The History of Bassenthwaite Parish
North Lakeland shows quite extensive evidence of ancient human activity from the Bronze Age onward and there are nearby earthworks dating from the Iron Age and Roman times. However, the earliest feature to be seen within the parish itself is probably the Church of St Bega which has stood on its own near Bassenthwaite Lake since the seventh century. Most of the structure visible today is the result of Victorian restoration but the interior contains features dating back to about 9502.
Ownership and Names
The name Bassenthwaite evolved from an earlier name Bastunthwaite which was probably already an old name when it was recorded in the 12th century and which means “Bastun's clearing”. In the early medieval period the name appears to have referred to the general area and was taken as the title by the lords of the manor whose seat was based on the site of Armathwaite Hall.
On the death of Adam de Bassenthwaite in the early 14th century the manor was divided between his two daughters and each part placed under the supervision of a constable. The constablewicks were High Side and Low Side. High Side is still an identifiable area today in the south of the parish, but the name Low Side is no longer used. The ownership of the two parts of the original manor passed down generations of the two sides of the family and then, after confiscation by the crown, to relations of the Earl of Derby who, in time, sold out to the tenants.
The collection of dwellings which grew up on the site of the present village of Bassenthwaite was known variously as Halls, Hause, and Hawse, perhaps reflecting its original ownership by and direct subservience to the manor hall. A directory of 1883 describes the village of Hawse and as recently as fifty or sixty years ago some older residents still referred to the village by that name. Halls Beck runs through the village and two of the village farms bear the name.
The lake is recorded as Bastunthwaite Water in the earliest records and then became known as Broadwater in the 18th and 19th centuries before finally becoming established as Bassenthwaite Lake.
Churches and Chapels
The oldest building in the parish of Bassenthwaite is probably the Church of St Bega which stands in an isolated position by Bassenthwaite Lake. St Bega was the daughter of an Irish king who fled from a forced marriage to the son of a Norse king and landed at what is now St Bees on the coast of Cumbria. Some say that this took place in the seventh century, but as the Vikings were settling in Ireland in the ninth century this would seem a more likely time for a marriage alliance to take place. Then around 900 the Vikings started raiding the coast of Cumbria so this would be a reasonable time for St Bega to leave the coast and travel inland to Bassenthwaite. Parts of the existing fabric of St Bega's Church date from about 950.
Late in the 11th century, Waldeof, first Baron of Allerdale, gave the manor of Bassenthwaite including the church to his son, Gospatric, who gave St Bega's to the Augustinian Jedburgh Abbey. The church revenues went to the Abbey which in return supplied or paid for clergy for the Bassenthwaite parish. By 1355 St Bega's was under the control of Carlisle Priory, another Augustinian foundation.
At the dissolution of Carlisle Priory in 1541, Carlisle Cathedral Dean and Chapter became the patrons of the Bassenthwaite living. From this time until 1868, the clergy at St Bega's were not rectors or vicars, whose income was derived from tithes, but were 'perpetual curates' appointed by the Dean and Chapter.
In the 18th and 19th centuries St Bega's Church was visited by several distinguished literary figures. William Wordsworth came in 1794 while staying at Armathwaite Hall. Alfred Tennyson and Edward Fitzgerald came in 1835 while staying at Mirehouse. Thomas Carlyle, a regular visitor to Mirehouse, also knew the church.
The exterior of the church is now the result of the renovation in Gothic style instigated by Henry Spedding of Mirehouse and completed in 1874. The medieval features of the interior were preserved and restored.
More recently, St Bega's provided the setting for Melvyn Bragg’s novel Credo. In October 2008, with the blessing of the Bishop of Carlisle, the Orthodox Bishop Basil of Amphipolis borrowed St Bega’s to ordain Father John Muster of Keswick. This was appropriate as St Bega’s is one of few Cumbrian churches to survive from before the time of the Great Schism (1064) when the western and eastern churches split.
