PENRITH, Cumberland
"PENRITH, (or Perith), a parish, post and market town, in the ward of Leath,
county Cumberland, 17 miles S. by E. of Carlisle, and 283 N. by W. of
London. It is a station on the Lancaster and Carlisle railway. It is
situated in a fertile vale enclosed by hills of varied elevation, and is
watered by three small rivers, the Eamont, the Lowther, and the Petteril,
and at the junction of the main roads from London and Lancashire to
Glasgow. The parish includes the hamlets of Carleton, Plumptree Head, and
Eamont Bridge."
[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of
Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]
- History, Gazeteer and Directory of Cumberland. Mannix and Whelan, 1847.
- History, Topography and Directory of East Cumberland,
T.F. Bulmer, T.Bulmer & Co., Manchester, 1884.
- The Transactions of the
Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society:
- The Registers of St. Andrews parish church, 5 vol., Frances Haswell, Ed., PRS 26-30.
- Records of Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith, P.H. Reaney, Tract Series 10, 1915
- Bygone Penrith: a popular arrangement of the Penrith parish registers, J. A. Sweeten, 1893, Pt. 1
- Workhouse Births, 1857, Cumbria F.H.S. Newsletter 41, 1986.
- History of Penrith, "Ewanion", Bookcase, Carlisle, 1993.
ISBN: 0951992031.
- Legacy, The: Huttons of Penrith and Beetham, B.C. Lee, 1997.
ISBN: 0953144402.
-
Roll of Honour - Cumberland - War Memorial Selection lists
names on the Dent War Memorial, one of whom had
parents of Penrith. Added 5 Aug 2005.
- A project was begun in November 1998 with the intentions of indexing all inscriptions on
Memorial stones in Penrith
and making the data available on the internet and to genealogy groups who are interested.
Stones included in the project are war memorials, grave stones, and other miscellaneous
memorials erected in memory to Penrith residents.
-
Penrith - St Andew's Church - on the
Visit Cumbria website.
- Penrith Church, dedicated to St Andrew, is a large and handsome building,
in the Grecian style, built in the years 1720 and 1722, at the expense of £2253
raised by a parochial rate and voluntary contributions. "The outward fronts are
constructed after a plain but neat plan, and connected with the old tower; but the inside
of the edifice, for convenience and propriety, exceeds most churches in the north of
England." The galleries are supported by twenty Ionic pillars, each cut from one
solid block or stone, of a pale red colour, and veined. The old tower, which is of massive
masonry, was suffered to remain, and in it is a peal of six bells, with chimes. In the walls
of the church are preserved several inscriptions found in the old fabric; and in the south
windows of the chancel are some fragments of stained glass, which have also been
preserved from the old church. The chancel is also ornamented with two beautiful paintings,
representing the Agony of Our Lord in the Garden, and the Angels appearing to the
Shepherds, executed by Mr. Jacob Thompson, a native artist, who now resides at
Hackthorpe, near Lowther. There are several marble monuments and slabs, with
appropriate inscriptions, in this church, and on a brass plate is the following inscription,
commemorative of the visitation of the plague...
(Extract from History, Gazetteer and Directory of Cumberland, Mannix & Whellan,
cited above)
-
The following church records are available at the Carlisle office of the
Cumbria Archive Service:
Church of England, Christ Church (CRO Reference: PR110/2)
| Baptisms | Marriage | Banns | Burial | Bishops Trans |
| 1850-1994 | 1850-1994 | 1896-1967 | 1850-1955 | 1862-1897 |
Church of England, St. Andrew (CRO Reference: PR110/1)
| Baptisms | Marriage | Banns | Burial | Bishops Trans |
| 1556-1968 | 1556-1990 | 1754-1987 | 1556-1878 | 1664-1847 |
Congregational:
| Baptisms | Marriage | Burial |
| 1848-1908 | 1871-1909 | 1846-1892 |
Methodists (Wes):
| | Baptisms | Marriages |
| Circuit Registers | 1839-1913 | |
| Chapel Registers | | 1848-1899 |
Methodists (Prim):
| | Baptisms | Marriages |
| Circuit Registers | 1857-1944 | |
| Chapel Registers | | 1902-1966 |
Presbyterian: Baptism registers, 1751-1877 [microfilm].
- Beginning 1 July 1837, births, deaths and marriages, regardless of religious affiliation,
were recorded with Civil Registration Offices in Cumbria,
as in the rest of England. Copies of certificates recording these events may be purchased.
- Penrith fell under the authority of the ancient diocese of Carlisle
and wills prior to 1858 were proved in the consistory court there.
Records from 1548 to 1858 include original wills, letters of administration
and inventories, although there are significant gaps in the years
before 1661. These are deposited with the CRO at Carlisle.
Comprehensive indexes exist, at the Carlisle CRO, in card files
easily accessible in the reading room. The indexes cover from
1617 to 1941, listing the year of probate and the residence of
the deceased. This is extraordinarily helpful in distinguishing
between many individuals of the same name. Microfilm of many of
these records, and a partial typescript of the indexes, is available
at the Kendal office of the CRO.
- The Province of York covered most of northern England, including
this parish, and anyone who died leaving property in more than one
diocese within the province would have their will proved in the
Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of York (PCY) or sometimes
in the Chancery Court of the Archbishop of York. These records
are now deposited with York University,
Borthwick Institute of Historical Research.
- For probate from 1858 on, and general information, see our
England - Probate page.
However please note registered copy probate records for Cumberland are also available
1858-1941 at the Record Office in Carlisle.
[Page originated by Don Noble in 1999 and updated 2 Sep 2004 - Phil Stringer]
