LOWER ALLITHWAITE
Hailiuethait, c. 1160.
Alefthuayth, c. 1240; Alithweit, 1246; Alythwayt, 1277; Alyphtwait, c. 1278; Alingthwayt,
1305; Alyntwait, 1332.
This township occupies part of the comparatively
low-lying and level valley in which the town of
Cartmel is placed, but on its eastern side contains
the southern end of Hampsfell, over 600 ft. high,
and then Humphrey Head, 172 ft. above sea level,
projects into Morecambe Bay at the south-east corner.
The area measures 3,211 acres, (fn. 1) and in 1901 the
population was 801.
The church and a large part of the little town of
Cartmel lie within the township in the north-west
corner, where the Eea Brook forms the boundary.
The village of Allithwaite is central, more than
a mile and a half south of the church, having
Templand and Birkby (fn. 2) to the north-west, Applebury
and Outerthwaite to the west, with Rosthwaite on
the border, Wraysholme Tower to the south-west,
and Kent's Bank to the east. At the last-named
hamlet is the Carter's House, taking its name from
the guide or 'carter' who used to be stationed there
to conduct travellers across the more dangerous part
of the sands on the way to Silverdale or to Hest
Bank. (fn. 3) On the south shore is a considerable area
of marshland, partly reclaimed.
From Cartmel town good roads spread out in all
directions, and there are cross-roads, including one
from Flookburgh through the village of Allithwaite
towards Grange; while a footpath leads south from
the village to Humphrey Head. A well, formerly
a holy well, exists on the south-west side of this headland; it is a mineral spring of repute, and about
1700 Charles Leigh wrote of it as 'a spring of purging
waters in a village called Rougham (or Rougholme),
near the sands where a crossing is made into Furness.' (fn. 4)
It was formerly resorted to by the lead-miners of
Alston Moor, the water being drunk as a cure for
the diseases they contracted in their work. The
Furness railway runs through the southern end of
the township, having a station at Kent's Bank and
passing close to Wraysholme Tower.
In Kirkhead Cave, to the east of Wraysholme,
have been found relics of the ancient inhabitants of
the district, including Roman coins and bronze
ornaments. (fn. 5)
Kent's Bank has become a residential place and a
summer resort, under the influence of Grange.
A parish council of six members administers township affairs.
There is a village reading-room, with a small
library.
Manor
Themanor of ALLITHWAITE, which
perhaps included both Upper and Lower
Allithwaite and Flookburgh, appears to
have been held about 1150 by Gospatrick, lord of
Workington, who died about 1180, and whose son
Thomas, as stated below, made a grant to Furness
Abbey. (fn. 6) Hence in later times lands in Allithwaite
were stated to be held of their descendants, the
Culwens, or Curwens, of Workington. A little after
1200 Thomas son of Thomas son of Gospatrick gave
all the vill of Allithwaite to Thomas son of Robert
de Harrington, reserving the services of William le
Fleming, Adeline de Furness and Peter de Rossegill. (fn. 7)
The holding of the Flemings appears to have been
granted to the Copeland family, as noticed in the
account of Upper Allithwaite, and transferred about
1280 to Robert de Harrington of Aldingham.
The first hint of this occurs in 1277, when Alan
de Copeland and Margery his wife complained that
Robert de Harrington and others had disseised them
of a small piece of land in Allithwaite, and they
recovered damages. (fn. 8) From later pleadings (1298–
1300) it seems that Alan de Copeland granted the
whole manor of Allithwaite, with lands and mills,
to Robert de Harrington, who gave the same to his
son Michael; and Michael was in possession in 1298,
when Mabel widow of the said Alan claimed dower
against him in one plough-land, messuages, rent, &c.,
in Flookburgh. The defendant called John son of
Robert de Harrington, then under age, to warrant
him according to the father's charter. (fn. 9) In 1314 the
king granted free warren to Michael de Harrington and
his heirs in all their demesne lands of Allithwaite. (fn. 10)
The manor probably reverted to the senior branch
of the family, for in 1334 it was John de Harrington
the elder who made a settlement of Allithwaite;
after his death it was to descend to a son Thomas,
and in default of issue to Michael and John, other
of his sons. (fn. 11) Thomas de Harrington is found in
possession between 1350 and 1360, (fn. 12) and John de
Harrington, perhaps his son, in 1375, (fn. 13) but after
that the evidence fails for a century. (fn. 14) The parts
seem to have been given to different members of the
family. Thus the manor of Flookburgh was in the
hands of Thomas Duke of Clarence in 1412, and
part of the same was later held by the lord of
Hornby.
In 1489 the main part of the manor, then known
as WRAYSHOLME, was in the king's hands, and he
gave it to George Lord Strange and his heirs male.
