Bampton and District Local History Society

Bampton and District Local History Society

Our meeting on December 6th was a first for BDLHS – our local history quiz night. Gathered in the Crown and Mitre the teams were faced with rounds of brain teasers thought up by society members. An encyclopaedic knowledge of Ploughing in Latin and Cast Iron Community was certainly called for although an interesting round of photographs and another of old farming implements tapped a different kind of knowledge. If you’ve ever tried to give a horse medicine, Ron Bainbridge has the device you need! The evening was very enjoyable and we all learned a lot – thanks also to Jane and the C & W team for keeping us supplied with seasonal refreshments.

We are currently preparing to reprint Ploughing in Latin because all existing copies have been sold. We want to take the opportunity to update the text where necessary and to correct any errors that have become apparent. We would be most grateful if anyone who has spotted errors in the text would let us have a note of them. We aim to have the new issue ready for the BDLHS 10th anniversary meeting in July. So please get out your copies and have a look - suggestions by the end of February please.

Bampton and District Local History Society

Meeting at Beckfoot for the BDLHS AGM in October was a reminder of how closely history surrounds us here in Bampton – our history is embedded in the farms, barns and cottages where we live and in the pathways and tracks we walk. Listening to Lesley White explaining the history of Beckfoot, its buildings, and the families associated with them underlined what a very important piece of Bampton’s past this is. One of the benefits of a local history group like ours is that people develop a curiosity about the origin of all sorts of things and we are seeing that happening more and more. We are fortunate to have the well-used local history collections in the Tinclar’s Library and recently both the WI and Bampton Sports have explored people’s archive of memories to learn more about our locality and its customs. More widely, members of the BDLHS have begun to collect information about this and neighbouring parishes to create a databank so that a Victoria County History of Cumbria can at last be written.

Face to face sharing of local history is central to the Society but we live in an electronic age and it is important to reach out in this way also. We have put a lot of resources into our website and the results show how valuable it can be. During September almost 150 visits were made to the BDLH website –interestingly, the greatest number were to the Tithe Map and its schedule closely followed by the new section ‘Research by members’ where you will find Marion Drinkwater’s account of her grocer forebears. This section is where we are putting a copy of Yvonne Grundy’s own illustrated history of Bampton which she composed as a child in the 1960s.

At our November meeting, Rob David opened our eyes to Cumbria’s links with the slave trade and also with the abolition movement. Among many surprising aspects of the trade, it was particularly startling to learn that it was slave-owners rather than their slaves who received £20 million compensation. Our next meeting on 6 December, will be an entertaining, though doubtless highly competitive, Local History Quiz. This will be at the Crown and Mitre.

Bampton and District Local History Society

We are looking forward to a full programme of events over the coming year. We now organise 9 meetings a year, almost twice as many as when we began. As well as the now traditional exploratory walk next May and the summer BBQ, there are 7 meetings planned on a variety of local topics. Cumbria’s connection with the slave trade will figure at our November meeting and we hope you will enjoy our local history Christmas quiz to be held in December at the Crown and Mitre for added cheer.

Our next meeting will be the AGM to be held on Tuesday October 4th at 7.30 pm and this year at Beckfoot Hotel. During the evening there will be a presentation on the history of the house and its occupants including the Nobles. There will also be an opportunity to see some of the hotel’s historic features.

Because of our policy of trying to rotate membership of the committee to reflect the widest possible range of views, we welcome all suggestions for new committee members. Please contact any member of the committee if you yourself or someone you know would like to join.

Interest in Bampton history continues to grow and there are a number of projects underway including research for the Cumbria County History. We also aim to reprint ‘Ploughing in Latin’ in time for the BDLHS 10th anniversary in March next year.

Bampton and District Local History Society

May and June were busy months for the BDLHS. With bated breath, we invited Professor Ian Whyte of Lancaster University to talk on historic floods in Cumbria. All was well though on the night. Still, hearing of dam bursts, bog bursts and debris shoots was a little unsettling. Talking of 'flood rich' and 'flood poor' periods, we learned that the worst years for floods in Eden were 1822 and 2005. Ian showed how the Lake District is marked by floods - from the flood levels recorded on walls to the creation of the landscape itself. Recently however flooding has caused more damage partly because of building on flood plains but also because people have more possessions to destroy. Cottages in the 17th and 18th centuries were sparsely furnished so that the advantages of living near water clearly outweighed the disadvantages - anyone who has ever wondered about the wisdom of building Laundry Cottage at Eamont Bridge, for example, now understands the situation better.

Our second event was an evening visit to Greenside Mines above Glenridding. It was a dam holding back the reservoir supplying the mines that failed causing damage in Glenridding itself. Our guide was Warren Atkinson, a mining historian, whose association with Greenside goes back to childhood. Both his mother and his grandfather worked at the mine and Warren has led many underground investigations of the workings which closed in the 1960s. The ingenuity and effort applied to extracting the 6 to 30 feet wide vertical seam of lead was very impressive. We explored the spoil heaps, water channels, crushing floors and mine entrances until the light failed. Everyone felt it was a most interesting visit, made all the more compelling by the charts, diagrams and photographs that Warren used in his commentary.

