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start of Lancashire |
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Page 144:-
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Windermere lake
char
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"Ther is a very great lake or mere, whereof part is under
the edge of Furnes felles called Wynermere wath (q.
water), wherein a straunge fish called a char, not sene else
there in the country as they say [x]."
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Winander mere.
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Winander mere is 15 miles long by one broad, 90 feet
deep in the middle, in other places 132 feet, and its
greatest depth opposite Ecclerigg crag 222 feet [y], the
bottom smooth horizontal slate rocks. Before storms it has a
current in the opposite direction to that point whence the
wind comes. The holm or island in it reckoned to Westmorland
contains above 30 acres, and has a good house on it, where
sir Christopher Philipson lived 1705 secreted from
creditors. Mr. English began a house there which was
finished by Miss Curwen, since married to John Christian,
esq.
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Char.
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The char which abounds in the cold Lapland lakes is found in
Winander mere, Llyn Quellyn at the foot of Snowden,
and Llynberis, and in certain lakes of Merionethshire and
Scotland. In the 2d and 3d of these the copper works have
entirely destroyed the fish. The largest and most beautiful
are taken in Winandermeer, distinguished into the
case, the gelt or baren, and the
red char. Some slight variety in these three. The
former spawn about Michaelmas, chiefly in the river
Brathy, which has a black stoney bottom, and are in
highest perfection from May through the summer. The gelt
char spawn from January to March, and keep in the smooth
sandy parts of the lake, are taken from the end of September
to the end of November, and are esteemed more delicate for
the table, especially potted. The spawning season of the
Westmorland chars agrees nearly with that of the Welsh ones,
which from their colour are called torgoch or red
belly, the other two being paler. The Snowdon chars are
smaller and paler [z]. The division of the counties
Lancaster and Westmorland is through the middle of this
lake.
At the head of the lake, and level with it, not far from
Ambleside, is a Roman fort, single ditch, 396 feet by 240
the shortest side next the water, in which have been found
Roman antiquities, though its name cannot be ascertained
[a].
All the isles or holmes in Winander mere are in
Westmorland, and all the fishing belongs to
Apelthwaite in Winander mere parish in the said
county, and all the tithe fish to the rector thereof, who
has a pleasure boat on the lake and a prescription of so
much a boat in lieu of the said tithe. The abbot of Furness
by gift of William de Lancaster baron of Kendal, had
formerly two boats on it [b]. See more of it in
Westmoreland.
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[x]
Lel. VII. 63
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[y]
West's Guide to the Lakes, p.59-76.
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[z]
Pennant Zool. 3. 256-261, Tour 1769, p.35.
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[a]
West's Furness, xxxix. See Camden in Westmorland.
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[b]
G. in Westmorland.
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Rare
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gazetteer links
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-- "Apelthwaite" -- Applethwaite
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-- Belle Isle
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-- Galava
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-- Windermere lake
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next page |
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