatically  pronounces  from  whom  it  came. 
And,  lastly,  the  physical  and  moral  characteristics,  as  well  as 
the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people,  are  those  of  the  hardy 
race,  whose  transmitted  blood  gave  the  larger  nerve  and  more 
enduring  vigour  which  characterise  their  frame.  Tall,  bony, 
and  firmly  knit  ;  fair-haired,  and  of  Sanguiiie  complexion  ; 
possessing  strong  feelings  of  independance,  and  a  large  share 
of  shrewdness  and  mother-wit  ;  intolerant  of  oppression  ; 
cautious,  resolute,  astute  and  brave ;  these  people,  and  the 
Cumbrians,  especially,  crown  their  list  of  claims  to  be  of  Norse 
descent  with  one  more  striking  feature,  a  litigious  spirit. 
Litigation  appears  to  be  almost  as  natural  and  necessary  to 
their  minds,  as  wrestling  and  other  manly  exercises  are  to  their 
limbs  :  in  respect  to  which,  as  well  as  to  other  amusements  in 
which  they  are  said  to  bear  some  resemblance  to  the  old  Ice- 
landers, they  bear  away  the  palm  from  the  rest  of  England. 

Dungeon  Ghyll  in  Great  Langdale  is  a  deep  chasm  or  fissure 
in  the  southern  face  of  the  first  great  buttress  of  the  Pikes.  It 
is  formed  by  a  considerable  stream  from  Pike  o'  Stickle ; 
which  after  making  several  fine  leaps  down  the  mountain  side, 
tumbles  at  length  over  a  lofty  precipice  about  eighty  feet 
l)etween  impending  and  perpendicular  rocks  into  a  deep  and 
gloomy  basin.       A  few  slender  branches  are  seen  springing 


12  2  Solvar  Hoiv. 


from  the  crevices  in  either  face  of  the  chasm  near  the  top  ;  and 
immediately  above  the  basin,  a  natural  arch,  made  by  two 
large  stones  which  have  rolled  from  a  higher  part  of  the 
mountain,  and  got  wedged  together  between  the  cheeks  of 
rock.  By  scrambling  over  some  rough  stones  in  the  bed  of 
the  stream,  the  largest  and  finest  chamber  may  be  reached  ; 
and  the  visitor  stands  underneath  the  arch,  and  iu  front  of  the 
waterfall.  Over  the  bridge  thus  rudely  formed,  Wordsworth's 
"Idle  Shepherd  Boy"  challenged  his  comrade  to  pass;  and 
even  ladies  have  had  the  intrepidity  or  temerity  to  cross  it, 
undeterred  by  the  narrowness  and  awkwardness  of  the  footing, 
and  the  threatening  aspect  of  the  dismal  gulf  below. 

The  station  in  the  field  adjoining  the  farm  house  called 
Skelwith-Fold,  is  the  site  where  the  Danish  fortress  is  assumed 
to  have  stood. 


32, 


THE  CHURCH  AMONG  THE- MOUNTAINS. 

In  this  sweet  vale  where  peace  has  found 

An  undisturbed  abode, 
The  everlasting  hills  surround 

A  temple  reared  to  God  ; 
Where  one  pure  stream,  the  Gospel's  sound. 

Flows  as  it  ever  flow'd. 

Here  never  reach  the  angry  jars 

Which  break  the  Church's  rest. 
The  unity  that  strife  debars 

Is  on  this  Branch  imprest ; 
Her  truths  of  old  no  discord  mars  ; 

Here  peace  is  in  her  breast. 

One  Book  reveals  the  living  lore 

Of  prophets,  saints,  and  kings. 
One  mild  apostle  here  its  store 

To  every  household  brings  ; 
And  on  this  temple's  sacred  floor 

The  pure  glad  tidings  sings. 


;24     Church  among  the  Mountains. 

Race  follows  race  from  field  and  home, 

And  all  in  earth  are  laid  : 
But  steadfast  as  the  starry  dome 

Above,  the  truth  is  spread 
Around  their  feet,  howe'er  they  roam, 

Unquestioned,  ungainsaid. 


How  blest,  to  live  and  hope  in  peace 
Like  these  !  nor  hear  the  knell 

Of  some  sure  promise,  made  to  cease 
Beneath  the  mystic's  spell, 

Or  subtle  casuist's  caprice — 
And  know  that  all  is  well. 


In  vainest  strifes  we  cast  away 
Too  much  from  life's  fair  page. 

The  flock  becomes  the  spoiler's  prey. 
Because  the  shepherds  rage. 

And  while  the  life  is  but  a  day. 
The  warfare  lasts  an  age. 


But  here  may  piety  rejoice 
To  tread  the  ancient  ways  : 

Still  make  the  one  true  part  the  choice 
Of  even  the  darkest  days  ; 

And  lift  an  undivided  voice 
Of  thankful  prayer  and  praise. 


Church  among  the  Mountains.     325 

Guard,  Sovereign  of  the  heights  and  rills  ! 

These  precincts  of  Thy  fold ; 
This  little  Church,  which  thus  fulfils 

Thy  purpose  framed  of  old. 
And  this  Thy  flock  amidst  these  hills 

Still  in  Thy  bosom  hold. 


326 


NOTES    TO    "THE    CHURCH    AMONG   THE 

MOUNTAINS." 


Wordsworth  in  his  description  of  the  Lake  Country  as  it 
was,  and  had  been  through  centuries,  till  within  about 
one  hundred  years,  thus  alludes  to  the  places  of  worship, 
' '  Towards  the  head  of  these  Dales  was  found  a  perfect 
Kepublic  of  shepherds  and  agriculturists,  among  whom  the 
plough  of  each  man  was  confined  to  the  maintenance  of  his 
own  family,  or  to  the  occasional  accommodation  of  his  neigh- 
bour. Two  or  three  cows  furnished  each  family  with  milk 
and  cheese.  The  Chapel  was  the  only  edifice  that  presided 
over  these  dwellings,  the  supreme  head  of  this  pure  common- 
wealth :  the  members  of  which  existed  in  the  midst  of  a 
powerful  empire,  like  an  ideal  society  or  an  organised 
community,  whose  constitution  had  been  imposed  and 
regulated  by  the  mountains  which  protected  it. 