Bampton and District Local History Society

'Friends of the Lake District' were the focus of the BDLHS March meeting. A show of hands revealed that very few of those present were actually members of this organisation which was founded in the 1930s by many of the area's great and the good - gentry, clergy, residents and second homers of the day.

BDLHS members had previously encountered the 'Friends' in their research into the Haweswater Hotel. The 'Friends' strongly opposed this development as likely to bring 'casino-style' entertainment and charabanc parties to Mardale. The speaker, John Cousins, showed how from the earliest days there was conflict about the type of activity that should take place in the Lake District and how competing interests at local, regional and local level could be resolved.

Something you should also enjoy is a visit to the website www.cumbriaimagebank.org.uk. If you search there using Bampton Local History Society you will find more than 100 historic images of the village which were given to us by Liz Bowman of Penrith who is related to the Day family. There are photos of the rooms inside the Crown and Mitre in the 1920s, local views, and a series showing the killing of the vicarage pig. Do go and look and if you can add anything to the information on the website please let us know so that it can be included.

Bampton and District Local History Society

After the floods of November came the 'big freeze' of December, but Rob David was determined to get through this time and deliver his talk on 'The Yellow Earl's Great Adventure'.

We went ahead in anticipation of a heart-warming tale of discovery and achievement. Rob's account was based on meticulous research and he described the fifth Earl Lonsdale's surprising and unexpected expedition to the remote Arctic regions of northern Canada in 1888. Why would he go to such places? Rob considered whether it was scientific enquiry, a search for the 'North-West passage', or missionary zeal In fact, the immediate cause was the Earl's need to distance himself from a scandal developing at Court - in this way, it might be said that he went at the request of Queen Victoria! The Earl's explorations were publicised in etchings that appeared in the London press - many claimed to be 'on-the-spot' records of his courageous journeys in the frozen outback, but in fact they had been posed in the warmth of San Francisco using photographic studios.

Lord Lonsdale certainly travelled to the Arctic and he sent many trophies back to Lowther Castle. These included one of his guides, several huskies, a hat for Lady Lonsdale fashioned from a duck shot on the expedition, Inuit clothing and tools such as canoe paddles and animal skins, including polar bear and musk ox. Clearly the Yellow Earl was less a scientific explorer and more a tourist in search of escape and sport, especially hunting.

Bampton and District Local History Society

We are looking forward to a full programme of events over the coming year. As well as the now traditional exploratory walk next May and the BBQ in June, there are 6 talks planned on a variety of local topics. The 'Yellow Earl' will figure at our November meeting and flooding in the Eden will be discussed from a historical viewpoint in April. You can see the whole programme on our website www.bampton-history.org.uk

The next meeting will be the AGM held on Tuesday October 5th at 7.30 pm and this year at the Haweswater Hotel. During the evening there will be a presentation on the history of the hotel and the controversies about its location, design and character. There will also be an opportunity to see some of the historic features of the hotel and its recent art deco refurbishment.

Because of our policy of trying to rotate membership of the committee to reflect the widest possible range of views, we welcome all suggestions for new committee members. Please contact me or any member of the committee if you yourself or someone you know would like to join.

Local history is at a very interesting stage in Bampton and Cumbria generally. Thank you for your support in the past and see you at the Haweswater Hotel!

Pat Garside, BDLHS

Bampton and District Local History Society

Our last two meetings explored very different kinds of community history - one based on memory and the other on historical documents. Both sessions saw a wealth of detail shared to great effect.

The first of the two – 'Lessons of War' – saw members of the society digging deeply into their family past. Chiza Childs brought his father's First World War account of action and showed the small metal casings attached to pigeon's legs from an era well before electronic communication. Equally vivid, we heard from other members about life on the 'Home Front' with weddings in uniform, cardboard wedding cakes, the common lot of terror and the comraderie of food shortages. John Stacey told of hearing Chamberlain's statement on the outbreak of War in the dining room of the Crown and Mitre, while John Drinkwater described his wartime childhood among a dozen siblings in a multigenerational family led by his father – an intrepid barber with the use of only one eye. Many members also bought objects and photos gathered in wartime and the whole evening was a tribute to human effort and cooperation distilled from the 'lessons of war'.

The May meeting was a presentation by Ian Jacks, Head Forester at Lowther Estates. He described a recent survey carried out to establish the history, current state and future development of Lowther woodland which is such a prominent feature of Lowther Park and the Eden valley generally. He showed how the woodland covers many aspects of history - bronze age barrows, Romano-British settlements and lost medieval villages are partly hidden within the original Lowther deer park created in 1280 with the permission of Edward II. Later plans for the area south of Lowther Castle plotted Italianate gardens, straight avenues of trees, copses and stew ponds for fish. Much of the planning was designed to increase the usefulness and profit of the land but in the 19th century, the Romantics, including Turner and Capability Brown, preferred a more visual look to the park. This view was taken even further by Hugh the 'Yellow Earl' who swept aside workady fields and incorporated the land into his park to impress Kaiser Wilhelm on his visit to Lowther. A recent grant of Lottery Funding should see some of these historical features revealed as well as ornamental gardens restored.

