Wasdale Head - the Families

Certain family names are associated with the valley and some had obviously been there for hundreds of years. The WASDALE’s obviously took their name from the valley and they all lived at Downydale in Wasdalehead, with no trace of the family ever being found in Netherwasdale. Presumably this family had been there since the 12th.century or there abouts when it is generally accepted that surnames came into use. It is often claimed that ” the FLETCHER’s of Wasdalehead had held possessions there for over 700 years “. They were indeed present in nearly all the accounts for Wasdalehead but it is possible that they moved to Netherwasdale in the 1580’s. If they did move how long were they absent?

Over the centuries the number of families living at the head has dramatically reduced. At the peak of wool production there were 23 tenements [c.1570] in occupation. By the census of 1851 this had fallen to 7 farmsteads.

The Fletcher family finally left the Head when Robert Fletcher (born 1738) moved his family to Netherwasdale in 1765 and eventually settled at Church Style farm. It is true to say that his children made use of Burnthwaite from time to time after this move.

All through this period the last WASDALE family lived on in Wasdalehead until the last female, Ann (Nanny) Wasdale died aged 94 at Bowderdale in 1858. Over 200 dales folk attended her funeral at a church where a congregation of 30 would require everyone to stand shoulder to shoulder. Technically speaking Bowderdale is in Netherwasdale parish. The last male to die at Wasdalehead was John Wasdale who was buried in 1771 at Eskdale church.

I would therefore consider that the WASDALE’s of Wasdalehead were the senior family of this settlement. Other than the WASDALE’s and the FLETCHER’s there are other families that have a long association with Wasdalehead. These are the HUNTER, STAINTON, VICCARS, TYSON, WILSON and JACKSON families. The RITSON family did not arrive in the valley until the 1790’s.

ENFRANCHISEMENT and Wasdalehead.

One of the most important events in the life of a rural community was the process of enfranchisement. This describes the arrangement whereby the Manorial Tenents were given the option of buying the “freehold” of their property by paying a sum, usually 10 to 20 times the annual free rent, to the Lord of the manor. This process went well in nearby Eskdale where only about two options were not taken up, but apparently the process was not as popular in Wasdalehead. The original Call for Enfranchisement was made in 1723 but applications were not made until February 1759. This delay could be explained by long periods of negotiation when the lord of the manor would no doubt try to increase the price and the tenants would appeal for a reduction. The process took a lot longer for Wasdale Head.

SCHOOLING

The church school was opened in 1888, on land given by Will.Ritson the founder of the Wasdalehead Hotel, to take 20 children. The first teacher was a Miss Alexandra Grace Dingwall Fyfe. The second was Miss L.E. Light, and finally Mrs. Grace Wilson who was the original teacher, but in the meantime had married John Wilson of Middle Row. It is assumed she taught at the school until it closed.

Many years ago a person, who today would be called a local historian, wrote “In 1856 John Ritson [*] of Wasdale head told me that the schoolmaster there still continues to be supported on the Whittlegate system, and it is probably the last in the County.”

Whitlegate terms was an expression to describe a process whereby you employed a person to carry out work in return for providing them with bed and board - some times referred to as “all found”.
In the case of the Schoolmaster he would live with the family of one of the pupils for a period before moving on to the house of another family. This process allowed a small hamlet such as Wasdalehead to provide an education for their children at a minimum cost to themselves; and the schoolroom would have been a suitable barn. Whittlegate terms derives from the North country name of Whittle meaning knife, which was all that the schoolteacher brought with him through the farm gate.

The various Acts of Parliament concerning the education of children, towards the end of the 19th century, brought such arrangements to an end. In 1888 a school house was provided with money given by families who had left the valley to better themselves in the outside world and were now putting something back into the community. The church school was opened with places for up to 20 pupils. This school closed circa.1900 when there were no longer the number of pupils needed to keep it viable, and the children were then transported to the school down the valley at Netherwasdale.

[ * ] This would have been either the father or brother of Will. Ritson of the Wasdale head Hotel.

SNIPPETS

Iron ore has been found in and around Ore Gap at Wasdalehead for over 2,000 years. Bloomery sites are to found at many places around the lake, but it has not been worked since the Vincent brothers of Dublin circa.1850.

There was a Prisoner of War camp for 40 Italian soldiers in a tented encampment at Downy-dale during the first World War. The prisoners were employed on farms in the surrounding area.
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Family Names of Wasdale Head in 1851

BENN, BENSON, BIRKET, BRIGGS, COLEBANK, JACKSON, JENKINSON, KITCHEN, LISTER, PATTINSON, RITSON, STABLE, TYSON, WALKER, WEIGHTMAN, WILSON, WINDER.

In the 1851 Census the population of Wasdale Head was 47 with 28 males and 19 females.

Place Names of Wasdale Head circa 1851: Residences in Wasdale Head
High Burnthwaite, Low Burnthwaite, Down in the Dale, Fences, Greenland hall, High Row, Huntsmans Inn, Lingmell house, Middlerow, Old hall, Row, Rowend, Rowfoot, Row head, Wasdalehead Hall, Wastwater Hotel.

Over the years the names of some properties change or disappear all together, this has happened in Wasdalehead as follows:

The Hotel has been known as:- Rowend - Rowfoot - Huntsmans Inn - Sportsmans Inn - Wastwater Hotel - Wasdale Head Hotel and today the Wasdale Head Inn Hotel

Wasdalehead Hall Farm as:- Fences - Old Hall - Greenland hall.

Rowhead Farm as:- High row

Row: Was a linear group of 3 small tenements the remains of which are now outbuildings for a farm.

Down in the Dale:- Was a group of 4 tenements situated in the area of Downy-dale bridge. Today only the bridge and one barn like building survive, the last resident moved away about 1914 - 1918.
The old barn houses the electricity sub-station for the valley head. The electricity supply was installed in1977 and the cable runs along the lake bed starting from the western end.

Section on styhead road.

Nev.Ramsden, December 2008.