Old Cumbria Gazetteer |
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| quarry, Cragwood House | ||
| Longmire's Rocks | ||
| Ecclerigg Crag Quarry | ||
| locality:- | Ecclerigg Crag | |
| locality:- | Cragwood House | |
| civil parish:- | Lakes (formerly Westmorland) | |
| county:- | Cumbria | |
| locality type:- | quarry | |
| locality type:- | inscribed rock | |
| coordinates:- | NY38910052 (etc) | |
| 1Km square:- | NY3800 | |
| 10Km square:- | NY30 | |
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 BXA63.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) |
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| evidence:- | descriptive text:- Mackay 1846 (2nd edn 1852) item:- inscription |
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| source data:- | Page 68:- "..." "Our boatman told us that at a short distance on the eastern side of the lake, were some inscriptions" Page 69:- "on the rocks, which were the greatest curiosities of the place. The guide-book having made no mention of them, we were the more anxious to see what they were, and were rowed ashore accordingly, at a point not far from Lowood Inn. Here we found every smooth surface afforded by the rocks - every slab on the stratified formation,- covered with inscriptions, engraved with much toil, in letters varying from six to twenty or twenty-four inches in height. On one large red stone of at least ten feet square, was engraved '1833. MONEY. LIBERTY. WEALTH. PEACE.' - a catalogue of blessings very much to be desired. On another stone was the simple date '1688:' expressive enough of the engraver's political sentiments.- And on another in large characters, 'A SLAVE LANDING ON THE BRITISH STRAND, BECOMES FREE.' All the largest stones, and slabs, some of which were horizontal, others vertical, and the rest inclined at various angles, and the whole of them giving evidence that the place had formerly been a quarry - were covered with inscriptions of like purport. The following are a few of the most striking. One immense surface of rock bore the following names, which are transcribed in the roiginal order. 'SUN, BULWER. DRYDEN, DAVY. BURNS. SCOTT. BURDETT. GARRICK. KEMBLE. GRAY. KEAN. MILTON. HENRY BROUGHAM. JAMES WATT. PROFESSOR WILSON. DR. JENNER.' To which were added the words in characters equally con-" Page 70:- "[con]spicuous, 'THE LIBERTY OF THE PRESS.' 'MAGNA CHARTA.' This slab was testimony, apparently, of the engraver's admiration of great intellect. One close alongside it was of a different style, and bore the date '1836,' followed by the words, 'WILLIAM IV. PRESIDENT JACKSON. LOUIS PHILIPPE. BRITANNIA RULES THE WAVES.' Next to that again was a still larger surface of rock, on which was indented, 'NATIONAL DEBT, L800,000,000. O SAVE MY COUNTRY, HEAVEN! GEORGE III. AND WILLIAM PITT.' 'MONEY IS THE SINEW OF WAR.' 'FIELD MARSHALL WELLINGTON. HEROIC ADMIRAL NELSON. CAPTAIN COOK. ADMIRAL RODNEY.' One stone, at least eight feet square, bore but one word in letters a yard long, and that was significiant enough - voz. 'STEAM.' On enquiring of the boatman, who it was that had expended so much labour, he pointed out another stone, on which were the words, 'John Longmire, Engraver,' and informed us that it was a person of that name, who had spent about six years of his prime in this work - labouring here alone - and in all weathers - and both by night and by day. He took great pleasure in the task, and was, as the boatman took pains to impress upon us, rather 'dul'' at the time. This phrase, he afterwards explained, implies, in this part of the country, that he was deranged; and I thought, when looking with renewed interest upon these momentos of his ingenuity and" Page 71:- "perseverance, misapplied though they were, that it was ahappy circumstance that an afflicted creature could have found colace under calamity in a manner so harmless. There was a method in the work, and a sense, too, in the poor man's ideas, which shwoed that his symapthies were in favour of the moral and intellectual advancement of mankind; and that, amid the last feeble glimmerings of his own reason, he could do honour to those whose intellect had benefited and adorned our age. I coule learn no further particulars of him,- our frined the boatman being unable to say whether he were dead or alive, ..." |
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| hearsay:- |
Stone from here was used for Cragwood House, 1910. it was also used for the building
on Belle Isle, by Thomas English, 1773; over 800 tons of stone was shipped by barge
from the landing nearby. |
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| MN photo:- |
Slabs of bedrock on the quarry floor have been inscribed with names about 1835-37.
Tradition says that John Longmire, a mason from Troutbeck, did this. There are four
slabs on the land, and further fragments in the lake. |
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| Slab 1 is dated 1835 |
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 BXA55.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) courtesy of Cragwood Country House Hotel  BXA56.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) courtesy of Cragwood Country House Hotel  BXA65.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) courtesy of Cragwood Country House Hotel  BXA57.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) courtesy of Cragwood Country House Hotel |
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| "1835 / LIBERTY / ROSS / LANDER / BYRON / Pro. WILSON / Jas WATT. / J. HOGG. / PARRY
/ NELSON / Watson / Newton / DR JENNER" |
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| The quarry owner was Richard Watson. |
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| Slab 3, 1836:- |
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 BXA58.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) courtesy of Cragwood Country House Hotel  BXA59.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) courtesy of Cragwood Country House Hotel |
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| "1836 / RICHD WATSON / RICHARD LUTHER WATSON / SIR HUMPHY DAVEY / MATTHEW PIPER / BUILT
&ENDOWED / 3 NATIONAL SCHOOLS / GENL LAFAYE[ ] / ROBIN HOOD / [WR]EN" |
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| Slab 5, 1837:- |
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 BXA60.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) courtesy of Cragwood Country House Hotel  BXA61.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) courtesy of Cragwood Country House Hotel |
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| "1837 / NATIONAL DEBT L800,000,000. / O, SAVE MY COUNTRY, HEAVEN! / GEORGE 3, William
Pitt. / MONEY IS THE SINEWS of WAR / FIELD MARSHALL Wellington / Heroic Adm Nelson" |
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| Slab 4, 1837:- |
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 BXA62.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) courtesy of Cragwood Country House Hotel BXA63.jpg (taken 6.8.2012) courtesy of Cragwood Country House Hotel |
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| "1837 / WORDSWORTH / IOHN BOLTON / Storrs Hall / BOWNESS SCHOOL / SHAW of the / Life
Guards [ ] / at WATERLOO &C. / JAMES BRANCKE[ ] / George Warden / GILES REDMAYN /
George Greaves / Mrs Lydia Freeman" |
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| A detailed description of the slabs is given in:- |
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| Tyson, Blake: : Quarry Floor Inscriptions at Ecclerigg Crag, Windermere: Transactions
of the Ancient Monuments Society (London): vol.25: pp.87-103 |
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| Glover, David: 2014: Quarries of Lakeland: Bookcase (Carlisle, Cumbria) |
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