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St Anne, Ambleside
St Anne's Church
Ambleside Church
Street:-   Kirkstone Road
locality:-   Ambleside
civil parish:-   Lakes (formerly Westmorland)
county:-   Cumbria
locality type:-   church (ex) 
locality type:-   buildings
coordinates:-   NY37780469
1Km square:-   NY3704
10Km square:-   NY30


photograph
BPM66.jpg (taken 21.7.2008)  
photograph
BSA50.jpg  Stained glass with picture of this and the new St Mary's Church; in St Mary's.
(taken 29.1.2010)  

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
J5NY30NE.jpg
church 
item:-  National Library of Scotland : EME.s.47
Image © National Library of Scotland

evidence:-   old text:- Clarke 1787
item:-  whittle gate
source data:-   Guide book, A Survey of the Lakes of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire, written and published by James Clarke, Penrith, Cumberland, and in London etc, 1787; published 1787-93.
image CL13P132, button  goto source
Page 132:-  "..."
"... The chapel is a low mean building, and stands in the parish of Grassmere; the inhabitants, (who are land owners,) as well those in the parish of Winandermere as those in the parish of Grassmere, have the right of nominating and presenting the curate. The rector of Grassmere, usually nominated the Curate, but the inhabitants of this and many other perpetual curacies in the North, have, by custom, gotten it from the rectors or vicars: the reason is this; before the death of Queen Anne, many of the chapelries were not worth above three pounds a year, and the donees could not get person properly qualified to serve them; so they left them to the inhabitants, who raised voluntary contributions for them in addition to their salary, with cloathes yearly and whittle-gate."

evidence:-   old print:- Green 1822 (plate 6) 
placename:-  Ambleside Church
source data:-   Print, uncoloured soft ground etching, Ambleside Church, St Anne's Church, Ambleside, Westmorland, by William Green, Ambleside, Westmorland, 1822.
image  click to enlarge
GN0806.jpg
Plate 6 in Forty Etchings from Nature. 
printed at bottom:-  "AMBLESIDE CHURCH. / Etched from Nature by William Green, &Published at Ambleside, Feby. 1, 1822."
item:-  Armitt Library : A6644.6
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   descriptive text:- Ford 1839 (3rd edn 1843) 
source data:-   Guide book, A Description of Scenery in the Lake District, by Rev William Ford, published by Charles Thurnam, Carlisle, by W Edwards, 12 Ave Maria Lane, Charles Tilt, Fleet Street, William Smith, 113 Fleet Street, London, by Currie and Bowman, Newcastle, by Bancks and Co, Manchester, by Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh, and by Sinclair, Dumfries, 1839.
image FD01P033, button  goto source
Page 33:-  "[Ambleside] ... The chapel, standing at the north end of the town, on an elevated station, was rebuilt in 1822, by a rate; it had been made parochial in 1675, by the Bishop of Chester. ..."

evidence:-   old map:- Garnett 1850s-60s H
source data:-   Map of the English Lakes, in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire, scale about 3.5 miles to 1 inch, published by John Garnett, Windermere, Westmorland, 1850s-60s.
image
GAR2NY30.jpg
notice two crosses, the old and new churches 
item:-  JandMN : 82.1
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   old text:- Martineau 1855
source data:-   Guide book, A Complete Guide to the English Lakes, by Harriet Martineau, published by John Garnett, Windermere, Westmorland, and by Whittaker and Co, London, 1855; published 1855-76.
image MNU1P041, button  goto source
Page 41:-  "... The old church, though not beautiful, is suitable to the position, and venerable by its ancient aspect. It is abundantly large enough for the place, except for a few weeks in summer: but its burial ground, inclosed by"
image MNU1P042, button  goto source
Page 42:-  "roads on three sides, has for many years been over-crowded. Ten years ago, the state of the churchyard, and the health of the people who lived near it, was such as to make the opening of a new burial-ground a pressing matter; and hence, no doubt, arose the new church, though a larger and more beautiful cemetery might easily have been formed in the neighbourhood."

:-  
The church had one bell in a bell cote, 1692, known to be cracked by 1798. A later bell, in the tower of the 1812 church, was inscribed:-
"Preston & Ross, Liverpool, 1846"
This fell when the tower was damaged by fire in 1947. It was sent to St Andrew's Church, Whitehaven, in 1956.

Handley, Diana: 1983: Notes on Furness Branch Bells

evidence:-   database:- Listed Buildings 2010
placename:-  Chapel Hill House
source data:-  
courtesy of English Heritage
"CHAPEL HILL HOUSE / / CHAPEL HILL / LAKES / SOUTH LAKELAND / CUMBRIA / II / 450582 / NY3778704694"

evidence:-   old print:- Green 1821
placename:-  Ambleside Church
source data:-   Print, soft ground etching, Ambleside Church, by William Green, published at Ambleside, Westmorland, 1821.
image  click to enlarge
GN0229.jpg
Plate 29 in Thirty Six Etchings from Nature. 
This is St Anne's Church. 
printed at upper left:-  "29"
printed at bottom:-  "AMBLESIDE CHURCH. / Etched from Nature by William Green, and Published at Ambleside, May 1, 1821."
item:-  Armitt Library : A6638.29
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   old print:- Green 1821
placename:-  Ambleside Church
source data:-   Print, soft ground etching, Ambleside Church and How Head, by William Green, published at Ambleside, Westmorland, 1821.
image  click to enlarge
GN0226.jpg
Plate 26 in Thirty Six Etchings from Nature. 
This is St Anne's Church. 
printed at upper left:-  "26"
printed at bottom:-  "AMBLESIDE CHURCH and HOW HEAD. / Etched from Nature by William Green, and Published at Ambleside, May 1, 1821."
item:-  Armitt Library : A6638.26
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   old drawing:- 
placename:-  Ambleside Church
source data:-   Drawing, Ambleside Church, St Anne's Church, Ambleside, Westmorland, by William Havell, 1800s-10s.
image  click to enlarge
PR1400.jpg
View of Ambleside Church in wooded setting with hills in background. One of a set of twenty views of the lake district executed by the artist on one sheet of paper. 
at bottom:-  "Ambleside Church"
item:-  Tullie House Museum : 2009.89.44
Image © Tullie House Museum

 Rushbearing 1823

 Rushbearing 1830s

 sundial


photograph
BPM65.jpg  Gravestone of John Kelsick, died 1723.
(taken 21.7.2008)  
photograph
BPM64.jpg  Gravestone of John Kelsick, died 1723.
(taken 21.7.2008)  

hearsay:-  
Firstly a chapel of ease attached to Grasmere, made parochial in 1675. Rebuilt, having been described as mean, decayed and damp, 1812 or 1822. Replaced by St Mary's Church 1854. It became the parish hall 1943; was sold off for development as houses 1970s.
The churchyard is still owned by the church and has the grave of John Kelsick who left his fortune for the education of children in Ambleside.

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