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start of Cumberland |
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Page 184:-
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Pl. IX. f.1.
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are supplied like Camden's), and Wormius 37, near half of
which bear no resemblance to the others. Mr. Hutchinson's
drawing of this font 1775 is the last, and bears no
resemblance to the others, nor probably to the rudeness of
the original, and the inscription is still less faithful.
The copy of the letters here given from Mr. Bell, the
rector, to Dr. Burn, may be presumed to be the most exact:
he sent the drawings &c. to bishop Lyttelton as engraved
[q].
The father of sir Joseph Williamson, secretary of state to
Charles II. and one of the plenipotentiaries at the treaty
of Cologne 1674, and a great benefactor to Queen's college,
Oxford, where he was educated, was rector of Bridekirk.
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Workington.
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Workington
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"On the west side of Darwent is a pretty creke, whereas
shyppes come to where ys a pretty litle fisher town called
Wyrkenton, and there is the chief house of sir Thomas
Curwyn [r]." It subsists by the coal trade, and has near 100
vessels. The castle is the seat of Henry Curwen, esq. It has
a large desmene, and has always been remarkable for fine
cattle of all sorts. Here are salt-pans and a good colliery;
a large salmon fishery, and much sea fish [s].
The Curwen family is a very antient and respectable
one. Their principal residence has long been at Workington
hall in the county of Cumberland, where they had large
possessions in landed property and coal mines. The last
gentleman of that name and family was Henry Curwen, esq.;
late member for the county. It was chiefly by his interest
that sir James Lowther, now earl of Lonsdale, lost his
parliamentary interest in the famous contested election for
Cumberland in the year 1768, when Henry Fletcher, esq; now a
baronet, first obtained a seat in the House of Commons in
conjunction with Mr. Curwen, who sat in the preceding
parliament for the city of Carlisle. He left an only
daughter, heiress to all his large possessions, who was
married about three years ago, very young, to her paternal
first cousin John Christian, esq; of Unerigg hall in the
same county. It is remarkable of this lady, that she was the
last and only living child of a great number, her mother,
the late Mrs. Curwen, formerly Miss Gale, of Whitehaven,
having had fifteen or more children, previous to the present
lady, all either still born or that died within a few
minutes after their birth.
On a pillar at the south-east end of the minster at Lincoln
is fixed a small square marble slab with this inscription:
"Here lieth Anne Curwen, daughter of sir
Nicholas Curwen, of Workington in the
county of Cumberland, knt. who died the
XIII of April 1606, aet. 21."
Arms in a lozenge, Arg. Frettè G a chief Az. Crest on
a torse a horse passant.
The mansion-house is a large quadrangular building, which
still bears marks of great antiquity, notwithstanding
various alterations and improvements, which have been made
duting the last thirty years. The walls are so remarkably
thick, that they were able, a few years since, in making
some improvements to excavate a passage sufficiently wide
lengthways through one of the walls, leaving a proper
thickness on each side of the passage to answer every
purpose of strength.
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Mary Queen of Scots
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It was within a very short distance of this house where the
river Darwent empties itself into the sea that the unhappy
Mary queen of Scots landed in 1568, after her escape from
the castle of Dunbar, and subsequent defeat. She took refuge
at this house, and was hospitably entertained by sir Henry
Curwen, till the pleasure of Elizabeth was known; when she
was removed first to Cockermouth castle and then to
Carlisle. The chamber in which she slept at Workington hall
is still called the Queen's chamber.
We have before seen that Horsley [t] removes ARBEIA to
Moresby, which others had placed at Workington
on no better authority than the Burrough walls, about
a mile from the town, which are still standing, though no
more than one of those old towers so common in the north,
and sometimes called Burgh or Brugh; but it
has no other evidences of its having been a Roman station.
The rectory of Workington, worth 400£. per
ann. is held by Mr. William Thomas Addison, who married
a sister of Mr. Curwen, his patron, and has a son in the
East-Indies.
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Seaton.
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Seaton Priory
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At Seaton alias Lekely on the opposite side of
the Coker, was a Benedictine nunnery, valued at £.12
12s. per ann. [u]
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Ireby.
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Ireby
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We have already seen how little pretension Ireby has
to Roman antiquity.
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Elenborough.
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roman fort, Ellenborough
Virosidum
roman inscription
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There is perhaps no one station in Britain where so many
inscriptions have been found as at Elenborough. The
originals are yet preserved at the hall, the seat of Humphry
Senhouse, esq; descendant of John Senhouse, esq; whose
politeness he possesses in the fullest degree. The first of
the altars, described by Mr. Camden, is the finest and most
curious ever discovered in Britain. It was found in this
station, and removed from Elenborough house to Flat hall the
seat of sir James Lowther, near Whitehaven, where it is
carefully preserved. Though the altar is fine the
inscription is coarse, and, towards the end, nearly effaced
[x], by which I understand that more is effaced than was in
Mr. Camden's time. Peregrinus was tribune of a cohort from
Mauritania Caesariensis, and repaired the houses and
apartments of the decuriones [y]. Wishes for the health of a
person equivalent to Volanti vivas are not uncommon.
We have in Gruter MCII. 8. Cureti vivas on a Sicilian
inscription [z]. Petrei Bibas [a] for vivas on
a tessera in Montfaucon. They inscribed their ardent wishes
for the health of their friends on the altars, as most
effectual to secure the divine protection for them [b]. Mr.
Camden takes Volanti for Volantum, the name of
this station, which Mr. Horsley makes Virosedum. What
Mr. Camden calls a disc is a wheel, the symbol of fortune;
his pear is a leaf or pine-apple, as on the fascia of the
altar; and what he puts between the two suns at the top
Stukeley makes a bust and Horsley a
wheat-sheaf [c].
The next altar is now in the end wall of a stable at
Drumburgh, formerly the seat of the Dacres, now of
lord Lonsdale, to which it was removed from Ilkirk by John
Aglionby, esq. It is broken through the middle by a tool
which has damaged the 5th line [d]. Apronianus and Bradua
were consuls A.D. 191, under Commodus.
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[q]
Burn, 101. 103.
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[r]
Lel. VII. 71.
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[s]
Burn, II. 55.
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[t]
Horsl. 483.
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[u]
Tan. 7. Burn, II. 17.
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[x]
Horsl. 281. Cumb. lxviii.
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[y]
Gale MS. n. supplies it Decuriae rest. Gruter, cvii.
5. gives it Decor.
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[z]
Gale MS. n.
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[a]
Gruter, MCX.
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[b]
Stuk. II. 4.
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[c]
Cumb. LXVIII.
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[d]
Ib. LVII. p.277.
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The
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gazetteer links
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-- Port of Workington
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-- (roman fort, Maryport)
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-- Seaton Hall
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-- "Seaton" -- Seaton
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-- St Bridget's Church
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-- "Workington Hall" -- Workington Hall
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-- "Wyrkenton" -- Workington
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