Some of our readers may feel disposed to visit the charming scenery with
which Cumberland and Westmoreland abound; and that they may be assisted in
their route thereto, and in their rambles through that beautiful district, we
will furnish a few notes descriptive of the most convenient and pleasant
routes.
From Congleton an easy diversion may be made, by railway, to Crewe, and from
thence the journey, along the North-Western line, passing Northwich
(Cheshire) and Warrington (Lancashire), via Parkside, to Preston, Garstang,
and Lancaster, is rapid and agreeable. The approach to Preston is remarkably
pleasing, the railway being carried across a magnificent vale, through which
the river Lune, a fine, wide stream, equalling in beauty the far-famed Dee,
runs towards the Irish Channel.
* * * * *
PRESTON is a populous manufacturing town, in which cotton-spinning is carried
on to a very large extent, and is surrounded by a rich agricultural district,
which furnishes in abundance every kind of farming produce. The borough
returns two members to Parliament, is a corporate town, and has acquired a
distinction by its Guilds, which are conducted with great spirit every twenty
years. The market, which is held on the Saturday, is well supplied with
fruits, vegetables, and fish, salmon included, taken from the river Lune.
* * * * *
LANCASTER, twenty miles northward, is also a borough town, returning two
members to Parliament, and is governed by a mayor and town council. It is
one of the ancient ports of Lancashire, and, being the county town, the
assizes for North Lancashire are held there. Some years ago the assizes for
the whole of Lancashire were regularly holden at Lancaster, and in those
palmy days, as the judicial sittings generally extended to sixteen or twenty
days, a rich harvest was reaped, not only by "the gentlemen of the long
robe," but also by the numerous innkeepers in the place. The assize business
for South Lancashire was at length removed to Liverpool, as the most
convenient site for the large number of suitors from that part of the county;
and since that period the town of Lancaster has lost much of its importance.
There are many objects of especial interest within the town and in the
immediate district. The ancient castle (now the county gaol), once the
residence of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster; the Nisi Prius Court, an
elegant and spacious building from a design by the late Mr. Harrison of
Chester; and the old parish church, are worthy of close inspection; whilst
from the castle terrace and churchyard delightful views of the river,
Morecambe Bay, and the distant hills of Cumberland and Westmoreland, are
commanded. The village of Hornby, a few miles northward, situated on the
banks of the Lune, is one of the most picturesque and retired spots in the
kingdom. The river, for several miles from Lancaster, is studded with
enchanting scenery, and is much frequented by the lovers of the rod and line.
From Lancaster the tourist may proceed easily, via the Lancaster and Carlisle
railway, into the very midst of the Lake district. Kendal is about twenty
miles from Lancaster, and from the former pretty town a branch line runs
direct to Windermere, whence parties may proceed to Bowness, Ambleside,
Keswick, and other delightful and time-honoured places in Westmoreland and
Cumberland. From Kendal also Sedburgh, Orton, Kirkby Stephen, Shap, Brough,
and the high and low lands circumjacent, may be visited. Ulverston,
Ravenglass, Whitehaven, Cockermouth, all nearly equally accessible from the
Kendal railway station, will furnish another interesting route to the
traveller.
The midland part of Cumberland consists principally of hills, valleys, and
ridges of elevated ground. To the tourist the mountainous district in the
south-west is the most interesting and attractive. This part comprises
Saddleback, Skiddaw, and Helvellyn, with the lakes of Ulleswater, Thirlmere,
Derwent-water, and Bassenthwaite. Besides these lakes there are several of
smaller size, equally celebrated for their diversified and striking scenery.
