Seascale Farms - Part two

CROFT HEAD

CROFT the OE: for a small enclosure and HEAD: at the top of

Farmers

John & Bridget Kitchin:          1778, 1782
John & Hannah Howe:          1827, 1841, 1852
John Howe:                          1852 - 1866
Un-inhabitated:                    1871
Daniel & Thirza Wilson:         1881, 1891, 1901
J.B. Porter:                            1910
D. Wilson:                             1921
Isaac Porter:                         1934
William Borwick:                    1934
Ernest Moore:                       1938
John Hodgson:                      1938
Ernest & Eleanor Moore:       1946
Ernest & Eleanor Moore:       1954, 1961
Harold B. & Dorothy Moore:   1972

The Kitchin family continued to own this farm until the death of William Henry Kitchin who died in 1912 at Whitehaven ?, it then transferred to George Hodgson who died in 1926.

Daniel Wilson was a Miller and his wife Thirza ran a Laundry at Croft Head. Miss Bessie Coward, who in 1915 became Mrs.Bessie Hudleston, continued to run this laundry.

CROFT HEAD FARM, SEASCALE :- MESSRS.J.R. MITCHELL and Sons, Cockermouth will OFFER for Sale by Public Auction, at St Cuthbert’s Hall, Seascale on TUESDAY, the 24th day of July 1934, at 5.30 pm. the DESIRABLE FREEHOLD FARM known as CROFT HEAD, Seascale in the Parish of Gosforth, in the County of Cumberland, as now in the occupation of Mr Isaac Porter as Tenant either as a whole or in the following or such other Lots as may be determined at the time of the Sale:-

The whole lots including the farm house, buildings and land was offered. Bidding started at £1,300 and rose to £1,500. After a consultation the whole estate was put on the market and advanced from £1,500 to £1,650 at which figure the property was withdrawn without the reserve being disclosed. It was sold privately afterwards to Mr.William Borwick of Maud syke, Drigg. William Borwick, who died 1940, left it to his sister Eleanor Moore.

The Moore family took over the farm at the time that the Ministry of Supply was compulsory purchasing land for housing. They farmed the diminishing amount of land until it became un-economical so to do, they had already bought into the milk delivery business by taking over one half of Tom Chester of Town End’s milk round. The other half was sold to the Parkers of Acreless.

LANE HEAD

The name for this farm varies at different times between Lane Head, most common, and Lane End.
This is a descriptive name for:- ” the dwelling at the top (head) of the lonning (lane).”
The important lonning in question ran past Black How then Bailey Ground, Croft Head to Lane Head farm where you could turn left, at a T-junction, for Seascale How or right to Seascale Hall. This lonning no longer exists as part was destroyed when the Gosforth Road & Lingmell Crescent houses were built. Even more was lost when a modern bungalow was built over the exit from Croft Head with a subsequent incorporation of the lonning land into the adjacent fields. This is typical of the manner in which our ancient rights of way are lost for public use.

Farmers

Thomas & Isabel Beeby:         1719
Widow Beeby:                         1778
John & Dorothy Walker:          1826, 1827, 1837
John & Hannah Walker:          1841, 1851, 1858, 1861
Joseph & Mary Braithwaite:    1871, 1881, 1891
Robert Barnes:                       1901, 1910, 1921, 1934, 1938
Harry S.& Robert Barnes:        1946
Hartley Family:                        Not known
John & Frank Fearon:             1954 - 1992

The datestone on the existing building at Lane Head Farm is for :- 1887 - EDB
The previous date stone from Lane Head, now at Haverigg Moorside in Gosforth, was for the year 1812

Note: Parish Register 1826 shows a baptism for: Joseph the son of William & Hannah Braithwaite, Shoemaker of Gosforth Bottom.

In the 1881 and 1891 census it was a Joseph & Mary Braithwaite at Lane Head.

SEASCALE HALL FARM

Seascale Hall farm was the Desmense or Home farm of the Lord of the Manor of Seascale. It is a long time since the Lord lived at the Hall and since about 1704 has been in the occupation of tenant farmers paying rent to the Lord of the Manor. This change was the result of John Senhouse (of Penzance), when needing to raise money, mortgaged his Seascale estate. Today Seascale Hall is part of the BNFL estate.

