Cumberland and Westmorland parishes. From Cockermouth and Penrith by the forests to the lakesides

Carlisle Castle is supposed to occupy the site of the old Roman fort, and was repaired by Egdrid, king of Northumberland, in A.D. 680. After the destruction of it by the Danes in the ninth century, it remained in a dilapidated state till 1072, when its restoration was commenced by William Rufus. His successor, Henry I, in 1122, disbursed money for the erection of some part of the castle and fortifications; and in 1135, David, king of Scotland, who seized Carlisle, assisted in completing the works.

In the area of Cumberland, comprises the south-eastern half of Cumberland Ward, a large portion of Leath Ward, with a part of the ward of Allerdale-below-Derwent. It formed part of the demesne of the English crown; and Mr. Thomas Denton says it was an ancient forest before the conquest, and was divided into the High-ward, from Penrith to Hesket, and the Low-ward, from thence to Carlisle. When Ranulph de Meschines had received the grant of Cumberland from William the Conqueror, he made a survey of the whole county, and gave to his followers all the frontiers bordering on Scotland and Northumberland, retaining to himself the central part between the east and west mountains1, "a goodly great forest, full of woods, red deer and fallow, wild swine, and all manner of wild beasts." In a perambulation of the boundaries of the forest, made in 1301, by the commissioners of Edward I they were declared to be.

Although the Scots were now dispossessed of this great forest by Ranulph de Meschines, they did not relinquish their claim; and in the reign of king John, the king of Scots claimed the three counties of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Northumberland. At a conference held in York, respecting these disputed counties, in the yeare 1237, at which the Pope's nuncio was present, Alexander II of Scotland gave up the forest, with all the forfeited estates possessed by the Scots in the three northern counties, in consideration of which Henry III gave him and his heirs the choice of 200 librates* of land in any part of Cumberland, or the neighbouring counties, "where no castle was situated." This grant amounted to the value of about £200 per annum, to be holden of the king of England, by the yearly payment of a falcon to the constable of the castle of Carlisle, on the festival of the assumption. Treaty of York

Among the governors of the castle, in the reigns of Henry III, and the three Edwards, were John Baliol, and Robert Brus the younger, both afterwards kings of Scotland; William de Fortibus, earl of Albemarle; Peter de Gaveston, the favourite of Edward II; bishops Halton and Kirkby, and Andrew de Harcla, afterwards made the first earl of Carlisle. He attempted to convert it into a garrison for Robert Bruce, but was arrested within its walls, and executed as a traitor. After his death, the title of earl of Carlisle was not revived till the restoration, when Charles Howard, son of Sir William Howard, in the 13th of Charles II, was created lord Dacre of Gilsland, viscount Howard of Morpeth, and earl of Carlisle; in which honours he has been succeeded by his immediate descendants to the present time.

The castle stands in the sockage manor of Carlisle, in that part of St. Mary's parish without the city.

The castle was again in a ruinous state, in the reign of Henry III, in consequence of the damage done to it in 1216, when besieged by Alexander of Scotland. In 1256, the return to a commission of inquiry states that "the queen's chamber, Maunsell's turret, the turret of William de Ireby, the chapel, the great hall, kitchen, and other offices," were much decayed, having been the object of frequent attack. In 1344, an estimate of its repairs were made, when the expense of repairing the stone work was stated at £200; the wood works in the great tower, hall, and other buildings, at one hundred marks; and the reparation of the walls, turrets, runnels, and gates, at £300.

In the reign of Edward IV, Richard, duke of Gloucester, (afterwards Richard III) was governor of Carlisle, and sheriff of Cumberland; and Camden says, "this castle, king Richard III, as appears by his arms, repaired." In A.D. 1563, a report was made to queen Elizabeth, "that the dungeon tower (which should be the principal defence of the castle) was in a state of great decay, and although the walls were twelve feet thick, was in daily danger of falling." The castle, upon this report, was ordered to be thoroughly repaired, and it appears to have been of sufficient strength in the following century to stand a protracted siege.

Both Inglewood forest and Penrith subsequently fell to the crown, on the accession of Richard III, and were demised by James I, in 1616, as the "Honour of Penrith, with its rights, members, and appurtenances," in trust for Charles, then prince of Wales. The honour of Penrith was afterwards granted by William III to William Bentinck, the first earl of Portland, in whose family it remained till 1787, when it was purchased by William Cavendish, fifth duke of Devonshire, and father of the present duke, who is now lord of the Honour of Penrith, and consequently has paramount authority over the manors of Inglewood Forest. George Gill Mounsey, Esq. of Carlisle is the chief steward.

By Inglewood Forest, Cockermouth and Penrith Parish by the lake, the ancient borough of Cockermouth occupies a beautiful and advantageous situation in the heart of a most picturesque and highly-cultivated country, on the south side of the river Derwent, and at the mouth of the Cocker. Giants' caves - About three miles E. by S. of Penrith, on the north side of the river Eamont, are two singular excavations in a perpendicular rock, called Giants' Caves, or Isis Parlis. They can only be approached by passing along narrow ledges of the cliff, and holding by the shrubs on its rugged side. The first cave is but a small narrow recess, but the other is capable of holding a great number of people, and appears to have had a door and window; a massive column, with marks of iron grating and hinges upon it still remains, though the opening has been greatly altered by the falling in of some of the upper stones. Cockermouth is one of the oldest boroughs in the kingdom, and sent two members to parliament in the reign of Edward I, but is said to have been disenfranchised at its own petition, to avoid the expenses attendant upon representation; for in the good olden times, members of parliament were paid for their services. Cockermouth Castle, though now in ruins, is still the greatest ornament of the town. It is said to be contemporary with Windsor, having been built soon after the Norman Conquest; and was for a length of time the baronial seate of the lords of Allerdale; but the name of its founder is rather uncertain - some authors supposing that it was erected by William de Meschines, who had this part of Cumberland by the grant of Ranulph de Meschines; and by others we are told that it owed its origin to Waldeof, first lord of Allerdale, who removed hither from Papcastle.

