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start of Westmorland |
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Page 150:-
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Westmorland
ADDITIONS
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ADDITIONS.
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Westmorland, extent
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WESTMORLAND is about 40 miles long by as many broad, and 140
miles in circumference, contains 510,000 acres, four wards,
seven market and two borough towns, 32 large parishes, and
about 6500 houses. The air is sharp and healthy. The soil in
the hills is barren and moory yet affording pasture for
store of sheep; the vallies are fertile in corn and near the
rivers in grass. [a].
Mr. Camden's description of the county answers only to that
part from Lancaster through the barony of Kendal to
Workington in Cumberland, which is a mountainous tract.
Whereas the barony of Westmorland, commonly called from its
low situation the bottom of Westmorland, is a large
open champion country, not less than 20 miles long and about
14 broad, affording great plenty of arable land and corn.
Nor do mores in the north parts signify wild barren
mountains, but generally common of pasture, in
opposition to fells or mountains; so that in Kendal
barony where they have most mountains, there are few or no
mores, their commons being generally called
fells, and in the bottom of Westmorland there are few
mountains (except that ridge which binds the county like a
rampire or bulwark), but many mores which have ridges that
still appear and shew to have been formerly plowed, having
probably been deserted for situations more favourable to
agriculture [b].
Archbishop Usher does not so much controvert the history of
king Marius whatever becomes of the derivation of the name
of Westmorland from him [c].
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placename, Westmorland
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Dr. Burn [d] correcting Mr. Camden's etymology denies that
the name of this county is derivable from moors, it
being universally written in old records Westmerland.
He does not seem to have been aware that it might imply the
land or county of the Western mere or boundary
between England and Scotland.
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minerals
slate
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Though mountains, or as they are called in the language of
the country, fells, compose a large part of it, they
are not altogether unprofitable. They feed large flocks of
sheep, produce plenty of grouse or moor game, abound with
rivulets which water the vallies beneath, and yield a great
fund of minerals, lead, and coal, copper, and oker, and
Silver-band fell silver; and in the western fells is
found fine blue slate which supplies several parts of the
kingdom, not to mention the spars and imitations of
diamonds, coralloids, fossils, and marbles [e].
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Eden r. Lune r. Kent r.
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rivers
Eden, River
Lune, River
Kent, River
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The rivers of this county are but small, and only three that
can properly be called rivers carry their name to the sea:
The first river is Eden which springs in Mallerstang,
and having in its course received, besides many lesser
streams, the conjoined rivers of Lowther and Eamont, enters
Cumberland, and running the whole length of that county
empties itself into the sea at Rowcliff. The second is
Lune or Lon, which has its source in
Ravenstondale, and runs down the vale called from it
Lonsdale, where it enters the county of Loncaster as it was
antiently called, and a little below the town of Lancaster
falls into the sea. The 3d is Kent which rises in
Kentmere and washes the vale which from thence receives the
name of Kendale, and empties itself into the sea below
Levens [f].
"Kent river is of a good depth not well to be
occupyed with botes for rowlling stones and other moles. Yt
risith of very many heddes be likelihood springing within
the same shire. A 2 mile about Kendale they come to one good
botom and Kentdale town that standeth on the west side of
it. Seven or 8 miles from Kendale is a mere commonly called
Kenmore [g]." In it is a salmon leap [h].
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lakes
tarns
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In the hollows among the mountains are found divers large
lakes, having small rivulets running through them, which
preserve the water clear, the lakes having commonly a pebbly
or rocky bottom.
Of these lakes Windermere, Ulleswater, Haws water, Ridal
water, Elter water, Gresmere water, and other lesser
lakes called tarns, as Sunbiggin tarn,
Ravenstondale tarn, Whinfell tarn, &c.
will be noticed in their places. All these bodies of water
abound with divers species of fish, as trout, eels, bass,
perch, tench, roach, pike, char and divers others. The south
coast is pretty well furnished with sea-fish, of which
upwards of thirty different sorts have been brought to
Kendal market, till by the improvement of the town and port
of Lancaster the market for fish is considerably drawn that
way [i].
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woods
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This county long after the Conquest appears to have been
covered with wood: but it was probably destroyed on purpose
to prevent it affording shelter to the Scotch invaders.
Large trunks of oak, fir, birch, and other trees, which shew
the mark of the ax, lie near to their respective roots in
the mosses which have formed over them by the stoppage of
the water [k].
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Helm wind.
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helm wind
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The helm wind is a phoenomenon peculiar to this
county and the confines of Yorkshire and Lancashire, about
Ingleborough, Pendle, and Penigent. A rolling cloud hovers
over the mountain tops for three or four days together when
the rest of the sky is clear, and continues notwithstanding
the most violent hurricane and profound calm alternately
succeeding each other [l].
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houses
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The gentlemen's houses in this county are large and strong,
generally built castlewise for security of themselves and
their tenants with their goods against the inroads of the
Scots.
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[a]
Burn's History of Westmorland I. 2, 3.
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[b]
Ib. p.7.
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[c]
Antiq. eccl. Br. 302.
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[d]
Ib. p.1.
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[e]
Burn, 3-6. Robinson's Nat. Hist. of Cumb. and Westmor.
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[f]
Burn Ib. 6.
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[g]
Lel. VII. 62.
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[h]
Stukeley It. Cur. II. 39. Of the salmon in this county and
Cumberland see Burn, I. 207, 208.
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[i]
Burn Ib. 6, 7.
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[k]
Ib. 7.
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[l]
Ib. 7, 8.
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The
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gazetteer links
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-- Eden, River
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-- Kendal
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-- "Kent, River" -- Kent, River
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-- "Lune, River" -- Lune Valley
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-- Westmorland
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