Seascale Farms - Part Three

SEASCALE MILL

There has been a water mill associated with the manor farm for as long as there are records available, currently since 1707, but probably for a lot longer. It is may be significant that the stream passing by and into which the mill water was discharged is known as New Mill beck. The source of water for the mill race was the stream coming off Seascale Moor at Brownbank and was taken across country to the Mill. Perhaps this source was more reliable than the much closer New Mill beck.

Compiling a list of Miller’s is not easy as the vicars of Gosforth were not very forthcoming with occupational information in their Parish registers.

The Millers

William & Jane Dickinson:      1840
Daniel & Eleanor Dickinson:  1841
John & Hannah Calvert:        1848
Daniel & Jane Tyson:            1849, 1851
Richard & Elizabeth Knight:  1859, 1861
William & Catherine Haile:    1861, 1864, 1866
Robert & Ann Wilson:           1871, 1881
Daniel & Shirza Wilson:        1881, 1891

In the 1891 the Mill was occupied by a Thomas Dover, an agricultural labourer, and his family. Daniel Wilson the Miller was living at Croft Head.

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SWANG

There are two possibilities for this farm name
1. SWANG in Northern Dialect meaning a Swamp, and
2. SWANG from ON: svangr = hungry, leading to - the
unproductive land.

Farmer

Daniel & Hannah Jackson:        1774
John Jackson:                           1778
Daniel Jackson:                         1827
John & Eleanor Ellwood:           1841, 1851
William Jackson (singleman):    1861, 1871, 1881, 1891
Robert Lightfoot:                      1901
John Bateman:                          1910
No Entry:                                  1921
John Edward & Nina Hartley:    1934, 1938, 1946
Harold & Nina Hartley:              1954, 1961
Mary & Sarah Herbert:              1971
Herbert Family:                         Ceased farming 1983

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TOWN END

TOWN from OE: tun = enclosed piece of ground, and END from OE: endi = end. There are many Town Ends in Cumberland, with seven in Copeland, and it is usually taken to indicate a place on the outskirts of a hamlet or village.

Farmers:

Thomas Sharp:                       1756
Peter & Ruth Leech:               1788, 1793
Isaac & Ann Leech:                1778, 1827, 1841, 1851
Peter & Elizabeth Leech:        1858, 1861, 1871, 1880
William Bateman:                   1861
Henry Leech (singleman):       1881
Henry Gunson (singleman):    1891, 1901, 1910
John Bateman:                        1921
John William Chester:             1934, 1938, 1946
Thomas E. Chester:                1954
Gainford Family:                      1961
Ronald & Pauline Broome:      1971

The Gainford’s were the last family farming at Town End full time. Following this family came the Batemans, the Seascale butchers, who used the land for fattening bullocks.

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 WHITRIGGS FARM

Elsewhere it is claimed that this name derives from WHIT = White combined with ME: RIGG = Ridge leading to the White ridges. People have then asked - where are the ridges and what is white?
The OED offers the following:
WHIT OE: meaning a very small part or portion; or
WHIT OE: meaning a shrill sound; combined with
RIGG: from ME: rigg = ridge or possibly ON: hregg = Storm.
These could lead to: the small ridge, the noisy ridge etc.

It would seem that the “small ridge” derivation is more applicable when considering the farms geographical position.

Farmers:

Isaac Leech:                          1734
Daniel & Mary Leech:             1795
Isaac Leech:                          1801
Peter Leech snr.:                   1801, 1837
Peter Leech jnr.:                    1837, 1841
John & Elizabeth Pearson:     1843, 1851, 1861
William Pearson:                    1871, 1881
John & Eleanor Pearson:        1891, 1901, 1910
John Pearson:                        1921, 1934
John & Jane/Lizzie Taylor:      1938, 1946, 1954, 1961
John & Ruth Taylor:                1971
John E. & Margaret Taylor:     1983, 1997

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WHOLE HOUSE FARM

WHOLE from OE:hol = a hole or hollow and HOUSE from OE: hus = a dwelling place. The dwelling in the hollow.