In the fifteenth century, the parishioners of Bassenthwaite were given permission to have a chapel more conveniently situated for their worship since St Bega's Church was so remote from the village. A Chapel-of-Ease was built in 1471 at the corner of the A591 and School Road; in 1800 it was completely rebuilt in its present form and was used as a church until 1878 when St John's Church was completed. It then took on the function of a church hall. A school was run in the tiny building attached to the east end of the hall. The building is now the Church Room and this area of Bassenthwaite, including Chapel Farm and Chapel House on two other corners of the crossroads, is known as 'Chapel'.
In 1878 St John's Church was built on the main road just south of Chapel, to replace the Chapel-of-Ease. It was built to a high standard of workmanship in freestone and oak at the expense of Mr Boustead of Armathwaite Hall but his generosity left him so hard up that he was forced to sell the Hall and return to tea planting in the colonies.
Early Methodist worshippers met in various farmhouses in the area until the Chapel was built in 1866 close to the village green. The Sunday School Room which adjoins the chapel was added in 1937.
Employment
From earliest times farming was the basis of the local economy and from it evolved industry related to wool production. From the 12th century onwards there were several fulling mills in the two main becks where wool cloth was cleansed and thickened before being stretched and sun-bleached on hooked tenter frames. There are echoes of the industry in local names such as Tenterhill, Tenter Field, and Bleach Field.
Mining was a source of employment in the 19th century with antimony being produced at Robin Hood and barytes being mined from a drift in Burthwaite. The parish corn mill was close by and another mill was situated in the village near the bridge.
During the 18th century when many of the present stone buildings were erected, there were still numerous small farms in the village itself with many houses having an associated small barn perhaps with one or two cows or a horse.
In time small farmers took up more specialised trades and the area became remarkably self-sufficient. By the end of the 19th century there were carpenters, sawyers, shoemakers, tailors (two), coopers, two blacksmiths, and a baker. Even 60 years ago there were two taxi/car repair businesses, a joiner, a tailor, a builder, a cobbler and shoemaker, a blacksmith, a shop, and a post office/shop.
Today there are still three working farms within the village, but most employment in the parish is in the tourist industry. There are three hotels,a number of bed and breakfast establishments, and self-catering holiday homes to rent. The village pub caters for both visitors and locals, but, with the exception of a taxi service and a seasonal shop at the caravan site, none of the previously-mentioned businesses survive.
Ownership and Names
The name Bassenthwaite evolved from an earlier name Bastunthwaite which was probably already an old name when it was recorded in the 12th century and which means “Bastun's clearing”. In the early medieval period the name appears to have referred to the general area and was taken as the title by the lords of the manor whose seat was based on the site of Armathwaite Hall.
On the death of Adam de Bassenthwaite in the early 14th century the manor was divided between his two daughters and each part placed under the supervision of a constable. The constablewicks were High Side and Low Side. High Side is still an identifiable area today in the south of the parish, but the name Low Side is no longer used. The ownership of the two parts of the original manor passed down generations of the two sides of the family and then, after confiscation by the crown, to relations of the Earl of Derby who, in time, sold out to the tenants.
The collection of dwellings which grew up on the site of the present village of Bassenthwaite was known variously as Halls, Hause, and Hawse, perhaps reflecting its original ownership by and direct subservience to the manor hall. A directory of 1883 describes the village of Hawse and as recently as fifty or sixty years ago some older residents still referred to the village by that name. Halls Beck runs through the village and two of the village farms bear the name.
The lake is recorded as Bastunthwaite Water in the earliest records and then became known as Broadwater in the 18th and 19th centuries before finally becoming established as Bassenthwaite Lake.
Churches and Chapels
The oldest building in the parish of Bassenthwaite is probably the Church of St Bega which stands in an isolated position by Bassenthwaite Lake. St Bega was the daughter of an Irish king who fled from a forced marriage to the son of a Norse king and landed at what is now St Bees on the coast of Cumbria. Some say that this took place in the seventh century, but as the Vikings were settling in Ireland in the ninth century this would seem a more likely time for a marriage alliance to take place. Then around 900 the Vikings started raiding the coast of Cumbria so this would be a reasonable time for St Bega to leave the coast and travel inland to Bassenthwaite. Parts of the existing fabric of St Bega's Church date from about 950.