"The  religib  loci  is  nowhere  violated  by  these  unstinted, 
yet  unpretending  works  of  human  hands.  They  exhibit 
generally  a  well  proportioned  oblong,  with  a  suitable  porch, 
in  some  instances  a  steeple  tower,  and  in  others  nothing  more 
than  a  small  belfry,  in  which  one  or  two  bells  hang  visibly. 
A  man  must  be  very  insensible  who  would  not  have  been 
touched  with  pleasure  at  the  sight  of  the  former  Chapel  of 
Buttermere,  so  strikingly  expressing  by  its  diminutive  size, 
how  small  must  have  been  the  congregation  there  assembled, 
as  it  were,  like  one  family  ;  and  proclaiming  at  the  same  time 
to  the  passenger,  in  connection  with  the  surrounding  moun- 
tains, the  depth  of  that  seclusion  in  which  the  people  lived, 
that  rendered  necessary  the  building  of  a  separate  place  of 
worship  for  so  few.      The  edifice   was  scarcely   larger  than 


Church  amonz  the  Motmtains.     327 


<b 


many  of  the  single  stones  or  fragments  of  rock  which  were 
scattered  near  it.  The  old  Chapel  was  perhaps  the  most 
diminutive  in  all  England,  being  incapable  of  receiving  more 
than  half  a  dozen  families.  The  length  of  the  outer  wall  was 
about  seventeen  feet.  The  curacy  was  'certified  to  the 
Governors  of  Queen  Anne's  Bounty  at  £\.  paid  by  the 
contributions  of  the  inhabitants,'  and  it  was  also  certified, 
"this  Chapel  and  Wythop  were  served  by  Readers,  except 
that  the  Curate  of  Lorton  officiated  there  three  or  four  times 
in  the  year.' " 

Such  cures  were  held  in  these  northern  counties  by  un- 
ordained  persons,  till  about  the  middle  of  George  ll.'s  reign  ; 
when  the  Bishops  came  to  a  resolution,  that  no  one  should 
officiate  who  was  not  in  orders.  But,  because  there  would 
have  been  some  injustice  and  some  hardship  in  ejecting  the 
existing  incumbents,  they  were  admitted  to  deacons'  orders 
wdthout  undergoing  any  examination.  The  person  who  was 
then  Reader  as  it  was  called,  at  the  Chapel  in  the  Vale  of 
Newlands,  and  who  received  this  kind  of  ordination,  exercised 
the  various  trades  of  Clogger,  Tailor,  and  Butter-print  maker. 

How  otherwise  than  by  following  secular  occupations  were 
even  Readers  to  exist?  The  Chapel  of  "Secmurthow"  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river  Derwent,  not  far  from  the  foot  of 
Bassenthwaite  lake,  was  certified  to  the  Governors  of  Queen 
Anne's  Bounty  at  £2.,  being  the  interest  of  ^^40.  raised  by  the 
inhabitants  for  a  Reader.  "Before  its  augmentation,"  says 
Hutchinson,  "the  Reader  of  divine  service  had  a  precarious 
income ;  but  an  actual  custom  existed  for  several  years  of 
allowing  the  poor  minister  a  wkittle-gate.  He  was  privileged 
to  go  from  house  to  house  in  the  Chapelry,  and  stay  a  certain 
number  of  days  at  each  place,  where  he  was  permitted  to  enter 
his  -whittle  or  knife  with  the  rest  of  the  family.  This  custom," 
he  adds,  "has  been  abolished  in  such  modern  times,  that  it  is 
in  the  memory  of  many  now  living."  (i.e.  I794-) 

The  inhabitants  of  many  of  the  Chapelries  in  the  north  got 
by  custom  from  the  Rectors  or  Vicars  the  right  of  nominating 
and  presenting  the  curate  ;  for  this  reason  :  before  the  death 
of  Queen  Anne,  many  of  the  Chapelries  were  not  worth  above 
two  or  three  pounds  a  year,  and  the  donees  could  not  get 
persons  properly  qualified  to  serve  them ;  so  they  left  them  to 
the  inhabitants,  who  raised  voluntary  contributions  for  them 
in  addition  to  their  salary,  with  clothes  yearly  and  whittle- 
gate. 

Clothes  yearly,  were  one  new  suit  of  clothes,  two  pairs  of 


328 


Notes  to 


shoes,  and  one  pair  of  clogs,  shirts,  stockings,  etc.,  as  they 
could  bargain. 

Whittlegate  is,  to  have  two  or  three  weeks'  victuals  at  each 
house,  according  to  the  ability  of  the  inhabitants,  which  was 
settled  amongst  them,  so  that  he  should  go  his  course  as 
regularly  as  the  sun,  and  complete  it  annually.  Few  houses 
having  more  knives  than  one  or  two,  the  pastor  was  often 
obliged  to  buy  his  own ;  sometimes  it  was  bought  for  him  by 
the  chapel- wardens.  He  marched  from  house  to  house  with 
his  whittle  seeking  fresh  pasturage  ;  and  as  master  of  the  herd, 
he  had  the  elbow  chair  at  the  table-head,  which  was  often 
made  of  part  of  a  hollow  ash-tree,  such  as  may  be  seen  in 
those  parts  at  this  day. 

Buttermere  was  said  to  allow  its  priest  whittle-gate,  and 
twenty  shillings  yearly;  by  other  accounts,  " clogg-shoes, 
harden-sark,  whittle-gate,  and  guse-gate" — that  is,  a  pair  of 
shoes  clogged  or  iron-shod,  a  shirt  of  coarse  linen  or  hemp 
once  a  year,  free-living  at  each  parishioner's  house  for  a  certain 
number  of  days,  and  the  right  to  pasture  a  goose  or  geese  on 
the  common. 

The  Wytheburn  reader  had  sark,  whittle-gate,  and  guse- 
gate. 

The  Mungrisdale  priest  had  £6.  os.  <jd.  a  year. 