Buttermere, whose charms are sweetly sung by many of our poets, Crummock-
water, Loweswater, Ennerdale, Wast-water, and Devock-lake, are frequented by
hosts of travellers, and retain no small number of admirers. The most
remarkable phenomena connected with the Lakes are the Floating Island and
Bottom-Wind, both of which are occasionally seen at Derwent-water, and
neither of which has yet received a satisfactory explanation. Most of the
lakes abound in fish, especially char, trout, and perch; so that anglers are
sure of plenty of sport in their visits to these fine sheets of water. In
Cumberland there are several waterfalls, namely, Scale Force and Sour Milk
Force, near Buttermere; Barrow Cascade and Lowdore Cascade, near Keswick;
Airey Force, Gowbarrow Park; and Nunnery Cascade, Croglin. The highest
mountains in the same county are,--Scaw Fell (Eskdale), 3166 feet, highest
point; Helvellyn (Keswick), 3055; and Skiddaw (Keswick), 3022. The climate
of Cumberland is various; the high land cold and piercing; the lower parts
mild and temperate. The district is generally considered to be healthy, and
many remarkable instances of longevity are noted by the local historians.
The oldest inhabitants on record are John Taylor, of Garrigall, who died in
1772, aged 132 years, and Mr. R. Bowman, of Irthington, who died June 13,
1823, aged 118 years. The oldest oak tree in Cumberland of which there is
any record--a tree which had stood for 600 years in Wragmire Moss, Inglewood
Forest--fell from natural decay on the day of Mr. Bowman's demise.
Cumberland is wholly in the diocese of Carlisle, with the exception of the
wood of Allerdale-above-Derwent, in the diocese of Chester, and the parish of
Alston, in that of Durham. It contains 104 parishes. It is comprehended in
the province of York, and in the northern circuit. The assizes are held at
Carlisle twice a-year. The principal coach roads in Westmoreland are the old
mail road from Lancaster to Carlisle and Glasgow; and the road (formerly a
mail road) through Stamford, Newark, Doncaster, and Greta Bridge, to Carlisle
and Glasgow. There is a second road from Lancaster to Kendal, through
Milnthorp. Roads lead from Kendal south-westward to Ulverston and Dalton-in-
Furness; westward to Bowness, and across Windermere by the ferry to
Hawkshead, and Coniston Water in Furness, and to Egremont and Whitehaven in
Cumberland; north-westward by Ambleside to Keswick, Cockermouth, and
Workington, in Cumberland; north-eastward by Orton to Appleby, with a branch
road to Kirkby Stephen to Brough; eastward to Sedbergh, and onwards to
Yorkshire.
The railways in the district are, the Preston and Carlisle, the Kendal and
Windermere, the Cockermouth and Workington, the Furness (between Fleetwood,
Furness Abbey, Ulverston, Broughton, and the Lakes), the Maryport and
Carlisle, Whitehaven Junction, and Whitehaven and Furness Junction (between
Whitehaven, Ravenglass, Bootle, and Broughton).
Wordsworth, whose soul, as well as body, was identified with this district,
says of the mountains of Westmoreland, that "in magnitude and grandeur they
are individually inferior to the most celebrated of those in some other parts
of the island; but in the combinations which they make, towering above each
other, or lifting themselves in ridges like the waves of a tumultuous sea,
and in the beauty and variety of their surfaces and colours, they are
surpassed by none."
The lakes are numerous, beautiful, and extensive in size. Ulleswater is
embosomed in the centre of mountains, of which Helvellyn forms part. The
upper part of it belongs wholly to Westmoreland, while its lower part, on the
border of Cumberland and Westmoreland, is about seven miles long, with an
average breadth of half a mile. The higher portion of the lake is in
Patterdale. Haweswater is formed by the expansion of the Mardale-beck; and
all the larger affluents of the Eden, which join it on the left bank, rise on
the northern slope of the Cumbrian ridge. The river Leven, which flows out
of Windermere, belongs to Lancashire; but the Rothay, or Raise-beck, which
drains the valley of Grasmere, the streams which drain the valleys of Great
and Little Langdale, and the Trout-beck, which all flow into Windermere, and
may be regarded as the upper waters of the Leven, belong to Westmoreland.
Elterwater, Grasmere, and Rydal Water, are connected with the streams which
flow into Windermere. This last-named lake has been described as situated in
Lancashire; whilst in a county survey, and in the court rolls at Lowther
Castle, it is included in Westmoreland. All the lakes, large and small, have
some distinguishing feature of beauty. Their boundary lines are either
gracefully or boldly indented; in some parts rugged steeps, admitting of no
cultivation, descend into the water; in others, gently sloping lawns and rich
woods, or flat and fertile meadows, stretch between the margin of the lake
and the mountains. Tarns, or small lakes, are generally difficult of access,
and naked, desolate, or gloomy, yet impressive from these very
characteristics. Loughrigg Tarn, near the junction of the valleys of Great
and Little Langdale, is one of the most beautiful.
