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Wasdale Beck
runs into:-    Birk Beck

locality:-   Wasdale
civil parish:-   Shap Rural (formerly Westmorland)
civil parish:-   Orton S (formerly Westmorland)
county:-   Cumbria
locality type:-   river
locality type:-   boundary
locality type:-   parish boundary
1Km square:-   NY5608 (etc) 
10Km square:-   NY50


photograph
BMT15.jpg  At Wasdale Old Bridge.
(taken 6.10.2006)  
photograph
BMT16.jpg  Shap granite in the stream bed at Wasdale Old Bridge.
Note, these have been washed downstream from their original bed.
(taken 6.10.2006)  

evidence:-   old map:- OS County Series (Wmd 21 14) 
placename:-  Wasdale Beck
source data:-   Maps, County Series maps of Great Britain, scales 6 and 25 inches to 1 mile, published by the Ordnance Survey, Southampton, Hampshire, from about 1863 to 1948.

evidence:-   old map:- Saxton 1579
placename:-  Burhek Flu.
source data:-   Map, hand coloured engraving, Westmorlandiae et Cumberlandiae Comitatus ie Westmorland and Cumberland, scale about 5 miles to 1 inch, by Christopher Saxton, London, engraved by Augustinus Ryther, 1576, published 1579-1645.
image
Sax9NY51.jpg
"Burhek flu:"
item:-  private collection : 2
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   old map:- Jansson 1646
placename:-  Burbeck Flud
source data:-   Map, hand coloured engraving, Cumbria and Westmoria, ie Cumberland and Westmorland, scale about 3.5 miles to 1 inch, by John Jansson, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1646.
image
JAN3NY51.jpg
"Burbeck fl."
Buildings and tower. 
item:-  JandMN : 88
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   old map:- Ogilby 1675 (plate 38) 
source data:-   Road strip map, hand coloured engraving, continuation of the Road from London to Carlisle, scale about 1 inch to 1 mile, by John Ogilby, London, 1675.
image
OG38m267.jpg
In mile 267, Westmorland. 
Road crosses a river, no bridge drawn. 
item:-  JandMN : 21
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   old map:- Bowen and Kitchin 1760
source data:-   Map, hand coloured engraving, A New Map of the Counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland Divided into their Respective Wards, scale about 4 miles to 1 inch, by Emanuel Bowen and Thomas Kitchin et al, published by T Bowles, Robert Sayer, and John Bowles, London, 1760.
image
BO18NY40.jpg
wiggly line, becomes Birk Beck 
item:-  Armitt Library : 2008.14.10
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   old map:- Jefferys 1770 (Wmd) 
source data:-   Map, 4 sheets, The County of Westmoreland, scale 1 inch to 1 mile, surveyed 1768, and engraved and published by Thomas Jefferys, London, 1770.
image
J5NY50NE.jpg
single or double wiggly line; river 
item:-  National Library of Scotland : EME.s.47
Image © National Library of Scotland

evidence:-   old map:- Cary 1789 (edn 1805) 
source data:-   Map, uncoloured engraving, Westmoreland, scale about 2.5 miles to 1 inch, by John Cary, London, 1789; edition 1805.
image
CY24NY50.jpg
river running into Birk Beck 
item:-  JandMN : 129
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   probably descriptive text:- Otley 1823 (5th edn 1834) 
source data:-   Guide book, A Concise Description of the English Lakes, the mountains in their vicinity, and the roads by which they may be visited, with remarks on the mineralogy and geology of the district, by Jonathan Otley, published by the author, Keswick, Cumberland now Cumbria, by J Richardson, London, and by Arthur Foster, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, 1823; published 1823-49, latterly as the Descriptive Guide to the English Lakes.
image OT01P040, button  goto source
Page 40:-  "Two small streams, crossing the road between Kendal and Shap, fall into the Lune ..."


photograph
BPQ26.jpg  Shap granite in the stream bed at Wasdale Old Bridge,
Note, these have been washed downstream from their original bed.
(taken 24.8.2008)  
photograph
BPQ27.jpg  Rocks and water at Wasdale Old Bridge.
(taken 24.8.2008)  

notes:-  
The Shap granite here is not in situ, but has come from the intrusion further up the valley, where Shap Pink Quarry is situated.
The granite is a porphyry, with two different sizes of crystals. The smaller crsytals are black - biotite, grey - quartz, and white - plagioclase. The larger crystals are twinned orthoclase feldspar.
NB: beware my amateur geological knowledge.

places:-  
NY56060813 Wasdale Bridge (Shap Rural / Orton S)
NY56470835 Wasdale Old Bridge (Shap Rural / Orton S)
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