Many  worthies  have  appeared,  nevertheless,  among  these 
unpretending  ministers  of  the  dales  ;  most  prominently  so, 
Robert , Walker,  for  a  long  period  curate  of  Seathwaite,  and 
sumamed  for  his  many  virtues  and  industry,  the  Wonderful  : 
of  whose  life  and  actions  an  interesting  and  detailed  account 
is  given  in  the  Notes  in  Wordsworth's  Works. 

The  Chapel  of  Martindale,  a  perpetual  curacy  under  the 
vicarage  of  Barton,  near  Penrith,  was  served  for  67  years  by 
a  Mr.  Richard  Birket.  The  ancient  endowment  was  only 
£,2.  \i)S.  /\.d.  per  annum,  a  small  house,  and  about  four  acres 
of  land.  At  his  first  coming,  Birket's  whole  property  con- 
sisted of  two  shirts  and  one  suit  of  clothes  ;  yet  he  amassed  a 
considerable  sum  of  money.  Being  the  only  man  except  one 
in  the  parish  who  could  write,  he  transcribed  most  of  the  law 
papers  of  his  parishioners.  Whenever  he  lent  money,  he 
deducted  at  the  time  of  lending,  two  shillings  in  the  pound 
for  interest,  and  the  term  of  the  loan  never  exceeded  a  year. 
He  charged  for  writing  a  receipt  twopence,  and  for  a 
promissory  note  fourpence ;  and  used  other  means  of  extortion. 
He  likewise  taught  a  school,  and  served  as  parish -clerk  ;  and 
in  both  these  offices  he  showed  his  wonderful  turn  for  economy 


Church  among  the  Mountains. 


and  gain  ;  for  his  quarter-dues  from  his  scholars  being  small, 
he  had  from  the  parents  of  each  scholar  a  fortnight's  board 
and  lodging  ;  and  the  Easter-dues  being  usually  paid  in  eggs, 
he,  at  the  time  of  collecting,  carried  with  him  a  board,  in 
which  was  a  hole  that  served  him  as  a  guage,  and  he  positively 
refused  to  accept  any  which  would  pass  tliiough.  He  got  a 
fortune  of  £60  with  his  wife  ;  to  whom  he  left  at  his  decease 
the  sum  of  ;(f  1200.  Clark  says,  that  on  account  of  transacting 
most  of  the  law  affairs  of  his  parishioners,  he  was  called  Sir 
Richard,  or  the  Lawyer.  But  with  reference  to  this  title, 
Nicholson,  Bishop  of  Carlisle,  at  the  beginning  of  the  i8th 
century  says,  "Since  I  can  remember,  there  was  not  a  reader 
in  any  chapel  who  was  not  called  '  Sir. '  "  The  old  designa- 
tion of  the  clergy  before  the  Reformation  was  always  "Sir"  ; 
knight  being  added  as  the  military  or  ci^^l  distinction. 
It  has  also  been  stated  that  the  last  curate  of  this  parish,  or  of 
these  parts  at  all,  called  "Sir,"  was  the  Reverend  Richard 
Birket  (apud  1689). 

On  the  death  of  Mr.  Birket  no  one  would  undertake  the 
cure,  on  account  of  the  smallness  of  the  stipend  :  those  there- 
fore of  the  parishioners  who  could  read,  performed  the  sei-vice 
by  turns.  Things  remained  in  this  situation  for  some  time  ; 
at  length  a  little  decrepid  man,  named  Brownrigg,  to  whom 
Mr.  Birket  had  taught  a  little  Latin  and  Greek,  was  by  the 
parishioners  appointed  perpetual  Reader.  For  this  they 
allowed  him,  with  the  consent  of  the  Donee,  the  church  per- 
quisites, then  worth  about  £\2.  per  annum.  Brownrigg  being 
a  man  of  good  character,  and  there  being  no  clergy^man  within 
several  miles  to  baptize  their  children,  or  buiy  their  dead,  the 
parishioners  petitioned  the  Bishop  to  grant  him  deacon's 
orders ;  this  was  accordingly  done,  and  he  served  the  cure 
forty-eight  years. 

Mr.  Mattinson,  the  curate  of  Paterdale,  who  died  about  the 
year  1770,  was  a  singular  character.  For  fifty-six  years  he 
officiated  at  the  small  "chapel  with  the  yew  tree,"  at  the  foot 
of  St.  Sunday's  Crag.  His  ordinary  income  was  generally 
twelve  pomids  a  year,  and  never  above  eighteen.  He  married 
and  lived  comfortably,  and  had  four  children,  all  of  whom  he 
christened  and  married,  educating  his  son  to  be  a  scholar,  and 
sending  him  to  College.  He  buried  his  mother  ;  married  his 
father  and  buried  him  ;  christened  his  wife,  and  published  his 
own  banns  of  marriage  in  the  church.  He  lived  to  the  age  of 
ninety-six,  and  died  worth  a  thousand  pounds.  It  has  been 
alleged  that  this  provident  curate  assisted  his  wife  to  card  and 

22 


Notes  to 


spin  the  tithe  wool  which  fell  to  his  lot,  \'\i.  uue  third  ;  that 
he  taught  a  school  which  brought  him  in  about  five  pounds  a 
year  ;  that  his  wife  was  skilful  and  eminent  as  a  midwife,  per- 
forming her  functions  for  the  small  sum  of  one  shilling ;  but 
as  according  to  ancient  custom  she  was  likewise  cook  at  the 
christening  dinner,  she  received  some  culinary  perquisites 
which  somewhat  increased  her  profits.  Clarke  adds,  "One 
thing  more  I  must  beg  leave  to  mention  concerning  Mrs. 
Mattinson  ;  On  the  day  of  her  marriage,  her  father  boasted 
that  his  two  daughters  were  married  to  the  two  best  men  in 
Paterdale,  the  priest  and  the  bag  piper." 

