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Gentleman's Magazine 1907 part 1 p.170
Grasmere." Formerly the river was crossed by means of
stepping-stones at low tide. As the two churches of
Muncaster and Waberthwaite, on opposite sides of the river,
were served by the same cleric, the reverend gentleman had
to fit in his discourse with the state of the tide, and it
is related that on more then one occasion he was urged by
the clerk to hasten as the tide was coming in over the bar.
The family of Pennington (the family name of the Lords of
Muncaster) came originally from Pennington in Lancashire,
and most of the Penningtons served their country in some way
or another. The first Pennington who emerged into history
was Gamel de Pennington, he who first removed from
Lancashire to Muncaster, or Moelcastre, as it was originally
called.
Tradition says that the family at first took up its abode at
a residence now known as Walls Castle, quite close to the
ancient harbour of Ravenglass, then an important place.
Walls Castle is in itself most interesting. For many years
it was believed that it was merely a relic of medieval
times. However, the Cumberland and Westmoreland Antiquarian
Society took the matter up, and by a series of excavations
in 1881 they proved beyond doubt that the ruins are those of
Roman house. The walls still stand some fourteen feet high
in places, so it is evident that the original Roman who
built it could not have been of the tribe of Jerry with
which we are so cursed to-day. Here, probably, the
Penningtons dwelt till some time in the Middle Ages, when
they betook themselves to the Roman Tower, a mile further up
the hill, which by this time had become metamorphosed into
the usual "pele tower" style of residence adopted by the
nobles and gentlemen of the Border country. Northumberland,
Cumberland, Westmoreland, and North Lancashire have many
fine examples of these fortified manor-houses and
castellated residences, whose existence is due to the
proximity of the lawless moss-troopers, who pillaged the
border counties. None of them, however, can compare with
Muncaster for beauty of situation.
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