17th August 1819, Brownhill, Nith bridges, Drumlanrig, Leach Hill, Douglas Mills, Lanark

Tuesday 17th August 1819

Tuesday August 17th left Dumfries from Brown Hill we passed through a pretty country

the river Nith winding by our side over which there are thrown several fine bridges we likewise past several fine seats, among which was Drumlanesh the Duke of Buccleuch’s we next arrived at Leach Hill where we drank tea and continued through a fine country to Douglas Mills where we hoped of procuring accommodation it then being 1 o’clock but we were obliged to proceed to Lanark 10 miles further where we arrived at 3 both Inns however were full but we ?got? some beds in the town being very much fatigued.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Brownhill Inn, now just called Brownhill, is an inn approximately 1 mile south of Closeburn. Built in approximately 1780, this old coaching inns facilities used to include the once-extensive livery stables on the west side of the road, but these have been sold and converted to farm buildings. The inn was the first changing place for horses hauling coaches from Dumfries. Robert Burns was purported to have spent many an evening at the inn, which lies about 7 miles north of his once time home, Ellisland Farm.

2017: Brownhill Inn, Closeburn by Rosser1954- This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brownhill_Inn,_Closeburn_-_view_of_the_old_inn_site_and_the_stables,_etc_to_the_left.jpg

2017: Brownhill Inn, Closeburn - view of the gable end of the steading looking towards Closeburn by Rosser1954- This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brownhill_Inn,_Closeburn_-_view_of_the_gable_end_of_the_steading.jpg

The landlord at the time, Mr John Bacon, took a keen interest in the poet and even bought the bed from Gilbert Burns at nearby Dinning Farm in 1798 that Burns was born in and installed it at Brownhill, charging people to see it. His groom, Joe Langhorne, slept in it for many years and in 1829 purchased it himself. He took it to Dumfries where the bed was eventually broken up by a relative and used to make snuff. It is also reported that one summer evening whilst at the inn with Dr Purdie of Sanquhar and another friend, Burns met a soldier and upon listening to his story of the adventures he had lived through was inspired to write his famous song "The Soldier's Return" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownhill_Inn

River Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills and for most of its course flows in a generally southern direction through Dumfries and Galloway, before spilling into the Solway Firth at Ards point.

2017: The River Nith as it runs through Dumfries by Darrenfrazerphotography, the copyright holder of this work. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:River_Nith.jpg

2007: The estuary of the River Nith, Scotland, at low tide; opening into Solway Firth. This is a view of the Nith estuary from the north-east. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:River_Nith_estuary.jpg

The territory through which the river flows is called Nithsdale (historically known as "Stranit" from Scottish Gaelic. Its estuary is an internationally important winter feeding site for waders, geese and other wildfowl, and is protected at an international level as part of the Upper Solway Flats and Marshes Ramsar site and Special Protection Area. The SPA supports virtually the entire Svalbard population of barnacle geese during winter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Nith

Drumlanesh: The 'Pink Palace' of Drumlanrig (not Drumlanesh), constructed between 1679 and 1689 from distinctive pink sandstone, is an example of late 17th-century Renaissance architecture and the home of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry.

1880. Drumlanrig Castle, unknown artist. 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:Castelodedrumlanrig.jpg

2006: Garden and W and S sides of Drumlanrig Castle by Alexander P Kapp. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Alexander P Kapp and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drumlanrig_Castle_Garden.jpg

The castle is home to part of the Buccleuch art collection which includes Rembrandt’s An Old Woman Reading, and Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna of the Yarnwinder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drumlanrig_Castle

Craig Leach lies slightly beyond and higher than Dunain Hill. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4230

Douglas Mills: Douglas village was shaped by the Industrial Revolution, which brought woollen mills and coal mining (in common with other villages in this part of Scotland). There is a heritage museum in Douglas that charts the history of the area. Within the village stands a monument to the Covenanter James Gavin, a local tailor, who had his ears cut off with his own tailoring scissors for refusing to renounce his Presbyterian principles. After suffering this humiliation, he was transported to a life of slavery in the West Indies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas,_South_Lanarkshire

Lanark has served as an important market town since medieval times, and King David I made it a Royal Burgh in 1140, giving it certain mercantile privileges relating to government and taxation.

The Print below from 1825 shows Lanark as an industrial centre and this is the view that would have greeted the Coplands had they not not arrived very fatigued at 3 o’clock in the morning.

1825: The Town of Lanark, drawn and engraved by John Heaviside Clark & published by Smith & Elder, 65 Cornhill, London http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/16047

King David I decided to create a chain of new towns across Scotland. These would be centres of Norman civilisation in a largely Celtic country, and would be established in such a way as to encourage the development of trade within their area. These new towns were to be known as Burghs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanark

2006: Lanark, Scotland, by R Pollack at English Wikipedia. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, R Pollack at English Wikipedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lanark06.jpg

Can you help us?

Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering a section today:

full but we ?got? some beds . I don’t think the word “got” sounds right for the time. Help please!

Drumlanesh or Drumlanrig?: Has Lucy just got this wrong or are the names interchangeable?

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?

Please click here if you can help

16th August 1819, Longtown, Gretna Green, Annan, Dumfries, St Michael’s, Burns monument, theatre

Monday 16th August 1819

Monday August 16th Left Carlisle and proceeded through a flat country to Longtown changing horses we soon welcomed ourselves to Scotland at Gretna Green we stopped at the house where the marriages are solemnised if it may be called so our driver telling us if we would give the priest (Mr

Lang) some ?burgundy? he would come and “?crach? with us a little” which he did and informed us that a couple had been married two days ago, again changing horses at Annan we arrived at 5 o’clock at Dumfries a large well built town the Kings Arms is a good Inn we walked after dinner to the churchyard which is filled with curious monuments it not being the custom in Scotland to place them in the church at one corner of the churchyard is a handsome monument erected to Burns the poet the thistles and weeping willows are planted all around it in the evening we went to the theatre which is very small.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Longtown: nearby were the Battles of Arfderydd in 573 and Solway Moss 1542. Its sheep market was at the centre of the 2001 UK foot-and-mouth crisis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longtown,_Cumbria

2008: Longtown Bridge over the River Esk by Alexander P Kapp. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Alexander P Kapp and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Longtown_Bridge_over_the_River_Esk.jpg

Gretna Green was historically the first village in Scotland, following the old coaching route from London to Edinburgh. It sits alongside the main town of Gretna. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretna_Green

2006: The old blacksmiths shop at Gretna Green by Niki Odolphie from Frome, England. This image was originally posted to Flickr by odolphie at https://www.flickr.com/photos/99962592@N00/237506046 and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gretna_Green.jpg

Marriages at Gretna Green: It has usually been assumed that Gretna's famous "runaway marriages" began in 1754 when Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act came into force in England. Under the Act, if a parent of a minor (i.e., a person under the age of 21) objected to the minor's marriage, the parent could legally veto the union.

The depiction below is of Lord Hardwicke signing the Act from a display at the Famous Blacksmith Shop Museum https://www.gretnagreen.com/the-famous-blacksmiths-shop-a1034

The Act tightened the requirements for marrying in England and Wales but did not apply in Scotland, where it was possible for boys to marry at 14 and girls at 12 with or without parental consent. It was, however, only in the 1770s, with the construction of a toll road passing through the hitherto obscure village of Graitney, that Gretna Green became the first easily reachable village over the Scottish border. Scottish law allowed for "irregular marriages", meaning that if a declaration was made before two witnesses, almost anybody had the authority to conduct the marriage ceremony. The blacksmiths in Gretna became known as "anvil priests", culminating with Richard Rennison, who performed 5,147 ceremonies. The local blacksmith and his anvil became lasting symbols of Gretna Green weddings. Two in particular, The Old Blacksmith's Shop, built around 1712, and Gretna Hall Blacksmith's Shop (1710) became, in popular folklore at least, the focal tourist points for the marriage trade.

The Old Blacksmith's Shop opened to the public as a visitor attraction as early as 1887. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, when Lydia Bennet elopes with George Wickham she leaves behind a note stating that their intended destination is Gretna Green, though later they are found co-habiting in London, having not in fact travelled to Scotland. In Austen's Love and Freindship (sic), the main characters convince an impressionable girl to elope with an acquaintance to Gretna Green. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretna_Green

According to the museum, Joseph Paisley did enjoy a drink, as shown in his portrait. Below is a portrait of David Lang, the priest who hosted the Coplands, though Lucy clearly did not approve of “the house where the marriages are solemnised if it may be called so.”

SEE https://www.gretnagreen.com/the-famous-blacksmiths-shop-a1034 . This is the site that Lucy and her family visited, with its fascinating museum and from where we obtained the portrait of Mr Lang, above.

Annan’s public buildings include Annan Academy, of which the writer Thomas Carlyle was a pupil, and a Georgian building now known as "Bridge House".

In Port Street, some of the windows remain blocked up to avoid paying the window tax. Nearby Bruce's Well is a natural spring that lies on the edge of the River Annan just downstream of the Gala Burn and Glen and it is associated with Robert the Bruce as recorded by Historic Environment Scotland.

During his retreat from Derby, Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed in the High Street at the inn where Back to the Buck now stands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annan,_Dumfries_and_Galloway

Dumfries: The district around Dumfries was for several centuries ruled over and deemed of much importance by the invading Romans.

1793: Dumfries by J. Walker from an original drawing by A. Reid. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEDumfries1793.jpg

Dumfries looking East. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dumfries_looking_east.jpg

The apostle Paul claimed rank and privilege as a Roman citizen on account of his birth at Tarsus; the Caledonian tribes in the south of Scotland were invested with the same rights by an edict of Antoninus Pius. The Romanized natives received freedom (the burrows, cairns, and remains of stone temples still to be seen in the district tell of a time when Druidism was the prevailing religion). Before becoming King of Scots, Robert the Bruce slew his rival the Red Comyn at Greyfriars Kirk in the town on 10 February 1306.

Bruce was subsequently excommunicated and from Greyfriars began his campaign by force for the independence of Scotland and the burial ground of the Monastery became the theatre of battle. Bruce and his party then attacked Dumfries Castle. The English garrison surrendered and for the third time in the day Bruce and his supporters were victorious. He was crowned King of Scots barely seven weeks after. Bruce later triumphed at the Battle of Bannockburn and led Scotland to independence. After the English overran Dumfries Bruce's brother in law was condemned and executed by hanging and then beheading at the site of what is now St Mary's Church. In 1659 ten women were accused of diverse acts of witchcraft by Dumfries Kirk Session although the Kirk Session minutes itself records nine witches. The Justiciary Court found them guilty of the several articles of witchcraft and on 13 April between 2 pm and 4 pm they were taken to the Whitesands, strangled at stakes and their bodies burnt to ashes. The Young Pretender had his headquarters in Dumfries towards the end of 1745. £2,000 was demanded by the Prince, together with 1,000 pairs of brogues for his kilted Jacobite rebel army, which was camping in a field not one hundred yards distant. A rumour that the Duke of Cumberland was approaching, made Bonnie Prince Charlie decide to leave with his army, with only £1,000 and 255 pairs of shoes having been handed over. Robert Burns moved to Dumfries in 1791, living there until his death on 21 July 1796. On 14 October 1788 Inventor William Symington carried out a trial on Dalswinton Loch near Dumfries that demonstrated that a steam engine would work on a boat without the boat catching fire and Symington went on to become the builder of the first practical steamboat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumfries

Kings Arms Hotel was at 80 High Street https://canmore.org.uk/site/159520/dumfries-high-street-kings-arms-hotel

St Michael’s is a steepled church built of local sandstone, between 1741 and 1746. The churchyard itself is worth a visit due to its age, number and style of many of the gravestones. There is much of interest, both local and historical, to see within the church and churchyard. The poet Robert Burns, his wife and some members of his family are interred in an Italian style Mausoleum in the churchyard.

2010: Mausoleum of Robert Burns located in the yard of St Michael's Church, Dumfries by MSDMSD. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.Source. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Burns_Mausoleum,_Dumfries.jpg

This site is much visited by Burns fans from all over the world. The churchyard itself is worth a visit due to its age, number and style of many of the gravestones. https://scotlandschurchestrust.org.uk/church/st-michaels-and-south-parish-church-dumfries/ Burns Mausoleum was finished in September 1817, ready for Lucy’s visit https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/dumfries/burnsmausoleum/index.html

The Theatre Royal, Dumfries is considered to be the oldest Theatre in Scotland.

2007: A view of Shakespeare Street in Dumfries, showing the Theatre Royal and the spire of the old St Andrew's Cathedral. The rest of the cathedral was destroyed by a fire in 1962, and subsequently replaced by a modern church on the same site. Copyright by Contains Mild Peril and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shakespeare_St,_Dumfries.jpg

It was first opened in 1792, although the foundation stone was laid in 1790. Robert Burns helped promote fundraising by subscription to build a proper Theatre in the town. The Theatre was built at a cost of £800 and designed by local architect Thomas Boyd in a style said to have been based on that of the Theatre Royal, Bristol and the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh. http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/DumfriesTheatres.htm

Robert Burns, (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, the National Bard, Bard of Ayrshire and the Ploughman Poet and various other names and epithets, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a light Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.

1787: This half-length portrait of Burns at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery by Alexander Nasmyth, framed within an oval, has become the most well-known and widely reproduced image of the famous Scottish poet. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PG_1063Burns_Naysmithcrop.jpg

Nasmyth's painting, above, commissioned by the publisher William Creech, was to be engraved for a new edition of Burn's poems. He is shown fashionably dressed against a landscape, evoking his rural background in Alloway, Ayrshire. Burns and Nasmyth had become good friends, having been introduced to one another in Edinburgh by a mutual patron, Patrick Miller of Dalswinton. Nasmyth, pleased to have recorded Burns' likeness convincingly, decided to leave the painting in a slightly unfinished state.

Burns is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism, and a cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish diaspora around the world. Celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was chosen as the greatest Scot by the Scottish public in a vote run by Scottish television channel STV.

As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and "Scots Wha Hae" served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well known across the world today include "A Red, Red Rose", "A Man's a Man for A' That", "To a Louse", "To a Mouse", "The Battle of Sherramuir", "Tam o' Shanter" and "Ae Fond Kiss".ived here, in the house below, with his family from 1793 until his death in 1796.

Can you help us?

Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering one section today:

Lang) some ?burgundy? he would come and “?crach? with us a little” - Probably Scottish dialect? Help please!

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?

Please click here if you can help

15th August 1819, Carlisle, cathedral, bridge, castle, session house, evening service

Sunday 15th August 1819

August 15 we went to the Cathedral in the morning, the service is well performed the Cathedral is nice but not very striking part of it is converted into

a parish church the only one in Carlisle; we then inspected the objects worthy of notice which appears the bridge the Castle and the session house part of the castle have been rebuilt at different times Mary Queen of Scots was confined in one of the towers for nearly 2 years It was founded by William 2nd the session house and bridge are built by Smirke in the evening we again attended the Cathedral

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Carlisle Cathedral was begun in 1122, during the reign of King Henry I, as a community of Canons Regular, influenced by the ascetic practices of the Cistercians. Many large churches of Augustinian foundation were built in England during this period as the Archbishop of Canterbury, William de Corbeil, was a member of this order, but Carlisle is one of only four Augustinian churches in England to become a cathedral, most monastic cathedrals being Benedictine. The church was begun by Athelwold, an Englishman, who became the first prior. In 1133, the church was raised to the status of cathedral and Athelwold became the first Bishop of Carlisle.

1803: Carlisle Cathedral. Nth. Wt. Cumberland. Engraved by J Noble after R Carlisle, published Vernor & Hood, Poultry http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/14265

During the time of the English Civil War, a portion of the nave of the cathedral was demolished by the Scottish Presbyterian Army in order to use the stone to reinforce Carlisle Castle.

2014: The exterior of Carlisle Cathedral as viewed from the West by David Iliff and published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carlisle_Cathedral_Exterior,_Cumbria,_UK_-_Diliff.jpg

Between 1853 and 1870 Carlisle Cathedral was restored by Ewan Christian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle_Cathedral

Circa 1850: Carlisle Cathedral, Interior of the Choir. Llithograph published by Thomas Harris. Circa 1850.https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECarlisleCathIntLitho.JPG

2014: The interior of Carlisle Cathedral in Cumbria, England, viewed from the choir looking toward the altar by David Iliff and published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carlisle_Cathedral_Choir,_Cumbria,_UK_-_Diliff.jpg

The bridge over the River Eden was built in 1815 to a design by Sir Robert Smirke, with five long arches.

circa 1835: Carlisle from the North. Engraving by Francis after W. Westall. A.R.A. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECarlisleWW12a.jpg

2014: Photograph of Eden Bridge, Carlisle, Cumbria, England by Bobby Clegg. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Bobby Clegg and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eden_Bridge,_Carlisle.jpg

The width was doubled in 1932. https://www.visitcumbria.com/car/eden-bridge/

Carlisle Castle, still relatively intact, was built in 1092 by William Rufus, and once served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots.