In  Langdale,  in  Clark's  time,  the  poor  Curate  was  obliged 
to  sell  ale  to  support  himself  and  his  family ;  and,  he  says, 
"At  his  house  I  have  played  Bariiaby  with  him  on  the 
Sabbath  morning,  when  he  left  us  with  the  good  old  song, 

'  I'll  but  preach,  and  be  with  you  again.'  " 

Taking  all  their  circumstances  into  consideration,  it  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at  that  the  personal  failings  of  these  men  were 
looked  upon  by  their  neighbours  with  a  'leniency  which  would 
hardly  be  intelligible  elsewhere.  Not  very  long  ago  an 
excellent  old  dame  only  recently  deceased,  who  for  her 
intelligence  and  goodness  was  respected  and  esteemed  by 
the  highest  and  the  lowest,  and  was  one  of  the  finest  specimens 
of  nature's  gentlewomen  to  be  found  anywhere,  was  heard 
warmly  upholding  the  character  of  a  neighbouring  clergyman 
in  these  words, — "  Well,  I'll  not  say  but  he  may  have  slanted 
now  and  then,  at  a  christenin'  or  a  weddin'  ;  but  for  buryin'  a 
corp,  he  is  undeniable  !" 

In  1866  the  Bishop  of  Carlisle  consecrated  a  new  church 
at  Wythop  on  the  shores  of  Bassenthwaite  Lake.  The  old 
building  which  this  edifice  is  intended  to  supersede  is  a  decayed 
barn-like  structure,  supplied  with  a  bell  which  hung  from  an 
adjoining  tree.  Some  curious  customs  are  associated  with 
this  Church.  It  was  built  in  1473.  For  some  hundreds  of 
years  the  inhabitants  of  the  Chapelry  were  in  the  habit  of 
dividing  it  into  four  quarters,  from  each  of  which  a  I'epresent- 
ative  was  elected  yearly  ;  the  functions  of  the  four  being  set 
forth  in  a  document  dated  1623.  They  have  to  elect  a  parish 
minister  or  reader,  who  was  generally  the  schoolmaster,  a 
layman  being  eligible  ;  they  had  to  collect  "devotion  money," 
supervise  the  repairs  of  the  fabric,  and  look  after  the  parish 
school.  The  stipend  of  the  minister  was  io4d.  per  Sunday. 
Here^is  a  copy  of  an  old  receipt  : — "  Received  of  the  chapel- 


Church  among  the  Mountains.     33 1 


men  of  Wythop  the  sum  of  28s.  5d.  for  thirty-one  weeks' 
reading  wages,  by  me,  Joliii  Fisher."  The  stipend  was 
however  supplemented  by  whittlegate  ;  he  was  boarded  and 
lodged  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  four  quarters  in  turn.  The 
value  of  the  living  at  the  present  day  is  only  £^\  per  annum. 

Tliis  old  church  which  is  to  remain  as  a  curiosity,  stands 
high  on  a  mountain  side  ;  and  not  many  years  ago  nettles 
grew  luxuriantly  beneath  the  seats  in  the  pews  and  along  the 
middle  of  the  passage.  A  narrow  board  on  a  moveable  bracket 
constitutes  the  communion  table,  and  the  vessels  employed  iii 
the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  are  a  pewter  cheese-plate 
and  pewter  pot.  There  is  no  font  provided  for  baptisms,  the 
purpose  was  served  by  a  common  earthenware  vessel  ;  nor  is 
any  vestry  room  attached  to  the  building. 

Vestries  are  seldom  to  be  found  in  these  remote  chapels. 
And  in  the  chapel  at  Matterdale,  the  sacramental  wine  used 
to  be  kept  in  a  wooden  keg,  or  small  cask  ;  perhaps  is  so 
still. 

It  is  said  of  Whitbeck  Chapel,  which  lies  on  the  base  of 
Black  Combe,  near  the  sea  shore,  that  smugglers  frequenting 
that  exposed  part  of  the  coast,  on  many  occasions  deposited 
their  illegal  cargoes  within  its  walls,  until  a  convenient  oppor- 
tunity arose  for  removing  them  unobserved.  Sunday  sometimes 
came  round  when  the  sacred  edifice  was  not  in  the  most  suitable 
condition  for  celebrating  divine  service.  The  parish  clerk  had 
then  to  advise  the  minister  that  it  would  be  inconvenient  to 
oflficiate  on  that  day.  It  was  not  politic  to  scrutinize  too 
closely  the  nature  of  the  difficulty  that  existed  :  it  was 
sufficiently  understood.  A  substantial  sample  of  the  intruding 
contraband  element  found  its  way  to  the  house  of  the  minister  ; 
and  forthwith  due  notice  was  circulated  among  the  parishioners 
that  the  usual  service  would  not  be  held  until  the  Sunday 
following.  Meanwhile  the  stores  were  disposed  of,  and  the 
wild  and  desperate  adventurers  were  in  full  career  again 
towards  the  Manx  or  Scottish  shore. 

In  1300  the  Lady  of-  AUerdale,  and  of  the  Honour  of 
Cockermouth,  Isabel  Countess  of  Albemarle  was  summoned 
to  prove  by  what  right  she  held  a  market  at  Crosthwaite  (near 
Keswick).  She  denied  that  she  held  any  market  there,  but 
said  that  the  men  of  the  neighbourhood  met  at  the  Church  on 
Festival  days,  and  there  sold  flesh  and  fish  ;  and  that  she  as 
lady  of  the  Manor  of  Derwent  Fells  took  no  toll.  This 
practice  being  persevered  in,  in  1306  the  inhabitants  of 
Cockermouth  rci>rescnled  in  a  petition  to  parliament  that  then; 


332  Notes  to 


was  a  great  concourse  of  people  every  Sunday  at  Crosthwaite 
Church,  where  corn,  flour,  beans,  peas,  Unen,  cloth,  meat, 
fish,  and  other  merchandise  were  bought  and  sold,  which  was 
so  very  injurious  to  the  market  at  Cockermouth,  that  the 
persons  of  that  place  who  farmed  the  tolls  of  the  king  were 
unable  to  pay  their  rent.  U  pon  this  a  prohibitory  proclamation 
was  issued  against  the  continuance  of  such  an  unseemly  usage. 

