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Page 58:-
this was only the secondary use, and that the original was
what I have hinted above. I am farther confirmed in this
opinion, from the circumstance of this once rich and
flourishing family never having had any castle or
strong-hold at Threlkeld-Hall, at least that I can hear of;
and of course there was a necessity for there being in this
place one of those guard or watch-houses, of which we find
such numbers throughout this and the adjacent counties. I
can trace no remains of the Threlkeld family at present,
except one who lives at Wolverhampton: the last that resided
on their paternal estate was John Threlkeld, who sold
Patterdale-Hall to the Mounseys, and Threlkeld to the
Irtons. This estate is now the property of John Spedding,
Esquire.
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Saddleback
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Passing along this road to Threlkeld, take a view of that
rugged and stupendous mountain SADDLEBACK, a mountain which
is itself a fund of curiosities: how Mr Grey passed it
without notice I cannot say; but, if I may be allowed to
conjecture, it was in the same manner as he actually visited
several other scenes of awful grandeur, blind-folded! Let us
however consider, that Mr Grey was not a mountaineer:- His
tender, melancholy, and delicate muse, delighted to sport in
sunny vales; or to recline under the shade of the spreading
oak, listening to the warbling of the feathered choir over
his head, or the tinkling of the stream that run purling at
his feet.
As the mountain we have just named exhibits so very
conspicuous and awful a view, I hope that a particular
description of it will not be thought tedious, more
particularly as it seems to throw light upon some of our
other natural curiosities; I shall therefore copy,
verbatim, the account given me by Mr Crosfeild (sic),
who very diligently searched into the nature of this and
other of our Cumbrian mountains.
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Saddleback, ascent
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"Having been often struck with the singular situation and
appearance of that piece of water which is commonly known by
the name of Threlkeld Tarn, I formed many conjectures
respecting its formation. I was for some time of opinion
that it had been formed by water spouts frequently breaking
on top of the mountain; but when I reflected that water
could hardly be powerful enough to excavate solid rocks in
so wonderful a manner, I was obliged to give up this
opinion, and began to imagine that no agent of nature,
except fire, could produce such an astonishing effect. In
order to satisfy myself on that head, I determined to
inspect narrowly into the minerals of the adjacent country.
My first researches were naturally directed to the brooks in
the neighbourhood: there I was pleasingly astonished to find
vitrified lumps, resembling glass-house slags, in some
places lying loose, in others evidently fitted by fusion to
the crevices and irregularities of the stones among which
they lay. I likewise found many large blocks of stone
intermixed with marcasite in such plenty as to be
inflammable; in other places there was a stratum of matter,
a foot or more in thickness, which lay upon the rocks, and
which seemed to have undergone a great degree of heat; above
this was a stratum of sand intermixed with clay, pebbles,
&c.; above that another stratum like the first; and,
finally, a stratum of the common compost of the country
soil, covered with peat earth. These appearances induced me
to undertake a journey to the mountain; and accordingly
taking the advantage of a fine day, I set off about eight in
the morning, without any companion but my dog and my
fowling-piece.
"Nothing material appeared till I reached the foot of the
mountain, except a ridge about twenty yards broad and
fifteen feet high, which extended from the basis of the
mountain to the distance of about half a mile, and seemed to
consist of some very hard materials; I followed this, and
about nine o'clock I began to ascend the mountain. The road
leads obliquely along the side of Souther-Fell, which
is remarkable for nothing, except there is scarcely any
trace of stratum to be seen, the whole resembling a mass of
rubbish, and is evidently as steep as the nature of the soil
will allow. After an ascent of a mile and upwards, I arrived
at the top of Souther-Fell, which may be reckoned the
first landing-place: here the ground is composed of loose
fragments of stone intermixed with detached lumps of quartz
and killas. I then pro-
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"ceeded
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gazetteer links
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-- "Guardhouse" -- Guardhouse
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-- "Saddleback" -- Saddleback
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-- "Threlkeld Tarn" -- Scales Tarn
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-- "Threlkeld Hall" -- Threlkeld Hall
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