33 GRAYRIGG (E.f.)
(O.S. 6 in. (a)XXVIII, S.E., (b)XXXIV, S.W.,
(c)XXXIV, S.E.)
Grayrigg is a parish 6 m. N.E. of Kendal. The
Roman station is the principal monument.
Roman
Grayrigg. Low Borrowbridge Roman Station
a(1). Fort at Low Borrow Bridge lies between the
L.M. and S. Railway and the main road about 100
yards S.W. of the confluence of the River Lune and
the Borrow Beck and about 3¼ m. N.E. of the church.
The fort lies nearly N. and S. and takes the form of a
parallelogram. Its internal dimensions are roughly
135 yards by 100 yards, giving an area of about 2¾
acres. The W. side has indications of at least two—
possibly as many as four—ditches, which return along
the S. side; the core of the rampart stands 4–5 ft. high,
but its facing stones have been removed. About 60
yards N. of the S.W. corner are remains of the W. gate,
which now shows as a single gate-passage 6 ft. wide;
a little ashlar remains on the N. cheek of the gate,
including two 'diamond-broached' stones; the
ditches appear to be interrupted opposite the gate.
On the N. side of the fort two ditches are visible
with an intermittent counter-scarp; part of the outer
face of the rampart was cleared in 1883 and 1933, and
consists of an offset-course of large limestone blocks,
surmounted by a course of sandstone, above which
the wall seems to have been loosely re-built in the local
Silurian slate, the rebuilding apparently being carried
across the site of the N. gate. The E. side has no
clear indication of a ditch except at the N.E. corner.
Excavations made on this side in 1883 exposed the
wall, which was found to consist of Silurian slate,
little dressed, resting on a footing of rough slabs of
similar material set in clay, and the E. gate, which
proved to be double; its N. gate-passage was found
to have a blocking-wall, which is still visible; its
two guard-chambers, of which the footings may still
be seen, appear to have projected about 5 ft. in front
of the line of the rampart. The S. side shows faint
traces of two ditches; the rampart was removed about
1827; from the position of the E. and W. gates it
would appear that the main gate was in this side.
There are no indications of internal buildings; the
report on the 1883 excavations states that these had
been completely destroyed by ploughing, though
"traces of flues containing charcoal and soot" and a
fireplace near the centre of the fort were found in
1826. In 1883 there was discovered, about 50 yards
S. of the S. rampart in the garden of the (then) inn, a
fragment of walling and "a pavement of bright red
concrete (pounded brick) with a raised border round
it"; it measured 10½ ft. by 6 ft. These remains,
partly destroyed in 1933, probably represent the fort
bath-building. To the N. of the fort towards the
Borrow Beck a flat piece of ground is perhaps the
parade ground but, if so, is of exceptionally small
size.
[See C. and W. Trans., O.S. VII, 79; VIII, 1.]
Condition—Poor.
Ecclesiastical
c(2). Parish Church of St. John, formerly a
chapel of Kendal, stands in the S.W. part of the
parish. It was made parochial in 1708 and re-built in
1837–8 and again in 1869. It retains the following:—
Fitting—Plate: includes a cup of 1709.
Secular
Monuments (3–6)
The following monuments, unless otherwise described, are of the 17th century and of two storeys.
The walls are of rubble and the roofs are slate-covered.
Some of the buildings have exposed ceiling-beams.
Condition—Good or fairly good.
b(3). Grayrigg Foot, house, 1,180 yards S.W. of the
church, is of two storeys with attics and is said to have
contained a locker-door, dated 1666. Inside the
building are some original muntin and plank partitions
and some windows with original oak frames lighting
the attic.
c(4). House, at Beck Houses, 900 yards S.S.E. of the
church, has a muntin and plank enclosure to the staircase.
c(5). Hyning (Plate 22), house, 1,130 yards E. of the
church, has a later extension on the W. Inside the
building is a little re-used panelling and a carved rail
with the initials and date T.Y.E. 1678. There are also
some panelled doors.
c(6). Sand Bed, house, nearly 1½ m. E.N.E. of the
church, contains a muntin and plank partition of the
local type.
Great Strickland. See Strickland, Great.