The next meeting is the annual BBQ on Tuesday 15th June at Walmgate Head, courtesy of Bob Dickman who will be showing his vintage tractor as well as telling the story of his historic house, once Measand School. All welcome come rain or shine!

Bampton and District Local History Society

After February's ice and snow, our March meeting was altogether more relaxed. Members enjoyed the presentation by retired sheepfarmer Maurice Steele who showed his own slide-tape programme tracing the River Eden from source to sea. A keen photographer from his teens, Maurice produced a host of beautiful images of the Eden in its many moods. His command of the pre-digital technology was in itself a lesson in twentieth century history!

Although the February meeting on oral history had to be postponed because of bad weather, a small group of us subsequently spent a very informative morning with the Ambleside Oral History group. We got advice about how to organise an oral history programme, how to go about making and recording interviews and how to store information with due regard to people's wishes and need for privacy. The most enjoyable part was being asked to interview one another - even when we thought there could be nothing new to know, we actually discovered some fascinating life experiences.

We plan to have the postponed session on 'Neighbours - the key to oral history' at the BDLHS AGM on Tuesday 6th October and would welcome your ideas and contributions then. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 7th April when David and Heather Pitt will guide us along 'First Steps in Family History' - a subject of great interest to many members.

Another date for your diary is Tuesday 5th May when we plan this year's summer exploration. We will be visiting Setterah Park courtesy of Mary Westgarth who has been researching this medieval site with its scheduled ancient monument for several years. It promises to be a most interesting visit. More details later.

Pat Garside, Chair, BDLHS

Bampton and District Local History Society

The BDLHS looks likely to have a busy year - the programme of meetings, visits and social events is well underway, with highlights focussed on Helton, Setterah Park, and Haweswater. We are helping with several ongoing research projects including the recording of datestones on parish buildings, the listing of graves in St Patrick's church, the churchyard and Bampton cemetery, and the history of the Haweswater Hotel. We aim to make all the information widely available and to include it on our website, linking it together to assist people with online searches. The existing material from the Bampton Tithe Map and the history of Burnbanks has been very well used and has generated numerous enquiries. BDLHS website address is www.bampton-history.org.uk

In addition we have been approached by Cumbria Wildlife for help in supporting their project to record historic changes in the County's landscape, fauna and flora. Bampton could be one of the areas that they choose to concentrate on, interviewing residents about their memories of the fields and fells.

There are many aspects to the activities of the Bampton Local History Society - please let us know if there is a particular aspect that interests you and your skills will be gladly received! As was noted in the previous newsletter, we are preparing to carry out further oral history to supplement the considerable amount of work already done in preparation for 'Ploughing in Latin'.

Our March meeting 'The River Eden - from source to sea' is a talk and film by Maurice Steel. It will be held on Tuesday March 3rd at 7.30pm.

On Tuesday 7 April, David and Heather Pitt will be holding a family history workshop with hands-on help where people can take the first vital steps to building an account of their own personal history. It should be a fascinating evening so make a date and come along!

Two dates for the diary -

3 March 2009 7.30 Small Hall Maurice Steel The River Eden - from source to sea
7 April 2009 7.30 Small Hall David and Heather Pitt A Family History Workshop

Pat Garside, Chair, BDLHS

Bampton and District Local History Society

BDLHS continued its 2008-9 programme with a topic of considerable local interest - the history of sheep. June Hall spoke about 'Sheep and Wool in History' and drew out the ways in which they have shaped our landscape, our seasons and even our language. Using a wealth of illustrations she showed how images of sheep and shepherds coloured medieval religious texts and memorials to the dead. For many centuries, wool and later cloth manufacture, underpinned the wealth of farmers, monasteries like Shap Abbey, and indeed the nation as a whole. It was a fascinating insight into familiar local concerns.

The Society's oral history project will be the subject of the next meeting on Tuesday 3rd February 2009. The meeting is called 'Neighbours: The Key to Oral History'. The title is designed to emphasise that the project belongs to everyone, since we are all part of the neighbourhood of Bampton and its immediate areas. The evening will consist of short contributions from a variety of local people who will talk about their memories and experiences. If you, or someone you know, has a story to tell and would be prepared to talk about it for 10-15 minutes please let me know.

On Saturday February 14th from 10am - 1pm, a group of members of the Society has been invited to Ambleside to learn more about the 'nuts and bolts' of doing oral history. I'm sure this will be very valuable. Numbers have to be limited but there are places available, so please tell me if you would like to join in.

Pat Garside
Chair, BDLHS