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item:- Dove Cottage :
Lowther.74
image:- ©
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Print, engraving, Penrith Castle, Penrith, Cumberland, by
I Pye, 1775.
Pasted in the Lowther scrapbook, vol.4; between pp.404-405;
with descriptive text:-
PENRITH CASTLE, CUMBERLAND. / THIS castle stands near the
west end of the town: both its builder and the time of its
construction are unknown. Leland, who mentions it in his
itinerary, calls it 'A strong castel of the kinges;' an
appelation it does not from its remains appear to have
deserved. / CAMDEN also speaks of it, but neither mentions
the date of its erection, nor its founder: he, indeed, says,
it was repaired in Henry the Sixth's time, out of the ruins
of Mayburg. This is by his last editor justly deemed a
mistake, and contradicted in a marginal note. / IT is built
of a course red sandstone, and was nearly square, each side
measuring about 25 feet. All but a small fragment of the
north wall is tumbled down. There seems to have been a small
bastion-like projection on the south-west angle, but by much
too trifling to serve for a defence. The south-east and
north-west cannot be discovered, those angles being entirely
demolished. In the middle of each face was a small
projection like a buttress or turret, and round the top of
the walls run brackets, such as usually support
machicolations; but these seem to have been intended rather
for shew than use. Neither the height nor thick[ness]
[thick]ness of the walls are extraordinary; the former
nowhere exceeding thirty, nor the latter five feet. / THIS
building seems to owe its present ruinous state to more
violent causes than the slow depredations of time and
weather: yet history does not mention it as the scene of any
great military achievement; neither was its form destitute
of flanks, by any means calculated to sustain a seige.
Perhaps the value of its materials may have conduced to its
destruction; for such a propensity have our farmers to
destroy an ancient monument, that they will bestow more
labour to disjoint a few stones to mend their buildings,
than would earn them enough to purchase three times the
quantity. / THIS castle, it is said, continued in the crown
till the reign of King William the Third, when that prince
granted it, together with the honour of Penrith, to William
Bentinck, earl of Portland, ancestor to the present duke of
Portland. / IN a pleasing description of this part of the
country, entitled 'An Excursion to the Lakes,' there is the
following agreeable portrait of this castle: / 'WE viewed
the ruins of Penrith Castle:- it is said to have arose on
the foundations of a Roman fortress, the traces of which are
not now to be discovered. The buildings form a square, and
are situate on a rising ground surrounded with a ditch.- The
scite towards the town is much more elevated than on any of
the other quarters. This front consists of the remains of an
angular tower to the east, which now stands separately from
the rest by the falling of the walls: the centre, which
projects a little from the plane of the front, is hastening
to decay, presenting to the eye broken chambers, passages,
and stairs.- This part of the building is still connected
with the western angular tower, an open hanging gallery
forming the communication.- Below this gallery a large
opening is made by the falling of the building, forming a
rude arch, through which, and the broken walls to the east,
the interior parts of the ruin are perceived in a
picturesque manner.- Nothing remains within but part of a
stone arch vault, which, by its similitude to places of the
like nature which we had formerly seen, we conceived to have
been the prison.' / This view, which represents the
north-west aspect, was drawn anno 1774.
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inscription:-
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printed bottom left and right
April 13 1775. / I. Pye.
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wxh, print:-
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147x100mm
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from:-
Scrapbook, 4 volumes, History of Westmorland and Cumberland
Illustrated, of descriptive texts, maps, and prints of views
and coats of arms, for Westmorland and Cumberland, assembled
by a member of the Lowther Family, late 18th early 19th
century.
The volumes are quarter bound, with marbled paper on the
covers; each has a bookplate inside the front cover. The
pages cut from various sources are nicely mounted, two sided
pieces set neatly in a window in the scrapbook page.
The main content is the whole of the two volumes of The
History and Antiquities of the Counties of Westmorland and
Cumberland, by Joseph Nicolson and Richard Burn, published
London, 1777. Nicolson and Burn volume 1 is in scrapbook
volumes 1 and 2, volume 2 in scrapbook volumes 3 and 4. Maps
and prints are interspersed to make an illustrated version
of the history.
Some of the sources of maps and prints have been
recognised:-
Maps - coast of Cumberland etc by Andrew Dury, 1764;
Westmorland and Cumberland by Richard Blome, 1673; sheets
from Britannia Depicta, Emanuel Bowen, 1720; Cumberland by
John Speed, Henry Overton edn 1695; Cumberland by John Cary
1787.
Prints from the Set of prints, 20 engravings, Views of the
Lakes etc in Cumberland and Westmorland, drawn by Joseph
Farington, published by William Byrne, London, 1789. Note
that plate numbers vary from edition to edition of this set.
Prints from the Antiquities of Great Britain, drawings by
Thomas Hearne, engraved by William Byrne, published by
Hearne and Byrne, London, 1786-1807.
Prints from Britannia Illustrata, drawings by Leonard Knyff,
engraved by John Kip, published London, 1707-1740.
Print from A Tour in England and Scotland, by Thomas Newte,
published by G G J and J Robinson, Paternoster Row, London,
1788..
Some of the coat of arms are cut from A Display of Heraldrie
by John Guillim late Pursuivant at Armes, published London,
about 1610-11 to 1755.
Coats of arms probably from The Baronetage of England, by
Edward Kimber and Richard Johnson, published London? 1771.
Pages from The Antiquarian Repertory, by Francis Grose,
Thomas Astle, et al, published London, 1775-1809.
Text from the Baronetage of England by Collins?
Scraps cut from an unidentified gazetteer.
At the end is the title page and pp.7-51 from A General View
of the Agriculture of the County of Cumberland, by John
Bailey and George Culley, published by C Macrae, London,
1794.
Individual maps and prints are documented separately; with a
note of their position in the scrapbooks.
inscription:-
: embossed: label on spine: (tatty remains): HI[ ] / [
]/WEST[ ]M[ ] / [ ] / CUM[ ]M[ ] / ILLUS[ ]T[E ]
inscription:-
: printed & embossed: bookplate: gold on grey; crest, 6
annulets from the coat of arms, flowers, thistles: LOWTHER
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