William Farrer & J. Brownbill (editors)
'Townships: Subberthwaite', A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 8 (1914), pp. 357-358. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53329&strquery="de lancaster" Date accessed: 09 February 2010. > Add to my bookshelf
SUBBERTHWAITE
Sulbithwayt, 1346; Sulbetwayth, c. 1520.
Subberthwaite occupies part of the hill country on
the western boundary of the parish. There are three
or four ridges or spurs divided by valleys through
which run brooks east or north-east to join the Crake.
The northernmost point is marked by a cairn called
White Borran, a little to the south of which the hill
called Blow Knott or Blawith Knott attains 812 ft.
above the sea. On the centre of the west border
900 ft. is attained, and over 800 ft. on the southern
hill ridge, a hill marked by two stone circles. Upper
and Lower Subberthwaite, with areas of 840½ and
396½ acres, occupy the north and south-east portions
of the township, the south-west being Gawthwaite
Moor, 330 acres, over which the inhabitants of
Lowick claim intercommonage with those of Lower
Subberthwaite. (fn. 11)
The country is desolate and the hamlets are few
and small. Subberthwaite and Tottlebank are in the
upper part; High and Low Stennerley and Gawthwaite in the lower part. The total population in
1901 was 99. The road from Broughton to Lowick
Green crosses the hills in this township, and at
Gawthwaite is joined by a road from Ulverston.
There are slate quarries.
Manor
The name of SUBBERTHWAITE
scarcely occurs in the records, but Christopher de Broughton in 1346 had a rent
of 6 marks from it, (fn. 12) and the 'manor' is named in a
Sawrey settlement in 1769–70, so that it may be
regarded as an appurtenance of Broughton. (fn. 13) In 1717
Subberthwaite was called a fifth part of Blawith. (fn. 14) It
is still part of the Broughton estate.
There is, however, something to be said of
STANNERLEY (fn. 15) or Stennerley, which in the 13th
and 14th centuries gave a surname to a local family. (fn. 16)
They and their estate then disappear, but it must
have been acquired by the Broughton family, perhaps
merging in the manor of Subberthwaite, for in 1378
Christopher de Broughton held Stannerley of the
Abbot of Furness by knight's service and a rent of
2½d. (fn. 17) Other manors of Upper and Lower Stannerley
are named in 1813. (fn. 18)
A school was built about 1778. (fn. 19)
Footnotes
| 11 |
The area, including Gawthwaite, was
in 1901 given as 1,236 acres; Census Rep. |
| 12 |
Q. R. Memo. R. 122, m. 89 d.; it is
called a hamlet of the vill of Ulverston.
It is named also in 1521 among the Earl
of Derby's Broughton lands; Duchy of
Lanc. Inq. p.m. v, no. 68. |
| 13 |
Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 384,
m. 56; Plea R. 610, m. 9. |
| 14 |
Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc),
ii, 538. |
| 15 |
Steyneslith, Staynerlith, 1246. |
| 16 |
William son of Gilbert de Lancaster
in 1246 withdrew a claim against William
de Lancaster regarding a tenement in
Stannerley; Assize R. 404, m. 12. Roger
de Stannerley occurs in 1249; Furness
Couch. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 408.
In 1277 Simon the Tailor and Beatrice
his wife claimed the custody of the land
and heir of Adam de Stannerley, who had
been abducted, they said, by Alexander
de Hasellack (alias Eskeslak), Agnes his
wife and others; De Banco R. 18, m. 27.
Roger son of Adam de Stannerley in
1291 complained that Simon the Tailor
of Ulverston, Beatrice his wife and others
had disseised him of his tenement in
'Ulveston,' but defendants said the right
name was 'Ulvreston'; Assize R. 1294,
m. 10; 408, m. 21, 32, 93, 46, 5 d.
Simon le Tailor was defendant in other
suits; ibid. m. 61, 46 d., 96 d. Roger
de Stannerley was living in 1333; Furness
Couch, ii, 425. |
| 17 |
Lansdowne MS. 559, fol. 41. Somewhat later, in 1392, Christopher de
Broughton purchased messuages, &c, in
'Ulverston' from William Daudson and
Alice his wife; Final Conc. (Rec. Soc.
Lancs, and Ches.), iii, 41. The position
of this estate is not further indicated, but
it may have been in Subberthwaite. |
| 18 |
In a recovery in Pal. of Lanc. Assize
R. Sept. 53 Geo. III, rot. 12, no. 5;
William Alexander Mackinnon and his
wife were vouchees.
Robert Close in Over Stannerley was
in 1582 held by James Kirkby, who
about the same time sold messuages, &c,
to James Bellingham; Pal. of Lanc. Feet
of F. bdle. 44, m. 58, 181. This was
perhaps the same James Kirkby against
whom the Earl of Derby made a claim in
Stannerley in 1559 (Ducatus Lanc, ii,
211), and who was a freeholder in 1600;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), i,
231. |
| 19 |
Note by Mr. Gaythorpe, from the
Rep. of the Select Committee of Education
of the Poor, 1818. |