The county of Westmoreland is divided between the dioceses of Carlisle and
Chester. The parishes are only thirty-two in number. The population in 1841
was 56,454. Of monumental remains there are but few in the county. "Arthur's
Round Table," near Eamont Bridge, is worthy of a visit, as well as other
fragments, supposed to be druidical, in the same district. There are several
ancient castles which will attract the attention of the antiquary, if he
should be near, in his journeyings, to the site of any of them. The most
conspicuous remnant of other days in Cumberland is the druidical temple near
Kirkoswald, consisting of a circle of sixty-seven unhewn stones, called Long
Meg and her Daughters.
A brief description of the leading towns within the Lake District will be
useful.
* * * * *
KENDAL, as we have already stated, is about twenty miles by railway from
Lancaster. It is a market-town, pleasantly situated on the slope of a hill
rising from the river Kent; contains two churches, and several dissenting
places of worship; the ruins of the old castle of the barons of Kendal; and a
town-hall, the town being governed by a Corporation under the Municipal
Reform Act.
The Kendal and Windermere Railway runs no farther than Birthwaite, which is
nine miles from Kendal, two from Bowness, and five from Ambleside. From the
railway terminus coaches and omnibuses meet all the trains in the summer, and
convey passengers onwards to Bowness, Ambleside, and other places.
* * * * *
BOWNESS is a picturesque village placed on the banks of Windermere, and
contains an ancient church, with square tower, dedicated to St. Martin. In
the churchyard are deposited the remains of the celebrated Bishop Watson,
author of "The Apology for the Bible," he having resided at Calgarth Park, in
the neighbourhood, for several years. In the vicinity are the residences of
Professor Wilson (Elleray), the Earl of Bradford (St. Catherine's), and the
Rev. Thomas Staniforth (Storrs Hall, formerly the residence of Colonel
Bolton, of Liverpool, the intimate friend of the late Mr. Canning). From the
school-house, which stands on an eminence, delightful views of Windermere,
and other parts of the district, are seen to great advantage, Belle Isle, on
the lake, appearing to be part of the mainland. This island is more than a
mile in circumference, and comprises about thirty acres. We may add, that
Storrs Hall, whilst occupied by Colonel Bolton, was frequently the retreat of
many "choice spirits," Canning, Wordsworth, Southey, and Wilson, of the
number. Mr. Bolton was a princely merchant of Liverpool, and Colonel of a
Volunteer Regiment whilst England was in dread of French invasion. He was
one of Mr. Canning's warmest political friends, and always took an active
part in the electioneering contests for Liverpool in which Canning was
engaged. Lockhart, referring to one of these "gatherings," says:--"A large
company had been assembled at Mr. Bolton's seat in honour of the minister; it
included Mr. Wordsworth and Mr. Southey. There was high discourse,
intermingled with as gay flashings of courtly wit as ever Canning displayed.
There were beautiful and accomplished women to adorn and enjoy this circle.
The weather was as Elysian as the scenery. There were brilliant cavalcades
through the woods in the mornings, and delicious boatings on the lake by
moonlight; and the last day Professor Wilson ('the Admiral of the Lake,' as
Canning called him) presided over one of the most splendid regattas that ever
enlivened Windermere. The three bards of the lakes led the cheers that
hailed Scott and Canning." Looking back on that bright scene, of which
nothing now remains but a melancholy remembrance, Wilson remarks, "Windermere
glittered with all her sails in honour of the Great Northern Minstrel, and of
him the Eloquent, whose lips are now mute in dust. Methinks we see his smile
benign--that we hear his voice--silver sweet."
