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"Lowther undoubtedly hath its name from the river. The word is British and signifies clear water. So Lauder, a river in Scotland, gives name to Lauderdale.
The parish of Lowther is bounded on the east by the parish of Morland; on the south by the parishes of Shap, Bampton, and Askham; on the west, by the parishes of Askham and Barton; and on the north, by the parish of Clifton; and contains about 72 families, all of whom (except only one dissenter) are of the church of England. [in 1777] It is a rectory.
Whale is a small village in the parish of Lowther, about a mile south from the church, consisting of about 8 or 10 families, with two or three straggling houses on Whale moor.
About a mile and an half south-east from the church, is the village of Hackthorp, containing 13 or 14 tenements.
About two miles eastward from the church is the village of Melkanthorp, which anciently seems to have belonged to a family of that name. "
Nicolson & Burns: The history and antiquities of the counties of Westmorland and Cumberland. 1777. Transcribed by Anne Nichols.
The name Lowther is perhaps connected with Old Irish lothur 'canalis', Bret. laoer 'a trench'.
Cemeteries
Returns survive for the 'census' of 1787 and are held at the Kendal Record Office of Cumbria Archives Service. The Record Office reference is WQ/SP/C. They are transcribed in Vital Statistics published by Curwen Archives Trust 1992. ISBN 1897590008.There are trancriptions on EdenLinks for
Census returns are available from the usual sources for 1841-1901.
A transcript of the 1841 census of Lowther, Hackthorp, Melkinthorpe, and Whale [HO107/1162] is provided by Virginia Gretton. It includes the following names:
ABBOTT, ARMSTRONG, ASKEW, ATKINSON, BACKHOUSE, BARR, BATEMAN, BENN, BIRD, BLACKLOCK, BLYTH, BOUSFIELD, BOWNESS, BOWSTEAD, BROWN, BRUNSKILL, BUSKBY, BYERS, CAMPBELL, CARRICK, CASTLEY, CONESTON, CPNNOR, COOK, COPLEY, COULSTON, COWIN, CROWDEN, CRUICKSHAK, DIXON, DONALD, DOWLEY, DOWSON, DUFTON, EDGER, ELLIOTT, FALLOWFIELD, FARRER, FAWCETT, FERGUSON, FOSTER, FRY, FURNESS, GARDESS, GLENTON, GOALDING, GOODBURN, GRAHAM, GREY, GRIFFIN, GROVY, HAMILTON, HARRIS, HARRISON, HAYTON, HEBSON, HENDRICK, HILL, HOBSON, HODGSON, HOLMES, HOPE, HOWE, HUDDART, HUDSON, HUNTER, IRVING, ION, JACK, JAQUES, JENKINSON, JOHNSON, KENDALL, KERSHAW, KIDD, KITCHEN, KNIGHT, LAMB, LANCASTER, LAYCOCK, LEACH, LITTLE, LONGLEY, LONGRIGG, LOWIS, M'CADE, M'CALL, M'CRONE, M'LEAN, MALLISON, MARSHALL, MASTYN, MATTINSON, MAWSON, MILLER, MONKHOUSE, NELSON, NICHOLSON, NIXON, ORPHAN, PARKER, PATTINSON, PEARSON, PEET, PLUMB, RELPH, RICHARDSON, RIDLEY, RIGG, ROBINSON, ROCHFORD, ROOK, ROPER, ROSE, SANDERSON, SARGANT, SCOTT, SEWEL, SIBSON, SIDDELL, SLEE, SMITH, SNAPE, STAGDALE, STAMPER, STEELY, STEPHENSON, STODART, SYSON, THOMPSON, THULKELD, TODD, TUNELTY, VARTY, WALKER, WALLY, WARD, WEST, WHARTON, WILKINSON, WILLS, WILSON, WINSKILL, WINTER, WOOF, WOOTHAM, YARKER.
Transcript and index for 1851 has been published by the Cumbria Family History Society and also in 'North Westmorland - An Index to the 1851 Census' compiled by David Lowis and Barbara Slack.
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St Michael. From the outside the appearance is of the 1686 rebuilding by Sir John Lowther. But inside Norman arcades.with circular piers having scalloped capitals. Monuments inside and mausoleum outside to the Lowthers. |  |
The parish records and BTs are held at the Kendal Record Office of Cumbria Archives Service. The Record Office reference is WPR12
Baptism registers 1540-1883 Marriage registers 1540-1965 Banns registers 1755-1814 Burial registers 1540-1902 Bishops transcripts 1645-1872 For searching on www.familysearch.org see Jake Prescott's list of IGI batch numbers.
