button to main menu   West's Guide to the Lakes, 1778/1821

button title page
button previous page button next page
button start of addendum
Page 244:-
[Burton-in-Lons]dale, Overborough, Kirkby-Lonsdale, and Sedbergh. There are several lateral ones, as at Lune-bridge near Hornby, at Melling, and Wennington. On our return we had the bridge full in view most of the way: its antiquity and greatness made its presence venerable and respected. About a furlong before we arrived at the bridge, the town of Kirkby-Lonsdale appeared in a point of view peculiarly pleasing: the high walls of a gentleman's garden, which were between us and the town, made it like a fenced city in miniature; the tower steeple of the church rising proudly eminent above the blue slated houses, with which it was on every side surrounded.
[1] We mounted our horses at the bridge, about eleven o'clock, having ordered them down thither in order to save half an hour in going up the town for them. We travelled near the bottoms of the mountains, on the side of Lonsdale, along the turnpike-road, about an hour, being in three counties in that short interval, Westmorland, Lancashire, and Yorkshire, and amidst a variety of entertaining prospects. The number of small carts laden with coals, and each dragged by one sorry horse, that we met, was surprising to a stranger. Many of the smaller farmers, betwixt Kirkby-Lonsdale and Kendal, earn their bread with carrying coals, during most part of the year, from the pits at Ingleton, Black-Burton, or properly Burton-in-Lonsdale, to Kendal and the neighbouring places, for fuel, and burning lime, in order to manure their land. These beds of coal, we were informed, are six or seven feet in thickness. A steam-engine was erected at Black-Burton, more commodiously to work their best collieries. A survey was lately subscribed for to be made, in order to have a canal from these pits to Lancaster, were (sic) coals might be exported; as also to Kendal and Settle, which are towns much in want of fuel.
After we had got about six miles from Kirkby-Lonsdale, to a public-house called Thornton Church-stile, we stopped to
[1] If the traveller is distressed for time, and has no inclination to take a second view of the river Lune and its environs, he may order his horse to be sent to Cowan-bridge, and walk through the park of Borough-hall, where he may be entertained with a variety of other prospects.
button next page
gazetteer links
button -- Burton in Lonsdale
button -- (canal, Burton to Lancaster)
button -- IngletonIngleton
button -- "Thornton Church Stile (?)" -- (inn, Thornton-in-Lonsdale)
button -- Kendal
button -- Kirkby Lonsdale
button -- Lune, River
button -- Kirkby Lonsdale to Settle
button -- "Bremetonacae" -- (roman fort, Overborough)
button -- (roman road 7c, Cumbria)
button -- Sedbergh
button -- St Mary's Church

button to main menu Lakes Guides menu.