* * * * *
WINDERMERE has been termed, not inaptly, the English Zurich. Before its
diversified beauties were "married to immortal verse," it was the favourite
resort of thousands who admired external nature. But the "Lake Poets," as
Wordsworth, Southey, Coleridge and others were once derisively termed, have
linked the Lake District with the language of the nation. Windermere Lake is
eleven miles in length, and one mile in breadth. Numerous islands diversify
its surface, one of which (Belle Isle) we have already referred to. Its
depth in some parts is about 240 feet. "The prevailing character of the
scenery around Windermere is soft and graceful beauty. It shrinks from
approaching that wildness and sublimity which characterise some of the other
lakes." It abounds with fish, especially char (salmo alpinus), one of the
epicurean dainties.
* * * * *
AMBLESIDE, fourteen miles north-west of Kendal, is partly in Windermere, but
chiefly in Grasmere parish. This is one of the favourite resorts of
travellers in quest of pleasure. It has been compared to a delightful Swiss
village, the town reposing in a beautiful valley, near the upper end of
Windermere Lake; "no two houses being alike either in form or magnitude," and
the entire place laid out in a rambling irregular manner, adding to its
peculiarity and beauty. The pretty little chapel which ornaments the place
was erected in 1812, on the site of an older structure. The neighbourhood is
studded with attractive villas; but the most interesting of the residences is
that of the lamented Poet Wordsworth, at Rydal Mount.
* * * * *
RYDAL VILLAGE is one mile and a quarter from Ambleside, and is planted within
a narrow gorge, formed by the advance of Loughrigg Fell and Rydal Knab. Rydal
Hall, the seat of Lady le Fleming, stands in the midst of a finely-wooded
park, in which are two beautiful waterfalls, shown on application at the
lodge. RYDAL MOUNT, Wordsworth's residence for many years, stands a little
above the chapel erected by Lady le Fleming. Mrs. Hemans describes it as "a
lovely cottage-like building, almost hidden by a profusion of roses and ivy."
"From a grassy mound in front, commanding a view always so rich, and
sometimes so brightly solemn, that one can well imagine its influence
traceable in many of the poet's writings, you catch a gleam of Windermere
over the grove tops." "A footpath," Mr. Phillips says, "strikes off from the
top of the Rydal Mount road, and, passing at a considerable height on the
hill side under Nab Scar, commands charming views of the vale, and rejoins
the high road at White Moss Quarry. The commanding and varied prospect
obtained from the summit of Nab Scar, richly repays the labour of the ascent.
From the summit, which is indicated by a pile of large stones, eight
different sheets of water are seen, viz., Windermere, Rydal, Grasmere, and
Coniston Lakes, and Loughrigg, Easdale, Elterwater, and Blelham Tarns. The
Solway Firth is also distinctly visible." Knab, a delightful residence
formerly occupied by De Quincy, "the English Opium Eater," and by Hartley
Coleridge, eldest son of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is situated close by. In
the walk from Ambleside to Rydal, should the tourist pursue his course along
the banks of the Rothay, he will, having crossed the bridge, pass the house
built and inhabited by the late Dr. Arnold, Master of Rugby School.
Grasmere Village is a short walk from Rydal, and only four miles from
Ambleside. Wordsworth lived here for eight years, at a small house at Town
End; here he wrote many of his never-dying poems; to this spot be brought his
newly-wedded wife in 1822; and in the burial ground of the parish church are
interred his mortal remains. Wordsworth quitted this sublunary scene, for a
brighter and a better, on April 23, 1850. Gray once visited Grasmere Water,
and described its beauties in a rapturous spirit. Mrs. Hemans, in one of her
sonnets, says of it:--
"--------------------- Fair scene,
Most loved by evening and her dewy star!
Oh! ne'er may man, with touch unhallowed, jar
The perfect music of the charm serene!
Still, still unchanged, may one sweet region wear,
Smiles that subdue the soul to love, and tears, and prayer."
A comfortable hotel has recently been opened, from which, as it stands on an
eminence, a fine view is obtained; and at the Red Lion and Swan Inns every
necessary accommodation for tourists may be had.
In the neighbourhood there is some delightful panoramic scenery. From
Butterlip How and Red Bank the lake and vale are seen to great advantage.