1776: A View of the Castle of Carlisle, in Cumberland. Engraving from " A New Display of the Beauties of England, or A Description of the most elegant or magnificent Public edifices, Royal Palaces, Noblemen's and Gentlemen's Seats and other Curiosities..........". http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/13342 and https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECastleOfCarlisle17.jpg

2007: Carlisle Castle by Neil Boothman from Carlisle, United Kingdom. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carlisle_Castle_03.jpg

2007: Carlisle Castle Panorama by David P from Lancaster and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carlisle_Castle_Panorama.jpg

The castle now houses the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment and the Border Regiment Museum. Excavations have dated the Roman timber fort constructed at the site of present Carlisle Castle to the winter of AD 73, Until 400, the Roman occupation fluctuated in importance. At one time, it broke off from Rome when Marcus Carausius assumed power over the territory. He was assassinated and suffered damnatio memoriae, but a surviving reference to him has been uncovered in Carlisle. Coins excavated in the area suggest that Romans remained in Carlisle until the reign of Emperor Valentinian II, from 375 to 392. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle_Castle

Session House: There is no specific reference to the Session House, but Joseph Massey, Curator of The Wordsworth Trust and Tullie House., in Carlisle’s Historic Buildings refers to Smirke: “The Citadel was in poor condition by the early 19th century and so it was rebuilt to the plans of Robert Smirke.

1803: The Citadel at Carlisle, Cumberland. Engraving by T. Noble after R. Carlisle. Published in 1803. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECitadelCarlisleBeau11.jpg

J. Noble’s engraving of 1803 (above) shows the old Citadel in its dilapidated but romantic state, while Edward Finden’s engraving of 1828 shows the new Citadel, built in the Gothic style to maintain a connection to the previous building and which still survives today.” https://wordsworth.org.uk/blog/2016/02/09/carlisles-historic-buildings/

2008: The Court Buildings, Carlisle. Photograph by Bill Henderson. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Bill Henderson and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.w:en:Creative Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Court_Buildings,_Carlisle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_

According to Wikipedia, “these buildings were originally the gates at the south eastern end of the City Wall of Carlisle.”

Visit Cumbria has an excellent article on Smirkes’ contribution to Cumbrian architecture https://www.visitcumbria.com/robert-smirke/.

A record of listed buildings shows a picture of the citadel and states: “The court replaces the west tower of the Citadel and was rebuilt by Robert Smirke.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listed_buildings_in_Carlisle,_Cumbria.

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?

Please click here if you can help

14th August 1819, Carlisle

Saturday 14th August 1819

Saturday August 14th We dined at Wigton and then left this pretty town for Carlisle where we arrived at 9 o’clock Fish Inn is good.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Carlisle is marked by its status as a Roman settlement, established to serve the forts on Hadrian's Wall. During the Middle Ages, because of its proximity to the Kingdom of Scotland, Carlisle became an important military stronghold; The introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution began a process of socioeconomic transformation in Carlisle, which developed into a densely populated mill town.

1832: Carlisle. Engraving by R. Sands after T. Allom. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECarlisleTA13.jpg

circa 1850: Carlisle. Engraving by J. Harwood, 26 Fenchurch Street. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECarlisleJH18.jpg

1827: S. E. view of the City of Carlisle. Engraving by Tombleson after G.F. Robson. Published by J. Britton, Burton Street.https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECityCarlisleSE13.jpg

circa 1830: Carlisle. Engraving by J. Walker after W. Turner. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECarlisleJWalker12.jpg

In the early 19th century textile mills, engineering works and food manufacturers built factories in the city mostly in the Denton Holme, Caldewgate and Wapping suburbs in the Caldew Valley. These included Carr's of Carlisle, Kangol, Metal Box and Cowans Sheldon. Shaddon Mill, in Denton Holme, became famous for having the world’s 8th tallest chimney and was the largest cotton mill in England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle and http://www.localhistories.org/carlisle.html

Fish Inn: No inn of this name has been located. To Lucy it was a “good” Inn

Can you help us?

Fish Inn: Any information on the Fish Inn would be appreciated.

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?

Please click here if you can help

13th August 1819, Whitehaven, Coal mines, Cockermouth, Castle, Wigton, St Marys church

Friday 13th August 1819

Friday, August 13 we left Calderbridge and breakfasted at Whitehaven a fine Seaport there is a famous Inn here which we enjoyed excessively we walked to the Coal Mines

which are very extensive my brothers descended into the mine they describe it as well worth seeing at 6 o’clock we started for Cockermouth and having taken tea we inspected the Castle supposed to have been built during the conquest part of it is now inhabited by Lord Egremont it stands on an artificial eminence and is a fine mansion then left Cockermouth for Wigton where we arrived a little before 11 o’clock it is a pretty town with a good church the Inn the (the Kings Arms) is excellent.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Whitehaven was settled by Irish-Norse Vikings in the 10th century. The modern growth of Whitehaven started with the purchase by Sir Christopher Lowther of the Whitehaven estate in 1630 and the subsequent development of the port and the mines. In 1634 he built a stone pier providing shelter and access for shipping, enabling the export of coal from the Cumberland Coalfield, particularly to Ireland, which was a key event in the growth of the town, which rapidly grew from a small fishing village to an industrial port. His son, Sir John, (1642-1706), developed the town of Whitehaven, its coal industry and the trade with Ireland. He oversaw the rise of Whitehaven from a small fishing village (at his birth it consisted of some fifty houses and a population of about 250) to a planned town three times the size of Carlisle. At his death the 'port of Whitehaven' had 77 registered vessels, totalling about four thousand tons, and was exporting over 35,000 tons of coal a year. Below is the plan of Whitehaven’s development prepared by Matthias Read for Sir John Lowther in 1730.

1730: Matthias Read view of Whitehaven, Cumberland showing the planned town of Sir John Lowther, showing Flatt Hall. 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:Matthias_Read_-_Whitehaven,_Cumbria,_Showing_Flatt_Hall_-_Google_Art_Project_enhanced.jpg

Whitehaven's growing prosperity was also based on tobacco. By 1685, there were ships regularly bringing tobacco from the British colonies of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania in America, and by the early 18th century about 10% of England's tobacco imports passed through Whitehaven. By the middle of the 18th century it was the second or third port in England for tobacco imports. The tobacco was then sold in the domestic market or re-exported to Ireland, France and Holland, etc. However, after the Acts of Union 1707 uniting England with Scotland, and thereby abolishing excise between them, the port of Glasgow began to take over Whitehaven's tobacco trade, leading to the later creation of Glasgow's Tobacco Lords. To replace the tobacco trade Whitehaven turned to importing sugar from Barbados, cotton wool from Antigua and coffee and cocoa from St Lucia. There is little evidence to suggest that Whitehaven was involved in the slave trade. Due to the coal trade Whitehaven was, after London, the second port of England in terms of tonnage of shipping from 1750 to 1772.

1814-1825: Whitehaven - Aquatint engraving by William Daniell from his greatest artistic work as an aquatint engraver " A Voyage Round Great Britain" , which contains 308 aquatint prints. Published between 1814 and 1825. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/Dani11Whitehaven.jpg

Even by 1835 Whitehaven was still the fifth placed port, with 443 ships registered, but by the end of the 19th century only 68 vessels were registered.

1835: Whitehaven, Cumberland. Engraving by T. Jeavons after G. Pickering. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEWhitehavenTA12.jpg

circa 1840: Whitehaven, (with St. Bees Head.) Engraving by J.C. Redway after W.H. Bartlett. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEWhitehavenWHB12.jpg

During the 19th century the port of Whitehaven was overtaken by Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow, as they had better deep water dock facilities, and were closer to large centres of population and industry. The huge development of a national railway network had also reduced Whitehaven's 18th century competitive advantage of having coal extracted very close to a harbour for shipment by sea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehaven

Which was the Famous Inn? The Inns of Whitehaven were numerous. Alan Routledge lists 131 Inns between 1831 and 1958 with 134 public houses by the end of the 18th century. Most would have been for the seafarers, the majority with seafaring names, but Routledge does claim that the George Inn was built around 1695 as the oldest purpose built hotel. Perhaps this was the Inn which Lucy enjoyed excessively as it might have been better suited to the taste of the Coplands. For the fascinating study by Alan Routledge see http://www.whitehaven.org.uk/pubs.html

Whitehaven Coalmines: The earliest reference to coal mining in the Whitehaven area is in the time of Prior Langton (1256–82) of St Bees Priory, concerning the coal mines at Arrowthwaite. St Bees Priory was dissolved in 1539, and the lands and mineral rights passed to secular owners. Such workings were small-scale and near the surface, using adits and bell pits. But the Lowther family later developed and dominated the coal industry in Whitehaven from the mid-17th century to the early 20th century.

Sir John Lowther (1642–1706), and after him Sir James (1673–1755), had concerns that there were few reserves of economically retrievable coal under dry land. They felt that exploration under the sea was necessary, but this carried the risk of flooding. In 1712 Sir James’s manager John Spedding urged him to consider pumping by steam, and in 1715 he became one of the earliest customers for the newly-invented Newcomen engine. Spedding concluded that such an engine would drain a flooded pit in two-thirds the time that horse gins would take, and would do so at a quarter of the cost. Consequently a small (17-inch diameter cylinder) Engine No. 5, built by Thomas Newcomen and John Calley, was erected. It was so successful that in 1727 Lowther bought an additional pumping engine. With this proven method of pumping Lowther was able to exploit the coal measures under the sea by sinking a pit at Saltom on land below the cliffs south of the harbour, to a depth of 456 ft (138m). The pit was officially opened in May 1732 with great celebration. Spedding had charge of the design and construction, and successfully sank only the second sub-sea pit in Britain. It was reported that 'A shaft twelve foot by ten had been sunk seventy-seven fathoms (the deepest a pit had been sunk in any part of Europe) to a three-yard thick coal seam (the Main Band) in twenty-three months, using thirty barrels of gunpowder, and without any loss of life or limb by the workforce'. Below are the remains of the Saltom mine, to which the Coplands would have walked and into which Lucy’s brothers descended, describing it as “well worth seeing”.

2007: Saltom Pit in Whitehaven by MyWhitehaven and released into the public domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Saltom_Pit_in_Whitehaven.jpg

Saltom Pit ceased working coal in 1848, and is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SM 27801) and is the best known surviving example of an 18th-century colliery layout. Evidence of the shaft, horse gin, stable, winding engine house, boiler house and chimney, cottages, cart roads and retaining walls, all survive. Coal excavated from Saltom Pit was raised by horse gin to the surface, then transported by tramway through a tunnel to Ravenhill Pit for lifting to the cliff top. Saltom Pit was used as a central pumping station, draining many of the other local mines via a drift driven in the 1790s, and continued in use long after it had ceased to work coal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehaven

Industrial history of Cumbria, in their excellent article at http://www.cumbria-industries.org.uk/a-z-of-industries/coal/, note that: “Throughout their history the coal mines of West Cumberland, and in particular those in the Whitehaven area, were plagued with firedamp (CH4), and as greated depths were reached the problem of ventilation became critical. Accumulations of gas precipitated explosions which killed or maimed the colliers and seriously damaged the underground workings. To the employer the damage done to the mines was more important than the loss of life.”

Cockermouth: The regenerated market place is now a central historical focus within the town and reflects events during its 800-year history. It has a distinctive medieval layout, of a broad main street of burgesses' houses, each with a burgage plot stretching to a "back lane": the Derwent bank on the north and Back Lane (now South Street), on the south and the layout is largely preserved, leading the British Council for Archaeology to say in 1965 that it was worthy of special care in preservation and development.

1832: Cockermouth. Engraved by R Sands after Thomas Allom and published in Westmorland, Cumberland, Durham & Northumberland Illustrated by Fisher, Son & Co. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/12005

Wordsworth House, the birthplace of William Wordsworth, has been restored following extensive damage during the November 2009 floods, and features a working 18th-century kitchen and children's bedroom with toys and clothes of the times. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockermouth

Cockermouth Castle: The first castle on this site was built by the Normans in 1134. Some of the stone was sourced from the Roman site of Derventio. Significant additions were made in the 13th and 14th centuries. The castle played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses, and in the Civil War, when it was badly damaged. Various magnates held the castle, most prominently the Percy Earls of Northumberland from the 15th to 17th centuries.

1807: Cockermouth Castle. Drawn & Engraved by John Hassell, from the Hassell's Antiquities series. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/13207

It passed to the Wyndham family, the current owners, in the 18th century. The castle was the home of the dowager Lady Egremont until her death in 2013. It is partly inhabited and is mainly in good condition, but some of the ruined structures are decaying, resulting in their inclusion on the Heritage at Risk register. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockermouth_Castle

2005: Cockermouth Castle by Humphrey Bolton. On a site by the junction of the Rivers Cocker and Derwent. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Humphrey Bolton and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cockermouth_Castle.jpg

Lord Egremont was possibly in residence at the time, since the Coplands visited in the month of August.

George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wyndham,_3rd_Earl_of_Egremont

Until the beginning of the 19th century the castle was rarely visited by its owners. In 1802-5 Lord Egremont decided to live at the castle every July and August, and built some residential rooms along the north wall of the outer bailey and a stable block along the south wall. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1013333

Wigton is an ancient settlement and evolved from a pre-medieval street plan, which can still be traced today. Although the town's layout is generally anglian or medieval, its architecture is mainly in the 18th century Georgian style which remains largely intact.

Below: Opposite the elaborate 19th Century fountain erected in 1872 by George Moore of Whitehall in Mealsgate (in memory of his wife) and to the right of the picture is the Kings Arms which Lucy heralded as “excellent”

2005: The Monument, Wigton, by Nigel Monckton. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Nigel Monckton and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Monument,_Wigton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_60406.jpg

Melvyn Bragg, writer and broadcaster, was born and lived his early life in the town and, when raised to the peerage, took Lord Bragg of Wigton as his title. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wigton

St Mary’s Church dates from 1788, and is based on the design of St Michael’s Church Workington. It replaces an earlier Church, which incorporated a Pele Tower added in 1330 to a church built in 1100. https://www.visitcumbria.com/wc/wigton-st-marys-church/

Kings Arms: Listed building alongside 5 Market Place – It was boarded up at the time of the photograph below.-

2008: Kings Arms Hotel, Wigton by Alexander P Kapp. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Alexander P Kapp and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kings_Arms_Hotel,_Wigton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_806983.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listed_buildings_in_Wigton

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?

Please click here if you can help

12th August 1819, Braithwaite, Sty Head, Wastwater, Skrees, Calder Abbey

Thursday 12th August 1819

Thursday August 12th We breakfasted at Braithwaite a small village in Borrowdale & then proceeded mounted on ponies for the Sty head excursion; as we advanced we entered deeper into the valley where immense mountains reared their lofty heads as if unwilling that we should proceed. However by a turn to the right a new extent of valley laid before as the mountains here continually change their way, which it would be endless to mention there is a small lake here famous for large trout passing by a different road

which the clouds almost prevented us seeing we arrived at the Sty head we waited for a considerable time in hoping that the clouds would break our wish however not being gratified we began leading our ponies down the mountain the road being too bad to ride as we descended we obtained a most extensive view of the country we continued descending in this manner for nearly two miles the views gradually becoming more clear and the craggy mountains which before were grand now became truly beautiful soon after we arrived at Wastwater a lake 4 miles in extent encompassed by heroic rocks the depth of this lake is unfathomable on the left is a ?good? range of mountains called the Skrees which appear as if jutting into the lake which

is frequently the case after passing the lakes the country became very flat we took a little refreshment at a small village and arrived at Calderbridge to dinner after dining we walked to Calder abbey situated close to the mansion of the Miss Hobhouses whose father destroyed great part of the Abbey to take the materials for his own convenience he however died suddenly and his daughters are anxious for its preservation and it now remains unmolested it was erected by the monks of Furness in the same style of architecture.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Braithwaite is situated around Coledale Beck, a brook which joins Newlands Beck shortly after passing through the village. Newlands Beck (coming from the Newlands Valley) then flows north towards Bassenthwaite Lake. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braithwaite

2008: Trees and pasture, Braithwaite by Andrew Smith. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Andrew Smith and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Above_Derwent_-_Braithwaite.jpg

Borrowdale is a valley admired by journalist Simon Jenkins who rates the view of Borrowdale from Castle Crag looking towards Derwentwater as one of the top ten in England (see the foot of his article at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/countryside/10341432/Our-glorious-land-in-peril.html )

1837: Castle Crag, Borrowdale, from the village of Grange, Cumberland. Engraving by J.C. Bentley after T. Allom https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECastleCrag.JPG

Sometime before 1565 (some sources say as early as 1500), a major deposit of graphite was discovered near the Seathwaite hamlet in Borrowdale parish. The locals found that it was useful for marking sheep. The graphite was pure and solid, and it could easily be sawed into sticks; the pencil industry was born in nearby Keswick. The graphite find remains unique.