The details for the parish from the Parson & White's Directory for 1829 are transcribed on Edenlinks site.
"Lowther, a Village situate upon the River Loder, from when our Antiquaries believe it took its Name, as Strickland doth from the River
which runs by it. In the Reign of King Rich. II. Reg 13. it was the Demesne of Roger Lord Clifford 4th, who died possessed of it that Year, and left it
to his Son and Heir Thomas, by whose Heirs general his great Estates passed into divers Families, and among the Rest to the Family of Lowthers, who took
their Name from it, and have for many Ages had their Seat here, called Lowther-Hall. But least we should diminish any Thing from so antient and
noble a Family by our Derivation of their Name from the Town, we will not pass over the Conjectures of the Learned concerning it. Olous Wormius, the
Danish Antiquary, being consulted by Sir Henry Spelman, at the Instigation of Sir Peter Osborn, about the Derivation of this, among other English
Names, says he finds it among the antient Danish Names of their Kings, and tells us it is derived from the Words Loth and Er, which signify Fortune and
Honour, and so make it carry a fortunate Stock of Honour in the very Etymology. Others look upon it as a very honourable Name, because they
observe many of the Emperors and Princes of Germany to be called Lotharius; but since most of our English Names, and that of the most noble Families are
taken from the Towns of which they were Lords, we shall rather prefer our first Opinion.
This Family Lowther hath made a great Figure in this County for many Generations, and several of them have born Offices of State; for Sir Hugh
Lowther, Knt. was Attorney General to King Edw. I. and another Sir Hugh Lowther, Knt. was one of the Justices of the King's Bench 5 Edw. III. Sir
John Lowther was Sheriff of Cumberland 26, 27, and 28 Edw. III. Hugh Lowther, Esq; was Knight of the Shire for Westmorland, 14, 33, and 46 Edw
III. John Fitz hugh de Lowther was also Knight of the Shire 50 Edw. III. And 2 Rich. II. Sir Hugh de Lowther was made Knight of the Bath at the
Marriage of Prince Arthur, eldest Son of King Hen. VII. Sir Richard Lowther was Sheriff of Cumberland, and Lord Warden of the West Marches. Sir
Christopher Lowther, Knt. was one of the Judges of the Court at York, and his Son John was created a Baronet by King Charles I. His Son Sir John
Lowther being a Person of great Accomplishments, and of a considerable Interest in this County, appeared early for King William at the Revolution
in 1688, which acceptable Service that Prince having taken Notice of, made him Vice-Chamberlain of his Household soon after he and his Princess were
advanced to the Throne, as also one of his Privy Council, Keeper of the Privy Seal, and one of the Lords Justices in that King's absence; in which
Stations having done his Majesty and the Nation good Service, that King was pleased further to advance him to the Honour of Baron Lowther and Viscount
Lonsdale. He much adorned and beautified his Seat here, called Lowther Hall, with curious Paintings and rich Furniture, but it hath lately been
burnt down. In his Honour he was succeeded by Richard his eldest Son and Heir, who came of Age March 1712-13, but died
of the Small-Pox in December following, and was succeeded in his Honour and Estate by Henry his Brother, now Lord Viscount Lonsdale, then a Minor, and though
now of Age, we do not understand that he is married."
Magna Britannica et Hibernia.Volume 6: Westmorland by Thomas Cox (Vicar of Bromfield, Essex) 45 pages, printed in 1731.
Transcription by Sarah Reveley, Joan Fisher and Lisl Schoenwald. (Rootsweb Westmorland Listmembers) (c) 2003
British History Online provides historical notes for Lowther from The Later Records relating to North Westmorland by John F. Curwen (1932)
A present-day web map is available from Multimap.
Details for the West Ward workhouse (Hackthorp) are given.
The West Ward Union workhouse was situated in Lowther parish. Details are on the websites of Ross Bret and Peter Higginbotham .
1641/2 145(est) 1671 307(est) 1787 476 1801 373
Lowther is in the diocese of Carlisle and wills will be in Carlisle Record Office.
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Lowther transcribed on Edenlinks
Window Tax records for 1777 Lowther transcribed on Edenlinks.
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Hackthorpe (Lowther) transcribed on Edenlinks.
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Melkinthorpe (Lowther) transcribed on Edenlinks.
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Whale Moor (Lowther) transcribed on Edenlinks.
Window Tax records for 1777 Melkinthorpe transcribed on Edenlinks.
Last updated: Nov 2008 - Dave Huddart