Things  had  not  got  quite  straight  in  this  respect  within  the 
sanctuary  at  a  much  later  period.  The  Rev.  Thos.  Warcup, 
incumbent  of  the  parish  church  of  Wigton,  in  the  civil  war 
was  obliged  to  fly  on  account  of  his  loyalty  to  the  sovereign. 
After  the  restoration  of  Charles  II.  he  returned  to  his  cure ; 
and  tradition  says,  that  the  butcher-market  was  then  held  upon 
the  Sunday,  and  the  butchers  hung  up  their  carcasses  even  at 
the  church  door,  to  attract  the  notice  of  their  customers  as 
they  went  in  and  came  out  of  church  ;  and  it  was  not  an 
unlrequent  thing  to  see  people,  who  had  made  their  bargains 
before  prayer  began,  hang  their  joints  of  meat  over  the 
backs  of  the  seats  until  the  pious  clergyman  had  finished  the 
service.  The  zealous  priest,  after  having  long,  but  ineffectu- 
ally, endeavoured  to  make  his  congregation  sensible  of  the 
indecency  of  such  practices,  undertook  a  journey  to  London, 
on  foot,  for  the  purpose  of  petitioning  the  king  to  have  the 
market-day  established  on  the  Tuesday  ;  which  favour  it  is 
said  he  had  interest  enough  to  obtain. 

This  faithful  priest  long  before  his  death  caused  his  own 
monument  to  be  erected  in  the  churchyard,  with  this  inscription 
in  verse  of  his  own  composing  : 

Thomas  Warcup  prepar'd  this  stone, 
To  mind  him  of  his  best  home. 
Liltle  but  sin  and  misery  here. 
Till  we  be  carried  on  our  bier. 
Out  of  the  grave  and  earth's  dust. 
The  Lord  will  raise  me  up,  I  trust ; 
To  live  with  Christe  eternallie. 
Who,  me  to  save,  himself  did  die. 
Milii  est  Christus  et  in  vita  et  in  morte  lucrum.     Phil.  i.  21. 
Obiit  anno  1653. 

Thus  it  appears  his  decease  did  not  take  place  until  some 
years  after  the  date  at  which  he  records  his  death  ;  probably 
a  period  marked  by  some  important  change  in  his  life,  or  of 
unusual  solemnity  reminds  us  that  only  thirty-five>  years  ago, 
at  a  very  few  miles  from  its  base,  one  who  served  the  pastoral 


Church  among  the  Moufitains.     333 


office  more  than  fifty  years,  eking  out  a  wretched  maintenance 
upon  a  small  farm  ;  while  his  sons  were  at  the  plough,  was 
of  necessity  compelled  to  send  his  daughters  with  horses  and 
carts  for  coals  and  lime,  and  to  lead  manure  to  the  fields  and 
distribute  it  over  the  land  ;  whilst  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of 
his  diocese  were  the  patrons  of  his  cure. 

Such  things  can  hardly  be  witnessed  at  this  day.  But  a 
minister  may  be  seen  even  now  (1867)  on  the  other  side  of  the 
district,  leading  the  choir  in  the  aisle,  in  his  surplice,  with 
bow  and  fiddle  in  his  hands,  and  then  resuming  his  place  at 
the  desk,  with  becoming  solemnity,  until  the  course  of  the 
service  requires  his  instrument  again.  His  sense  of  harmony 
is  acute  ;  for  in  the  middle  of  the  psalm,  his  arms  will  fly 
apart,  and  the  volume  of  sound  be  stopped,  until  an  offensive 
note  has  been  ejected,  and  the  strain  rectified,  and  renewed. 

A  curious  discovery  has  recently  been  made  in  the  venerable 
parish  church  of  Windermere.  The  plaster  having  come  away 
over  one  of  the  arches,  a  band  of  red  and  black  was  revealed. 
On  the  removal  of  more  of  the  thick  layers  of  whitewash,  a 
beautiful  inscription  in  old  English  characters  was  found. 
Further  search  was  instituted,  and  similar  inscriptions  have 
been  discovered  on  all  the  walls  between  the  arches  in  the 
nave.  It  is  conjectured  that  these  inscriptions  were  placed  in 
the  church  at  the  time  of  the  Eeformation,  as  they  are  mostly 
directed  against  the  dogma  of  transubstantiation,  whilst  they 
give  plain  instructions  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Sacraments. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  nave  the  following  have  been 
deciphered  : — 

"Howe  many  sacramentes  are  their? — Two  :  baptisme and 
the  supper  of  the  I^ord. 

"In  baptisme  which  ys  ye  signe  yt  may  be  scene? — Water 
onelie. 

' '  Whiche  is  the  grace  yt  cannot  be  scene  ? — The  washinge 
awaie  of  synnes  by  the  bloode  of  Christe. 

"  In  the  Lordes  supper  which  is  ye  signe  yt  may  be  sene  ? — 
Breade  and  Wyne. 

"  Which  is  ye  grace  yt  cannot  be  scene? — The  bodie  and 
bloode  of  Christe." 

On  the  south  wall  the  inscriptions  are  as  follow  : — 

"  In  goinge  to  ye  table  of  the  Lord,  what  ought  a  man  to 
consider  or  doe  pryncipalie  ? — T  examine  him  selfe. 

' '  Is  the  breade  and  wine  turned  into  ye  bodie  and  bloode 
of  Christe? — No,  for  if  you  turne  or  take  away  ye  signe  that 
may  be  sene  it  is  no  sacrament. 


03' 


Church  among  the  Mountains. 


"  For  the  strengthenynge  of  your  faith,  ho  we  many  things 
leame  yow  in  ye  Lordes  Supper?— Two  :  as  by  ye  hand  and 
moulhe,  my  bodie  receiuth  breade  and  wine  :  so  by  faithe,  my 
soule  dothe  feade  of  ye  bodie  and  blood  of  Christ :  secondlie 
all  ye  benefittes  of  Christ  his  passion  and  his  righteousness, 
are  as  surelye  sealled  up  to  be  mine  as  my  selfe  had  wrought 
them. 

"To  the  strengthening  of  your  faithe  how  many  thinges 
learne  you  in  baptisme  ? — Two  :  first,  as  water  washeth  away 
the  filthines  of  ye  fleshe  :  so  ye  bloode  of  Christ  washeth 
avvaie  synne  from  my  soull ;  secondly,  I  am  taught  to  rise 
againe  to  neunes  of  life." 


G.    AND   T.    COWARD,     rKINTKRS,    (  ARI-lSl.E. 


SECOND      EDITION. 