1815: The Grange in Borrowdale. Engraving by J Scott after Joseph Farringdon, published by T Cadell & W Davies http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/6895

In the first of Sir Hugh Walpole's series of four novels Rogue Herries about the Herries family, Borrowdale is the site of a fictional house called Herries, the home of Francis Herries, the protagonist of the novel. Subsequent novels in the series are also largely set in Borrowdale. The valley and its surrounding mountains are described in sympathetic detail. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borrowdale

2005: Rosthwaite and Borrowdale Valley by Steve Mason. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Steve Mason and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

2008: Derwent Water in Borrowdale at dusk by Skier Dude at the English language Wikipedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Borrowdale_at_dusk.jpg

Wast Water (or Wastwater) is a lake located in Wasdale, a valley in the western part of the Lake District. It is almost 3 miles long and more than one-third mile wide. It is the deepest lake in England at 258 feet. The surface of the lake is about 200 feet above sea level, while its bottom is over 50 feet below sea level. It is owned by the National Trust.

2006: Looking towards Wasdale Head by Peter Moore. The Uploader was Amatire at English Wikipedia. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Amatire. This applies worldwide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wast_Water#/media/File:Wast_water.jpeg

In 1976, The Wasdale Lady in the Lake, Margaret Hogg, was murdered by her husband and her body was disposed of in the lake. She was found after eight years, with her body preserved like wax. In February 2005 it was reported that a "gnome garden" complete with picket fence had been placed in the lake as a point of interest for divers to explore. It was removed from the bottom of Wastwater after three divers died in the late 1990s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wast_Water

2009: Wastwater, Yewbarrow and Great Gable A rare calm Autumn day by Andy Stephenson. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Andy Stephenson and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wastwater,_Yewbarrow_and_Great_Gable_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1546772.jpg

Wastwater Screes ( or “The Screes”) are the steep slopes on the south-eastern side of the lake, leading up to the summits of Whin Rigg and Illgill Head. These screes formed as a result of ice and weathering erosion on the rocks of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, that form the fells to the east of the lake, towards Eskdale. They are approximately 2,000 feet, from top to base, the base being about 200 feet below the surface of the lake. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wast_Water

2015: The Screes Wasdale, Cumbria by Dougsim, the copyright holder of this work. It is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wasdale_screes.jpg

Calder Bridge (also Calderbridge) is a hamlet around 1 mile northeast from the Sellafield nuclear plant. Calder Abbey, which lies by the River Calder just northeast of Calder Bridge, is a picturesque ruin adjoining Calder Abbey House, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calder_Bridge

2003: Calder Bridge, Ponsonby / St Bridget Beckermet by Humphrey Bolton. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Humphrey Bolton and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calder_Bridge,_Ponsonby_-_St_Bridget_Beckermet_-_geograph.org.uk_-_40996.jpg

Two parish names are listed in the photograph, above, (Ponsonby / St Bridget Beckermet) because the view crosses the river and the parish boundary. The Stanley Arms is on the right.

Calder Abbey was founded in 1134 by Ranulph de Meschines, Lord of Copeland, for a colony of monks from Furness Abbey, originally as a Benedictine monastery. Only four years after its foundation, in the midst of the political instability following the death of Henry I, David King of Scots sent Scottish raiders under William Fitz Duncan to raid the northern English counties. Calder Abbey was one of the victims, and the Scots raided they despoiled the Abbey and drove out the monks. This, and the poor endowment, led the monks to abandon the site, and they sought sanctuary at Furness Abbey. However, as Abbot Gerold would not resign his abbacy, a dispute arose and they were obliged to leave. They started a wandering life, first to Hood near Thirsk, then to Old Byland, near Rievaulx Abbey, and finally to Stocking where they finally settled and built the great Byland Abbey. However, the monks were worried that Furness would continue to exercise control, and after Gerold travelled to Sauvigny in France to put his case, they were released from the jurisdiction of Furness in 1142.

1811:Calder Abbey, Cumberland. Engraving by Angus after Grose. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECalderAbbeyBeau11.jpg

Meanwhile, back at Calder, a second attempt at colonisation was made from Furness in about 1142 under Abbot Hardred, and this time they had the protection of Fitz Duncan. The Sauvigniac order became Cisterian in 1148 when the two orders were amalgamated, and Calder likewise was obliged to follow.By 1180 a stone church had been built of which the west door is the main survivor today. Most of the rest of building was rebuilt in 1220 in the early English style by Thomas de Multon of Egremont.

2007: Calder Abbey, Cumbria, by JohnArmagh, the copyright holder of this work, who has released this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CalderAbbey.JPG

The house was not rich, in 1535 the annual net income was only £50. At the Dissolution, the only recorded relic in the monastery's possession was that of a girdle (a belt) claimed to have belonged to the Virgin Mary. In 1535 an unfavourable report was made against the abbey and its community by the King's commissioners (though their views are often suspected to be biased and dubiously motivated). The abbey was surrendered in 1536 by the last abbot, Richard Ponsonby.

2004: Calder Abbey, from the air by Simon Ledingham. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Simon Ledingham and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calder_Abbey,_Cumbria_-_geograph.org.uk_-_54489.jpg

The Abbey has been described as one of the most enchanting in the British Isles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calder_Abbey For More photographs and details see: https://www.visitcumbria.com/wc/calderbridge-calder-abbey-ruins/

Calder Abbey Mansion is attached to the abbey ruins, and built on part of the original abbey site. The house is not open to the public, and is privately owned, however it may be possible for organised groups of people to visit the abbey mansion. Contact the estate manager for more information. https://www.visitcumbria.com/wc/calderbridge-calder-abbey-ruins/

Calder Abbey Mansion from the Visit Cumbria web page: https://www.visitcumbria.com/wc/calderbridge-calder-abbey-ruins/

Can you help us?

Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering one section today:

is a ?good? range of mountains called the Skrees which appear as if jutting into the lake which appear as Help please! The word “good” is weak and not really appropriate - could it be something else … or is Lucy just tired?

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?

Please click here if you can help

11th August 1819, Keswick, Mr Hutton’s Museum

Wednesday 11th August 1819

We remained at Keswick all day & inspected Mr Hatton’s museum filled with beautiful & curious things.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Sadly we have been unable to find any record of Mr Hatton or his collection.

GREAT NEWS:

We have been directed by a reader to the following information on Mr Thomas Hutton’s Museum, at https://www.johndobson.info/Tourists/NumberedPages/Page_29.php . We hope to be able to add to the fascinating information described in this link. It appears that not all visitors were as enthusiastic about the museum as Lucy! In her 1810 diary, one described his establishment as “second rate”.

https://www.johndobson.info/Tourists/NumberedPages/Page_29.php

Can you help us?

Mr Hatton, Regency Period Guide with his own “museum”: We would really love to know more about Mr Hatton, who guided the Coplands on several occasions during their stay. Many thanks to Andrew Burr who referred us to the information, above.

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?

Please click here if you can help

10th August 1819, Pooley Bridge, Ullswater, Patterdale, Keswick

Tuesday 10th August 1819

Tuesday August 10th We left Penrith early & breakfasted at Pooley Bridge where we found a boat for rowing down Ulswater the beautiful scenery emerged as we proceeded; this lake is nine miles long & appears divided into three separate lakes each decidedly different in scenery the south end is awfully grand we dined at the comfortable Inn at Patterdale & returned by the lake to Pooley Bridge where we proceeded

to Keswick in the carriage.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Ullswater is the second largest lake in the Lake District. Wordsworth was inspired to write his famous poem Daffodils after seeing daffodils growing on the shores of Ullswater on his journey back to Grasmere. Wordsworth once wrote of "Ullswater, as being, perhaps, upon the whole, the happiest combination of beauty and grandeur, which any of the Lakes affords”

1784: Ulleswater by Samuel Middiman after G Barrett. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/14227

Lucy has inscribed the facing page of this sketch North End of Ullswater Augt 16 1819, Cumberland. As elsewhere in her sketchbook she has written up the caption in ink, rubbing out the pencilled date. She has probably misread the pencilled “0” as a clearly inscribed “6”. This view is impressive …. but she records that the South end is awfully grand

1825: The English Lakes by John Parker from Selected views from a sketchbook (36 drawings) in the collection of the National Library of Wales. 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:DV342_Ullswater_from_above_Pattersdale.png

It is a typical Lake District narrow "ribbon lake" formed after the last ice age when a glacier scooped out the valley floor and when the glacier retreated, the deepened section filled with meltwater which became a lake. A total of three separate glaciers formed the lake. The surrounding mountains give Ullswater the shape of a stretched 'Z' with three distinct segments (or 'reaches') that wind their way through the surrounding hills, as Lucy noted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ullswater

2002: Ullswater, Silver Point, by Carl Bendelow. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Carl Bendelow and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

Ullswater is a great lake for sailing and has a regular ferry service operated by Ullswater Steamers (see picture above) .There is a fabulous YouTube video showing aerial drone footage of the Ullswater Way hosted by Friends of the Ullswater Way (http://www.ullswaterway.co.uk) by Charlie Watson of the Pooley Bridge Post Office. For more information on the Ullswater Way please visit their website. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=S6uspmkUbcU

Comfortable Inn at Petterdale: The White Lion website tells us that: “Visitors and local people have enjoyed the hospitality of the White lion since the early 1800's. Many a tale could be told of events that have taken place in all its lifetime, including the time when Wordsworth was in our very bar as news arrived that Nelson had died at Trafalgar”. http://www.coast2coast.co.uk/thewhitelioninn/ The image below is from their website. Since Wordsworth was there in 1805, it is highly likely that this was the Inn at which Lacy and her family dined and found comfortable.

http://www.coast2coast.co.uk/thewhitelioninn/

Patterdale (Saint Patrick's Dale) is considered to be a walkers' valley, and Alfred Wainwright stated that it was his favourite valley in the Lake District as it is relatively undisturbed by tourism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterdale

2012: Hartsop and the Patterdale valley seen from Hartsop Dodd by Ericoides and published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hartsop_3.JPG

1849: Ulleswater near Potterdale. Engraving by JK. Harwood. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEUllswaterPotterdale.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?

Please click here if you can help

9th August 1819, Pooley Bridge, Lowther Castle, Penrith, St Andrews church, Giant’s Legs

Monday 9th August 1819

Monday August 9th Having breakfasted we started for Pooley bridge 16 miles the road was not very striking Hatton accompanying us the Inn is comfortable though small. At Pooley bridge we took some refreshment & proceeded through a very fine park to the noble residence of Ld Lowther the architect is Mr Smirke it is built in the Castle Gothic style & not yet completed the entrance

hall & staircase are very fine a balcony runs round it beautifully & incased with flowers the salon is a fine room & the whole has an appearance of great comfort but is not to be compared to Ld Grovenors the pleasure grounds are not finished but there are very pretty walks shadowed by fine trees; we next proceeded to Penrith a pretty town with an excellent Inn after dinner we walked to the ruins of the Castle built in the time of Edward the 4th Richard the 3rd resided here when Earl of Gloucester it was destroyed in the time of the Commonwealth the exterior walls only remain the entrance

is by a drawbridge; we then walked to the Church where there are some curious stones said to be Giant legs but according to Bishop Littleton’s opinion were erected to the memory of Ewain Cæsarius he being a warrior of gigantic size who reigned in the time of Athelstan

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Pooley Bridge village takes its name from a bridge over the River Eamont at the northern end of Ullswater.

2010: Pooley Bridge by Peter McDermott. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Peter McDermott and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pooley_Bridge_(geograph_1822495).jpg

The bridge, erected in 1764 and replacing an earlier bridge from the 16th century was washed away in the 6 December 2015 floods https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pooley_Bridge A YouTube video records the destruction https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=41&v=C4v7Kn0vuOU

Inns: There were three inns, the Sun and the Crown, which still exist, and the Sloop, which has disappeared. The Pooley Inn, formerly the Chalet, was much later. http://www.cwherald.com/a/archive/history-of-pooley-bridge.231990.html

Sun Inn: A photo of the Sun below, from their website, which declares: Converted from a row of cottages in the 1700’s and recently refurbished, we offer a range of ensuite accommodation options, including double, twin and single rooms. Some of our rooms are dog-friendly so your beloved four legged friend can join you on your Lake District adventures. https://suninnpooleybridge.co.uk/

Photograph from the Sun Inn website, https://suninnpooleybridge.co.uk/gallery/

Crown Inn: A photo of the Crown below, from their website, which declares: Here, in our 17th-century coaching inn you’ll find low beams, big smiles and hearty food and drink. A crackling fire. Cosy guest rooms for a rest. A sun terrace, all modern and bright and a river running past. https://www.crownpooleybridge.co.uk/explore/about-us/

From The Crown Inn Pooley Bridge website: https://www.crownpooleybridge.co.uk/gallery/

William Lowther 1st Earl of Lonsdale was about 52 years old when he built Lowther Castle. His cousin, Sir James Lowther had a rather disreputable history. He incurred a large debt to the father of William Wordsworth and refused to pay it despite numerous requests from the family. When Sir James Lowther died in 1802 and William inherited his fortune he immediately refunded the money to the Wordsworth family with interest.

circa 1830: William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale by Jacob Thompson. Image from Christies auctions http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/jacob-thompson-portrait-of-william-1st-earl-5177686-details.aspx. 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:William_Lowther_1st_Earl_of_Lonsdale.jpg

He also befriended William Wordsworth and assisted him financially. Wordsworth frequently stayed at Lowther Castle as many of his published letters are written from there. Wordsworth wrote several poems for William. Part of his verse about Lowther Castle is as follows: "Lowther! in thy majestic Pile are seen/Cathedral pomp and grace in apt accord/With the baronial castle’s sterner mien" Lady Augusta Lonsdale, William’s wife, was also a patron of the arts and she kept an album in which some of the poets visiting Lowther Castle wrote verse.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Augusta_Countess_of_Lonsdale.jpg

Wordsworth wrote a long poem in her honour in the album which has been included in his published works. Robert Southey was also a frequent visitor at the Castle and he too wrote in Lady Lonsdale's album. A verse he composed about Lowther Castle is as follows: "Lowther! have I beheld thy stately walls,/Thy pinnacles, and broad embattled brow,/And hospitable halls./The sun those wide spread battlements shall crest,/And silent years unharming shall go by,/Till centuries in their course invest/Thy towers with sanctity." The Earl and Countess also encouraged artists to visit Lowther Castle. The most famous of these was Joseph Turner. He painted the recently acquired work called “Lowther Castle – Evening” which hangs in the Bowes Museum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowther_Castle BELOW:

1810: Lowther Castle - Evening. Painting by JMW Turner. Source: http://artdaily.com/news/61431/J-M-W-Turner-painting--Lowther-Castle---Evening--added-to-the-Bowes-Museum-s-permanent-collection#.UtOB_SF9Kpp. 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 100 years or less. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lowther_Castle_-_Evening_by_Turner_1810.jpg

Lowther Castle, then known as Lowther Hall, was rebuilt on a grand scale in the late 17th century by John Lowther, 1st Viscount Lonsdale. The current building, a castellated mansion, was built by Robert Smirke for William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale between 1806 and 1814, and it was only at that time that it was designated a "castle". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowther_Castle

2015: Lowther Castle by Richard Szwejkowski. Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/68112440@N07/21084472269/in/photolist-7UZUtT-y8ar2X- This image was originally posted to Flickr by Richard Szwejkowski at https://flickr.com/photos/68112440@N07/21084472269. It was reviewed on 22 May 2016 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-sa-2.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LowtherCastle.jpg

Lowther Castle, from Morris's Seats, Published by Mackenzie (circa 1880) http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/22253

circa 1830: Lowther Castle & Park, Westmorland. Engraving by W. Le Petit after T. Allom. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SELowtherCastleParkTA15.jpg

Sir Robert Smirke was Lucy’s cousin through her paternal grandmother, née Barbara Smirke. A number of his works were built by Lucy’s father, Alexander Copland.

Biography extracted from Wikipedia: Smirke was born in London on 1 October 1780, the second son of the portrait painter Robert Smirke; he was one of twelve children. He attended Aspley School, Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire, where he studied Latin, Greek, French and drawing, and was made head boy at the age of 15. In May 1796 he began his study of architecture as a pupil of John Soane but left after only a few months in early 1797 due to a personality clash with his teacher. He wrote to his father: He (Soane) was on Monday morning in one of his amiable Tempers. Everything was slovenly that I was doing. My drawing was slovenly because it was too great a scale, my scale, also, being too long, and he finished saying the whole of it was excessively slovenly, and that I should draw it out again on the back not to waste another sheet about it. In 1796, he also began his studies at the Royal Academy winning the Silver Medal that year, also winning the same year the Silver Palette of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce. He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Academy in 1799 for his design for a National Museum. After leaving Soane he depended on George Dance the Younger and a surveyor called Thomas Bush for his architectural training. In 1801, accompanied by his elder brother Richard he embarked on a Grand Tour which would last until 1805. His itinerary can be followed by the series of letters he wrote: Brussels, Paris (in order to visit which the brothers had to disguise themselves as Americans as Britain was at war with France at the time), Berlin, Potsdam, Prague, Dresden, Vienna. He visited Italy, including, Florence, Venice, Padua, Genoa, Vicenza, Rome, Naples, and Sicily, then went on to Greece, seeing Corinth, Athens, Delphi, Thebes and Olympia. His experience of Athens was to influence him heavily and he became one of the leaders of the Greek Revival Architecture movement.

