CALDBECK, Cumberland - Extract from National Gazetteer, 1868

"CALDBECK, a parish in the ward of Allerdale-below-Derwent, in the county of Cumberland, 6 miles S. of Curthwaite, and 8 miles to the S.E. of Wigton, which are both stations on the Carlisle and Maryport railway. The parish, which is 14 miles from Carlisle, is situated in a wild and mountainous country, on the river Caldew, and contains the townships, or graves, of High Caldbeck, Low Caldbeck, Caldbeck-Haltcliff, and Mosedale, and the small market town of Hesket-Newmarket. It was the site of a hospital for travellers, founded soon after the Conquest by Ranulph d'Engaine, chief forester of Inglewood. The manor was anciently held by the Lucys, Percys, and Whartons. Only a small part of the parish is under tillage, the rest consisting chiefly of moors and sheepwalks. High Pike is the loftiest hill, rising to the height of about 2,000 feet. Coal, limestone, lead, copper, and other minerals are found and worked here; and some of the inhabitants are employed in the manufacture of woollens and ginghams. Paper-making, dyeing, and fulling are also carried onto a small extent. There are a manufactory for blankets and a small brewery. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Carlisle, value £540, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, which is at Low Caldbeck, is dedicated to St. Kentigern. It is a very ancient structure, having been founded in 1112, but its original aspect is effaced by modern alterations. The rectory house is a fine building, with a hall 16 feet wide by 32 feet long; it is supposed to be the old hall of the ancient hospital of Caldbeck. The rector is lord of the manor of Kirkland. There is a chapel belonging to the Wesleyans, and a meetinghouse of the Society of Friends, one of the oldest in the country. George Fox, the founder of the society, once lived at Woodhall in this parish. The parochial charities amount to £8 a year. Near the village the river Caldew runs through a fine glen, called the Howk, passing under a natural arch of rock, and then forming a double cascade by the hollows called the Fairies' Kirk and Fairies' Kettle. It afterwards takes an underground course for about 4 miles. The parish is of very great extent, comprising an area of 24,280 acres, of which not more than a third part is enclosed. Lord Leconfield is lord of the manor and chief land-owner." "CALBECK-HALTCLIFF, a township in the parish of Caldbeck, ward of Allerdale-below-Derwent, in the county of Cumberland, 3 miles to the S. of Hesket-Newmarket." "CALDBECK HALTCLIFF, a township in the parish of Caldbeck, ward of Allerdale-below-Derwent, county Cumberland, 6 miles S. of Curthwaite." "HESKET NEWMARKET, a market town in the township of Caldbeck-Haltcliffe, and the parish of Caldbeck, and ward of Allerdale-below-Derwent, county Cumberland, 12 miles S.W. of Carlisle, and 297 N.N.W. of London. It is a small town of modern date, near the Lancashire railway, situated in a secluded spot among the mountains, on the bank of the river Caldew, which here dashes over the Caldbeck Falls. The surrounding district is rich in mineral wealth, especially lead, copper, molybenda, and manganese, and at Carrickbeck are smelting works for the lead ore. Here is an old hall, the seat of the Lawsons, and a chapel belonging to the Society of Friends. Near the town is a petrifying spring, issuing from the rock. Market day is Friday. Fairs for cattle are held on every Friday from the 1st May till Whitsuntide, and for sheep on the last Thursday in August, and the second in I October." "MOSEDALE, a township in the parish of Caldbeck, ward of Allerdale-below-Derwent, county Cumberland, 2 miles N.W. of Hesket-Newmarket."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]