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Dalton-in-Furness

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DALTON-IN-FURNESS, a small town, a parish, and a sub-district in Ulverstone district, Lancashire. The town stands on the Furness railway, 1½ mile N of Furness abbey, and 5 SW of Ulverstone; is an ancient place, long the capital of Lower-Furness; consists of one street, spacious, antique, picturesque, and improved; and has a head post office, designated Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire, a railway station, a chief inn, an ancient tower, a parish church, a Wesleyan chapel, and a free school. The tower crowns a rocky eminence on the west; and belonged to a castle, built in the time of Edward III., by the abbots of Furness, to guard the northern approach to the abbey. The church stands near the tower, and was rebuilt in 1825. Markets are held on Saturdays; and fairs on 6 June and 23 Oct. A hunt, called the "Dalton Rout" in the "Tatler, " was established here in 1703; but has gone into disuse. Romney, the painter, was a native. Pop., 2,812. Houses, 538. The parish includes also the townships of Hawcoat and Yarlside, the chapelries of Ireleth and Rampside, the hamlet of Biggar, and the islands of Peel, Barrow, Roa, and Walney. Acres, 16,364. Real property, £64,492; of which £4,025 are in mines, and £33,627 in railways. Pop., 9,152. Houses, 1,565. The property is much subdivided. Iron ore and limestone are plentiful: and mining and iron working are extensively carried on. Remains of a fortified-beacon occur on the eminence of High Haume. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Carlisle. Value, £159.* Patron, the Duchy of Lancaster. The chapelries of Ireleth, Rampside, Barrow, and Walney are separate benefices. The sub-district contains three parishes. Acres, 25,158. Pop., 11,243.

John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)

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Archives & Libraries

Local studies information is held at Cumbria Record Office & Local Studies Library, Barrow.

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Bibliography

The following books contain useful information about the history of Dalton in Furness and the surrounding area.

  • J E Waltons A History of Dalton-in-Furness, published by Phillimore in 1984.
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Churches

There are more than 30 churches identified in this place. Please click here for a complete list.
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Civil Registration

The Register Office covering the Dalton in Furness area is Barrow in Furness.

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Dalton-in-Furness which are provided by:

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Directories

Dalton parish from Mannix & Co., History, Topography and Directory of Westmorland, 1851.

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Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"IRELETH, a hamlet and chapelry in the parish of Dalton in Furness, hundred of Lonsdale North of the Sands, county Lancaster, 2 miles from Dalton, and 6 W. of Ulverston. The chapelry contains the villages of Lindale and Martin. It is situated on the river Dudden, and has a station at Lindale, on the Furness line of railway. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the iron mines, of which there are a great number in the neighbourhood. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Carlisle, value £100, in the patronage of the Vicar of Dalton. The church is situated on rising ground overlooking the river Dudden. There are two parochial schools, one at Ireleth, and the other at Lindale."

"DALTON-IN-FURNESS, a parish, township, and market town in the hundred of Lonsdale North of the Sands, in the N. division of the county of Lancaster, 16 miles N.W. of Lancaster, and 5 S.W. of Ulverston. It is situated near Furness Abbey and Morecombe Bay, and was the capital of Furness. The parish contains the townships and hamlets of Dalton-in-Furness, Ireleth, Rampside, and Walney Island. The town, which consists principally of one long street, has a station on the Whitehaven and Furness Junction railway. It has recently been much improved, and many of the old houses have been rebuilt. The market-place is situated at the western end of the town. The remains of a Roman road have been discovered, has led some antiquaries to believe it a place of very early date, but the erection of Furness Abbey by King Stephen was the cause of its first rise into importance. To this abbey Stephen granted many valuable privileges. Lambert Simnel, the pretended Earl of Warwick, landed here in the reign of Henry VII. Several engagements took place in the neighbourhood during the parliamentary war. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Carlisle, value £170, in the patronage of the Duchy of Lancaster. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, was built by the abbots in the reign of Edward III., but rebuilt in 1825. There are also the perpetual curacies of Ireleth, value £100, Rampside, value £105, and Walney, value £90, all in the patronage of the vicar; and the perpetual curacy of Barrow, value £140, in the patronage of the Duke of Devonshire. There is a Wesleyan chapel and a free school. The charities amount to £407 per annum. In the vicinity are excellent iron-mines and large iron-works. The lord of the manor holds a court-leet twice in the year; and in the castle, built in the reign of Edward III., courts of liberty are held. This castle is a massive quadrilateral building of three stages, having the principal entrance on the S. side.

"YARLESIDE, a division in the parish of Dalton-in-Furness, hundred of Lonsdale North of the Sands, county Lancaster, 3 miles S.W. of Dalton. It comprises several small villages and hamlets on the coast opposite Walney Island."

"KIRKBY-IRELETH, (or Irleth), a chapelry in the parish of Dalton-in-Furness, hundred of North Lonsdale, county Lancaster, 18 miles N.W. of Lancaster. It is situated near Morecombe Bay and the Furness line of railway. Iron ore and limestone are found. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Carlisle, value £100, in the patronage of the vicar."

"HAWCOAT, a hamlet in the parish of Dalton in Furness, hundred of Lonsdale North of the Sands, county Lancaster, 3 miles S.W. of Dalton, and 1½ mile N.W. of Furness Abbey railway station. In conjunction with the village of New Barns it forms a township. The soil is clayey loam, on a clay subsoil. There are some stone quarries. The village, which is small, is situated on an eminence commanding an extensive view, including the coast of Wales, the Isle of Man, the Fylde, and the town of Fleetwood. There is a National school at New Barns. The Duke of Buccleuch is lord of the manor."

John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales - 1870-2

IRELETH, a village and a chapelry in Dalton-in-Furness parish, Lancashire. The village stands at a st. of the Furness railway, on the E side of the Duddon sands, 2¾ miles N of Dalton; is a small sub port to Lancaster; and maintains communication across the sands at low water. The chapelry includes also the hamlets of Lindale and Marton; but does not appear to have definite limits. Post town, Dalton-in-Furness. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Carlisle. Value, £100.* Patron, the Vicar of Dalton. The church stands on an eminence, overlooking the Duddon.
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History

A description of the history of Dalton up to the end of the 19th century.

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Maps

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View maps of Dalton-in-Furness and places within its boundaries.

View a map of the boundaries of this town/parish.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SD216762 (Lat/Lon: 54.17573, -3.202139), Dalton-in-Furness which are provided by:

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Probate Records

For probate purposes prior to 1858, Dalton in Furness was in the Archdeaconry of Richmond, in the Diocese of Chester. The original Lancashire wills for the Archdeaconry of Richmond are held at the Lancashire Record Office.

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Societies

You can also see Family History Societies covering the nearby area, plotted on a map. This facility is being developed, and is awaiting societies to enter information about the places they cover.