His first official appointment came in 1807 when he was made architect to the Royal Mint. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy on 7 November 1808, and a full Academician on 11 February 1811, his diploma work consisting of a drawing of a reconstruction of the Acropolis of Athens. He only ever exhibited five works at the Academy, the last in 1810. Smirke's relations with Soane reached a new low after the latter, who had been appointed Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy, heavily criticised Smirke's design for the Covent Garden Opera House in his fourth lecture on 29 January 1810. [His Cousin, Alexander Copland was the builder of the Covent Garden Opera House] Together with John Nash and Sir John Soane, he became an official architect to the Office of Works in 1813 (an appointment he held until 1832) at a salary of £500 per annum, thereby reaching the height of the profession. In 1819 he was made surveyor of the Inner Temple. In 1820, he was made surveyor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and also in 1820 he became treasurer to the Royal Academy. He was knighted in 1832, and received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1853.

2014: Bust of Sir Robert Smirke, British Museum. Author Stephencdickson. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bust_of_Sir_Robert_Smirke,_British_Museum.jpg

The rapid rise of Smirke was due to political patronage. He was a Tory at a time when this party was in the ascendant. His friends at the Royal Academy such as Sir Thomas Lawrence, George Dance, Benjamin West and Joseph Farington were able to introduce him to patrons such as: John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn; Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville; Sir George Beaumont, 7th Baronet; George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen; Francis Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford; Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst; John 'Mad Jack' Fuller and William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale. These politicians and aristocrats ensured his rapid advancement and several were to commission buildings from Smirke themselves. Thomas Leverton Donaldson described Smirke as able to please "Men whom it was proverbially impossible to please". His patron at Lowther Castle William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale said he was "ingenious, modest and gentlemanly in his manners". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smirke_(architect)

Penrith is a market town on the Roman road from Manchester to Carlisle.

2008: The Market Square at Penrith, Cumbria, by Nick Mutton, from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Nick Mutton and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Market_Square,_Penrith.jpg

The Roman fort of Voreda occupied the site now known as Old Penrith, five miles north of the town https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penrith,_Cumbria

The Crown Inn has been part of the community since 1770 and much of the building is original including the front door- http://www.thecrown-hotel.co.uk/ This is probably where Lucy stayed

Penrith Castle was built between 1399 and 1470 as a defence against Scottish raids. In 1460, Richard, Earl of Warwick, the 'Kingmaker,' inherited the Castle and Lordship, but was himself slain at the Battle of Barnet without leaving a male heir, so they reverted to the crown. They were granted in 1471 to Richard, Duke of Gloucester by King Edward IV, who used Penrith as a base whilst 'taking effectual measures' against the Scots.

1806: Penrith Castle, Artist and Engraver John Hassell, from the Hassell's Antiquities series. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/13222

2008: Penrith Castle, Cumbria. Photograph by Clintheacock66 at the English language Wikipedia and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Penrith_Castle_2.JPG

The castle is maintained by English Heritage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penrith_Castle

St. Andrew's Church, Penrith; The tower dates from the 12th and 13th centuries.

2009: The tower of St Andrew's Church Penrith, by Paul Farmer. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Paul Farmer and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_tower_of_St_Andrew%27s_Church_Penrith_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1561838.jpg

The rest of the church, together with the west doorway, was rebuilt in 1721–72, when the diagonal buttresses were added to the tower. The brass chandeliers were given to the church in 1745 by the 2nd Duke of Portland in recognition of the part the town played in the defence against the Young Pretender. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Andrew%27s_Church,_Penrith

The 'Giants Grave' is where it is believed that Owen Cæsarius, king of Cumbria between 900 and 937 AD was buried. It is a collection of ancient grave stones comprising two 11' high stone crosses and four hog-back stones. An excavation of the 'Giants Grave' showed a skeleton underneath with a sword. The four hog-back stones surrounding the grave are said to represent wild boar he killed in nearby Inglewood Forest. http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=11012

circa 1835: The Giant's Grave in the churchyard at Penrith, Cumbria, England. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Penrith1835.jpg

2006: Giants Grave. Graveyard St. Andrews Church Penrith by wfmillar. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by wfmillar and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giants_Grave._-_geograph.org.uk_-_243538.jpg

Bishop Luttleton: His opinion is quoted in Archaeologia: “Whatever, therefore this pillar (the Giant’s Thumb) may be, the Giant’s Grave is undoubtedly a sepulchral monument; but whether it is British, Roman, Saxon, or Danish is the question. That it is much too rude to be the work of the Romans, is evident; and with regard to the Saxons, I know of no monument of this kind remaining in England which was ever attributed to this people. It must then be either British or Danish”. After describing the British monuments of the neighbourhood, he says: “Its being denominated the Giant’s Grave is perhaps in circumstance which strengthens the opinion of the monument being British.” https://www.standrewspenrith.org.uk/giantsgrave.htm

Can you help us?

Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering one section today:

beautifully & ??*** ?? Help please! We’ve hazarded incased, but it doesn’t seem good enough

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?

Please click here if you can help

8th August 1819, St John’s Church, Skiddaw summit

Sunday 8th August 1819

Sunday August 8th After going to Church we prepared ourselves for ascending Skiddaw the road is very good & we were able to ride our ponies to the summit the rains however did not suffer us to enjoy the fine views of Derwent Water before the clouds descended into the

valleys & a violent shower came on we waited for a considerable time on a flat eminence undecided whether to proceed when we thought contrary to Mr Hatton’s opinion that it was clearing up & we proceeded enveloped in clouds which however occasionally passed away & presented a vast extent of country Derwent & Bassenthwaite lay extended before us encompassed by a fine ridge of mountains jumbled together which appeared as if anxious to surpass Skiddaw in loftiness we reached the summit with very little difficulty but the animated description of our guide gave us a better idea of the view than what we really saw it being so ?***?

the wind was exceptionally high & the atmosphere very cold we did not remain long but caught some very fine views as we descended in some parts the road is very steep but far preferable to Snowden or Cader Idris the whole excursion from Keswick is 12 miles

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Keswick St John Church is distinctive with its atypical pink sandstone and spire. However it was not consecrated until St John’s Day, December 27th 1838, so was there a previous church on the site or did the Coplands attend church somewhere else?
http://keswickstjohn.org.uk/

Derwent River rises at Sprinkling Tarn underneath Scafell Pike and flows in a northerly direction through the valley of Borrowdale, before entering Derwentwater, which it exits to the north just outside Keswick and is joined by the waters of the River Greta. The photograph below shows the lovely old bridge that spans the River Derwent at Grange, near Keswick.

2004: Grange Bridge. Photograph by Cameraman, taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Cameraman and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grange_Bridge._-_geograph.org.uk_-_1514352.jpg

The Derwent then enters Bassenthwaite Lake at its southern end; it exits it at its northern end, thereafter flowing generally westward to Cockermouth, where the River Cocker joins it from the south. William Wordsworth's childhood home in Cockermouth backed onto the Derwent, and he briefly mentions it in The Prelude: ... the bright blue river passed along the terrace of our childhood walk; A tempting playmate whom we dearly loved (see https://www.bartleby.com/145/ww287.html ) From Cockermouth, the river continues westward past Papcastle, site of the Roman fort of Derventio and onwards to Workington, where it flows into the Irish Sea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Derwent,_Cumbria

Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest water bodies in the English Lake District. It is long and narrow, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 3⁄4-mile (1.2 km) wide, but is also extremely shallow, with a maximum depth of about 70 ft (21 m). It is the only body of water in the Lake District to use the word "lake" in its name, all the others being "waters" (for example, Derwentwater), "meres" (for example, Windermere) or "tarns" (for example, Dock Tarn).

2005: The south end of Lake Bassenthwaite by Norma Foggo. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Norma Foggo and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassenthwaite_Lake_south_end.jpg

It is fed by, and drains into, the River Derwent. The lake lies at the foot of Skiddaw, near the town of Keswick. Some maps dating from the 18th century do in fact mark this lake with the name Bassenwater, and the use of the name Broadwater for this lake is also attested. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassenthwaite_Lake

Derwent & Bassenthwaite Lake, Keswick & Skiddaw in the Distance, Cumberland. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/2418

1815: Bassenthwaite Lake, from the hill above Armathwaite. Engraving by F.R. Hay after J. Farington. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEBassenthwaite.jpg

Can you help us?

Keswick St John Church was not consecrated until St John’s Day, December 27th 1838. Was there a previous church on the site in 1819, or did the Coplands attend church somewhere else in Keswick?

Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering one section today:

really saw it being so ?***? Lucy last word on the page eludes us. Help please!

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?

Please click here if you can help

7th August 1819, Scale Hill, Crummock Water, Scale Force, Mary of Buttermere’s house, Newlands Valley

Saturday 7th August 1819

Saturday August 7th We started at 11 o’clock for Scale Hill stupendous barren mountains in both sides are the only objects on the road 12 miles till within one mile of Scale Hill we caught a fine view of the ?***? & the Cheviot Hills when we arrived the gentlemen

met us & after some refreshment proceeded to Crommick Water three miles in extent encompassed by rugged pyramidal craggy mountains all defined by different names which our intelligent guide did not fail of telling us & we landed across the lake and surveyed the waterfall of Scale Force situated in a narrow chasm of rocks it falls 180 feet perpendicular with trees interspersed & is very fine; we then walked across some fields to the house where the celebrated Mary of Buttermere formerly lived we then mounted a hill to obtain a fine view of Buttermere a small lake

encompassed with mountains we then took to our horses & proceeded on a very bad road to the vale of Newlands the entrance is excessively fine we were surrounded by immense mountains & larger cliffs till by a turn of the road we had a fine view of the vale nine miles passed most delightfully in surveying this fine scenery when we arrived at Keswick to a late dinner

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Scale Hill: Nestling in the Buttermere, Loweswater, Crummock Water and Lorton Valley in the English Lake District, Scale Hill has provided accommodation for over two centuries. A famous coaching Inn at the time it is likely that this is where “the gentlemen” met Lucy and her party for “some refreshment”. http://www.scalehillloweswater.co.uk/

Cheviot Hills are a range of rolling hills straddling the Anglo-Scottish border between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders including The Cheviot (the highest hill), Hedgehope Hill to the east, Windy Gyle to the west, and Cushat Law and Bloodybush Edge to the south.

According to the photographer, Stuart Meek, within 20 minutes of taking this picture below the cloud seen above Cheviot would engulf everything above 1000 foot.

2006: The Cheviot. Looking south over Coldburn Hill to The Cheviot, by Stuart Meek. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Stuart Meek and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Cheviot_-_geograph.org.uk_-_246415.jpg

To the south of the Cheviot hills was the site of the Battle of Otterburn in 1388, and possibly to a separate bloody battle between English and Scottish forces, after which only 110 people survived, which is described in "The Ballad of Chevy Chase". Two other related battles were the Battle of Homildon Hill, fought within the Cheviots near Wooler in 1402, and the Battle of Hedgeley Moor, fought north of Powburn in 1464. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheviot_Hills

Crummock Water is owned by the National Trust. Scale Force, the highest waterfall in the Lake District, feeds the lake and has a drop of 170 feet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crummock_Water

2007: Crummock Water from Red Pike by Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia, the copyright holder of this work, published it under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crummock_Water_from_Red_Pike.jpg

Crummock & Buttermere Lakes drawn by W Banks and engraved by W Banks. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/4144

Circa 1850 : Crummock Water & Buttermere. Engraving by J. Harwood, 26, Fenchurch Street, London https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECrummockWater18.jpg

1833: Crummock Water, Cumberland. Engraving by W. Le Petit after T. Allom. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECrummockWater12.jpg

Scale Force, the highest waterfall, William Wordsworth described it as "a fine chasm, with a lofty, though but slender, fall of water", while Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote, "Scale Force, the white downfall of which glimmered through the trees, that hang before it like the bushy hair over a madman's eyes." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_Force

1833: Scale Force, Cumberland. Engraved by J C Bentley after Thomas Allom, published Fisher, Son & Co London http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/19729

Thomas Allom (above) would have shared the same vantage point as Lucy (below)

2005: Scale Force (waterfall) by Michael Graham from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Michael Graham and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waterfall_Scale_Force.jpg

Mary of Buttermere (Mary Robinson,1778 – 1837) was known as "The Maid of Buttermere" and is mentioned in William Wordsworth's "The Prelude". She is the subject of Melvyn Bragg's 1987 novel The Maid of Buttermere, which was adapted into a play by Lisa Evans and premiered at Keswick's Theatre by the Lake in 2009.

Circa 1850: Inn at Buttermere. The Birth Place of Mary Robinson. Engraving by J. Harwood, 26, Fenchurch Street, London. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEInnAtButtermere18.jpg

Lucy has entitled her sketch Mary of Buttermere’s house with a view of the lake Cumberland Augt 7th 1819

Mary was a shepherdess and the daughter of the landlord of the Fish Inn in the village of Buttermere in England's Lake District.

She was married bigamously in 1802 to John Hatfield (c.1758–1803), who presented himself as "Colonel Hope". The marriage of the celebrated local beauty to the brother of an earl (as he claimed) was widely reported, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote in the London Morning Post of "The romantic marriage". Hatfield was exposed as an impostor, bigamist and forger, was arrested, escaped, was captured in South Wales, and was tried at Carlisle for forgery and hanged in 1803. Mary's story captured the public imagination, and subscriptions were raised on her behalf. She married a local farmer Richard Harrison in 1807 and had four children. She is buried in the churchyard at St Kentigern's Church at Caldbeck (also known as St. Mungo’s). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Robinson_(Maid_of_Buttermere)

Buttermere is a lake in the English Lake District in North West England. The adjacent village of Buttermere takes its name from the lake. It is owned by the National Trust, forming part of its Buttermere and Ennerdale property. The village of Buttermere stands at the north-western end of the lake, and beyond this is Crummock Water.

2001:Buttermere with Fleetwith Pike in the background. Photograph taken by Mick Knapton. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buttermere_and_Fleetwith_Pike.jpg

Buttermere, Cumberland. Engraved by R Sands after Thomas Allom http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/2424

From his hidden stronghold at Buttermere, it is said that Jarl Buthar conducted a campaign of running resistance against the Norman invaders, from the time of William the Conqueror's Harrying of the North in 1069 right up until the early 12th century. In 1072 King William set up a garrison at Carlisle, but the isolated garrison needed constant reinforcement and supplies. It is claimed that the Cumbrians fought a guerrilla war against the Normans for almost half a century, attacking supply wagons, ambushing patrols and inflicting great losses upon them in terms of money, material and men. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermere

Can you help us?

Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering one section today:

view of the ?***? & the Cheviot Hills The word between the …and .. & the is unclear. Help please!

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?

Please click here if you can help

6th August 1819, Grange, Bowder Stone, Sty Head

Friday 6th August 1819

Friday August 6th The morning proved excessively rainy we did not however give up our excursion to Borrowdale Fells which had been previously arranged; at 11 o’clock we started and passing by the side of the lake whose mountains we surveyed yesterday we came to the pretty village of Grange here we passed through the tremendous pass of Bowdre Fells the rocks tower on every side in most rugged & huge forms which surpass description till we arrived at the Bowdre Stone which has been precipitated in one solid mass to the place where it now stands the size is inormous which may be imagined from its being 62 feet in length & weighing

1970 tons there is a staircase to ascend to the top we proceeded two miles further in the carriage through these immense mountains where the gentlemen mounted their ponies and left us to proceed on their excursion to Sty Head the day had fortunately cleared up & the clouds which had hovered about the mountains now fast clearing away had a fine effect we returned the opposite side of the lake to Keswick .

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Grange is overlooked by Grange Fell and Castle Crag, which flank either side of the narrow section of Borrowdale in which it sits.

1833: Castle Crag, Borrowdale, from the Village of Grange, Cumberland. Engraving by J.C. Bentley after T. Allom. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECastleCragBorrow.jpg

circa 1835: Derwentwater & village of Grange, from the entrance to Borrowdale. Engraving by W. Le Petit after T. Allom. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEDerwentwaterGrangeTA12.jpg

Its origins date back to medieval times, when the monks of Furness Abbey built a monastic grange on the site. The double-arched bridge that links the village to the B5289 across the River Derwent was built in 1675. (see 1815 Print below) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grange_in_Borrowdale

1815: The Grange in Borrowdale. Engraving by J. Scott after J. Farrington. R.A. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/6895

Bowder Fells – No specific information on Bowder Pass or Bowder Fells found on internet

Bowder Stone: it is popularly said that the name equates with Balder, the second son of the god Odin. Balder is best known for being slain through the actions of Loki with an arrow or spear made of mistletoe. One side of the Bowder Stone is said to be a simulacrum of the face of Balder and a small hole is said to have once existed on his head where in Norse mythology the weapon pierced and killed him. A carving representing the sun was supposedly located just above the hole. The oldest photographs show a well defined chin and lips whilst a second face is seen by some.