Farmers:

John & Jane Moscrop:                      1699
Matthew Moscrop & Esther:            1746
John & Ann Moscrop:                       1747, 1772, 1778, 1786
Matthew & Elizabeth Moscrop:        1790, 1808
Matthew & Esther Moscrop:            1827, 1841, 1844
Isaac Tyson:                                   1851
William & Mary Bateman:                1858, 1861
Jonathon & Sarah Steel:                 1871, 1881
Samuel & Mary Ann Bell:                 1891
Mary Ann & Jonathon Benson:        1901
A.& J. Benson:                                 1910, 1921
Ernest Moore:                                 1934, 1938
John Mossop:                                  1946, 1954

It is likely that this farm remained in the ownership of the Mossop family throughout the period 1844 to 1945.

From the Cumberland Pacquet: October 1853 WHOLE HOUSE FARM - To be let by Proposal and entered upon at Lady Day next. All the Farm called WHOLE HOUSE, in Seascale, in the Parish of Gosforth, containing about 85 acres of arable meadow & pasture land. Mr.Isaac Tyson, the present tenant, will show the farm, and proposals in writing will be received by Robert Fletcher of Wasdale. Robert Fletcher was a member of the renowned Fletcher family of Church Style Farm in Netherwasdale.

SALES by AUCTION.
WHOLE HOUSE FARM - Seascale MESSRS. M. B. HODGSON and SON of KENDAL. have received instructions from Mr. Ernest Moore, Whole House Farm, Seascale, to sell by auction on Wednesday; 28th February 1945:-
60 HEAD of Superior Young Shorthorn Cattle: 8 Cows and Heifers, newly calved. 7 Cows and Heifers, due March: 5 Cows and Heifers, due April, 1 Cow due May: 2 Cows, due June: 4 Heifers, served for back-end, 1 Cow in milk; 6 Bulling Heifers: 7 Heifers, 18 months old: 11 Heifer Stirks.
Roan Stock Bull, 2 years old, bred by Mr. Thompson, Chappels Farm, Bassenthwaite: remainder Young Calves

A FLOCK OF 60 SHEEP:-
30 Half-Bred Ewes served by Leicester Tup: 50 grass-wintered Half-bred Hoggs. 3 Large White GILTS due early March. Light Refreshments. Sale 1 p.m. Terms Cash.

This is the Sale Notice issued at the time that the Moore family moved farms from Whole House to Croft Head in 1945. Mr.Ernest Moore was the grandfather of David Moore who is today, the village milkman and Copeland Councillor. On occasion he is still helped by his father Harold Moore.
In 1945 Whole House farm was owned by Matthew Mossop Snr. After the move by the Moore family this farm was run by John Mossop, the younger son of Matthew Mossop Snr., who ran the farm until it was taken over, with £250 compensation, to provide land for the new Atomic Energy housing estate.

SEASCALE’S BLACKSMITHS

Recording the people who plied their trade as Blacksmith for the local community is difficult because the various Vicars of Gosforth were not very free with the information written into the parish register. It was 1760 before they started to note the residence of each subject in their entries, making them quite backward when compared to their brethren in similar churches in this area. It is the Parish register that is the only data source before the start of civil administration about the year 1840.

Blacksmiths

John Leece:                 1831, 1847, 1851, 1855, 1858
Peter Singleton:          1861
Robert Cockton:          1867, 1871, 1874
Wilson Biggins:            1881, 1891, 1901, 1910
Wilson R. Cleaver:       1921, 1934, 1938

For many years Cross Lanes was the site of the Blacksmiths shop - today the Moffats joiners at Moffats corner. The house associated with the joinery is called Smithy Cottage. Eventually Wilson Cleaver moved the business down into the village where he took premises in the area that Watsons today run their butchery/grocery business

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