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

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Page 23:-
A British Commander, by name, Mountfall, with a few brave followers, made a stand here against the Romans. A long and desperate conflict ensued, in which the fortune of the day was for some time uncertain: at length the Romans prevailed, and the Britons were obliged to retire to the mountains, with very great loss. The Commanders on both sides were slain, and the Roman appears to have been buried here. Upon digging into this cairn, some bones, urns, and broken weapons were found.
  Dalemain
At a little more than three miles is Dalemain, the seat of he late Williams Hassell, Esq; an handsome new stone-building, situated under an hill, which effectually screens it from the North: from the house to the river are such beautiful pastures, that a late author calls it the Queen of the Vale of Emont. On the opposite side of the river are pleasure-grounds and gardens, connected with the house by an handsome wooden-bridge. Above the house, upon the banks of a small river called Dacre-Beck, are other gardens, calculated both for pleasure and utility.
Dalemain belonged to a family of the name of Layton for many generations, the most remarkable of whom was William Layton, who had twenty-three children by one wife. It was purchased of this family by Sir Edward Hassell, Knight, who was, in the year 1701, Knight of the Shire, and has continued in the family ever since.
  Dacre Castle
The next remarkable object that presents itself is Dacre Castle; an old tower, though pretty entire, and formerly the seat of the Dacre family. At what time it came into their possession is very uncertain; but it appears to have been theirs at the time of the Saxon invasion, and probably much earlier, as will appear from the following piece of history.
Justus Bishop of Rochester having obtained authority to create bishops in this island, created Paulin Bishop of York: he, in the year 626, converted Edwin King of Northumberland, and his minister Coisi, (likewise chief of the Pagan Priests) to Christianity: he likewise converted one James, a learned and good man, whom Bede reports to have been alive in his days, and to have lived at Catterick in Yorkshire. Coisi and James having done much service to the Christian cause, were in the year 633 deputed by Paulin to travel, as well for the purpose of converting the neighbouring Pagans, as for the founding of churches to secure the ground which Christianity might gain. Accordingly we find that Coisi came into Cumberland, baptized great numbers, and founded a church at Kirkoswald, in that county.
He next appears to have visited Dacre, where he is said to have converted a great man, and stayed some time: this was about the time of Edwin's defeat by Ceadwalla King of the Britons and Penda King of the Mercians, at Hatfield in Yorkshire. Penda and Ceadwalla being gross Pagans, Paulin was obliged to fly with the Queen into Kent, whither they took the jewels of the Crown, and all the valuable utensils of the church.
Coisi and James, wherever they built a church, affixed to it in some conspicuous part the arms of Edwin and Paulin, together with their own. Edwin's was a bear seiant [sejeant], holding a quiver; Paulin's, a bear seiant [sejeant] holding a crucifix; and their own, each a bear seiant with an image upon its back. Guillim tells us, that bears were esteemed a "very honourable bearing, and were carried to Rome for a shew, where they were holden in great admiration."
This estate and castle remained in the Dacre family till the reign of King Henry the VII. when the only remainder of that family was a daughter, named Johan: she was married to Sir Richard Fynes, Knight, who was therefore declared Lord Dacre of the South. In his name and family it continued till the year 1716, when it was sold to Sir Christopher Musgrave, who again sold it to Edward Hassel of Dalemain, Esq; and it has remained in that family ever since. William of Malmesbury says, that this is the
place
erratum from p.194
e for seiant, read sejeant.
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button -- (cairn, Stainton)
button -- "Dacre Castle" -- Dacre Castle
button -- "Dalemain" -- Dalemain
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