1822: Bowder Stone by T Fielding, Published by Thomas McLean Haymarket. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/14489

Although the stone was visited and admired by many, such as William Sawrey Gilpin in 1772, Joseph Pocklington was the first to take practical steps to attract visitors, purchasing the site in 1798, fencing it off, clearing away all the smaller rocks and erecting 'Bowderstone Cottage' to house a guide and building a ladder to allow visitors to easily reach the top and admire the outstanding views. The cottage and ladder are shown in the print below:

1842: Bowder Stone, Borrowdale. Publisher: J. & F. Harwood, Fenchurch St. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/2426

In addition to all this activity Joseph designed a hermitage or chapel himself as a Christian counterpoint to the 'druidical' standing stone or menhir that he had also erected. During the works a natural hollow was discovered that ran underneath the boulder and Joseph had a small hole drilled through its base, thereby creating a space that made it possible for visitors to crawl into the hollow to have a ‘hand shake for luck’ with the guide or with another visitor on the other side of the Stone. At first Joseph Pocklington took his friends by coach to admire the Bowder Stone however later it was opened up to all and large numbers of travellers were escorted around the site by the guide that he employed. In 1817 (2 years before Lucy’s visit) Joseph died and the Bowder Stone was sold, however it continued to be open to all visitors and the women only tradition was only broken only by John Raven. A gate had been installed at the bottom of the ladder to ensure that visitors paid a small fee to climb to the top. Various records indicate that the guides were assiduous in their duties with comments such as "The old dame makes money out of the stone watching for tourists like a spider." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowder_Stone

1815: Castle Crag and Bowder Stone. Engraving by J. Byrne after J. Farington. R.A. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECasCragBowderS.JPG

1803: The Bowder Stone, Cumberland. Engraving by J. Greig after G. Arnald https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEBowderStoneBeau11.jpg

2009: Bowder Stone with viewing steps to the top, photograph by Shaun Ferguson. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Shaun Ferguson and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bowder_Stone_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1515039.jpg

Sty Head is a mountain pass at an altitude of 1,600 feet (488 m) and there is a small tarn (Styhead Tarn) near its summit. The pass is at the head of Wasdale, which contains the lake Wastwater and it passes between the mountains of Great Gable and Scafell Pike (the latter is England's highest mountain). The path from Wasdale was an old packhorse trail.

1834: Sty Head, Cumberland. Engraving by A. Le Petit after T. Allom. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEStyHeadTarn12.jpg

2006: Styhead Pass & Tarn. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/Styehead.jpg

It is said this area is haunted by a ghoulish apparition without a visible head. Many local people have reported sightings of a strange man walking down the road with a bag moving "as if it contained cats". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sty_Head

1833: Scawfell Pikes, from Sty Head, Cumberland. Engraving by J.C. Bentley after T. Allom.https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEScawfellPikes12.jpg

circa 1850: Borrowdale from Stye Head. Engraving by J. Harwood, 26 Fenchurch Street. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEBorrowdaleFromStye18.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?

Please click here if you can help

5th August 1819, Lowdore cataract, Walla Crag, Newlands Valley, Stable hills, Borrowdale fells, Vicar’s Isle

Thursday 5th August 1819

Thursday August 5th This morning not promising very propitious for ascending Skiddaw our Guide Mr Hatton (a very experienced clever man) advised us to row down the Derwent Water to Lowdore Cataract accordingly we set sail or rather set to coming at 10 o’clock on the left rises the majestic Wallow Crag beautifully wooded to within a small distance of the summit on the right is the vale of Nuwland & Stable Hills outdone only by Skiddaw this lake is famed for the clearness of its water which reflected the beautiful scenery; the situation of Lowdore is finer than any waterfall I have seen between immense rude rocks & partly wooded which hang

over a narrow chasm covered with a bed of rock which in wet weather is entirely hid by the water which falls 150 feet the echo of a cannon. view through the different mountains is very grand; returning to the boat we had a magnificent view of Borrowdale Fells the outline of these mountains is inexpressibly rugged & fine; after dinner we landed at the Vicars Isle in the centre of the water belonging to General Peachy the grounds are beautifully laid out and he has a comfortable house. Derwent Water is the finest lake I have seen the situation & boundaries of it are so excessively fine we returned to the Inn highly delighted with the Day’s excursion

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

The Cataract of Lodore" is a poem written in 1820 by the English poet Robert Southey. Appearing in Joanna Baillie's 1823 anthology, Poems, Chiefly Manuscript, and from Living Authors, she wrote to Southey, "Your Cataract of Lodore has pleased & amused me exceedingly ... We shall have the younger part of my readers running about with portions of it in their mouths and shaking their heads to the measure, for these six months to come."

2015: Lodore Falls, Borrowdale, Cumbria, photographed from behind the Lodore Falls Hotel by Antiquary, the copyright holder of this work, who published it under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lodore_Falls_1.JPG

Circa 1880: Lodore. An antique chromolithograph. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SELodore.jpg

Lucy’s drawing below, though somewhat crude, expresses her feelings for the environment when she records in her diary…. the situation of Lowdore is finer than any waterfall I have seen between immense rude rocks & partly wooded which hang over a narrow chasm covered with a bed of rock …

The falls are formed by the beck from Watendlath Tarn cascading over huge boulders for a distance of some 100 feet. The main drop of the falls is about 90 feet. Although the falls are spectacular after periods of heavy rain, they dry to a trickle in periods of prolonged dry weather. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataract_of_Lodore Now the cataract is referred to as Lodore Falls https://www.visitcumbria.com/kes/lodore-falls/

Walla Crag is a popular short walk from Keswick and gives superb views over Derwentwater. The western face is prominent in views across the lake and fine views over Keswick are available from the summit, as in he photograph below taken 3/4 of the way to the summit.

2009: The town of Keswick, nestled between the fells of Skiddaw and Derwent Water in the Lake District, Cumbria, England. Bassenthwaite Lake in the background. A 2 × 3 segment panorama taken from about 3/4 of the way to the summit of Walla Crag. Photograph by DAVID ILIFF. under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Fell walkers of an older generation found the height of Walla Crag an easily memorable 1,234 ft, much as Scafell Pike was once a simple 3,210 ft. More recent work by the Ordnance Survey has now elevated Walla Crag to 1,243 ft. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walla_Crag

2006: Walla Crag from Hause Gate on the opposite side of Derwent Water by Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walla_Crag_from_Hause_Gate_(2).JPG

Lucy’s spelling of Wallow Crag was common in her day.

Newlands Valley is in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is regarded as one of the most picturesque and quiet valleys in the national park.

2008: View from the cairn on Dale Head down the Newlands valley by Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia, the copyright holder, who publishes it under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newlands_valley_from_Dale_Head.jpg

1796: View of Newlands Vale and part of the Lake of Keswick. Engraved by S Alken after B Rogers, artist. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/67

It was extensively mined and quarried for many centuries; lead, copper, silver and even gold have been extracted over the years. The most famous mine in the Lake District is situated in Newlands. This is the Goldscope mine, on the lower slopes of Hindscarth near Low Snab farm, which has operated since the 16th century. It yielded such large amounts of lead and copper that it was called “Gottesgab” (God's Gift) by the German miners brought over to develop the mine in its early days. The mine closed at the end of the 19th century because the mine's main shaft had gone so deep it had become uneconomic to pump the water from it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newlands_Valley SEE ALSO: – Sylvan's Pictorial handbook to the English lakes (1847) “Buttermere may be reached from Keswick ……. through the beautiful vale of Newlands” . https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zvYGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA190&dq=vale++newlands+borrowdale&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi1vMb5-O_eAhVv_SoKHQdvBqgQ6AEISDAG#v=onepage&q=vale%20%20newlands%20borrowdale&f=false

Stable Hills is referred to in William Green’s 1819 book, published in the year of Lucy’s visit: The Tourist's New Guide: Containing a Description of the Lakes, Mountains, and Scenery, in Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire, with Some Account of Their Bordering Towns and Villages. Being the Result of Observations Made During a Residence of Eighteen Years in Ambleside and Keswick, Volume 2 Friar Crag Bay, a place furnishing several superior compositions. One of these is Stable Hills and another is Wallow Crag . Modern reference: https://www.walklakes.co.uk/walk_243.html with a copyright picture of of Lady's Rake, Walla Crag and Stable Hills by Elizabeth Oldham.

Vicars Isle, known now as Derwent Island, was owned by Fountains Abbey and used by monks, but with the dissolution of the monasteries, it became property of the Crown in 1539. In 1569 it was sold to the Company of Mines Royal who built a camp on the island. The island lies in the centre of the photograph below.

2009: A wide 12 segment panoramic view of Derwent Water as viewed from the northern shore of Keswick by David Iliff, the copyright holder. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Derwent_Water,_Keswick_-_June_2009.jpg

In 1778 Joseph Pocklington bought the island (then known as Vicar's Island) and built a house, boathouse, fort and battery, and Druid circle folly on the land. William Wordsworth was upset by the building, feeling it spoiled the view, and described Pocklington as "a native of Nottinghamshire, who played strange pranks by his buildings and plantations upon Vicar's Island, in Derwentwater, which his admiration, such as it was, of the country, and probably a wish to be a leader in a new fashion, had tempted him to purchase. " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derwent_Island_House

2009: Derwent Island House by ThereWereNoWMDs, who published it under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derwent_Island_House

SEE ALSO: Guide book, A Survey of the Lakes of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire, by James Clarke (1787 and 1789; and Plans of the Lakes ... 1793) Page 84:- “... Vicar's Island, now called, (from its proprietor) Pocklington's Island. This is one of the largest, and is beautifully ornamented by its spirited owner. On the western side he has built a fort, on which he has a battery, as before mentioned: on the South side of the fort is a druidical temple, exactly facing Keswick; and close to the shore is the appearance of a chapel, which consists of only one wall and a steeple: the steeple contains a room, not furnished with bells, but good roast-beef and claret; where the worthy Proprietor very facetiously said he might, he thought, always find more priests ready to attend, than at their own churches by the tinkling of bells. ...” AND ALSO VERY TONGUE IN CHEEK: With local museum owner Peter Crosthwaite, he organised the Keswick regattas, the first of which was held in 1781. Pocklington’s island buildings played a central part in the regatta’s main event, the mock battle. Crosthwaite would lead a fleet of boats in an attack against Fort Joseph, the fort repelling its attackers with mock cannon fire. Peter and Joseph enlisted many people in the make-believe battles, dressing them in costume to crew the decorated boats. Peter’s experience of being an Admiral at sea was useful for keeping a fleet of ships in order. Coloured flags transmitted orders from his flagship as he orchestrated complicated naval manoeuvres as if fighting a real battle. Year after year Joseph and Peter's ambition grew and the spectacle expanded accordingly. Earls and Dukes, Lords and Ladies from all over the country attended. The cannon and musket fire on the Lake was matched by fireworks in the evening when Joseph wined and dined the visiting dignitaries in Keswick at a fancy ball.See this delightful article, Joseph Pocklington's wealth matched his vanity but overshadowed his sense of taste at https://www.beneaththebeaconinterpretation.com/joseph-pocklington-read-more/

Look at the National Trust’s YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=SNnT6rhgMTw and their website at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/features/derwent-island-and-house

General Peachy: Some 18 years after buying his island Joseph sold it on for more than six times the price he had paid. General William Peachy of Shoddesdon and South Park, Hampshire became the new owner and before too long it had been renamed again, this time with its current title Derwent Isle. On certain days of the year you can visit the island and Pocky's house which are now the property of the National Trust. https://www.beneaththebeaconinterpretation.com/joseph-pocklington-read-more/

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?

Please click here if you can help

4th August 1819, Ambleside-LangdalePikes-Stock Ghyll Force-Rydal Hall,Grot,FallsWater-Helm Crag-Dunmail Raise-Helvellyn Leathes-Saddleback-Skiddaw-StJohn’s in the Vale-Derwent Water-Keswick

Wednesday 4th August 1819

Wednesday Aug 3rd (sic) We breakfasted at Ambleside after riding six miles by the

side of the Lake. As we proceeded along the banks the scene became more & more beautiful exhibiting a fine view Langdale Pikes & a chaos of other fine mountains. The Salutation Inn at Ambleside is good after breakfast we saw Mr Green’s collections of pictures of the Lakes all painted by himself some of them are beautifully executed though I think his foregrounds are generally too heavy; we then walked a ¼ of a mile through a wood to a Waterfall called Stock Gill Force in a very romantic situation but there having been no rain this fall was very narrow. The best view of it is gained from the

bottom we then proceeded on an excellent rode to Keswick but left the carriage to visit some more waterfalls at Rydal Park the seat of Lady Flemming our guide (a very clever old woman) first conducted us to a small cascade seen through the windows of a Summer house. it is a sweet little scene in miniature we then surveyed the Rydell Fall after walking a long way up a steep hill. through a wood we had a good view of it which in wet weather must be very fine as the water falls a great height at the top there are seats placed which we found very acceptable returning to our Carriage we soon caught a view of Rydall

Water a lake a mile long it communicates with Grasmere Water a most lovely scene presents itself the margins are all cultivated bounded by immense mountains but all is quietness & peace. Helme Crag has a fine effect seen from here we next arrived at Dumail raise stones a wall built by the Saxon Edmund to immortalize the downfall of the last King of Cumberland it is now a heap of stones here we catch a fine view of Helvellyn Leathes Water & Saddleback & Skiddaw in the distance this lake is divided in the middle by a bridge the mountains are

nearly perpendicular on each side they are very rude & uncultivated the beautiful vale of St Johns next presents itself it is I think more beautiful than any I have seen in Wales we soon after caught a fine view of Keswick situated between Derwent Water& Bassenthwaite Water bounded by an immense ?***? mountain called Borrowdale Fells Keswick is a neat little town the Royal Oak Inn is good in the evening we walked by the side of Derwent Water where we had a fine view of it there are several little promontories in the middle I was not much struck with the appearance of Skiddaw

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Date: Lucy has erroneously used the date 3rd August, which she also used yesterday.

Ambleside is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest natural lake.

2009: Panorama of Ambleside and Waterhead in the Lake District, Cumbria, England, as viewed from Loughrigg, west of the town. Ambleside is centre-left, and Waterhead is the smaller village on the right at the edge of Windermere. Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ambleside_%26_Waterhead_Panorama_2,_Cumbria,_England_-_Oct_2009.jpg

The name of Ambleside is derived from the Old Norse "Á-mel-sǽtr" which literally translates as "river – sandbank – summer pasture". To the south of Ambleside is the Roman fort of Galava, dating from AD 79. In 1650 the town was granted a charter to hold a market. In the reign of James II, another charter was granted for the town to collect tolls. The town's Market Place became the commercial centre for agriculture and the wool trade. The old packhorse trail between Ambleside and Grasmere was the main route between the two towns before the new turnpike road was completed in 1770. Smithy Brow at the end of the trail was where pack ponies were re-shod after their journey.

With the coming of the turnpikes, the packhorse trains were superseded by horse-drawn stagecoaches, which regularly travelled between Keswick and Kendal via Ambleside.

William Wordsworth worked in Ambleside, as Distributor of Stamps for Westmorland, from 1813, while living at Rydal Mount in the nearby village of Rydal. This government position induced Shelley to write a sonnet of mild reprimand, To Wordsworth, but it gave Wordsworth the financial security to pursue his poetry. In 1842, he became the Poet Laureate and resigned his office as Stamp Distributor.

1786: View at Ambleside. Engraving by S. Middiman after C. Powell. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEViewAmbleside15.jpg

1838: Ambleside, Westmorland. Engraving by Engleheart after G. Pickering. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEAmblesideMilking12.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambleside SEE ALSO https://www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/township/ambleside

Langdale Pikes are a group of peaks on the northern side of the Great Langdale Vale. From below, they appear as a sharp rocky ridge, though they are precipitous only on their southern side; to the north, the land sweeps gently to High Raise, the parent peak of the range. The Pikes themselves include (from west to east) Pike of Stickle, Loft Crag, Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark. England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike, can be climbed by a route from Langdale. Langdale has views of, in particular, Dungeon Ghyll Force waterfall, Harrison Stickle and Pike of Stickle. A view of The Langdale Pikes and the Langdale Boulders, lies below:

2006: Great Langdale and Copt Howe by Mark S Jobling. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Mjobling at English Wikipedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Langdale_and_Copt_Howe.jpg

2005: Great Langdale seen from the top of Rossett Pike by Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Langdale_from_Rossett_Pike.jpg

It was important in the Neolithic period for producing stone axes, and is also one of the centres of the Lakeland slate industry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Langdale

Salutation Inn has been a coaching inn since 18th century https://www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/township/ambleside .

From the Trip Reporter website at https://tripreporter.co.uk/the-salutation-hotel-ambleside/

Having occupied one corner of the centre of Ambleside for more than 360 years, it is not surprising that the Salutation Hotel has acquired both a history and a reputation. Today, it is an ambitious, bright and lively spa hotel with more than 50 agreeable rooms with all the accoutrements that might be expected of a contemporary hotel in a commercially competitive era. (from https://tripreporter.co.uk/the-salutation-hotel-ambleside/ )

Mr Green: .. we saw Mr Green’s collections of pictures of the Lakes all painted by himself… “ Works by Turner and Constable nudge those of local artists, such as the lovingly detailed etchings by Wordsworth's friend Thomas Green.” https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/may/14/paintings-lake-district-jenny-uglow (See comment on our original entry, below, which corrects our attribution from Thomas to either Amos Green or William Green).

