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St Bridget, Beckermet
St Bridget's Church
Beckermet Church
locality:-   Beckermet
civil parish:-   St Bridget Beckermet (formerly Cumberland)
county:-   Cumbria
locality type:-   church
locality type:-   runic inscription
coordinates:-   NY01500607
1Km square:-   NY0106
10Km square:-   NY00
SummaryText:-   Called the Low Church because it is downstream.

photograph
BVM14.jpg (taken 7.10.2011)  
photograph
BMW13.jpg  The acoustic's are said to be wonderful.
(taken 13.10.2006)  
evidence:-   old map:- OS County Series (Cmd 77 4) 
placename:-  St Bridget's Church
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:-  St Brides
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
Sax9NX91.jpg
Church, symbol for a parish or village, with a parish church.  "St brides"
item:-  private collection : 2
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old map:- Mercator 1595 (edn?) 
placename:-  St Brides
source data:-   Map, hand coloured engraving, Northumbria, Cumberlandia, et Dunelmensis Episcopatus, ie Northumberland, Cumberland and Durham etc, scale about 6.5 miles to 1 inch, by Gerard Mercator, Duisberg, Germany, about 1595.
image
MER8CumE.jpg
"St. Brides"
circle 
item:-  JandMN : 169
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old map:- Speed 1611 (Cmd) 
placename:-  St Bride's
source data:-   Map, hand coloured engraving, Cumberland and the Ancient Citie Carlile Described, scale about 4 miles to 1 inch, by John Speed, 1610, published by J Sudbury and George Humble, Popes Head Alley, London, 1611-12.
image
SP11NY00.jpg
"S. Brides"
circle, building, tower 
item:-  private collection : 16
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   perhaps old map:- Jenner 1643
placename:-  St Brides
source data:-   Tables of distances with a maps, Westmerland, scale about 16 miles to 1 inch, and Cumberland, scale about 21 miles to 1 inch, published by Thomas Jenner, London, 1643; published 1643-80.
image
JEN4Sq.jpg
"S Brides"
dot, circle, red tint 
evidence:-   old map:- Jansson 1646
placename:-  St Brides
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
JAN3NY00.jpg
"S.Brides"
Buildings and tower. 
item:-  JandMN : 88
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old map:- Seller 1694 (Cmd) 
placename:-  St Bride
source data:-   Map, uncoloured engraving, Cumberland, scale about 12 miles to 1 inch, by John Seller, 1694.
image  click to enlarge
SEL9.jpg
"St. Bride"
circle, italic lowercase text; settlement or house 
item:-  Dove Cottage : 2007.38.89
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old map:- Morden 1695 (Cmd) 
placename:-  St Brides
source data:-   Map, uncoloured engraving, Cumberland, scale about 4 miles to 1 inch, by Robert Morden, 1695, published by Abel Swale, the Unicorn, St Paul's Churchyard, Awnsham, and John Churchill, the Black Swan, Paternoster Row, London, 1695-1715.
image
MD12NY00.jpg
"St. Brides"
Circle, building and tower. 
item:-  JandMN : 90
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old map:- Bowen and Kitchin 1760
placename:-  St Brides
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
BO18NX90.jpg
"St. Brides"
circle, tower? 
item:-  Armitt Library : 2008.14.10
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old map:- Donald 1774 (Cmd) 
placename:-  St Bridgets
source data:-   Map, hand coloured engraving, 3x2 sheets, The County of Cumberland, scale about 1 inch to 1 mile, by Thomas Donald, engraved and published by Joseph Hodskinson, 29 Arundel Street, Strand, London, 1774.
image
D4NY00NW.jpg
"St. Bridgets"
church 
item:-  Carlisle Library : Map 2
Image © Carlisle Library
evidence:-   old map:- Ford 1839 map
placename:-  St Bridgets
source data:-   Map, uncoloured engraving, Map of the Lake District of Cumberland, Westmoreland and Lancashire, scale about 3.5 miles to 1 inch, published by Charles Thurnam, Carlisle, and by R Groombridge, 5 Paternoster Row, London, 3rd edn 1843.
image
FD02NY00.jpg
"St. Bridgets"
item:-  JandMN : 100.1
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old text:- Gents Mag
source data:-   Magazine, The Gentleman's Magazine or Monthly Intelligencer or Historical Chronicle, published by Edward Cave under the pseudonym Sylvanus Urban, and by other publishers, London, monthly from 1731 to 1922.
image G861B530, button  goto source
Gentleman's Magazine 1861 part 2 p.530  "..."
"Mr. L. [Longstaffe] also exhibited careful rubbings of the cross in Beckermont churchyard, Cumberland. They were made by the Rev. Frederic Addison, of Cleator, who has no theory on the subject, but who is decidedly of opinion that the inscription remains to be read, and that the versions of Haigh and Maughan cannot be supported. Mr. Haigh's drawing was compared, and the members confessed themselves unable to trace or consider possible some of the principal features therein delineated. The identification of Piegbalech, the burial place of Tuda, bishop of Lindisfarne, with Beckermont, cannot therfore be accepted without better evidence of the stone being his monument."
"..."
evidence:-   old map:- Nurse 1918
source data:-   Map, The Diocese of Carlisle, Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire North of the Sands, scale about 4 miles to 1 inch, by Rev Euston J Nurse, published by Charles Thurnam and Sons, 11 English Street, Carlisle, Cumberland, 2nd edn 1939.
image
NUR1NY00.jpg
"ST. BRIDGET'S BECKERMET AND PONSONBY"
item:-  JandMN : 27
Image © see bottom of page