Late in the 11th century, Waldeof, first Baron of Allerdale, gave the manor of Bassenthwaite including the church to his son, Gospatric, who gave St Bega's to the Augustinian Jedburgh Abbey. The church revenues went to the Abbey which in return supplied or paid for clergy for the Bassenthwaite parish. By 1355 St Bega's was under the control of Carlisle Priory, another Augustinian foundation.
At the dissolution of Carlisle Priory in 1541, Carlisle Cathedral Dean and Chapter became the patrons of the Bassenthwaite living. From this time until 1868, the clergy at St Bega's were not rectors or vicars, whose income was derived from tithes, but were 'perpetual curates' appointed by the Dean and Chapter.
In the 18th and 19th centuries St Bega's Church was visited by several distinguished literary figures. William Wordsworth came in 1794 while staying at Armathwaite Hall. Alfred Tennyson and Edward Fitzgerald came in 1835 while staying at Mirehouse. Thomas Carlyle, a regular visitor to Mirehouse, also knew the church.
The exterior of the church is now the result of the renovation in Gothic style instigated by Henry Spedding of Mirehouse and completed in 1874. The medieval features of the interior were preserved and restored.
More recently, St Bega's provided the setting for Melvyn Bragg’s novel Credo. In October 2008, with the blessing of the Bishop of Carlisle, the Orthodox Bishop Basil of Amphipolis borrowed St Bega’s to ordain Father John Muster of Keswick. This was appropriate as St Bega’s is one of few Cumbrian churches to survive from before the time of the Great Schism (1064) when the western and eastern churches split.
In the fifteenth century, the parishioners of Bassenthwaite were given permission to have a chapel more conveniently situated for their worship since St Bega's Church was so remote from the village. A Chapel-of-Ease was built in 1471 at the corner of the A591 and School Road; in 1800 it was completely rebuilt in its present form and was used as a church until 1878 when St John's Church was completed. It then took on the function of a church hall. A school was run in the tiny building attached to the east end of the hall. The building is now the Church Room and this area of Bassenthwaite, including Chapel Farm and Chapel House on two other corners of the crossroads, is known as 'Chapel'.
In 1878 St John's Church was built on the main road just south of Chapel, to replace the Chapel-of-Ease. It was built to a high standard of workmanship in freestone and oak at the expense of Mr Boustead of Armathwaite Hall but his generosity left him so hard up that he was forced to sell the Hall and return to tea planting in the colonies.
Early Methodist worshippers met in various farmhouses in the area until the Chapel was built in 1866 close to the village green. The Sunday School Room which adjoins the chapel was added in 1937.
Employment
From earliest times farming was the basis of the local economy and from it evolved industry related to wool production. From the 12th century onwards there were several fulling mills in the two main becks where wool cloth was cleansed and thickened before being stretched and sun-bleached on hooked tenter frames. There are echoes of the industry in local names such as Tenterhill, Tenter Field, and Bleach Field.
Mining was a source of employment in the 19th century with antimony being produced at Robin Hood and barytes being mined from a drift in Burthwaite. The parish corn mill was close by and another mill was situated in the village near the bridge.
During the 18th century when many of the present stone buildings were erected, there were still numerous small farms in the village itself with many houses having an associated small barn perhaps with one or two cows or a horse.
In time small farmers took up more specialised trades and the area became remarkably self-sufficient. By the end of the 19th century there were carpenters, sawyers, shoemakers, tailors (two), coopers, two blacksmiths, and a baker. Even 60 years ago there were two taxi/car repair businesses, a joiner, a tailor, a builder, a cobbler and shoemaker, a blacksmith, a shop, and a post office/shop.
Today there are still three working farms within the village, but most employment in the parish is in the tourist industry. There are three hotels,a number of bed and breakfast establishments, and self-catering holiday homes to rent. The village pub caters for both visitors and locals, but, with the exception of a taxi service and a seasonal shop at the caravan site, none of the previously-mentioned businesses survive.