Sunday 1st August 1819
Sunday August 1st The whole of our party went to Church. This morning I excepted myself on account of illness at one o’clock, however I accompanied them to Furness Abbey the finest ruin I have yet seen. It is situated in a most scenic situation overshadowed with trees which kindly spread their branches to protect it. It
was founded by Stephen in 1127 when Earl of Boulogne several specimens of very rich Gothic and Saxon architecture remain quite perfect the whole is on a very grand scale having passed two or three hours most pleasantly in surveying this fine ruin we returned to Ulverston
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
St Mary’s Parish Church. According to Visit Cumbria, tradition has it that there has been a church on this site since 1111 AD. The main part of the present church of St Mary with Holy Trinity was rebuilt in the 19th Century, but a Norman arch in the porch and the Elizabethan tower survive. https://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/ulverston-st-marys-church/
Image from Visit Cumbria https://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/ulverston-st-marys-church/
Furness Abbey was founded in 1123 by Stephen of Boulogne and built entirely out of local sandstone. It passed in 1147 to the Cistercians, who developed it, becoming the 2nd richest, grandest and most powerful Cistercian Abbeys in England, behind Fountains Abbey and heavily influential on the Isle of Man. One of the kings of Mann and the Isles is buried at the abbey, as are many of the Bishops of Sodor and Man. They also owned mines on the island, and built Piel Castle to control trade between the Furness Peninsula and the Isle of Man. When Robert the Bruce invaded England, during The Great Raid of 1322, the abbot paid to lodge and support him, rather than risk losing the wealth and power of the abbey.
1890-1900: General view, Furness Abbey, England from Views of the British Isles, in the Photochrom print collection, Accession number ppmsc.08386. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1924. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:General_view,_Furness_Abbey,_England-LCCN2002696756.jpg
1778: VIEW FROM THE WEST TO THE RUINS OF FURNESS ABBEY by William Byrne & Samuel Middiman from the collection of Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (GMII): http://www.britishprints.ru/printmakers/b/byrne_william/furnes_%20abbey.html This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1924. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furness_Abbey#/media/File:Furnes_abbey_by_W._Byrne_&_S._Middiman_-_GMII.jpg
Furness Abbey was disestablished and destroyed in 1537 during the English Reformation under the order of Henry VIII. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furness_Abbey
Furness Abbey, Lancashire by Edward Dayes, sourced from Project Gutenberg's Masters of Water-Colour Painting, by H. M. Cundall - http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22379/22379-h/22379-h.htm This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Dayes_-_Furness_Abbey,_Lancashire.jpg
Can you help us?
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?