Seascale Farms - Part one

 INTRODUCTION

The number of farms in Seascale has fallen over the years from the 30 that existed in 1706, to 15 in 1764 and only 3 working farms today. Added to these are Whitriggs that was in Drigg in 1764 & Acrelands which is perhaps best described as a modern farm. Today the working farms are: Seascale Hall, Seascale Howe, Bailey Ground & Acrelands. The other farms have changed as follows: Black How Holiday Accommodation & Housing Brownbank Housing (2) Croft Head Housing & the village milkman - now retired. Lane Head Stood empty with the land rented out Swang Housing Town End Alan Batty’s Garage Whitriggs Not working - residential Whole House Demolished c.1947 for the housing estate

FARM & OTHER PLACE NAMES

Many reference works have been consulted in producing the following interpretations of the meaning of the local names including, Ref. the Place Names of Cumberland in 3 parts, by the English Place-Name Society, Volumes 20, 21 & 22; Cambridge University Press - 1952. ON: Old Norwegian OE: Old English ME: Middle English OED: Oxford English Dictionary

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ELVIN HOW: from OE: elven = of the elves, thereby meaning the elves hill. There was a cottage at this place situated on the lonning running from Moffats corner to Seascale Hall farm; today it is only a field name. Farmers Daniel Long 1772 Henry Ashburner 1797 Daniel & Eleanor Dickenson 1845 Eleanor Dickinson (widow) 1851 Mary Briggs 1852 Ruth Dickinson 1854 In the 1851 Census this property was called THACK, there was no mention under either name in the 1861 Census. In this context Thack - refers to a building with a thatched roof.

COVENESS: Which was former Common Land COVE from the ME: Cove = Recess and NESS from OE:Naes or ON:Nes both meaning a headland, promontory or cape.

CRINGLAY: also former Common Land Cringlay from either kringla ON: for circle or krokr ON: for a crook or bend in the stream. There was a spring here providing water for the vicinity.

SEASCALE’S FARMS & FARMERS

In the following chronological tables an attempt has been made to show the families who have lived & worked on Seascale’s farms over the years. The year is given when documentary evidence has been found for their residence and no conclusion should be made concerning continuity of occupation between the years shown, unless the two years are joined with a hyphen. There will be people missing from these tables; also when two people are joined with an ampersand it must not be assumed that they were husband & wife, although in the majority of cases that will be the true. The sources used for the tables include: Parish Registers, Probate records, Census reports, Government surveys, Trade directories and Electoral rolls as well as personal recollections of the families involved.

ACRELANDS

The names Acreless and Acrelands appear to be interchangeable. from OE: acer = the enclosed lands It is the Seascale farm without a farm house. In 1914 the land called Acrelands was sold to Mr.J.T.Braithwaite for £750. Acreland fields then consisted of 21 Acres 11 perches along with a stone barn, byre & implement house.

Farmer

John Tyson (owner):             1898

John Tyson Braithwaite:       1910, 1938

Charles & Jennie Parker:      1946, 1954

George & Jennifer Bradley:   1972

George & Jennifer Bradley:   1997

This farm which was formerly part of the Manors common land that was incorporated into the farms of the day in 1764. The first reference to this property as a separate entity came with the sale of the Scawfell Hotel in 1898, when it was one of four items in the sale list.

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BAILEY GROUND

GROUND  is a term used to define a piece of land belonging to a Monastic estate. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries (Furness Abbey in 1537) these tenements were sold as individual holdings and took the name of the family who took possession at that time. Bailey Ground would have belonged to either Calder Abbey or the parent establishment Furness Abbey which is situated on the outskirts of the modern day Barrow-in-Furness.

Farmers:

Phillip Porter                               1778

Isaac & Hannah Porter:              1827, 1841, 1851

Isaac & Mary Porter:                  1861, 1871

David & Jane Myers:                   1881

Isaac & Eliza Armstrong:            1891

Henry G. & Sarah H. Bateman:   1899 - 1917

Henry G.Bateman:                      1917, 1921, 1934

William Pearson:                        1934, 1938

Scawfell Hotel:                           1939 - 1945

Oliver & Olive Mawson:              1946 - 1947

Oliver & Betty Mawson:              1948 - 1967

Ken & Kate Mawson:                  1968 -

At various times in the past the farm name has been written Bailiff Ground and in the 1860’s, at the time of the first Ordnance Survey, this farm was labelled as Bayleaf Farm. It is evident, that for much of its existence, the farm has been operated by the Porter families as part of their adjacent Black How estate. Both before & during the last war Bailey Ground was used to grow food crops & milk for the Scawfell Hotel, with William Pearson acting as a farm bailiff for the Hotel. Bailey Ground returned to “normal” family farm operations in 1946.

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BLACK HOW

BLACK from ON: bla(r) = dark or Blakki, a personal name; leading to the Black hill or Blakki’s Hill.

Farmers

Phillip Porter:                             1748, 1778

John & Sarah Porter:                 1784, 1837

Peter & Eunice Porter:               1812, 1827,

Peter & Dorothy Porter:             1848

William & Sarah Porter:              1841, 1851, 1861

John & Hannah Porter:              1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1910

Isaac B. & Agnes M. Porter:       1910, 1921, 1934

Thomas & Bessie? Cook:           1938, 1946

Isaac & Agnes Cook:                 1961, 1967 retired

Benn & Edith Barwise:               1967 - 197?

Joseph & Jean Matterson:         1972

Dick, Joseph, Benn Matterson:  1977 - 1985

This establishment ceased to operate as a farm about 1985

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BROWN BANK

BROWN from the ON: personal name Bruni, or possibly referring to the colour of the local land, and BANK from OE or ON a raised shelf or ridge of high ground. This describes the location of the old farm especially when you consider that the level of the road was raised several feet during the early 60’s

Farmers

Thomas Poole:                                   1595

Thomas Sharpe:                                1669

Robert Sharpe:                                  1725

Joseph Taylor:                                    1748

John Taylor:                                       1764

John & Mary Coulcher:                       1777

John Taylor:                                       1778

John & Mary Landsborough:              1827, 1841, 1851

William & Catherine Henderson:        1861, 1871

Thomas Robinson:                             1881

Isaac & Mary E.Taylor:                       1891

George Broome:                                1901

I. Alinson:                                          1910

No Entry:                                           1921

John Gray:                                         1938

 W.H. Parker:                                     1938

Reuben Cottam:                                1946, 1954

Norman & Sheila Ratcliffe:                 1971

Thomas & Phyllis Mercer:                   1971

Cumberland Pacquet, July 1851 - BROWN BANK Estate, Gosforth

This tithe free estate to be sold by auction, by John Mossop, on Friday 18th.July 1851 at 3 o’clock in the afternoon at Mr.John Gunson’s, the Scawfell Hotel, Seascale, Gosforth. All that very desirable Freehold & Tithe free estate situate in the Parish of Gosforth, called BROWNBANK consisting of a dwelling house, suitable farm buildings, 28 acres or thereabouts of arable meadow and pastureland, in a ring fence, and now in the occupation of Mr.John Landsborough. Particulars from John Walker of Seascale, Henry Gunson of Yottenfews the executors of Mrs.Taylor the late owner.

Brownbank ceased to be an operating farm after the formation of the new Fleming Hall Estate, when the Brownbank land was incorporated into the farm. 1851 was the last census showing a farmer here. In 1861 onwards there were houses for agricultural labourers. In 1910 there were 3 houses and 4 separate land holdings at Brownbank.

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