"The Wishing Gate," about a mile from Grasmere, should be visited. It has
been so called from a belief that wishes indulged there will have a
favourable issue. Helm Crag, a singularly-shaped hill, about two miles from
the inn, commands an extensive and delightful prospect; Helvellyn and
Saddleback, Wansfell Pike, the upper end of Windermere, Esthwaite Water, with
the Coniston range, and Langdale Pikes, are all distinctly visible. The Glen
of Esdaile, marked by highly-picturesque features, lies in a recess between
Helm Crag and Silver How, and the ascent commands fine retrospective views.
Throughout this district the hills and dales are remarkably interesting, and
offer numerous attractions to the tourist. Delightful excursions may be made
from Grasmere into Langdale and Patterdale, and the ascent from Grasmere to
the top of Helvellyn, to Langdale Pikes, and to Dunmail Raise will be events
not easily to be forgotten. A heap of stones on the summit of Dunmail Raise
marks the site of a conflict in 945 between Dunmail, King of Cumberland, and
Edmund, the Saxon King. In descending this hill Thirlmere comes into view.
Thirlmere lies in the Vale of Legberthwaite, and the precipices around it are
objects of special admiration. The ascent of Helvellyn is sometimes begun at
the foot of Thirlmere.
* * * * *
KESWICK is a market town, in the county of Cumberland, and parish of
Crosthwaite, and is situated on the south bank of the Greta, in a large and
fertile vale, about a mile from Derwent Water. Coleridge, describing the
scene, says:--"This vale is about as large a basin as Loch Lomond; the latter
is covered with water; but in the former instance we have two lakes (Derwent
Water and Bassenthwaite Mere), with a charming river to connect them, and
lovely villages at the foot of the mountain, and other habitations, which
give an air of life and cheerfulness to the whole place." The town consists
only of one street, and comprises upwards of two thousand inhabitants. Some
manufactures are carried on, including linsey-woolsey stuffs and edge tools.
Black-lead pencils made here have acquired a national repute: the plumbago of
which they are manufactured is extracted from "the bowels of the earth," at a
mine in Borrowdale. The parish church, dedicated to St. Kentigern, is an
ancient structure standing alone, about three-quarters of a mile distant,
midway between the mountain and the lake. Within this place of worship the
remains of Robert Southey, the poet and philosopher, lie buried. A marble
monument to his memory has recently been erected, representing him in a
recumbent position, and bearing an inscription from the pen of Wordsworth,
his more than literary friend for many years, and his successor to the poet-
laureate-ship. A new and beautiful church, erected at the eastern part of
the town by the late John Marshall, Esq., adds much to the quiet repose of
the scene. Mr. Marshall became Lord of the Manor by purchasing the forfeited
estates of Ratcliffe, Earl of Derwentwater, from the Commissioners of
Greenwich Hospital, to whom they were granted by the Crown. The town
contains a well-stocked public library, purchased from funds left for that
purpose by Mr. Marshall; two museums, containing numerous specimens
illustrating natural history and mineralogy; and a model of the Lake
District, made by Mr. Flintoff, and the labour of many years. The residence
of the poet Southey (Greta Hall) is, however, perhaps the most interesting
object in the neighbourhood to visitors. The house is situated on an
eminence near the town. Charles Lamb, describing it many years since,
says:--"Upon a small hill by the side of Skiddaw, in a comfortable house,
quite enveloped on all sides by a nest of mountains" dwells Robert Southey.
The poet himself, who delighted in his beautiful and calm mountain-home, and
in the charming scenery by which he was surrounded, remarks:--"Here I possess
the gathered treasures of time, the harvest of so many generations, laid up
in my garners, and when I go to the window there is the lake, and the circle
of mountains, and the illimitable sky." On another occasion, when dallying
with the muse, he says, in his finely-descriptive verse:--
"'Twas at that sober hour when the light of day is receding,
And from surrounding things the hues wherewith the day has adorned them
Fade like the hopes of youth till the beauty of youth is departed:
Pensive, though not in thought, I stood at the window beholding
Mountain, and lake, and vale, the valley disrobed of its verdure;
Derwent retaining yet from eve a glassy reflection,
Where his expanded breast, then smooth and still as a mirror,
Under the woods reposed; the hills that calm and majestic
Lifted their heads into the silent sky, from far Glaramara,
Bleacrag and Maidenmawr to Grisedale and westernmost Wythop;
Dark and distant they rose. The clouds had gather'd above them,
High in the middle air huge purple pillowy masses,
While in the west beyond was the last pale tint of the twilight.
