Morland, Church 1893

The Bridge Inn

My mother, Joyce Hogg, whose grandparents were Egglestone of Culgaith, used to tell us that her relatives, two aunts, used to run the Bridge Inn at Kirkby Thore in the 30's, 40's or 50's. Unfortunately I do not know their names or surnames. Can anyone help me with my family history? Other family names are Tallentyre and Jennings, so this may be useful to anyone with possible information.
Thank you.

The Lindens, Rosgill

I was born in the large house halfway down the hill of the little hamlet of Rosgill, the house is called the Lindens. My childhood was wonderful. I rate my self a very lucky person indeed to have started my life in the lovely Eden valley. My father helped to build Haweswater dam in the late 1930s and met my mother, who was a farmer's daughter, in Rosgill, the family name was Martin. The people I can remember in the village are 2 dear old women, Polly Bellas and Lettie Bellas, who used to bake cakes and take them to Shap in an old 2-wheeled cart to sell, this was the only income they had. My grandmother had 12 brothers and sisters, to remember their names the father made a poem: there was Frank, Fred, Willie, Stead, Ethel, Chris, and John, Isach, Harry, Annie, Maggie, Elizabeth, Kate and Tom. I can remember Harry Noble, we collected rose hips and got threepence a pound for them when we took them to his house. I also remember George Hall, Rosemary Thorning, Arnold Cannon, Mrs Wannop, Mr and Mrs Mandale, Walter Lightburn, Cowards' Farm. Rosgill has not changed much over 70 years, only the people. Most of the small farmers have gone, a lot of the houses are holiday homes now but it is still paradise to me.

Tirril

My name is Sandra and I am the little girl on the right of the picture.  I lived at the Post Office with my grandparents, Mr & Mrs Robinson and I have very fond memories of growing up in the village.  The bigger girl with me was Ann Tatters who used to take me to school at Yanwath.  

Langwathby Hall Farm

As a youngster of 12 I was evacuated from my home in Wallington near Croydon Surrey to Cumbria, where I attended Penrith Grammar School in 1940. I lived at Temple Sowerby at Riggside at the farm (Millrigg Farm) of my elderly cousin, Isaac Huntington. His elder brother was George Huntington a retired farmer of Langwathby Hall Farm. Those two brothers were sons of Joseph and Ann Huntington also of Langwathby Hall Farm. I spent many happy days in the company of both Isaac and George Huntington. My ancestry is from Cumbria dating back to the 12th century and in the 1990s I researched and published a book titled "The Solway Plainsmen" relating the history and quality of life for Cumbrians from the 12th to the 20th centuries. It will shortly be available to download free on the internet on www.huntingtondouglas.net Having lived there I could never understand why my great grandfather had migrated to London, but economic factors must have dictated his decision.

Mining at Hilton 1948 - 50

In 1948 I started my career as a Mining Engineer working as a miner at Bill Wharton's barytes mine on Long Fell and worked there for three months, living in lodgings at Rose Cottage in Hilton, before leaving to commence my studies at the Camborne School of Mines. Bill, who lived with his wife at Townhead Cottage, was quite a character and one of my first mentors; he employed about 10 of us, some from Hilton and others from Brough.
I don't think the mines could have been very profitable - I suspect his wife's hairdressing business in Kirkby Stephen paid our wages more than once. The mineral was hauled down from the mine and washed at a rudimentary plant just above the village using water from Scordale Beck. Afterwards the washed mineral was sent to Glasgow. Bill also had the license covering the old lead mines up Scordale. I surveyed these old workings starting in 1948 and continued this work in 1949 and 1950 after Bill sold his mineral rights to Laporte Chemicals who operated the nearby Silverband Barytes Mine up on Dun Fell, above Dufton. Bill arranged for me to work for Laporte Chemicals at this mine during my vacations. On weekends, together with some chaps from Hilton, we recovered very beautiful mineral specimens from some of the old Scordale workings, selling them to a collector in Penrith. I have very fond memories of Hilton and have been back a few times. Its not the same now. Then its habitants were real Cumbrians who worked the land or in the mine. Now its more of a weekend retreat for city dwellers. I hope they enjoy it like I did.
I left the UK and emigrated to Western Canada in 1951 but kept in touch with Bill Wharton until he died. After selling his mines he went back to Workington, where he originally came from. I live in Spain now, retired after starting up and then managing a couple of big lead-zinc mines there.