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We will now return, and failing (sic) under Pless-Fell take
a view into Martindale. The first thing worth notice is the
wall, almost opposite to Householm island, where Pless-Fell
changes its name to Birk-Fell, (which it preserves as far as
Sandwich Fields,) and where Martindale begins. At the end of
Birk-Fell is Sandwich Force, the Niagara of our northern
brooks. The fall is higher than that at Airey, but wants
that obscure gloom which renders the other awfully grand.
Here the fall is visible at a distance, and reflects a light
too strong for the eyes easily to bear: why it should dazzle
the eyes more at the distance of three or four miles than at
the distance of as many hundred yards, is a problem not
unworthy the contemplation of philosophers; I shall only say
that this is literally the case. Its chief beauty is during
either a flood or a frost. During a flood its beauties as a
cascade are much lightened; but during a frost, the rocks
are all encrusted with a sheet of ice pellucid as chrystal;
the reflection of the suns rays, from which is a truly
brilliant object, and must give us the liveliest ideas of
those almost magical beauties related to the glaciers in
Switzerland.
Martindale was a separate and independent manor, till it was
granted by Queen Elizabeth to the Earl of Sussex as parcel
of the barony of Barton; she reserving to herself and her
successors grass for her pad when she came to hunt there;
under this tenure it was bought by Sir Christopher Musgrave,
along with the rest of the barony of Barton. The manor
consists of small tenements, lying in different little
glens, (such as Fuesdale, Boardale, Sandwich, &c.) those
lands called the Forest excepted. The forest lands are held
on the common forest tenure; the tenants having what grass
they can take with the sythe. They likewise covenant
* not to drive the lord's deer out of it at any time
of the year: In Summer, however, the deer seldom come there,
they being mostly red deer, which always frequent the tops
of the mountains in that season. Whenever the lord goes to
hunt the stag, the Bailiff summons all the tenants, before
sun-set the preceding night, to attend their strones
or stations: these stations are at two places, viz.
Bampskin [Rampskin] and Bannerdale, where the
deer chiefly lye, and where the tenants stand with their
dogs to prevent the deer from escaping into the mountains.
This service, which they are to render once a year, is
called a Boon Day, and for this every tenant has his
dinner and a quart of ale: it is also a custom here, that
the person who first seizes the hunted deer shall have his
head for his trouble. It is remarkable that the first buck
taken here was seized by a woman: she, for the sake of his
head, laid hold upon him as he stood at bay upon a dunghill,
threw him down, and getting upon his neck, held him fast.
The late Mr Hassel frequently called upon the tenants for
this service, and held upon these occasions a brilliant
company of both sexes: his hunting was not, however, very
successful; for I was told by one of the tenants, who had
frequently attended his stand, that he never saw a stag
either taken by the hounds, or by them driven to Ulswater,
as one of our authors in a most pompous manner informs us. I
have myself seen deer take the water; but they were, I
think, always either such as had been wounded by shot, and
afterwards pursued by the Bailiff's hounds, or such as had
strayed from Barton or Patterdale, and had lain among the
farmer's corn. A red deer swims the quickest and strongest
of any animal except a swine: one of the latter I
once pursued upon this Lake in a boat, which run remarkably
quickly with oars; notwithstanding, the animal was only ten
weeks
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* Copy of the Jurors Inquisition, March 25th, 1702.
"We do also find, that the respective tenants of the manor
and of the forest of Martindale, have for time out of mind
been bound, and yet are bound by the custom of the said
manor and forest, to assist the said Earl and his several
officers to keep the said Earl's deer from ranging abroad
upon any hunting, if notice be given to the said several
tenants so to do; and that the said several tenants shall,
during such hunting, keep their several stands, according to
notice to be given them by the said Earl, or any of his
officers or servants. And furthermore, do find that the said
Earl's several deer have still, from time out of mind, used
to depasture, feed, and lye at all times of the year at
pleasure upon all or any part of the several forest grounds
aforesaid, or any of the wastes within the said manor
aforesaid, without any molestation, hounding, or disturbance
whatever, by any tenant or tenants of the said manor or
forest aforesaid." - From the Court-Book at Dalemain.
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