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Levens

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"LEVENS, a chapelry partly in the parish of HEVERSHAM, and partly in that of KENDAL, KENDAL ward, county of WESTMORLAND, 5 miles (S. S. W.) from Kendal, containing, with Beathwaite-Green, Sizergh- Fell-side, and part of Brigsteer, 760 inhabitants. A handsome chapel, with a low tower surmounted by an octagonal spire, was erected, in 1828, at an expense of £2000, defrayed by the Hon. Fulk Greville Howard, who also built the parsonage-house; he appoints the minister, and allows him an annual stipend of £200. A school for forty poor girls was established, in 1810, by Lady Howard, who pays for! their education, and partly clothes them. Another school was erected, in 1825, by Colonel Howard, and is supported at his expense; it is conducted on the Madras system, and is attended by about one hundred and forty children."
[From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of England (1831) - copyright Mel Lockie 2016]

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Levens is a parish in Kendal Ward. It was formerly in Heversham parish.
Nearby parishes include Witherslack, Crosthwaite, Helsington, Natland and Crosscrake.
Levens was Lefuenes in the Domesday Book.

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Census

Returns do not survive for the 'census' of 1787.

Census returns are available from the usual sources for 1841-1911.

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Church History

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St John the Evangelist
Photograph(s) and description on VisitCumbria.
Other photographs are on the Geograph site.
Access and contact details on Church of England site
More details and maps in Genuki Westmorland Church Database
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Church Records

Parish Registers and Bishop's Transcripts are held by Cumbria Archives :
originals at Kendal RO and microfilm copies at Carlisle RO.

Baptism registers1836-1924
Marriage registers1868-1979
Banns registers1868-1923
Burial registers-
Bishops transcripts1865-1912


See the CASCAT online calogue for WPR98 for information on these and other parish records..

For searching on LDS familysearch.org see IGI batch numbers (compiled by Jake Prescott)
or use the batch number search site (by Hugh Wallis).

Beathwaite Green Wesleyan Chapel register for births and baptisms 1797-1835 is at Kendal Record Office and at Public Record Office, London.

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Levens which are provided by:

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Directories

The details for the parish from the Parson & White's Directory for 1829 are transcribed on Edenlinks site.

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Gazetteers

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History

Magna Britannica et Hibernia.Volume 6: Westmorland by T Cox 1731.

"Levens, where there is another Catadupa, or Water-fall of the River Can, from which is a Conjecture of fair Weather made, as is said at Betham, that doth of Rain and Mists.
Here is also a fair Bridge over the River Can, or Kent.


Records relating to the Barony of Kendale, CWAAS, William Farrer & John F. Curwen (editors) are available on British History Online (also Supplementary Records)

Cumbria County History Trust has published a "Jubilee Digest" for the township of Levens

Levens History Project data is available from Levens History Group website

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SD487865 (Lat/Lon: 54.271852, -2.788703), Levens which are provided by:

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Probate Records

Wills for Levens will be at Carlisle since about 1858 but before that will be at the Preston R.O. as it was in the Diocese of Chester until that time.

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Taxation

Hearth Tax records for 1674 Levens transcribed on Edenlinks.