CORRECTION: We are very grateful to our reader, Pam Gould, who contacted us to point out that our reference to Mr “Thomas” Green from the Guardian article is incorrect. She tells us that “Wordsworth’s friend was the painter Amos Green (1737-1807). Dorothy and William lived at Dove Cottage from December 1799-1808. From the start, they had plans for a fence to create a front garden. Green painted their cottage after they'd erected a fence of large slates (a tradition in the area): http://collections.wordsworth.org.uk/wtweb/home.asp?page=Image%20view&id=34425 The Wordsworth Trust also have Dora Wordsworth's (William and Mary's daughter) copy of Amos Green's watercolour drawing http://collections.wordsworth.org.uk/wtweb/home.asp?page=Image%20view&id=34441 “ Pam notes that Lucy would have passed by Dove Cottage on the main road from Rydal to Grasmere and Keswick.

2005: Dove Cottage by Christine Hasman. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Christine Hasman and is licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0 )Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dove_Cottage_-_geograph.org.uk_-_70618.jpg

Lucy would have passed by Dove Cottage on her way from Rydall to Grasmere and Keswick.

She adds: “Amos Green had died by the time Lucy visited the exhibition of pictures. However, William Green (also a friend of Wordsworth), had published a guide book in 1816 with engravings of his paintings, therefore it is far more likely to have been William Green's exhibition. His book is here, open at Derwentwater: https://archive.org/details/touristsnewguid01greegoog/page/n52/mode/2up ………. William Green drew Rydal Mount, Wordsworth's home from 1813, which Lucy would have seen when she visited Rydal Hall: http://collections.wordsworth.org.uk/wtweb/home.asp?page=linked%20item&objectidentity=1987.2.4 ”

2004: Rydal Mount by Richard Swales. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Richard Swales and is licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rydal_Mount_-_geograph.org.uk_-_959824.jpg

In a later email Pam provides more information: “….Wordsworth lived at Rydal Mount from 1813, and by 1816 the guide books to the Lakes started listing his house as a place of interest, so it is likely Lucy's party noted it (although the trees may have denied them a good view). I've done a bit of research to check my facts about William Green. He held regular exhibitions in Ambleside, Keswick and Manchester. In 1804 he rented a room at the back of the Queens Head in Keswick as a permanent exhibition space. He was very active in the Ambleside area, where many of the local wealthy families were patrons (e.g. the Flemings of Rydal Hall), so it was almost certainly an exhibition of his paintings and etchings.”

Stock Ghyll Force is a spectacular 70 foot waterfall reached by a short walk from behind the Salutation Hotel. In spring the area under the trees is a carpet of daffodils.

Stockghyll Force, Ambleside in the Grounds of the Salutation Hotel drawn and engraved by W Banks. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/4138

Stock Ghyll, a tributary of the River Rothay, tumbles down through a series of waterfalls to the centre of Ambleside, passing under the famous Bridge House, in the print below:. https://www.visitcumbria.com/amb/stock-ghyll-force/

Bridge House, Ambleside, Westmorlandb by Thomas Allom engraved by T Jeavons. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/2413

Keswick: The poet Thomas Gray published an account of a five-day stay in Keswick in 1769, in which he described the view of the town as "the vale of Elysium in all its verdure", and was lyrical about the beauties of the fells and the lake. His journal was widely read, and was "an effective public relations job for Keswick". During the 18th century major roads in Cumberland were greatly improved. With the Lake District now accessible by coach the area attracted well-off visitors, particularly at times of war in mainland Europe, which made the aristocratic Grand Tour impossible there. Regular public coach services were established in the 1760s, but they were expensive. In 1800 the Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote, "It is no small advantage that for two-thirds of the year we are in complete retirement – the other third is alive & swarms with Tourists of all shapes & sizes." Coleridge had moved to Keswick in that year, and together with his fellow Lake Poets was possibly the strongest influence on the public esteem of Keswick and the Lake District. By the 19th century the number of tourists visiting Keswick during each season was estimated at between 12,000 and 15,000.

2009:Panorama of Keswick, Cumbria, England, as viewed from Latrigg north of the town.. Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Keswick,_Cumbria_Panorama_1_-_June_2009.jpg

1815: Keswick and Skiddaw. Engraving by J. Byrne after J. Farington. R.A. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEKeswickSkiddaw.JPG

Keswick, from Castle Rock, Cumberland drawn and engraved by T C Dibdin. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/21009

Some of the Keswick inns that catered for affluent visitors remain as hotels, including the Queen's, where Gray stayed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keswick,_Cumbria

Rydal Hall was built as the country seat of the Le Fleming baronets, and was sold with its gardens to the Diocese of Carlisle in 1970. The estate remained in the ownership of the Le Fleming family. In the mid-17th century, Sir Daniel Fleming (1633–1701) developed the landscape as an early Picturesque garden incorporating Rydal Beck and its natural waterfalls.

2007: Rydal Hall in the Lake District, England. Photograph by Jonathan Bowen at the English Wikipedia and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rydal_Hall.JPG

1835: Rydal Hall, From Fox How, Westmorland by G Pickering, Engraved by A Le Petit. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/2402

The poet William Wordsworth moved to Rydal Mount, near Rydal Hall, in 1813 and it remained his home to his death in 1850. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rydal_Hall

The print below is entitled “A Glimpse through the Trees, Rydal Water, near the Residence of the later W. Wordsworth Esq. “

circa 1850: A Glimpse through the Trees, Rydal Water, near the Residence of the later W. Wordsworth Esq. Engraved by J. Harwood, 26, Fenchurch Street, London. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SERydalWater18.jpg

Lady Fleming; (1784-1861) Anne Frederica Elizabeth le Fleming, daughter of the 4th Baronet, Sir Michael le Fleming (died 1806 with no heir), married in 1807 her cousin Sir Daniel Fleming, the 5th Baronet and therefore would have remained at Rydal Hall all her life. ( Burkes Peerage 1953)

The Summer House ('The Grot') was designed for viewing the waterfall and became a major attraction for a succession of visiting artists and writers in the 18th and 19th century. "The Grot" at Rydal Falls is pictured below:

2008: Waterfall, Rydal Beck In the grounds of Rydal Hall by Michael Graham from geograph.org.uk. The copyright on this image is owned by Michael Graham and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waterfall,_Rydal_Beck_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1009381.jpg

"The Grot" at Rydal Falls is described in William Wordsworth's early poem, "An Evening Walk", published in 1793 and towards the end of the Poet’s life, Christopher Wordsworth, his nephew describes their walk together from Rydal Mount:"He accompanied me to the gate and then said if I had a few minutes longer to spare he would like to show me the waterfall which was close by – the lower fall of Rydal. I gladly assented and he led the way across the grounds of Lady Fleming (Rydal Hall) which were opposite to his own to a small summer-house. The moment we opened the door the waterfall was before us. The summer house being so placed as to occupy the exact spot from which it was to be seen. The rocks and shrubbery around closing it in on every side. The effect was magical. The view from the rustic house, the rocky basin into which the water fell and the deep shade in which the whole was enveloped, made it a lovely scene. Wordsworth seemed to have much pleasure in exhibiting this beautiful retreat." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rydal_Hall

SEE ALSO: The Grot, a small viewing hut at the foot of Rydal Falls is one of the most famous landmarks in the Lakes, the hut has been here since 1668 and is thought be Britain’s first ever ‘viewing station’ that has inspired poets and artists for centuries. Sadly, the building is no longer open to the public.http://www.lancashirelife.co.uk/out-about/places/6-beautiful-waterfalls-in-the-lake-district-1-5404176

Rydal Water: The waters of the southern half of the lake are leased to the National Trust, whilst those of the northern half belong to the estate of Rydal Hall. Navigation is prohibited, except for residents of Rydal Hall.

2006: Eastern End of Rydal Water by Mick Garratt from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Mick Garratt and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rydal_Water.jpg

Rydal Water drawn and engraved by W Banks. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/2214

2007: Rydal Water by Noface1 at English Wikipedia.This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Noface1 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cumbria_2007_035.jpg

Numerous walks are possible in the surrounding hills, as well as a walk around the lake itself, which takes in Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount, both homes to William Wordsworth, and Rydal Cave, a former quarry working. At the western end of the lake, steps lead to Wordsworth's Seat, which is considered to have been Wordsworth's favourite viewpoint in the Lake District. White Moss House, at the northern end of the lake, is believed to be the only house that Wordsworth ever bought. He bought it for his son Willie, and the family lived there until the 1930s. Nab Cottage overlooks the lake and it was once home to Thomas de Quincey and Hartley Coleridge, the son of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rydal_Water

Grasmere Water contains a single island, known as The Island, shown in the centre of the photograph and old print, below

2007: Grasmere Lake viewed from Lougrigg Terrace by Noface1. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Noface1 at English Wikipedia. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Grasmere_Lake_2007.jpg

Grassmere from Loughrigg Fell by G Pickering, engraved by A Le Petit. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/2405

In 2017 this island was bequeathed to the National Trust. This gift has particular significance to the National Trust, as the organisation was founded in response to the sale of the same island to a private bidder in 1893. Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley felt that such a location should instead be in public ownership, and soon afterwards started the National Trust with Octavia Hill and Robert Hunter.

1796: View of Grasmere Lake from a small Hill above the Village by B Rogers, artist and publisher, engraved by B.Rogers, Stafford. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/587

The waters of Grasmere lake are leased to the National Trust. The waters are navigable, with private boats allowed and rowing boats for hire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grasmere_(lake)

Helm Crag is a fell to the north of Grasmere. Its rock outcrops ensure Helm Crag's fame. Only one can be seen from any point in the surrounding valleys, and they have a variety of names depending upon the profile seen from the vantage point. The north-western outcrop is the true summit and is variously called "The old lady playing the organ" when seen from Mill Gill (photograph below), "The howitzer" from the summit of Dunmail Raise and "The lion and the lamb" from Grasmere. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helm_Crag

2005: The "Old Woman playing the Organ" rocks, Helm Crag by James@hopgrove. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, James@hopgrove at English Wikipedia. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/HelmCragOrganWoman.jpg

Dunmail Raise is the name of a large cairn which stands on the top of the Dunmail pass.

Photograph of horse-drawn coach on Dunmail Raise, Cumbria by an unknown photographer, tinted, published by The Art Publishing Co. This image is in the public domain https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/15/Dunmailraise.jpg

2013: Dunmail Raise, an ancient cairn on the Pass of Dunmail Raise, beside the A591 road by Silence-is-infinite and published it under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Cairn_of_Dunmail_Raise.JPG

It seems to have marked an old boundary between Westmorland and Cumberland, and might have also marked the southern territorial extent of the medieval Kingdom of Strathclyde. According to local folklore, the cairn was raised over the body of a Cumbrian king named Dunmail who was slain by Saxons. The place name itself may well refer to the historical Dyfnwal ab Owain, King of Strathclyde (died 975), and seems to mean "Dyfnwal's Cairn". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunmail_Raise

Helvellyn Leathes Water: Helvellyn is the third-highest point both in England and in the Lake District and access is easier than to the two higher peaks of Scafell Pike and Sca Fell. The scenery includes three deep glacial coves and two sharp-topped ridges on the eastern side (Striding Edge and Swirral Edge).

2012: Looking down onto Red Tarn from Striding Edge, with the summit of Helvellyn and Swirral Edge beyond by Silence-is-infinite and published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Tarn_and_Swirral_Edge.JPG

Among the early visitors to Helvellyn were the poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. The view from the top is one of the most extensive over the Lake District, and on a clear day the view can also stretch from Scotland to Wales. John Keats speaks of Wordsworth "on Helvellyn's summit, wide awake…". An early casualty of the mountain was the artist Charles Gough, who slipped and fell from Striding Edge in April 1805. A small tourist industry began to grow up around the mountain, with inns providing ponies and guides as well as accommodation for the visitors, and guidebooks being published for visitors. Jonathan Otley’s guidebook of 1823 described the view from the summit and claimed it gave a more complete view of the Lake District than any other point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvellyn

Circa 1850: The Druids Temple near Keswick with Helvellyn in the distance. Engraving by J. Harwood, 26, Fenchurch Street, London. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEDruidsTemple18.jpg

Leathes Water is no more. It was a small natural lake named after the family that owned the land. In 1887 the north end of the lake was dammed to create a large reservoir, now named Thirlmere, to provide water to the city of Manchester. It is bordered on the east on the east by Helvellyn. https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cumbria/countryside/lakes/Thirlmere.htm

2006: Thirlmere seen from the Steel Fell at the southern end of the lake by Mick Knapton and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thirlmere_from_high_up_on_Steel_Fell.jpg

Saddleback, now known as Blencathra, is one of the most northerly hills in the English Lake District. It has six separate fell tops, of which the highest is the Hallsfell Top at 2,848 feet.

2008: Blencathra from Castlerigg stone circle by Rob Bendall (Highfields), the copyright holder, who allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blencathra_from_Castlerigg.jpg

For many years, Ordnance Survey listed Blencathra under the alternative name of Saddleback, which was coined in reference to the shape of the mountain when seen from the east. The guidebook author Alfred Wainwright popularised the use of the older Cumbric name, which is now used almost exclusively. Ordnance Survey currently marks the summit as ‘Saddleback or Blencathra’. It is likely that the name Blencathra is derived from the Cumbric elements *blain ‘top, summit’ and cadeir ‘seat, chair’, meaning ‘the summit of the seat-like mountain’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blencathra

Skiddaw is mentioned in the fourth book of John Keats's poem Endymion: "…with all the stress / Of vision search'd for him, as one would look from old Skiddaw's top, when fog conceals / His rugged forehead in a mantle pale, / With an eye-guess towards some pleasant vale / Descry a favourite hamlet faint and far." and in the final lines of the poem The Armada by Thomas Babington Macaulay, Lord Macaulay: "Till Skiddaw saw the fire that burned on Gaunt's embattled pile, And the red glare on Skiddaw roused the burghers of Carlisle."

1787: A horse-drawn carriage under Skiddaw. Author Philip James de Loutherbourg or his studio. 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:Loutherbourg-skiddaw-1787.jpg

Skiddaw was painted by Courbould (painting below) and J M W Turner (Engraving below) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skiddaw

Skiddaw from Derwent Water, oil on canvas, by Richard Coubould (1757 - 1831). 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:Skiddaw_from_derwentwater_by_Richard_Corbould.jpg

1833: Skiddaw engraving by William Miller after Turner published in The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott, Bart. Vol xi. Each Volume to have a Frontispiece and Vignette Title-page from designs taken from real scenes by J.W. Turner, R.A. 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 100 years or less. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skiddaw_engraving_by_William_Miller_after_Turner_R513.jpg

2017: Keswick and Skiddaw, seen from the summit of Walla Crag by Antiquary, the copyright holder of this work, and published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Keswick_and_Skiddaw.jpg

The view is as panoramic as might be expected, given Skiddaw's topographic prominence. From High Man the north east quadrant is filled by the quiet fells of Back o'Skiddaw, with the Border hills, the Cheviots and the North Pennines behind them. To the south east are Blencathra, the Far Eastern Fells and the Helvellyn range; behind these are vistas of the Yorkshire Dales and Forest of Bowland. The Coniston Fells are visible directly to the south. On the other side of South Top is a fine view of the Scafells, Western and North Western Fells, with a portion of Snowdonia visible between Kirk Fell and Pillar. The Isle of Man is visible 60 miles (97 km) away, as are the Mourne Mountains 120 miles (190 km) away (on exceptionally clear days). The final quarter is taken up by the coastal plain and the distant Solway Firth, backed by the hills of Galloway such as Merrick, Criffel and Broad Law. Goat Fell on Arran can be seen at an angle of 313 degrees, 105 miles (169 km) away. The most distant view is Slieve Meelmore in Mourne, 120 miles (190 km) distant. By moving to South Top a superb view of Borrowdale can be brought into sight.