Today the Farm house contains three date stones within its structure. The first is the well recorded Senhouse stone dating from 1606 recording the first Senhouse family in residence in the Manor House. They were - JS & MS 1606 - John & Mary Senhouse (nee Le Fleming) who were the first Senhouses at Seascale Hall. Two stones were found about 1980? when a lean-to buiding built on the south side of the house was demolished and the two date stones discovered. The first recorded - R & E B 1710 - there was a John & Eleanor Benson & children at the Hall at this time, was R & E John’s parents; or more likely, do the initials belong to Richard Blaicklock and his wife who became Lord of the Manor in about 1706-08? John Benson died in 1730 & Eleanor in 1737. The third stone is a simple sandstone block with the date 1579 inscribed upon it which must record the date of an earlier rebuild

Farmers

John & Eleanor Benson:          1710 - 1730
Richard & Mary Walton:           1731 - 1737
Richard & Isabel Walton:         17?? - 1755
James & Ann Walton:              1755 - 1758
Richard & Mary Walton:           1754, 1770
Martin & Betty Ashburner:       1776, 1781, 1799, 1823
James & (Joyce?) Fox:             1824, 1827
Henry & Elizabeth Fox:           1832
John & Hannah Gunson:         1841
Gabriel & Mary Threlfell:          1851, 1858, 1861
Richard & Jane M. Threlfell:     1871
Henry Walker (singleman):     1875 - 1885
John & Mary Sherwen:            1891, 1901
William & Ruth Cottam:           1902 - 1909
Ruth Cottam & Sons:              1910, 1913
Reuben & Ann Cottam:           1921, 1934, 1938
William & Mabel Lamb:           1938, 1946, 1954, 1961
Albert & Frances Fawcett:      1961 - 1982
John & Kathleen Fawcett:      1982 -

It would appear that in the mid eighteenth century the Walton family, Richard & Mary originating from Kendal, used Seascale Hall as a centre for their transport business (carriers), they used the farm as well but also had property in Egremont.

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SEASCALE HOWE FARM

A combination of the derivation of SEASCALE from ON:sae = Sea with ON: Skali = Cattle or Sheepcot (enclosure) along with HOW from ON: haugr = hill or mound. Giving - the cattle enclosure on high ground by the sea.
It is obvious that in times past that there were was more than one farm at Seascale Howe. 

Farmers

John Powe:                                     1606
Brian Parker:                                  1632
John Powle:                                    1662
Thomas Powe:                                1665
Robert Powle:                                 1716
John & Mary Powle:                        1725
Robert & Elizabeth Sherwen:          1734, 1746
Robert Elertson:                             1738
John & Isabel Sherwen:                 1746, 1748
Daniel & Grace Walker:                   1764, 1771
John & Ann Sherwen:                     1767, 1774
(Richard & Jane Walker):                1767, 1777
Not Given:                                      1778
John Marshal:                                    —  1786
John & Sarah Sherwen:                  1823
John & Hannah Sherwen:               1827
William & Hannah Marshall:            1823, 1827, 1838
John & Hannah Sherwen:               1841, 1845
Joseph & Margaret Knight:             1851
John & Ruth Sherwen:                    1851, 1858, 1861, 1871
John Sherwen, widower:                1891, 1898
John & Mary Sherwen:                    1881 then 1901, 1910, 1920
Harry & Jane Moore:

William G. & Mary J.Sherwen:         1938
Henry G. Pallister:                          1938
Thomas & Sarah A.Pallister:           1946, 1954, 1961
John Jackson:                                 1954
Henry M. & Mabel L. Lamb:             1972, 1997

This farm was advertised in 1853 giving a full, if stylised, description of the farm and its lands. In earlier times it is likely that this was at least two separate farms.

In the Will of John Sherwen, granted probate in 1920 - he disposes of his two estates to his two sons. John Sherwen jnr. was to have Seascale Howe whilst being responsible for his mother until her death, whilst son William Sherwen was to have the property consisting of a dwelling house, stable, loft, garden, orchard & premises, known as Marshall Howe. It is understood that Marshall Howe is today’s Seascale Howe Cottage.

Was todays Howe cottage built by John Marshall in the 1780’s or William & Hannah in the 1820’s?
There was a family connection between the Pow/Powle & Sherwen Families through the marriage in 1689 between John Powle and Marie Sherwen, was this the John Powle who died in 1725?

The area of land described by STINT or CATTLE GATE was that area that would support one cow on the COMMON land. Evidently Seascale How farm, in times past, possessed the right to graze two cattle on the “Common land” at Seascale banks - today the golf course.

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Between 1860-1880, the farmer of SEASCALE HOWE farm incorporated the public right of way known as Seaflatt or Cringley Lane, that ran down to the sea shore, into his property. 50 years later the Parish Council were still trying to regain access to the roadway:- taken from a Newspaper Cutting: September 1920

This long running problem for the Parish Council concerned the local lonning that ran across Seascale from beyond the village on the south side via Black How Farm, the old School crossroads, Croft Head Farm, Cringley Well, Seaflatt to the shore. This problem was compounded by the conversion of part of this land into the Golf Course when the last thing the trustees of the course wanted was a bridle way, that was wide enough to take carts and cattle, running through their property.
Cringley well was a public watering place and Seaflatts was/is common land. The loss of public rights of way to land owners is obviously not a new problem !