Green as the stream in the glen, whose pure and chrysolite waters
Flow o'er a schistous bed, and serene as the age of the righteous.
Earth was hush'd and still; all motion and sound were suspended;
Neither man was heard, bird, beast, nor humming of insect.
Only the voice of the Greta, heard only when all is stillness."
The scenery in the neighbourhood of Keswick is replete with beauty, and the
numerous walks and rides possess brilliant attractions. Villas and prettily-
built cottages add grace and quietness to the landscape. Gray, on leaving
Keswick, was so charmed with the wonders which surrounded him, that he felt
great reluctance in quitting the spot, and said, "that he had almost a mind
to go back again." From the eminence near Keswick on which the Druidical
circle stands a magnificent view is obtained of Derwentwater, Latrigg,
Skiddaw, Helvellyn, Dunmail Raise, with the vale of St. John and the
Borrowdale mountains.
* * * * *
BUTTERMERE stands near the foot of the lake, and by Seatoller is fourteen
miles from Keswick. Taking the vale of Newlands by the way, the distance is
much less. In the vicinity of Seatoller is the celebrated mine of plumbago,
or black lead. "It has been worked at intervals for upwards of two
centuries; but, being now less productive, the ore has been excavated for
several years consecutively. This is the only mine of the kind in England,
and there are one or two places in Scotland where plumbago has been
discovered, but the lead obtained there is of an inferior quality. The best
ore produced at the Borrowdale mine sells for thirty shillings a pound. All
the ore extracted from the mine is sent direct to London before a particle is
sold." Buttermere is a mere hamlet, comprising a small episcopal chapel,
only a few farm-houses, with the Victoria and another inn for the
accommodation of visitors. De Quincy, who has long been a resident of the
Lake District, and a fervent admirer of its many beauties, describes this
secluded spot as follows:--"The margin of the lake, which is overhung by some
of the loftiest and steepest of the Cumbrian mountains, exhibits on either
side few traces of human neighbourhood; the level area, where the hills
recede enough to allow of any, is of a wild, pastoral character, or almost
savage. The waters of the lake are deep and sullen, and the barren
mountains, by excluding the sun in much of his daily course, strengthen the
gloomy impressions. At the foot of this lake lie a few unornamented fields,
through which rolls a little brook, connecting it with the larger lake of
Crummock, and at the edge of this miniature domain, upon the road-side,
stands a cluster of cottages, so small and few, that in the richer tracts of
the island they would scarcely be complimented with the name of hamlet." The
well-known story of Mary, the Beauty of Buttermere, with the beautiful poem
describing her woes, entitled, "Mary, the Maid of the Inn," has given to the
village a more than common interest. As the melancholy tale is told, Mary
possessed great personal beauty, and, being the daughter of the innkeeper,
she fulfilled the duty of attendant upon visitors to the house. Among these
was a dashing young man who assumed the aristocratic title of the Honourable
Colonel Hope, brother of Lord Hopeton, but whose real name was Hatfield, and
who had taken refuge from the arm of the law in the secluded hamlet of
Buttermere. Attracted by Mary's charms, he vowed love and fidelity to her,
and she, in the guilelessness of her youth, responded to his overtures, and
became his wife. Soon after her marriage her husband was apprehended on a
charge of forgery--a capital crime in those days; he was convicted at Carlisle
of the offence, and forfeited his life on the scaffold. Mary, some years
afterwards, took to herself a second husband, a respectable farmer in the
neighbourhood, with whom she lived happily throughout the remainder of her
days. She died a few years ago amidst her native hills.
While in this district the tourist will derive pleasure from visiting
Crummock Water, Lowes Water, and Wast Water.
A coach travels daily between Birthwaite (the terminus of the Kendal and
Windermere railway,) and Cockermouth, connecting the Whitehaven and Maryport
line with the former railway. By this or other conveyances Cockermouth may
easily be visited, as well as Whitehaven, Maryport, etc.
