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start of Westmorland |
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Page 151:-
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roman roads
turnpike roads
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The great Roman road passed through this county from
Stanemore to Brougham castle, and till the turnpike road was
made it was very conspicuous almost the whole length of its
course, six yards broad, formed of three courses of large
square stones, (the lowermost largest) or of gravel and
flint as materials varied. Maiden way, so called
perhaps from Maiden castle a small fort at the first
entrance over Stanemore, branched out from the other at
Kirkby Thore, stretching northwards over the low end of
Cross fell to where it joined with the Picts wall in
Northumberland. Beside these two Roman roads there are in
this county eight good turnpike ones [m].
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Westmorland at the Conquest
Border Service
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The country though barren is populous, and the inhabitants
civilized; which advantage Dr. Burn ascribes to the
institution of small schools in almost every village. Here
are large remains of the antient feudal policy, retained
longer in these parts by reason of the particular military
tenure against the Scots. These lands were first granted out
in large districts by William the Conqueror and his
successors to certain great Norman barons. These parcelled
them out to inferior lords, and they again granted them to
individuals. And they seem to have extended this regulation
as far as it would go. The soldier's estate from the number
of antient tenements in the several manors appears to have
been small, as what would now let for about 10 or 12l.
per annum. And besides the general military service in
the king's wars at home and abroad, the tenants in the
borders were liable to be called out in the particular
service against the Scots, at the command of the lords
wardens of the marches. Even the very diversions of the
children still have a reference to this border enmity. The
boys to this day have a play called Scotch and
English, an exact picture in miniature of the
raid or inroad, and a very active and violent
recreation [n].
The common people eat oaten bread as in Scotland, and oats
are imported weekly out of Cumberland and the adjoining
counties of York, Lancaster, and Durham. They breed great
numbers of cattle, and export largely butter and hams [o].
This county is divided into the barony of Kendal and the
barony of Westmorland, in later times called the barony of
Appleby. The former belongs to the diocese of
Chester, the latter to that of Carlisle. In each barony we
find two wards, being districts of the like number of
high-constables, who presided over the wards to be
sustained at certain fords and other places for repelling
plundering parties out of Scotland. Two of these wards are
in Kendal Barony, Kendale and Lonsdale wards; and two in the
bottom called East and West wards. There was antiently a
middle ward between the two last, but since watching and
warding ceased it has fallen into the other two [p].
It is a mistake that in antient times these parts paid no
subsidy, being sufficiently charged in the border
service against the Scots [1]; for we find all along
collectors of the subsidies here granted both by clergy and
laity from the reign of Edward III. downwards, and taking
all the taxes together we shall find this country pays more
to government in proportion to the wealth of the inhabitants
than any county in the kingdom.
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Barony of Kendal.
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In the Domesday survey an account is taken of many places
within the barony of Kendal, together with the adjoining
places in Lancaster and Yorkshire, whereas of Westmorland
properly so called no survey was made, it being all wasted
and destroyed and worth nothing. This barony extended a good
way into that part which is now called the bottom of
Westmorland, particularly into almost all the west part
comprehending the greatest part of the parishes of Barton,
Lowther, and Morland. But now the boundary of Kendal barony
as distinguished from the bottom of Westmorland is the same
nearly as the boundary of the several parishes of Gresmere
and Kendal on one side and Barton, Shap, and Orton on the
other. It is in the diocese of Chester, and has two rural
deaneries of Kendal and Kirkby Lonsdale, both of which
extend into the adjoining parts of Lancaster. The bottom of
Westmorland is in the diocese of Carlisle, and is all one
rural deanry called the deanry of Westmorland [q].
The general military tenure of this county was by homage,
fealty, and cornage; which last seems peculiar to the border
service, and drew after it wardship, marriage, and relief,
and the service of this tenure was knight service.
Cornage was early converted into pecuniary payment,
and White rent was the lord's rent paid in
silver. Scutage was another service or compensation
in money instead of personal service against the Scots. A
knight's fee in these northern counties according to the
register of Wetheral priory was estimated not according to
quality but quantity of the land. According to that register
10 acres made one ferndell, four ferndells a
virgate (which is half a carucate), four virgates one hide,
and four hides a knight's fee: so that the knight's fee in
this case would amount to 640 acres. The value of these
appears to have been ascertained at the time of Magna
Charta, which fixes the relief to be paid for a knight's fee
at 5l. and as the relief in all the cases there
specified was after the rate of a quarter of the yearly
value of the fee, it follows that knight's fee was then
estimated at 20l. per ann.. [r]
The last tenure to be explained in this county, and which
has puzzled former antiquaries, is drengage, which
Dr. Burn proves to be the most servile of all tenures, in
opposition to the free tenants, who were so called
because they were not villains or bondmen [s]. For other
customary tenures in this county I must refer to Dr. Burn
[t].
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Kendal.
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Kendal
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"In Westmorland is but one good market town called
Kendale, otherwise, as I wene, Kirkby Kendale.
It hath the name of the river called Kent, unde &
Kendale, sed emporium laneis pannis celeberrimum. In the
town is but one church: the circuit of the parish by the
country adjacent hath many chapels and divers in the town
itself. About half a mile of on the east side of the town is
on a hill a park longing to young Mr Par, the chiefest of
that name, and there is a place as it were a castle [u]."
Kendal is a large town situated in a beautiful valley
prettily cultivated and watered by the river Kent. The
principal street is above a mile long, rising north and
south; the houses old and irregular, mostly of stone
plaistered, yet the whole has an appearance of neatness and
industry: the number of inhabitants
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[m]
Burn, 8, 9.
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[n]
Ib. 9, 10.
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[o]
Ib. 11.
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[p]
Ib. 12, 13.
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[1]
G.
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[q]
Burn, 11, 12, 13.
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[r]
Ib. 14-20.
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[s]
Ib. 21.
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[t]
Ib. 22-26.
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[u]
Lel. VII. 62.
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about
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gazetteer links
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-- "Barony of Appleby" -- Barony of Appleby
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-- "Barony of Kendal" -- Barony of Kendal
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-- "East Ward" -- East Ward
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-- Kendal Castle
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-- "Kendal Ward" -- Kendal Ward
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-- "Kendale" -- Kendal
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-- "Lonsdale Ward" -- Lonsdale Ward
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-- Maiden Way
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-- "Middle Ward" -- Middle Ward
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-- (roman road 82c, Cumbria)
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-- "West Ward" -- West Ward
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-- Westmorland
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