St John’s in the Vale sits to the south of Blencathra and to the west of the long Helvellyn ridge and is usually visited only as a short cut from Threlkeld on to the main spine road between Keswick & Windermere. This is a shame because it is an exceptionally attractive glaciated valley which is certainly worthy of further exploration. https://where2walk.co.uk/walks/lake_district/st-johns-in-the-vale/

Derwent Water lies in the valley of Borrowdale and immediately south of Keswick. There are several islands within the lake, one of which is inhabited. Derwent Island House, an 18th-century residence, is a tenanted National Trust property open to the public on five days each year. It is believed to be the last remaining native habitat of the vendace (Coregonus vandesius) fish

1792: A View of Derwentwater in Cumberland by G Morland published by T Gowland. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/11992

Circa 1850: Derwent Water & Keswick from Skiddaw. Engraving by J. Harwood, 26 Fenchurch Street. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEDerwentwater18.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derwentwater

Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest water bodies in the Lake District and is the only body of water in the Lake District to use the word "lake" in its name, all the others being "waters" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassenthwaite_Lake

Derwent & Bassenthwaite Lake, Keswick & Skiddaw in the Distance, Cumberland.http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/2418

Borrowdale Fells: Most of the mountains at the head of Borrowdale, including Scafell Pike and Great Gable, are part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, a geological development from the Ordovician period. The Borrowdale Valley rises in the central Lake District, and runs north carrying the River Derwent into the lake of Derwentwater. The waters of the river have their origins over a wide area of the central massif of the Lake District north of Esk Hause and Stake Pass. These origins include drains from the northern end of Scafell, Great End, the eastern side of the Dale Head massif, the western part of the Central Fells and all the Glaramara ridge. Near Rosthwaite the side valley of Langstrath joins the main valley from Seathwaite before the combined waters negotiate the narrow gap known as the Jaws of Borrowdale. Here it is flanked by the rocky crags of Castle Crag and Grange Fell. The valley then opens out around Grange before the river empties into Derwentwater, overlooked by Catbells, Skiddaw and Walla Crag. The B5289 road runs down the full length of the valley, and at the southern end crosses the Honister Pass to Buttermere. At the heart of the valley is the village of Rosthwaite. Some more Borrowdale villages include Stonethwaite, Seatoller, Seathwaite, and Grange. Grange Fell is a small fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria, situated in the Borrowdale valley overlooking the villages of Grange in Borrowdale and Rosthwaite. It is owned by the National Trust and was one of its first acquisitions in the Lake District in 1910; the fell was purchased by public subscription as a memorial to King Edward VII at the bequest of the King’s sister Princess Louise, who then was President of the Trust. The magnificent viewpoint of King's How was named after the King as a memorial. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grange_Fell

2006: Grange Fell as seen from Rosthwaite in Borrowdale, King's How is to the left and Brund Fell to the Right by Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grange_Fell

Royal Oak Inn: Concise Description of the English Lakes by Jonathan Otley (1823) states: Keswick ... The principal inns are the Royal Oak and Queen's Head; ...... Post chaises, ponies, and jaunting cars may be had at the inns, with experienced guides for excursions by land; and neat pleasure-boats with intelligent boatmen for the water. http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/html/lgaz/lk13136.htm SEE ALSO: The Royal Oak started life as an 18th century coaching inn, and, through the years, has played host to well-known literary figures. It was here that Sir Walter Scott wrote part of his ‘Bridal of Triermain’ and other literary greats such as Lord Tennyson and Robert Louis Stevenson were frequent visitors too. https://www.royaloakkeswick.co.uk/explore/about-us/

Can you help us?

Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering one section today:

bounded by an immense ?***? mountain called Borrowdale Fells Lucy has placed a superscript word between immense and mountain - was this an unintended scribble or are we missing a small adjective? Help please!

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?

Please click here if you can help

3rd August 1819, Sailing, ferry house, Claife viewing station, Belle isle, Bowness Church, Biskey How

Tuesday 3rd August 1819

Tuesday 3rd August We passed this beautiful morning in sailing about the lake. We landed at the Ferry house & ascended through a pretty garden to a Tower called one of West’s Station there is a nice room in the interior which commanded a fine view of the Lake we were much amused with an ingenious contrivance of stained glass to represent the lake at the different seasons of the year on this manner. Blue for Winter

Yellow for Summer Orange for Autumn Green for Spring there are several small Islands in this lake which are all called by different names on the largest of them Mr Curwen has created a handsome mansion surrounded by fine trees returning to Bowness we entered the Church to see the painted glass which been brought from Furness Abbey but it is so mutilated as scarcely to be distinguishable after dinner we mounted a hill behind the Inn called Biscay How whence we had an extensive view of Windermere.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

West’s Station Tower: Claife Station was built in the 1790s. The "stations" were viewpoints where tourists could enjoy the best views of the landscape, being encouraged to appreciate the formal qualities of the landscape and to apply aesthetic values. At some of these stations, buildings were erected to help this process.

The windows of the drawing room were the Station's most celebrated feature; each had a different aspect, viewed through different coloured glass to enhance variations in weather and seasons. The tinted glass in these windows was intended to recreate lighting effects in the landscape. Yellow represented summer, orange was for autumn, light green for spring, and light blue for winter. There was also a dark blue for moonlight and a lilac tint to give the impression of a thunderstorm.

2003: Claife Station below Claife Heights on the western shore of Windermere by Stephen Dawson, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Claife_Station.jpg

Tourists were encouraged furthermore to look at the views through a Claude-glass, a mirror which framed the landscape and allowed it to be more picturesque, literally more like a picture. This picturesque way of viewing the landscape was further popularised by books by the Reverend William Gilpin including Observations, relative chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, made in the year 1772, on several parts of England; particularly the Mountains, and Lakes of Cumberland and Westmorland published in 1786, and Three Essays on Picturesque Beauty; on Picturesque Travel; and on Sketching Landscape (1792). built in the 1790s and later expanded, the building had windows tinted with coloured glass, designed to recreate the landscape under different seasonal conditions. Yellow created a summer landscape, orange an autumn one, light green for spring, dark blue for moonlight and so on. From the description accompanying the above image at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Claife_Station.jpg

Hawkshead and Claife is a National Trust property made up of much of the town of Hawkshead and surrounding Claife Woodlands in Cumbria, England. Overlooking Windermere itself is Claife Station, the ruins of a residence notable for the fact that each room was glazed in differing coloured glass to give the effect of viewing the landscape in the changing seasons. Hawkshead is home to the Beatrix Potter Gallery, another National Trust property. The Trust also owns four miles of access along Windermere lakeshore.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawkshead_and_Claife SEE ALSO https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/claife-viewing-station-and-windermere-west-shore

A MUST READ ABOUT TOURISM IN LUCY’S TIME: Thomas West published a guide book to the Lakes in 1778 - this was the beginning of a new wave of tourism in Europe. People were struggling to complete the ‘Grand Tour’ around the continent due to the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, so following West’s guidebooks the Lakes became the fashionable destination for wealthy tourists. They set out armed with their guidebook and sketch pad, to ‘view’ the landscape in a pre-determined way. The Viewing Stations were a key part of this experience. Set in dramatic spots, the many trees and shrubs restricted the view as people walked up the path from the Courtyard, creating a grand reveal of the landscape when they reached the top. SEE ALSO: Thomas West produced a full guidebook, with directions to every rocky torrent and cloud-crowned peak, and the crowds began to come(1778) https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/may/14/paintings-lake-district-jenny-uglow

Belle Isle is the largest of 18 islands and the only one ever to have been inhabited. In 1774 Belle Isle House was erected on the island to designs by John Plaw and was sold along with the island to the wealthy Curwen family who renamed the island after their daughter, Isabella (Belle)

2012: Map of Belle Isle on Windermere. OS OpenData with modifications by Prioryman. This file is licensed by the Ordnance Survey of the United Kingdom under their OS OpenData License. You are free to distribute and modify the file as long as you attribute (including year), the Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right (year) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belle_Isle_Windermere_map.png

1835: Bowness, from Belle Isle, Windermere, Engraving by J. Redway after T. Allom. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEBownessBelleIsle12.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Isle_(Windermere)

Furness Abbey Glass was described more favourably by Thomas West, in A Guide to the Lakes, published by William Pennington, Kendal, and in London, 1778 to 1821. “In Bowness there is nothing so remarkable as some remains of painted glass, in the east window of the church, that were brought from the abbey of Furness.” http://www.lakesguides.co.uk/html/lgaz/lk01376.htm

Biskey How: Martineau’s Guide of 1855 recommends the view from the hill: “one of the most charming points of view in the neighbourhood,- a hill named Biscut How, crested with rocks, which afford as fine a station as the summit of Elleray for a view of the entire lake and its shores.” http://www.lakesguides.co.uk/html/lgaz/lk18842.htm

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?

Please click here if you can help

2nd August 1819, Furness, Coniston Water, Waterhead, Esthwaite Water, Bowness

Monday 2nd August 1819

August 2nd After breakfast we started for Furness about eight miles from Ulverston the country began to ?have? a most romantic appearance and by ascending a rock to the right we attained a fine view of Coniston water the beautiful scenery increased as we rode along the banks

the whole length of this lake is six miles and the greatest breadth three quarters of a mile. There are two promontories which project far into the lake one is covered with fine trees when the lake is high both are insulated; on other side the borders of Coniston are terminated by steep mountains covered with verdure which the glassy Lake reflects when calm & wears more the appearance of embankment the ?only? thing I can describe we dined at Water Head & while dinner was preparing rowed down the lake from the south end but it has not so fine

appearance from this end on account of the mountains gradually decreasing at 3 o’clock we proceeded on our journey we passed by Esthwaite water 2 miles in length & ½ a mile in breadth surrounded on the north by craggy mountains which much resemble Wales this lake produces no ??carp?? though connected with Windermere 2½ miles on. this lake which is the largest being 13 miles in length presented itself it does not appear to be ?terminated? by such high mountains as Coniston though the borders were very beautiful being largely cultivated & interspersed with woods in which are several neat little mansions

this lovely scene was incased by the reflections of the moon by the water which was nearly full we crossed in a small boat to Bowness where there is an excellent Inn

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Coniston Water is the 3rd largest lake in the Lake District https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coniston_Water

Coniston Water. Aquatint http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/2911

1785: Coniston Lake Engraving by S. Middiman after F. Wheatly. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEConistonLakeMiddiman11.jpg

2001: Coniston Water as seen from Holme Fell, by Mick Knapton, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license and sourced at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coniston_Water_from_Holme_Fell.jpg

Waterhead Pier, Ambleside https://www.visitcumbria.com/amb/waterhead-pier/

Note the rowing boat on the lake in front of the Waterhead Hotel in the print below - the Coplands rowed on the lake whilst waiting for dinner.

1841: Waterhead Hotel, Coniston. From Vol 1, Harwood's Scenery of Great Britain http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/2429

Esthwaite Water is one of the smaller and lesser known lakes in the Lake District. It is situated between the much larger lakes of Windermere and Coniston Water and is known for its excellent fishing, particularly trout and pike.

Esthwaite Water from Ulverstone Road, Drawn and engraved by W Banks http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/4122

2004: Esthwaite Water, by Michael Parry, from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Michael Parry and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Esthwaite_Water_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2160.jpg

1836: Windermere, Esthwaite Water & Ambleside, from Rydal Park. Engraved by Engleheart after G. Pickering. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEWindermereEsthwaite12.jpg

The lake was mentioned as the location where William Wordsworth conversed with a friend in Wordsworth's poem, "Expostulation and Reply," part of Wordsworth's Lyrical Ballads and, in the same collection, it is the location for "Lines Left Upon A Seat In A Yew-Tree." Wordsworth also mentions it in his Prelude in line 267: "Make green peninsulas on Esthwaite's Lake", and also at line 570: "From Esthwaite's neighbouring lake the splitting ice". The poem "The vale of Esthwaite" (1787) was Wordsworth's first effort at sustained composition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esthwaite_Water

Bowness-on-Windermere grew from a small fishing village during the 19th century to a town living almost entirely off tourism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowness-on-Windermere

1846: The Village of Bowness. Windermere. Engraved by J Harwood. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/4116

1816: Windermere from below Bowness, looking to the North. Engraving by J. Scott after J. Farrington. R.A. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEWindermereBownessNorth.JPG

2007: View of Windermere from Bowness-on-Windermere, by Paul Jenkins. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Jenkinsp at English Wikipedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Windermere0.jpg

Excellent Inn: Probably Storrs Hall Hotel. Since it was built in the late 1700s Storrs Hall hosted renowned Lake District poets William Wordsworth and Robert Southey stayed here. It is reported that Wordsworth recited his famous Daffodils poem in the drawing room.

Circa 1840: Storrs Hall, Windermere Lake, Westmorland, Engraved by J. Starling after T. Allom. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEStorrsHall.JPG

From the Storrs Hall Website, https://www.storrshall.com/stay/about-storrs-hall/history-of-storrs-hall/

View from the grounds of Storrs Hall https://www.storrshall.com/explore/explore-our-grounds/

The mansion has also played host to a stream of famous guests from art and culture, industry and politics. The famous Children’s Author Beatrix Potter attended many parties here and Winston Churchill is also reported to have stayed at Storrs Hall Hotel. https://www.storrshall.com/

Can you help us?

Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering four sections today:

began to ?have? a most romantic appearance - We suspect that Lucy has not formed the word “have” clearly but would like confirmation from an expert

wears more the appearance of embankment the ?only? thing I can describe. We dined : We are not sure whether we have guessed the word “only” correctly - probably not. Help please!

much resemble Wales this lake produces no ?carp? though : Could the over-written word be “carp” ? The crossed out word below it may read “fish”, and if that is so she may have realised that there were indeed fish, but no carp in the lake. Help please!

in length presented itself it does not appear to be ?terminated? by such high mountains as : Is this terminated?? Lucy has squeezed the word in at the end of the line and the last few letters are incomplete or jumbled. Again, help please!

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?

Please click here if you can help

1st August 1819, Ulverston, Furness Abbey

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?

Please click here if you can help

31st July, Lancaster Castle, Piel Castle, Ulverston

Saturday 31st July

Saturday July 31st The first object which attracted our attention this morning was the Castle built on an eminence and commanding a fine view of the mountainous Country we are about to traverse

the Castle has been lately rebuilt by Mr Harrison. We inspected the interior which is converted into a good & kept in beautiful order. After breakfast we departed for Ulverston 22 miles the greatest part of this stage is over the Lancashire sands where we have a distant view of Piel Castle. Ulverston is a small well built town. The Sun is a good Inn.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Thomas Harrison was born in Richmond, Yorkshire, the son of a joiner. He attended Richmond Grammar School, and it is presumed that he worked with his father. In 1769 he was sponsored by a local landowner, Sir Lawrence Dundas of Aske Hall, to join George Cuitt (who later became a landscape painter) to study in Rome. His work was generally well received and was awarded gold and silver medals and made Accademico di Merito by the Pope. He returned to England in 1776 and in 1782 won the first prize in a competition to design a bridge to cross the River Lune at Lancaster and to replace a medieval bridge. The foundation stone was laid in June 1783, and Skerton Bridge was completed in September 1787. It was carried on five elliptical arches, and was the first in England to have a flat road surface. He subsequently received further commissions for bridges, including St Mary's Bridge in Derby (1788–93), Harrington Bridge near Sawley, Derbyshire (1789–90), and Stramongate Bridge in Kendal, Cumbria (1791–94), followed by smaller bridges in Lancashire and Cheshire. Having carried out the duties of country surveyor for Cheshire since 1800, he was officially appointed to the post in 1815.

1820: Thomas Harrison, by H. Wyatt from John Champness Thomas Harrison, Georgian Architect of Chester and Lancaster, 1744-1829, (2005- Frontispiece). 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 100 years or less. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Harrison001.jpg

Around the time that Harrison was involved in the construction of Skerton Bridge, he received other commissions for work in Lancaster. These included the addition of a clock tower to the Town Hall, the addition of a tower and spire to St John's Church, and the building of Bridge Houses on the east side of Skerton Bridge. In October 1786 Harrison was asked to prepare plans for substantial improvements to Lancaster Castle; in January that year he had also won the competition for major improvements to Chester Castle. He worked on both projects simultaneously for the next 30 years, and beyond that until 1815 in Chester, where he added further new buildings. In both projects he designed buildings for prisoners and prison staff, courtrooms and a Shire Hall. Both towns already had gaols, but there was a national move in the later part of the 18th century to improve them, following the campaigns by penal reformers led by John Howard. Amongst these reforms were the separation of men and women, and of criminals and debtors, which were incorporated into Harrison's designs.

Harrison spent the whole of his career in the northwest of England and, other than his houses in Scotland and his work in Oxford, his works were confined to Lancashire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, and North Wales. He was never a member of the Royal Academy or any other London-based institution, and only a rare visitor to London once his practice was established, but Charles Cockerell (later to become the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects) said of him in 1828, a year before he died at the age of 85, that he was "undoubtedly the noblest genius in architecture we have had". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Harrison_(architect)

Lucy mentions him by name and it is likely her father had a high opinion of his work

See also ‘THOMAS HARRISON, 1744-1829: ARCHITECT OF LANCASTER CASTLE’ By Peter Norris BA for Lancaster Castle - http://www.lancastercastle.com/history-heritage/people-stories/thomas-harrison-architect-of-lancaster-castle/

Piel Castle was built on Piel Island, overlooking the deep water port of Piel Harbour outside of Barrow Haven, now called Barrow-in-Furness, by John Cockerham, the Abbot of Furness Abbey around 1327, when Edward III gave the abbey a licence to crenellate on the site. Comprising a keep with an inner and outer bailey, the castle was intended to oversee the trade through the harbour, and to provide defence, as the Abbey had faced raids from Scotland in 1316 and 1322. The castle was used for smuggling by the Abbey, leading to complaints from merchants in English-controlled Calais that they were illegally trafficking wool, which in this period could only legally be sold through the French port. In 1487 the Yorkist pretender Lambert Simnel landed on Piel Island, sought help from potential local supporters and held court at the castle, before advancing inland and ultimately being defeated at the Battle of Stoke Field.