* * * * *
COCKERMOUTH is a neat market-town, and sends two members to Parliament. The
ancient castle was a fortress of great strength, but since the Civil Wars it
has lain in ruins. Traces of a Roman castrum, with other antique remains,
are to be seen in the neighbourhood. Wordsworth was a native of Cockermouth,
and Tickell, the poet, and Addison's friend, was born at Bridekirk, two miles
distant. Inns:--The Globe and Sun. Maryport is seven miles from the town,
Workington eight miles, Keswick (by Whinlatter) twelve miles, by
Bassenthwaite Water thirteen and a half miles, Whitehaven fourteen miles,
Wigton sixteen miles, and Carlisle twenty-seven miles.
* * * * *
WHITEHAVEN, a market-town and seaport, in Cumberland, near the cliffs called
Scilly Bank, in the parish of St. Bees, contains about 16,000 inhabitants.
The Lowther family have large estates around the town, with many valuable
coal-mines. Coarse linens are manufactured in the place; and a large
maritime and coal trade is carried on there. There is a spacious harbour,
giving excellent accommodation to vessels within it. "The bay and harbour
are defended by batteries, formerly consisting of upwards of a hundred
pieces, but lately suffered to fall into decay. These batteries received
extensive additions after the alarm caused by the descent of the notorious
Paul Jones in 1778. This desperado, who was a native of Galloway, and had
served his apprenticeship in Whitehaven, landed here with thirty armed men,
the crew of an American privateer which had been equipped at Nantes for this
expedition. The success of the enterprise was, however, frustrated by one of
the company, through whom the inhabitants were placed on the alert. The only
damage they succeeded in doing was the setting fire to three ships, one of
which was burnt. They were obliged to make a precipitate retreat, and,
having spiked the guns of the battery, they escaped unhurt to the coast of
Scotland, where they plundered the house of the Earl of Selkirk." Among the
principal residences in the neighbourhood of Whitehaven are, Whitehaven
Castle, the seat of the Earl of Lonsdale, and Moresby Hall, built after a
design by Inigo Jones.
Inns.--Black Lion and Golden Lion.
* * * * *
ST. BEES, in which parish Whitehaven is situated, is four miles to the south
of Whitehaven. The church, dedicated to St. Bega, is an ancient structure,
and is still in tolerable preservation. Until 1810 the chancel was unroofed,
but in that year it was repaired, and is now occupied as a college, for the
reception of young men intended for the church, but not designed to finish
their studies at Oxford or Cambridge. The grammar-school adjacent was
founded by Archbishop Grindal. Ennerdale Lake is nine miles to the east of
Whitehaven, from which town it is easily reached.
* * * * *
MARYPORT is a modern seaport on the river Ellen. The town is advancing in
prosperity, and the population rapidly increasing: an excellent maritime
trade is carried on between Maryport, Liverpool, Dublin, and other places.
The village of Ellenborough, from which the late Lord Chief Justice Law
derived his title, is in the vicinity of the town.
* * * * *
WORKINGTON stands on the south bank of the Derwent. Workington Hall afforded
an asylum to Mary Queen of Scots when she visited the town.
* * * * *
PENRITH, an ancient market town, containing about 7000 inhabitants, is on the
line of the Preston and Carlisle railway. The ruins of the Castle, supposed
to have been erected by Neville, Earl of Westmoreland, overlook the town from
the west. It is built of the red stone of the district, and has suffered
much from the action of the weather. The court is now used as a farm-yard.
The parish church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is a plain structure of red
stone. There are several ancient monuments within the church; and in the
south windows are portraits of Richard, Duke of York, and Cicely Neville, his
wife, the parents of Edward IV. and Richard III. In the churchyard is a
monument called the "Giant's Grave," said to be the burial-place of Owen
Caesarius, who was "sole king of rocky Cumberland" in the time of Ida. Not
far distant is another memorial, called the "Giant's Thumb." Sir Walter
Scott, on all occasions when he visited Penrith, repaired to the churchyard
to view these remains. The new church, recently built at the foot of the
Beacon Hill, is in the Gothic perpendicular style of architecture. "The
Beacon," a square stone building, is erected on the heights to the north of
the town. "The hill upon which the beacon-tower stands," we are informed by
Mr. Phillips, "is one of those whereon fires were lighted in former times,
when animosities ran high between the English and the Scotch, to give warning
of the approach of an enemy. A fiery chain of communication extended from
the Border, northwards as far as Edinburgh, and southwards into Lancashire.
