button to main menu  Clarke's Survey of the Lakes, 1787

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Page 61:-
[com]pared it to the courting of a woman, saying, "Importune her, and be earnest upon her, and she is always the shyer; but let her alone, and she will come of herself."
Another time the † Dean Rural visited him in the course of his peregrination, and entering into his house, found great fault with every article of Mr Naughley's dress, furniture, and all parts of his house. The Dean being about to depart, he stopped him, telling him, "Dean, you have not seen the most valuable part of my furniture." The Dean in vain looked, but could not even see any thing decent. "Ah!" says Mr Naughley, "there is Contentment peeping out of every corner of my cot, and you cannot see her; I suppose you are not acquainted with her. Upon the walls of your lordly mansion, and in your bed-chamber, is wrote, Dean and Chapter, after that Bishop. No thought of these here; nor ladies, nor equipage: Contentment keeps them off." Then he repeated to him the sixth Sat. of the second book of Horace, "Hoc erat in votis modus agri non ita magnus." "A little farm, and a pleasant clear spring; a garden and a grove were the utmost of my wish. The gods have in their bounty exceeded my hopes.- I am contented."
  Wanthwaite
Passing Thelkeld, when you come opposite the Riddings, from a small declivity in the road, stop and take a view of the beautiful vale of Wanthwaite, erroneously called by all authors St John's Vale: this error hath I suppose arisen from its being within the chapelry of St John's; whereas these two vales are distinct, and are separated by the mountain called Naddle-Fell. The view is picturesque, though in a stile different from most I have seen; it is, however, capable of affording a pretty landscape for the painter, who may either take his station here in the road, or at the house called Riddings, which is only a very little way distant, and is the property of Mr Edward Greenhow. The front ground in this landscape must be formed almost entirely from the painter's fancy, but the other objects are extremely picturesque and beautiful. The meeting of the two brooks, one of which intersects the valley with an uncommon profusion of silver meanders, is in the front of the picture. A little farther is a cottage surrounded with trees, which goes by the name of Ew Tree: Then we see Hill-Top, an handsome, small, old building, belonging to J. Gaskarth, Esq.; and the white house at Lothwaite; the property of J. Williamson, Esq. Beyond these is Fornside, a beautiful, smooth valley, over which Fornside-Cragg hangs with awful grandeur, and during a flood exhibits a noble cascade pouring down its rugged face, and frequently re-echoes the shouts of the hunter who pursue the foxes that kennel in its sides, or take refuge there when pursued from other places. Beyond this again is Green Cragg, which at this distance exactly resembles an old castle, standing on the side of a mountain, whilst the more distant mountains form a beautiful back ground to the whole.
Having ascended the hill to BURNS, look back at the vale of Threlkeld. Here you have an agreeable, tho' not picturesque view, of the scattered cotes of High-row at the skirts of Saddleback; the overhanging precipice above Hill-Top, called the Heights; the meanders of the river for the distance of six miles; and turning the other way, you see Skiddow and its neighbouring mountains.
Now ascend the hill to Coose-well; the road is bad, but the prospect is truly beautiful, and exhibits such a mixture of the romantic, with plenty and cultivation, as perhaps the whole island can hardly parallel. We have a beautiful view of St John's Vale on the South, and all round there is endless variety of objects: beautiful meadows intersected with large, pellucid streams of water; cottages built with the utmost neatness, every one being covered with white slate, and the window and door-frames made of red free-stone, and the walls limed over and white-washed; which, though it may hurt the eye of a professed connoisseur, always gives an idea of cleanliness.
About
† The Dean-Rural is a Sub-dean, whose province is to visit the inferior clergy in his district once a year, to see that they act becoming their function; he can demand to see any part of their house and a night's lodging when he pleases.
gazetteer links
button -- "Green Cragg" -- Castle Rock
button -- "Fornside Cragg" -- Fornside Crag
button -- "Coosewell" -- (Goosewell Farm, St John's Cstlerigg etc)
button -- "Hill Top" -- Hill Top
button -- "Lothwaite" -- Lowthwaite
button -- Riddings
button -- "Threlkeld" -- (Threlkeld (CL13inc)2)
button -- Wanthwaite
button -- "Ew Tree" -- Yew Tree
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