Small  Croicn  Svo.     In  neat  Cloth  binding,  Price  3s.  6d. 
THE   FOLK-SPEECH  OF  CUMBERLAND 
and  some  Districts  Adjacent;  being  short  Stories  and 
Rhymes  in  the  Dialects  of  the  West  Border  Counties. 
By  Alex.  Craig  Gibson,  F.S.A. 


The  tales  are  remarkable  for  their  spirit  and  humour.  The 
poetry,  too,  is  marked  by  the  same  characteristics. —  West- 
minster Review. 

The  stories  and  rhymes  have  the  freshness  of  nature  about 
them.  — Conttmporary  Revieiv. 

Brimfiil  of  humour,  homely  wit  and  sense,  and  reflect  the 
character  and  life  and  ways  of  thought  of  an  honest  sturdy 
people. — Spectator. 

The  stories,  or  prose  pieces,  are  wonderfully  clever  and  well 
done. — Saturday  Review. 

This  is  an  uncommon  book,  combining,  as  it  does,  in  an 
extraordinary  degree,  the  recondite  lore  which  throws  anti- 
quarians into  ecstacies,  with  the  shrewd  humour,  the  descrip- 
tive force,  and  the  poetic  charm  which,  garbed  in  the  old 
Norse-rooted  vernacular  which  Cumbrians  love  so  well,  will 
secure  for  it  a  cordial  reception  among  all  those  who  claim 
"canny  Cumberland"  for  their  childhood's  home. — Eddowes's 
Shrewsbury  Journal. 

Wvi  poems  are  pictures  in  very  natural  colours. — Durham 
Chronicle. 

Destined  to  an  honourable  place  among  the  choicest  pro- 
ductions of  our  native  literat'ire. — Carlisle  Journal. 

Besides  being  a  learued  antiquary,  he  has  wit,  humour,  and 
a  true  vein  of  poetry  in  him,  and  the  literary  skill,  in  addition 
to  turn  all  these  to  the  best  account.  —Carlisle  Express. 

In  its  way  perfectly  unique. — Carlisle  Examiner. 
CARLISLE:  G,  AND  T.  COWARD.  LONDON  :  J.  RUSSELL  SMITH. 


Small  Croivn  8vo.     In  neat  Cloth  hmding,  Price  3s.  6d. 
"CUMMERLAND  TALK;"  being  Short  Tales 
aud  Ehymes  iii  the  Dialect  of  that  County.  •   By  John 
Richardson,  of  Saint  John's. 


A  very  good  specimen  of  its  class.  The  ordinary  subscriber 
to  Mudie's  would  not  for  a  moment  dream  of  ever  looking 
into  it,  aud  yet  Mr.  Richardson  possesses  far  more  ability 
than  the  generality  of  novelists  who  are  so  popular. —  West- 
m'mster  Revieiu. 

Good  and  pleasant. — Saturday  Review. 

There  are  both  pathos  and  humour  in  the  various  stories 
and  ballads  furnished  by  Mr.  Richardson.  We  congratulate 
Cumberland  on  having  so  many  able  champions  and  admirers 
of  her  dialect. — Atkenceum. 

Some  of  the  rhymes  are  admirable.  "It's  nobbut  me  !" 
is  a  capital  specimen  of  a  popular  lyric  poem. — Notes  aiid 
Queries. 

He  has  seized  on  some  of  the  most  striking  habits  of  thought, 
and  describes  them  simply  and  naturally,  without  any  strain- 
ing after  effect. — Carlisle  Patriot. 

To  all  lovers  of  the  dialect  literature  of  this  county  the 
volume  will  be  heartily  welcome. —  Whitehaven  News. 

A  worthy  companion  to  Dr.  Gibson's  "Folk  Speech." 
Wigton  Advertiser. 

The  sketches  are  quite  equal  to  anythiug  of  the  kind  we 
have  seen. — Kendal  Mercury. 

A  very  pleasant  addition  to  the  records  of  the  dialect  of 
Cumberland. — ■  Westmorland  Gazette. 

The  best  and  most  comprehensive  reflex  of  the  folk-speech 
of  Cumberland  that  has  been  put  into  our  hands. — Soulby^s 
Ulverston  Advertiser. 

There  is  plenty  of  variety  in  the  volume.  —  Ulverston  Mirror. 


CARLISLE:  G.  AND  T.  COWARD.  LONDON:  J.  RUSSELL  SMITH. 


F.  Caj>  Sro.     Price  2a.  Od. 

SONGS     AND      BALLADS 

By  JOHN  JAMES  LONSDALE, 

Author  of  "The  Ship  Boy's  Letter,"  "Robin's  Return,"  &c. 
WITH  A  BRIEF  MEMOIR. 


From  the  A  THEN  MUM. 
Mr.  Lonsdale's  songs  have  not  only  great  merit,  but  they 
disjilay  the  very  variety  of  which  he  himself  was  scei^tical. 
His  first  lay,  "Minna,"  might  lay  claim  even  to  imagination  ; 
nevertheless,  for  completeness  and  delicacy  of  execution,  we 
prefer  some  of  his  shorter  pieces.  Of  most  of  these  it  may  be 
said  that  they  are  the  di'amatic  expressions  of  emotional  ideas. 
In  many  cases,  however,  these  songs  have  the  robust  interest 
of  story,  or  that  of  character  and  picture.  When  it  is  borne 
in  mind  that  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  these  lays  were 
written  for  miisic,  no  small  praise  must  be  awarded  to  the 
poet,  not  only  for  the  suitability  of  his  themes  to  his  purpose, 
but  for  the  pictiu-esqueness  and  fancy  with  which  he  has 
invested  them  imder  difficult  conditions. 

From  the  WESTMINSTER  REVIEW. 
Poetry  seems  now  to  flourish  more  in  the  north  than  in  the 
south  of  England.  N"ot  long  ago  we  noticed  an  admirable 
collection  of  Cumijerland  ballads,  containing  two  songs  by 
Miss  Blamire,  v"hich  are  amongst  the  most  beautiful  and 
pathetic  in  our  language.  We  have  now  a  small  volume  by 
a  Cumberland  poet,  which  may  be  put  on  the  same  shelf  with 
Kirke  White.  Like  Kirke  White's,  Mr.  Lonsdale's  life  seems 
to  have  been  marked  by  pain  and  disapipointment.  Like 
Kirke  White  too,  he  died  before  his  powers  were  full  developed. 
A  delicate  pathos  and  a  vein  of  humour  characterize  his  best 
pieces. 

