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)