An Act of the Scottish Parliament was passed, in 1455, to direct that one
bale should signify the approach of the English in any manner; two bales that
they were coming indeed; and four bales that they were unusually strong. Sir
Walter Scott, in his "Lay of the Last Minstrel," has given a vivid
description of the beacons blazing through the gloom like ominous comets, and
startling the night:--
"A score of fires
From height and hill and cliff were seen;
Each with warlike tidings fraught,
Each from each the signal caught,
Each after each they glanced to sight
As stars arise upon the night."
The antiquities in the neighbourhood are numerous and interesting; and the
prospects from the heights are extensive and picturesque. Ulleswater,
Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Saddleback, some of the Yorkshire hills, and Carlisle
Cathedral can be distinctly seen on a clear day. BROUGHAM CASTLE is situated
one mile and three-quarters from Penrith. It was one of the strongholds of
the great Barons of the Borders in the feudal times. At present it is in a
very decayed state, but still is majestic in its ruins. Its earliest owner
was John de Veteripont, from whose family it passed by marriage into the
hands of the Cliffords and Tuftons successively, and it is now the property
of Sir John Tufton. Tradition records, but on what authority we know not,
that Sir Philip Sidney wrote part of his "Arcadia" at this baronial mansion.
Wordsworth's "Song at the Feast of Brougham Castle" is one of his noblest
lyrical effusions. "The Countess's Pillar," a short distance beyond the
castle, was erected in 1656 by Lady Anne Clifford, as "a memorial of her last
parting at that place with her good and pious mother, Margaret, Countess
Dowager of Cumberland, the 2nd of April, 1616, in memory whereof she has left
the annuity of 4 pounds, to be distributed to the poor, within the parish of
Brougham, every 2nd day of April for ever, upon a stone hereby. Laus Deo."
This was the Lady Anne Clifford of whom it was said by the facetious Dr.
Donne, that she could "discourse of all things, from predestination to slea
silk." Her well-known answer, returned to a ministerial application as to
the representation of Appleby, shows the spirit and decision of the woman:--"I
have been bullied by an usurper (the Protector Cromwell), I have been
neglected by a Court, but I'll not be dictated to by a subject--your man
shan't stand!"
About two miles from Penrith is the curious antique relic called Arthur's
Round Table, already referred to. It is a circular area above twenty yards
in diameter, surrounded by a fosse and mound. Six miles north-east of
Penrith are the ancient remains, Long Meg and her Daughters. DACRE CASTLE is
situated five miles west-south-west of Penrith. BROUGHAM HALL, the seat of
Henry, Lord Brougham and Vaux, stands on an eminence near the river Lowther,
a short distance from the ruins of Brougham Castle. It has been termed, from
its elevated position and the prospects it commands, "The Windsor of the
north." The mansion and grounds are exceedingly beautiful, and will repay
the tourist for his visit thereto. LOWTHER CASTLE, the residence of the Earl
of Lonsdale, is in the same district, and is one of the most princely halls
in the kingdom, erected in a park of 600 acres. Hackthorpe Hall, a farm-
house, is contiguous, and was the birth-place of John, first Viscount
Lonsdale. Shap (anciently Heppe), a long straggling village in the vicinity,
and near which is a station on the Preston and Carlisle Railway, has derived
some note from the elevated moors close by, known by the name of Shap Fells.
Shap Spa, in the midst of the moors, attracts crowds of visitors during the
summer season. The spring is said to yield medicinal waters similar to those
of Leamington.
Inns.--Greyhound, and King's Arms.
In closing this rapid sketch of the Lake District we may add, that the
leading mountains in Cumberland and Westmoreland are thirty-five in number;
the passes, five; the lakes, eighteen; and the waterfalls, twelve.
"WANDERINGS AMONG THE LAKES," a companion volume to this, now in preparation,
will form a useful illustrated guide to their most remarkable features.