From  the  SPECTA  TOR. 

"The  Children's  Kingdom"  is  really  touching.  The  picture 
of  the  band  of  children  setting  out  in  the  morning  biiglit  and 
happy,  lingering  in  the  forest  at  noon,  and  creeping  to  their 
journey's  end  at  midnight  with  tearful  eyes,  has  a  decided 
charm. 

From  NOTES  AND  QUERIES. 
A  volume  containing  some  vei-y  pleasing  poems  by  a  young 
Cnnrberland  poet,  who  but  for  his  early  death,  would  probably 
have  taken  a  foremost  place  amongst  the  lyrists  of  our  day. 

CARLISLE  :  G.  AND  T.  COWARD.   LONDON  :  J.  RUSSELL  SMITH. 


Small  Crown  Svo.     Price  3s.  6d.     Cloth  Limp. 

A  GLOSSARY  of  the  WORDS  and  PHRASES 

OF  FURNESS  (North  Lancashire),  with  Illustrative 
Quotations,  principally  from  the  Old  Northern  Writers. 
By  J.  P.  Morris,  F.A.S.L. 


We  are  thoroughly  pleased  with  the  creditable  way  in  which 
Mr.  Morris  has  performed  his  task.  We  had  marked  a  number 
of  words,  the  explanation  of  which  struck  us  as  being  good 
and  to  the  point,  but  space  unfortunately  fails  us.  We  com- 
mend the  Furness  Glossary  to  all  students  of  our  dialects. — 
Westminster  Review. 

The  collection  of  words  is  remarkably  good,  and  Mr.  Morris 
has  most  wisely  and  at  considerable  pains  and  trouble  illustrated 
them  with  extracts  from  old  writers. — The  Reliquary  Quarterly 
Review. 

Mr.  Morris  is  well  known  in  the  district,  both  as  a  writer 
and  an  antiquarian.  His  labours  in  the  work  before  us  evince 
him  to  be  a  zealous  and  untiring  student.  We  trust  his  book 
will  have  the  success  which  we  think  it  weU  deserves. -- 
Ulverston  Advertiser. 

The  stranger  who  takes  up  his  abode  in  Furness  will  find 
Mr.  Morris's  little  book  a  capital  helpmate.  —  Ulverston  Mirror. 

Apart  from  its  etymological  value  the  work  is  highly  accept- 
able as  a  contribution  to  local  literature.  — Carlisle  Journal. 

We  cordially  recommend  the  glossary  to  admirers  of  the  old 
writers,  and  to  all  curious  philologists. — Carlisle  Patriot. 

Valuable  as  tracing  to  their  source  many  good  old  forms  of 
the  Furness  dialect,  and  as  explaining  not  a  few  archaisms 
which  have  been  stumbling-blocks  to  students  of  their  mother 
tongue.  —  Whitehaven  News. 


CARLISLIC  :  G.  AND  T.  COWARD.    LONDON  :  J.  RUSSELL  SMITH. 


Price  33.  Gd.  hi  Cloth  ;  or  5s.  in  Extra  Gilt  Bindifuj. 
POEMS.      By      peter      BURN. 

A  NEW  AND  COMPLETE  EDITION. 

If  Mr.  Burn's  genius  does  not  soar  very  High,  she  leads  us 
into  many  a  charming  scene  in  country  and  town,  and  imparts 
moral  truths  and  homely  lessons.  In  many  points  our  author 
resembles  Cow'per,  notably  in  his  humour  and  practical  aim. 
One  end  of  poetry  is  to  give  pleasure,  and  wherever  these 
poems  find  their  way  they  will  both  teach  and  delight. — 
Literary  World. 

If  Mr.  Burn  will  confine  himself  to  pieces  as  expressive  and 
suggestive  as  "The  Leaves  are  Dying,"  or  as  sweet  as  "The 
Riviilet,"  he  need  not  despair  of  taldng  agood  position  amongst 
the  ever-iucreasing  host  of  minor  poets.  —  The  Scotsman. 

Throughout  the  volume  there  is  a  healthy,  vigorous  tone, 
worthy  of  the  laud  of  song  from  which  the  author  hails.  The 
book  is  a  desirable  contribution  to  the  already  rich  literature 
of  Cumberland. — Dundee  Advertiser. 


The  songs  and  BALLADS  of  CUMBERLAND 
AND  THE  LAKE  COUNTRY  ;  with  Biographical 
Sketches,  Notes,  and  Glossary.      Edited  by  Sidney 

GiLPTN. 

( A  New  and  Revised  Edition  in  j' reparation. ) 


CARLISLE  :  G.  AND  T.  COWARD.   LONDON:  J.  RUSSELL  SMITH. 


F.  Cap  8vo.     Price  2s.6d.,  in  neat  Cloth  hindlng. 

MISS  BLAMIRE'S  SONGS  AND  POEMS; 

together  with  Songs  by  her  friend   Miss   Gilpix   of 
Scaleby    Castle.       With    Portrixit    of    Miss   Blamire. 

She  was  an  anomaly  in  literature.  She  had  far  too  modest  an 
opinion  of  herself ;  an  extreme  seldom  run  into,  and  sometimes, 
as  in  this  case,  attended  like  other  extremes  with  disadvan- 
tages. We  are  inclined,  however,  to  think  that  if  we  have 
lost  a  great  deal  by  her  ultra-modesty,  we  have  gained  some- 
thing. Without  it,  it  is  questionable  whether  she  would  have 
abandoned  herself  so  entirely  to  her  inclination,  and  left  us 
those  exquisite  lyrics  which  derive  their  charms  from  the 
simple,  rmdisguised  thoughts  which  they  contain.  The  char- 
acteristic of  her  poetry  is  its  simplicity.  It  is  the  simijlicity 
of  genuine  pathos.  It  enters  into  all  her  compositions,  and  is 
perhaps  pre-eminent  in  her  Scottish  songs. 