Thus the second Earl of Derby held it at his death
in 1521, the service of one knight's fee being due
for it. (fn. 15) The earl also held land at Birkby. (fn. 16)
Wraysholme descended to Ferdinando the fifth earl, (fn. 17)
but a few years after his death in 1594 it was sold
to the Dicconsons, who had been lessees. The new
owners were related to a family already noticed in
Leyland Hundred, one Hugh Dicconson being the first
known to have been connected with Wraysholme. (fn. 18)
Richard Dicconson, perhaps his son, was in
possession by 1576, (fn. 19) and died in 1592 holding a
messuage in Humphrey Head of the queen as of
her manor of Cartmel in socage; Hugh his son and
heir was twenty years of age. (fn. 20) In 1598 it appeared
that Hugh held Wraysholme Manor by demise of
William Earl of Derby. (fn. 21) When Hugh died at
Wraysholme in 1637 it was recorded that he held
the capital messuage so named, 20 acres of land in
Cartmel and the water corn mill called Allithwaite
Mill, of the king by the sixtieth part of a knight's
fee. He also held the messuage called Humphrey
Head of the king in socage by a rent of 4s. 5d. The
heir was his nephew Hugh son of Thomas Dicconson,
aged forty. (fn. 22) At the outbreak of the Civil War
Hugh took arms against the Parliament, and therefore
had his estate sequestrated; it consisted of various
lands and a water-mill in Allithwaite. He was
allowed to compound in 1649, his fine being
£124 10s. (fn. 23) At this point the family is lost
sight of.
A century later, in 1756, the Tower was purchased
by John Carter of Cart Lanc; from him it went by
marriage to the Harrisons of the Landing, near
Newby Bridge, (fn. 24) and so passed to Mr. Thomas
Newby-Wilson of the same place and Ambleside. (fn. 25)
The Tower is a good example of a peel tower.
Erected probably in the latter half of the 15 th century,
it measures externally 40 ft. by 28 ft. 6 in., the longer
length being from north to south. It is built in
local limestone rubble with angle quoins, and at the
south-east corner is a projecting garderobe 7 ft. 6 in.
by 6 ft. which apparently increases the length of the
building on the east side to 46 ft. The tower now
forms part of the buildings of a modern farm-house
which is attached to it on the west side, erected in
1848, but whether it originally stood alone or belonged to a larger building the remainder of which
has disappeared it is impossible to say. There is no
inherent reason, however, to suppose that it was anything more than an isolated tower. The walls at
the ground floor are 4 ft. thick, the bottom room,
now used as a stable, being 31 ft. 9 in. by 21 ft. with
a pointed doorway in the north-west corner. There
is a narrow window on the south side, but the existing doorway and window on the east and the doorway on the north side are modern. In the south-west
corner is a vice going up the full height of the building
with a door to each floor and leading to the roof.
The present floor is modern, the tower being
originally of three stories each about 8 ft. high,
the walls set back at the first floor level, making a
room 34 ft. by 22 ft. This room was lit by squareheaded windows 2 ft. 6 in. high by 2 ft. wide,
splaying out inside to 3 ft., and had a fireplace 5 ft.
wide on the east side, the opening of which, with
flat arch and hollow chamfered jambs, yet remains.
The second floor has a fireplace opening on the west
side and was lit at each end by a square-headed twolight window with trefoiled lights, both of which
remain, but that on the south is now completely
covered over with ivy and can only be seen from
within. There are also two square single-light
openings on the east and one on the west side. A
large opening 7 ft. 6 in. wide by 11 ft. high has
been made in the north end of the east wall at the
first floor level, approached by a wooden bridge from
the other farm buildings, and in many other ways
the structure has suffered from its present use as a
barn and stable. The roof is a modern one covered
with blue slates, erected about 1870. The upper
part of the walls is broken away except on the north
side, where a portion of a corbelled parapet wall
remains with a small square turret at each corner.
The height of the tower to the corbel table is 30 ft.
and the turrets rise about 7 ft. above this. The
masonry of the garderobe tower is leaving that of
the main building, a large crack showing from top to
bottom, and the upper part of the tower has disappeared, but the corbel table remains on the east
side and was probably continuous all round the
building. The south-west corner, where the turret
remains, is now completely covered up with a thick
growth of ivy.
There was formerly some coloured glass in the
windows with the arms of Harrington, but it has
all disappeared. Three diamond quarries, however,
with the Stanley badge and crest of the eagle's claw
and the eagle and child, and the initials possibly of
Hugh Dicconson, are preserved in the adjoining farmhouse. (fn. 26)
BIRKBY was in 1653 the property of John
Wainhouse and Bridget his wife, (fn. 27) and was acquired
by the Fletchers. Later it was owned by a branch
of the Askews, being sold by their trustees about
1835 to Robert Wearing, whose son Alan was owner
in 1872. (fn. 28)
Abbot Hall at Kent's Bank was the estate of
Furness Abbey; it may be supposed, from its position,
to have served as a resting-place when the abbot or
his officers had to cross the sands. Thomas son of
Gospatrick de Cartmel about 1160 granted to the
abbey 5 acres in the fields of Allithwaite, with a toft,
&c., for the souls of his parents and others. (fn. 29) Since
the suppression of the abbey it has passed through
many hands. (fn. 30) A modern residence built on the site
of the hall is used as a school.
Some minor estates occur in the pleadings (fn. 31) and
inquisitions. (fn. 32) The canons of the priory had certain
lands occupied by tenants at will, as Humphrey Head (fn. 33)
above-mentioned, Templand, (fn. 34) and Kent's Bank. (fn. 35)
The parish church is situated in this township,
and St. Mary's, Templand, was built in 1865; it is
a vicarage in the gift of the Bishop of Chester. The
district was assigned in 1866. (fn. 36)
In the town of Cartmel are a small Wesleyan
chapel, built in 1871, and a Friends' meeting-house,
dating from 1859.
In Cartmel there were only eight 'Papists' known
in 1717 and ten in 1767, viz. five in Cartmel, two in
Flookburgh and three in Staveley. (fn. 37)