The parish of Penrith extends about 4 miles in length from north to south, and 3½ in breadth from east to west. It is bounded on the south by the river Eamont, which divides it from Westmorland, on the east by Edenhall, on the west by Greystoke and Newton, and on the north by Lazonby. The extensive common, consisting of about 5000 acres, has been enclosed and divided, together with the other waste lands in Inglewood Forest.

The Honour Of Penrith forms the south-eastern part of Inglewood Forest, and is a paramount manor, belonging to the duke of Devonshire, but was anciently a royal franchise, alternately possessed by the English and Scottish monarchs, as has been already seen. Penrith is recorded as being a place of consequence long before the Norman Conquest. In the 19th of Edward III it was pillaged and burnt by 30,000 Scots, who carried many of the inhabitants away prisoners, though they received several feeble attacks from the English, commanded by the bishop of Carlisle, Sir Thomas Lucy, and Sir Robt. Ogle. In the 30th of the same reign the inhabitants obtained a royal grant of pasturage for their cattle throughout the whole forest, in consideration of the calamities they had suffered.

The town was again sacked by the Scots in the reign of Richard II. Penrith Castle, the majestic ruins of which overlook the town from the west, is supposed to have been erected about the close of the 14th century, and was sometime the residence of the duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III. The present church at Cokermouth is built on the site of the original chapel, which had a chantry, endowed in 1395, by Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, with lands which, in the 20th of Elizabeth, (1579) were granted to one Gunson. Camden, who visited Cockermouth in 1582, describes it as "a populous, well-trading market town, neatly built, but of a low situation, between two hills, upon one of which is the church, and upon the other, over against it, (which is evidently artificial) a very strong castle, on the gates whereof, are the arms of the Moltons, Umfravills, (Nevills) Lucies, and Percies." The other places of worship at Cockermouth in town are an Independent chapel, in the Main street, instituted about the yeare 1662, and now under the ministry of the Rev. Robt. Wilson; a Wesleyan chapel, a good building, in Market street, erected in 1841; a Primitive Methodist chapel, in Sand lane, formerly belonging to the Wesleyans; and a Friends' Meeting House, an old building, with a burial ground, in Kirk-gate.

The Free Grammar School, at Penrith, appears to have existed as early as 1340, under the patronage of the bishop of Carlisle. It was re-founded in 1564, by queen Elizabeth, who endowed it with £6 a year, belonging to the dissolved chantry of bishop Strickland. In 1663, Sir John Lowther conveyed to it some seats under the Old Cross, or Archer's Hall valued at £1 6s. 8d. per annum, which sum was afterwards increased to £2 2s. now paid by the duke of Devonshire. The Castle around Penrith was dismantled in the reign of Charles I by the adherents to the Commonwealth. From the remaining parts of the walls the castle appears to have been a very strong and large fortress, having beneath it spacious vaults. Some authors have erroneously supposed that it was built out of the ruins of Old Penrith, distant five miles northward." In 1640, Charles I restored the franchise to several boroughs, amongst which were Cockermouth, Malton, Northallerton, Oakhampton.

Penrith Church, dedicated to Saint Andrew, is a large and handsome building, in the Grecian style, built in the years 1720 and 1722, at the expense of £2253 raised by a parochial rate and voluntary contributions. The last momentous event witnessed by Penrith was the flight of the Scotch Rebels, in 1745, when they were closely pursued by the duke of Cumberland, and about eighty of them taken prisoners by the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood. Tradition says that the rebels halted upon Beacon Hill to overlook the town, for the purpose of planning its destruction, but having mistaken a distant plantation of young trees for the pursuing enemy, they precipitately fled. The said plantation was for a long time afterwards jocosely called "Wully's Black Horse," as it had been designated by the fearful rebels.

Cokermouth From 1636 to 1646, there were 414 baptisms, 272 burials, and 121 marriages; from 1781 to 1791 there were 685 baptisms, 663 burials, and 175 marriages registered, being an increase of 271 baptisms, 386 burials, and 55 marriages, in ten years. In the yeare 1842, the number registered was 143 births, 128 deaths, and 32 marriages, a considerable increase since 1791. In 1785, the town contained 663 families, numbering 2652 inhabitants, being an average of four persons to each family; in 1801, its population was about 2800; in 1811, 2496; in 1821, 3790; in 1831, 4536; and in 1841, it contained 4940 souls, and 1196 houses. In Hutchinson's History of Cumberland, published in 1795, it is stated that "The market is held on Monday, weekly; and every fortnight there are shows of cattle on the Wednesdays, in the great street, from the beginning of May until Michaelmas.

Warburton's Survey: Mannix & Whellan, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Cumberland, 1847