Carlisle  Journal,  1842. 

In  her  so)]gs,  whether  in  pure  English,  or  in  the  Cumbrian 
or  Scottish  dialect,  she  is  animated,  simple,  and  tender,  often 
touching  a  chord  which  thrills  a  sympathetic  string  deep  in 
the  reader's  bosom.  It  may.  indeed,  be  confidently  predicted 
of  several  of  these  Ijo-ics,  that  they  will  Uve  with  the  best 
productions  of  their  age,  and  longer  than  many  that  were  at 
lirst  allowed  to  rank  more  highly.  — Chambers'  Journal,  1842. 


F.  Cap  8vo.     Price  2s.,  in  neat  Cloth  binding. 

ROBERT    ANDERSON'S    CUMBERLAND 
BALLADS. 

As  a  pourtrayer  of  rustic  manners — as  a  relator  of  homely 
incident — as  a  hander  down  of  ancient  customs,  and  of  ways 
of  life  fast  wearing  or  worn  out — as  an  exponent  of  the 
feelings,  tastes,  habits,  and  language  of  the  most  interesting 
class  in  a  most  interesting  district,  and  in  some  other  respects, 
w^e  hold  Anderson  to  be  unequalled,  not  in  Cumberland  only, 
but  in  England.  As  a  description  of  a  long,  rapid,  and  varied 
succession  of  scenes — every  one  a  photograph — occurring  at  a 
gathering  of  country  people  intent  u})on  enjoying  themselves 
in  their  own  uncouth  roystering  fashion,  given  in  rattling, 
jingling,  regularly  irregular  rhymes,  with  a  chorus  that  ia  of 
itself  a  concentration  of  uproarious  fun  and  revelry,  we  have 
never  read  or  heard  anything  like  Anderson's  "Worton 
Wedding." —  Whitehaven  Herald. 

CARLISLE  :  GEO.  COWARD.       LONDON  :  J.  RUSSELL  SMITH. 


Small  Croicn  Svo.     Price  One  Shi/Jing. 

FORNESS  FOLK,  the'r  Savin's  ax'  Dewin's  ; 
or  Sketches  of  Life  and  Character  in  Lonsdale  North  of 
the  Sands.     By  ROGER  PIKETAH. 

We  have  been  greatly  entertained  by  these  stories,  which 
reveal  to  us  traits  of  a  hiimoursome,  shrewd,  sturdy  race,  of 
whom  from  their  geographical  isolation,  very  little  has  been 
communicated  to  us  by  the  compilers  of  guide  books  or  by 
local  sketchers.  —  Carlisle  Patriot. 

We  can  honestly  say  the  tales  are  not  spoiled  in  serving 
up.  They  come  upon  the  reader  with  almost  the  fiill  force  of 
viva  voce  recital,  and  prove  conclusively  that  Roger  Piketah 
is  a  thorough  master  of  the  "mak  o'  toak"  which  he  has  so 
cleverly  manipulated. —  Whitehaven  News. 

Whoever  Roger  Piketah  may  be,  he  has  succeeded  in 
producing  a  good  reflex  of  some  of  our  Furuess  traditions, 
idioms,  and  opinions  ;  and  we  venture  to  predict  it  will  be  a 
favorite  at  penny  readings  and  other  places.  —  Ulverston 
Advertiser. 

F.  Cap  Svo.     Price  S.-i.  6d. 

POEMS  BY  MRS.  WILSON  TWENTYMAN  of 
Evening  Hill.  Dedicated,  by  permission,  to  H.  W. 
Longfellow. 

F.  Cap  Svo.     Price  2s.  6d. 
ROUGH    NOTES    OF     SEVEN     CAMPAIGNS 
in   Spain,  Prance,  and   America,  from    1809   to  Iblo. 
By  .JOHN  SPENCER  COOPER,  late  Sergeant  in  the 
7th  Royal  Fusileers. 


CARLISLE  :  G.  AND  T.  COWARD.   LOXDOX  :  J.  RUSSELL  .SMITH. 


Crown  8vo.     Price  Is.  in  extra  Cloth  Binding  :  or  6d.  in 
neat  Paper  Cover. 

OLD  CASTLES  :  Including  Sketches  of  Carlisle, 
Corby,  and  Linstock  Castles  ;  with  a  Poem  on 
Carlisle.  By  M.  S.,  Author  of  an  "  Essay  on  Shak- 
speare,"  &c. 

WISE  WIFE.  A  Tale  in  the  Cumberland  Dialect 
By  the  Author  of  "Joe  and  the  Geologist."  Price 
Threepence. 

THREE  FURNESS  DIALECT  TALES.  Price 
Threepence.  Contains  : — Siege  o'  Brou'ton,  Lebby 
Beck  Dobby,  Invasion  o'  U'ston. 


The  songs  and  BALLADS  of  CUMBERLAND 
With  Music  by  William  Metcalfe. 

1.  D'YE  KEN  JOHN  PEEL?     Words  by  John  Woodcock 

Graves.     Price  4s. 

2.  LAL  DINAH  GRAYSON  ("M'appeu  I  may").     Words 

by  Alex.  Craig  Gibson.     Price  4s. 

3.  EEED  ROBIN.    Words  by  Robert  Anderson.    Price  2s.  6d. 

4.  "WELCOME  INTO  CUMBERLAND."      Words  by  the 

Rev.  T.  Ellwood.     Price  3s. 

5.  THE    WAEFU'    HEART.      Words    by    Miss    Blamire. 

Price  2s.  6d. 

THE   WELCOME   INTO   CUMBERLAND  QUADRILLE. 

Price  4s. 
THE  JOHN  PEEL  MARCH.     Price  4s. 

CTo  be  continued. )     The  above  at  Half -Price. 


CARLISLE  :   0.   AND  T.   COWARD. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


NOV  20 


CM  in 


1390 


Form  L9-17w-8,'55(B3339s4)444 


Ipn 


i/^hite  - 


)110  Lays   and   legends 
^6l/'6  of  the  English  lak€ 
country 


KIND  I  lU.KD     VVO 


L  009  618  393 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACI 


PN 

6110 


AA    001  232  099   o 


m