photograph
BQW99.jpg  The two bells. The treble bell is inscribed:-
"IHESS [ decoration] ZyX / [inverted T]" and the tenor:-
"MARIA [decoration] ZyX / [inverted T]" The bells are a pair, similar to pairs at Loweswater and at Whicham, dating from the early 15th century. The bellfounder is not known.
(taken 25.6.2009)  
evidence:-   old print:- Calverley 1899
item:-  cross; beacon; Tuda, Bishop; Arlec, Queen; Athfeschar; macCairbre, John
source data:-   In the churchyard:-
image  click to enlarge
CV1014.jpg
Photograph by W L Fletcher. 
image  click to enlarge
CV1015.jpg
Sketch by W G Collingwood 
The incomplete insciption has been read in several ways. As English in roman characters:-  "Here enclosed / Tuda bishop: / the plague-destruction before, / the reward of Paradise after."
and:-  "Here beacons / two set up / queen Arlec / for her son Athfeschar. / Pray for our / souls."
and:-  "O, thou loved / Offspring Edith, / Little maid, in / slumber waned. / Years XII. Pray ye for her soul. / Year MCIII."
and as irish miniscule:- 
image  click to enlarge
CV1016.jpg
"[this cross was] / made for / John mac Cair- / bre gone to / rest in the keeping / of Christ. Be gracious / to him, O Christ!"
In the churchyard:- 
image  click to enlarge
CV1017.jpg
Sketch by W G Collingwood. 
item:-  JandMN : 190
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old drawing:- 
placename:-  St Brigit's Church
item:-  cross
source data:-   Drawing, Ornament of the Inscribed Cross, at St Bridget's Church, Beckermet, Cumberland, by William Gershom Collingwood, 1899.
image  click to enlarge
PR0836.jpg
Sketch of the south, east and north faces of a headless cross shaft with carved spiral decoration. 
Drawn to illustrate Notes on the Early Sculptured Crosses, Shrines and Monuments in the Present Diocese of Carlisle, by Rev William Slater Calverley, published by T Wilson, Kendal 1899; opposite p.29. 
inscribed at top left:-  "Ornament of the inscribed cross, St Brigit's, Beckermet"
item:-  Tullie House Museum : 1902.18.25
Image © Tullie House Museum

photograph
BMW14.jpg  Coat of arms, George III.
(taken 13.10.2006)  
photograph
BMW12.jpg (taken 13.10.2006)  
photograph
BVM13.jpg (taken 7.10.2011)  

photograph
BMW15.jpg  Old crosses in the churchyard.
(taken 13.10.2006)  
photograph
BOS32.jpg (taken 27.2.2008)  
photograph
BOS33.jpg (taken 27.2.2008)  
photograph
BOS34.jpg (taken 27.2.2008)  
photograph
BOS35.jpg  Panel of runes.
(taken 27.2.2008)  
notes:-  
 It is possible that there was a small nunnery on this site in the 7th century. Nothing is known of the building of the present church.

: : church leaflet
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