1814-25: Peel Castle, Lancashire, by William Daniell from his greatest artistic work as an aquatint engraver " A Voyage Round Great Britain" , which contains 308 aquatint prints. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/Dani11PeelCastle.jpg

2000: Piel Castle - gatehouse and keep by Ruth Riddle, derived from: Gatehouse at Piel Castle in May 2000 (geograph 3020045) and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piel_Castle_-_gatehouse_and_keep.jpg

In 1811, the poet William Wordsworth visited the area and wrote a poem entitled "Peele Castle" describing the site. The sea caused significant erosion during this period, and one side of the keep collapsed in the early 19th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piel_Castle

Ulverston: The town's market charter was granted in 1280 by Edward I for a market every Thursday. The charter also allowed for all public houses to open from 10:30 am until 11:00 pm irrespective of any other statute on the books. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulverston

2010: Market Street, Ulverston, by Alexander P Kapp from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Alexander P Kapp and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Market_Street,_Ulverston_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1731488.jpg

The Sun Inn, at 6 Market Street, is described in their What Pub entry as a grade II listed coaching inn situated in the heart of Ulverston Town Centre https://whatpub.com/pubs/FUR/1280/sun-inn-ulverston . See also: http://www.thelakedistrict.org/accommodation/hotels/the-sun-inn-ulverston/ Lucy was obviously impressed. The Sun is a good Inn, she writes, an accolade not readily bestowed by her.

From the Sun Inn's entry in What Pub https://whatpub.com/pubs/FUR/1280/sun-inn-ulverston

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?

Please click here if you can help

30th July 1819, Ormskirk, church tower-steeple, Garstang, Preston

Friday 30th July 1819

Friday July 30th We arose at 5 o’clock this morning and leaving Liverpool we proceeded to Ormskirk to breakfast 13 miles a small town with a curious church said to be built by two sisters who differed in opinion with respect to having a

tower or a steeple built both. The steeple is part of the side of the tower which has a very odd appearance. The Inn is tolerable. We then passed through a flat but pretty country to Preston 19 miles a small but well built town. We had a fine view of Lord Derby’s on entering the town again changing horses & taking a little refreshment at a comfortable Inn. We proceeded to Lancaster through Garstang to dinner this is a well built town but very dull looking.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Ormskirk: The name is Old Norse in origin and is derived from Ormres kirkja, from a personal name, Ormr (which means "serpent" or dragon), and the Old Norse word kirkja for church. Ormr may have been a Viking who settled here, became a Christian and founded the church but there are no other records or archaeological evidence to support this and Ormr's identity is unknown.

The parish church of St Peter and St Paul is believed to be on the site of the original kirk, on a sandstone outcrop, and is the oldest building in the town. Its exact age is unknown; the building does contain some fragments of Norman architecture. The parish church has many connections with the Earls of Derby and the Stanley family. Many family members are buried in the church's Derby Chapel, including Thomas Stanley, the first Earl, who caused Richard III to lose his crown by changing sides at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, and the Royalist James Stanley, the seventh Earl, who was beheaded at Bolton in 1651 after the Civil War. His body is buried in one coffin and his head in a separate casket. This is one of only three parish churches in England to have a tower and a separate spire, and is unique in that it has both at the same end of the building.

Ormskirk Church, Engraved by W J Hammond after J Gilbert and published by John Jeffereys, Britannia Printing Office, Ormskirk http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/4667

2007: Ormskirk Parish Church (St. Peter & St. Paul), in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. It is one of only three parish churches in the whole of England to have both a tower and a spire, and unique in having both at the same end of the building. Author: Small-town hero Released into the public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ormskirk_Parish_Church.JPG

Legend has it that Orme had two sisters, one who wanted a tower, and one who wanted a spire, and Orme built both to please both. Regrettably, the truth is not so romantic. The 'steeple' dates from the early 15th century, but the original blew down in 1731 and was rebuilt between 1790 and 1832. The large west tower was added to the church around 1548 to house the bells of nearby Burscough Priory following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. One of these bells can still be seen in the church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ormskirk

Ormskirk Tolerable Inn: In Her HISTORY OF ORMSKIRK, Roshni Dhodakia’s blog provides a couple of Inns that might have hosted the Coplands for their breakfast 200 years ago. She tells us that “The Buck I’ th’ Vine is the only surviving coaching inn on the Liverpool to Preston turnpike road. Here the traveller could find warmth, entertainment and food. The inn has a rear courtyard with an old Brewhouse and once had a theatre with a minstrel’s gallery.” She continues with the history of The Ship Inn. “Above a row of white-painted shops (no. 14) there is an old inn sign showing a ship in full sail. Long since converted into a shop, this building was once an inn behind which was an 18th-century theatre. In 1788, you could see two plays each evening, all for the princely sum of one shilling (5p)! The theatre was demolished in the 1920s.

Image from the Buck I’ th’ Vine’s entry in What Pub: https://whatpub.com/pubs/SOU/133/buck-i-th-vine-ormskirk

Preston: The 19th century saw a transformation in Preston from a small market town to a much larger industrial one, as the innovations of the latter half of the previous century such as Richard Arkwright's water frame (invented in Preston) brought cotton mills to many northern English towns.

1831: Market Place, Preston. Engraving by R. Winkle after J. Harwood. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEMarketPlacePreston18.jpg

Circa 1835: Preston, Lancashire. Engraving by Edward Finden after W. Westall. A.R.A.. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEPrestonWW11.jpg

It was the first English town outside London to be lit by gas. The Preston Gas Company was established in 1815 by, amongst others, a Catholic priest: Rev. Joseph "Daddy" Dunn of the Society of Jesus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston,_Lancashire

Knowsley Hall - Lord Derby’s- Knowsley Hall’s gardens and parkland were created by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown around 1775-6, and flooded the 62 acre lake to feed the water gardens around the Hall.

1829: Knowsley Park (West Front). Engraving by J. Neale after J.P. Neale. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEKnowsleyPkWestFJPN11.jpg

1832: Knowsley Hall - The Seat of The Right Hon. The Earl of Derby. Engraving by W. Taylor after G. Pickering. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEKnowsleyHallGP11.jpg

The gardens were extended in the 19th century and the parkland was enclosed by a 9.5 mile stone wall featuring many follies along its length, including an Octagon designed by Robert Adam. http://knowsleyhallvenue.co.uk/our-story/knowsley-history/

Preston Comfortable Inn: Possibly the Bull & Royal, located at the heart of Preston City Centre, which is a restored traditional coach house. https://www.thebullandroyal.co.uk/

1857: Lithograph from: https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2012/06/preston-past-a-ramble-along-church-street-part-2-2/

See also https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2012/06/preston-past-a-ramble-along-church-street-part-2-2/ which offers other possible Inns. Another option is The Golden Cross. Most references go back no further than the 1850s but Catherine Proctor informs us that an earlier building was rebuilt in Victorian times: “With regard to the Golden Cross Pub - in Preston. My ancestor Robert Gornall was the owner in the late 1700's and early 1800's. I believe it was in our family for 100 years or more. (I'm working on the early part of the family tree to see which pub was in the family in 1604 when Hugh Gornall of Preston was an ale house keeper). When Robert Gornall died about 1830, it passed out of the family. The building that is there now is not the original one. It is on the original site, but the place was rebuilt in Victorian Times. Robert Gornall was a Burgess with the Preston Guild Merchant and was registered with the Guilds of 1782, 1802 and 1822. As well as being an innkeeper, he was the Bailiff and a common councillor. Also the Billet Master.” Catherine Proctor Gornall One Name Study http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=2472.9 see alsohttp://pubsinpreston.blogspot.com/2012/02/golden-cross-hotel-lancaster-road.html https://www.flickr.com/photos/rpsmithbarney/15482451862 and https://www.closedpubs.co.uk/lancashire/preston_goldencross.html

In his very helpful “Preston’s Inns, Taverns and Beer Houses” , Steve Halliwell lists a number of other Inns that could well have hosted the Coplands. Details of one, The Blue Anchor, is researched under http://pubsinpreston.blogspot.com/2012/01/blue-anchor-blue-anchor-court.html

Lancaster is an ancient settlement, dominated by Lancaster Castle, Lancaster Priory Church and the Ashton Memorial. The picture, below, may be what greeted Lucy and her family as they approached the city by carriage.

1825: The English Lakes. Selected views from a sketchbook (36 drawings) : mixed media, including watercolour and pencil by John Parker (1798–1860) from the National Library of Wales. 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:DV342_Lancaster_from_the_south.png

It became a borough in 1193 under King Richard I and Its first charter, dated 12 June 1193, was from John, Count of Mortain, who later became King of England. Lancaster Castle, partly built in the 13th century and enlarged by Elizabeth I, stands on the site of a Roman garrison. Lancaster Castle is well known as the site of the Pendle witch trials in 1612. It was said that the court based in the castle (the Lancaster Assizes) sentenced more people to be hanged than any other in the country outside London, earning Lancaster the nickname, "the Hanging Town". Lancaster also figured prominently in the suppression of Catholicism during the reformation with the execution of at least eleven Catholic priests. A memorial to the Lancaster Martyrs is located close to the city centre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster,_Lancashire

Lancaster Museums provides more information on this scene of Lancaster painted by the artist Gideon Yates, below: “This particular view is from Skerton on the north bank of the river Lune. In the foreground three cattle are grazing. The Skerton Bridge, which was constructed in 1788 is shown in great detail. Immediately behind this bridge is the site of the shipbuilding family - Brockbanks. The Green Ayre is completely obscured by a ship on the stocks. In the back ground the skyline of the town can be glimpsed. The cupola crowned the Town Hall in Market Square, built in 1785.

Many of Lancaster's grand buildings date from around this period due to the increased growth of trade that the town was experiencing. This led to the investment in new buildings, founding of hospitals and a sense of confidence.” http://collections.lancsmuseums.gov.uk/narratives/narrative.php?irn=135

Lancaster from Lune Bank, Skerton by Gideon Yates (1790-1837) from the collection of the Lancashiere Museums. 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:Lancaster_from_Lune_Bank,_Skerton.jpg

Garstang: The town's traditional market day on Thursday's dates back to the early-1300s and stretches the length of street. The Market Cross at the top of the High Street one of the most familiar landmarks in the area. The town celebrates an arts festival and an agricultural show (which has been continued for 200 years) every year in August. In April 2000, Garstang declared itself "the world's first Fairtrade Town", influencing many other towns, cities and counties around the United Kingdom to work towards the same goal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garstang

The route taken by the Coplands is shown on patterson’s 1800 map The Road from Preston to Garstang to Lancaster.

1800: Daniel Paterson - The Road from Preston to Garstang to Lancaster. Published in 'Paterson' s BRITISH ITINERARY being a new and accurate Delineation and Description of the Direct and Principal Cross Roads of Great Britain in two volumes by DANIEL PATERSON Esq.' Published by Bowles & Carver https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/MapPR297.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?

Please click here if you can help

Share

29th July 1819, Liverpool, Assembly Rooms, Botanical Gardens, Docks, sailing

Thursday 29th July 1819

Thursday July 29th We passed this morning in surveying the Assembly rooms Botanical Gardens Docks &c &c we then took a sail on the water for some time we passed the evening quietly at the hotel.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Assembly Rooms: Completed in 1816, the Wellington Rooms is a neo-classical building on Mount Pleasant which was designed by Edmund Aitkin as the Assembly Rooms of the Wellington Club. It is now derelict and in 1999 was placed on the National Heritage At Risk Register. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_Rooms,_Liverpool The image below was taken in 2017.

2017: Wellington Rooms, a Panoramic view across Mount Pleasant. Author Rodhullandemu, the copyright holder, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wellington_Rooms_2017.jpg

According to Hidden Liverpool, “It was the venue for high-society balls, college dances and parties and was at the heart of Liverpool life. The Wellington Rooms closed in the 1920's, but remained a place of entertainment, becoming the Embassy Rooms, Rodney Rooms, the Rodney Youth Centre and the Irish Centre, which many people still know the building as today. The building closed in the late 1990s, when a property developer took over the lease. Attempts were made to renovate into a boutique hotel but planning permission was refused. The residual portion of the developer's lease passed to the Crown in early 2011. Liverpool City Council, which owns the freehold of the site, has served a number of notices on the leaseholder. The Wellington Rooms was included in the Liverpool Echo's Stop the Rot campaign. A campaign is now under way to save the building and bring it back into use, and a local design practice have undertaken work to explore new uses; Dance Liverpool's dance centre and an office, function room, restaurant and University use.” http://www.hiddenliverpool.org.uk/memories/map/item/120-wellingtonrooms

The Botanic Garden was founded in Liverpool in 1802. A key founder was William Roscoe who, at considerable physical and financial risk to himself, fought to get the Transatlantic Slave Trade stopped.

1815 – 1817: William Roscoe, oil on canvas, by Martin Archer Shee. Walker Art Gallery, Accession number WAG 3130. The author died in 1850, so 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 100 years or less. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martin_Archer_Shee_-_William_Roscoe_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Other founders were medical doctors Bostock and Rutter, John Shepherd (an expert in fern propagation), William and George Bullock, Thomas Nuttall (a plant collector). Many of these men were non-conformers, linked as Unitarians. Botanic gardens evolved from ‘physic gardens’ – like the Chelsea Physic Garden in London which was founded in 1673 – and here the medicinal properties of plants were studied and taught. As Britain had started to trade with the whole world and with the consequent growth of the British Empire, plants were coming into Liverpool from all over the world, so it was a logical step to create a place for the increasing collection. And this was how Liverpool’s first botanic garden came to be. The Corporation provided a five acre site at the top of Mount Pleasant, just off Crown Street (roughly where Abercromby Square is today), and a private organisation was formed with 300 shares at 12 guineas each, and an annual subscription of two guineas. In May 1802, the garden opened, with Roscoe giving the inaugural speech, which is 65 pages long and can be found in the Liverpool Central Library.

1808 - The Glasshouse -From The Merseysider Magazine, http://www.merseysidermagazine.com/site/local-history/liverpool-botanic-gardens/

In the early 1980s the Militant Tendency dominated the Liverpool Council and viewed the gardens as ‘a collection of flowers for middle class people’. Its closure was blustered through arguing that their focus was on ‘Jobs and Services’ and nothing else. Liverpool’s unique plant collection and horticultural masterpiece was lost. The gardens closed in October 1984. https://asenseofplace.com/2014/10/07/mr-roscoes-garden/ All 6 skilled botanic gardeners were put out to cut the Counci’’s grass verges.

An excellent article by the Merseysider Magazine expands: “By 1808 a large glasshouse had been built 240ft long (24ft high in the centre section) with 5 temperature zones. 4823 different species and cultivars can be seen listed in their first plant catalogue. John Shepherd was the first Curator of the collection and to him is due a lot of the credit for the success of the gardens. To him is attributed the concept of a rockery for displaying plants in their natural habitat. The Herbarium was started with plants from the gardens, 30 years before Kew initiated theirs. Later on herbarium collections were received from many parts of the world. An example is Johann Forster’s collection brought back from the Pacific when he voyaged with Captain Cook. In 1827 it was reported: “No Public Garden in the UK is in a higher state of cultivation, and in no similar institution are stove and greenhouse plants in a more healthy and vigorous state.”

“By the late 1820’s the City was starting to surround the gardens and the consequent pollution was starting to threaten the health of both the plants and visitors. They had also run out of space and by 1831 they had chosen a new location and started the move to this new site, again outside the city limits to Edge Lane in Wavertree. The move was completed by 1836. They even moved mature trees using horses and carts, which must have been quite a sight moving along the tracks!” http://www.merseysidermagazine.com/site/local-history/liverpool-botanic-gardens/

The Docks: The Old Docks, originally known as Thomas Steers' dock, was the world's first commercial enclosed commercial dock. Built in 1715, it solved the problem of how to load and unload a cargo ship when the tide was out. Although Liverpool vessels were involved in the slave trade before the dock opened, it would have served ships involved in the Africa-America trade, propelling Liverpool to world leader of this trade. The dock led to Liverpool's establishment as the leading European port and subsequent world trading port. In the early 19th century, the dock was considered too small for the growing size of shipping using the port; the quays were too narrow; the city's sewage polluted the dock's water; and the narrow wooden drawbridge across its entrance channel caused traffic jams. Sentiment saved the Old Dock for 20 years, but the Old Dock closed on 31 August 1826 and was filled in. Remains of the original dock which can be seen under Liverpool One shopping centre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Dock

Other docks included The Prince's Dock, below,

Circa 1830: The Prince's Dock, Liverpool. Engraving by F.R. Hay after Harwood. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEPrincesDockFRH18.jpg

The New Dock,

Circa 1830: Liverpool from the Mersey. Commencing at the New Dock to the North. Engraving by Mr R. Brandard after S. Austin. Esq. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SELiverpoolFromMersey18a.jpg

The Duke’s Dock,

The Duke's Dock, & Warehouses, Liverpool, Engraving by Higham after Harwood, https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/

The Kings Dock, which was designed by Henry Berry and opened in 1785. Further warehouse buildings were added by John Foster, Sr.. The dock was closed in 1972 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Dock,_Port_of_Liverpool

The George’s Docks, built in 1771, were essentially redundant by the 1890s. It was the third dock built in Liverpool, and was too small and too shallow in depth for the commercial ships of the late 19th century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George%27s_Dock

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?

Please click here if you can help

Share