Answers to Shap Local History Society Quiz, summer 2010

•  Prior to 1974, which county was Shap in? Westmorland

•  Which castle is connected with Arthurian legend? Pendragon in Mallerstang nr Kirkby Stephen. (Uther Pendragon was Arthur's father).

•  Where is Brocavum Roman fort? Brougham – to the south of and abutting the castle.

•  Which famous lady was High Sherriffess of Westmorland and owned four castles in the county? Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset and Pembroke.

•  Which ancient monument was known as the ‘Keswick Carles'? Castlerigg Stone Circle .

•  Where were two indestructible skulls found that gave rise to a legend? Calgarth Hall, on the shores of Windermere near Troutbeck Bridge .

•  Where was the last battle on English soil fought? Clifton Moor 18 th December 1745

•  What was Kendal Green? A dye used on woollen cloth. Famously worn by the Kendal archers. (will accept woollen cloth or similar answer).

•  Where can you find the words: ‘Retain your loyalty – preserve your rights'? On the High Cross in Boroughgate, Appleby (outside the castle gates).

•  Which community was destroyed by flooding in the 1930's? Mardale (with Measand and Whelter).

•  Which monastic order founded Shap Abbey? Premonstratesian (White Canons)

•  By what name was Mary Robinson better known? The Beauty of Buttermere. She was the daughter of the landlord of The Char (now the Fish Hotel), and became entangled with and married John Hatfield an imposter (he called himself Hon. Alexander Hope), forger and bigamist; once discovered, he left her pregnant. He was hanged for his crimes and Mary later married a Calbeck famer – she is buried in Caldbeck churchyard.

•  Who or what is Long Meg? A sandstone monolith associated with the stone circle, Long Meg and her Daughters at Little Salkeld.

•  When does the Heritage Centre in Shap date from? 1687 it was formerly the Market Cross.

•  Why is the mountain High Street so called? Because the Roman road from Ambleside to Brougham ran on top of it.

•  Where can you find the Loki stone? In Kirkby Stephen Parish Church . A carved stone depicting Loki bound in chains.

•  Which local peer was known as the ‘Yellow Earl'? Hugh Cecil, 5 th Earl of Lonsdale (Lord Lonsdale)

•  Where and what is Nent Force Level? Nenthead near Alston, it is an access and haulage tunnel; an underground canal five miles long. It follows the line of the River Nent. It was begun in 1776 and designed to transport ore and waste from underground workings at a time when lead mining was a thriving industry in the North Pennines .

•  Which famous historical figure had connections with Kendal Castle? K(C)atherine Parr ( sixth wife of Henry VIII) her family owned that castle but she was not born there.

•  Where is the Goggleby stone? Shap will get ½ point - a more exact location: e.g. on the footpath from Shap to Keld / west of Shap/ a map reference (NY559151) will gain the full point.

•  Name the five places where the tradition of rushbearing still takes place. (1 point for each correct answer) Ambleside, Grasmere , Great Musgrave, Warcop and Great Urswick.

•  Which town was attacked in the American Civil War? Whitehaven; it was attacked by a party led by John Paul Jones, the town's guns were spiked with nails, and some vessels set alight.

•  Who preached to a thousand people on Firbank fell? George Fox founder of the Quakers. He preached for three hours on June 13 th 1652. The meeting proved of first importance in gathering the Society of Friends known as Quakers.

•  Where is Walls Castle ? Ravenglass it is a Bath House associated with the Roman fort of Glannaventa.

•  Which hermit lived on an island in Derwentwater? St. Herbert.

•  Where is the tallest complete ancient cross in the county to be found? Gosforth; St Mary's churchyard. It has elaborate carvings on four sides which have been interpreted as representing characters and scenes from Norse mythology mixed with Christian symbols. The cross stands 4.4 metres tall and is made out of red sandstone . It is estimated to date from 920-950 AD .

•  What does the monument at Black Dub commemorate? King Charles II resting his army and drinking the waters of the Lyvennet on his march from Scotland following his coronation at Scone . The inscription reads: Here at Black Dub the source of the Livennet King Charles the II regaled his army and drank of the water on his march from Scotland August 8 1651 .

•  Where is the ‘licking stone'? In the dungeons of Carlisle Castle . This is of sandstone which naturally attracts moisture, and was licked by thirsty prisoners.

•  Who was Dunmail? The last King of Cumberland. Reputedly buried under the cairn on Dunmail Raise.

•  What do Muncaster, Edenhall and Burrell Green have in common? They all have Lucks associated with them. Muncaster's Luck is a glass bowl given to the Penningtons by Henry VI; Edenhall's is a glass goblet (now in the Victoria & Albert Museum , London ); Burrell Green's is a brass dish. Both the latter were believed to have been the gifts of or stolen from the fairies.

As indicated all questions related to the present county of Cumbria .

Thank you for taking part and we hope you enjoyed the challenge.

Winners: There were 7 all-correct sheets returned (maximum marks 34). The prize-winners were picked at random from these.

1 st : (£15)   Ken Noble, Shap

2 nd (£10)   Judith Edwards, Sleagill

3 rd (£5)   Marion Jackson, Shap

REPORT ON SHAP LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY VISIT TO ASKHAM HELD ON MONDAY 14 th JUNE 2010.

Discovering a village steeped in history.

Around twenty members and friends of Shap Local History Society travelled to Askham for the first of their summer outings. They were met by Andy Lowe, architectural historian who was introduced to the group by Liz Amos.

Mr Lowe had led a course on vernacular architecture at Shap seven years ago, and one of the field trips had been to Askham, an experience which those who had been on the course wished to share again with other members. He has also lectured the group on several occasions. He began by showing maps of the village layout, it is situated at an important crossroads; and has a sweep of cottages at each side of the village green, descending steeply from the fells in the west to the river Lowther.

With its fascinating mix of architecture from many periods, the village provides an ideal subject for students to study. The name Askham comes from ‘ask' for ash tree and translates as ‘the settlement with ash trees'. The village lies in the shadow of Askham Hall, the residence of the Lord of the Manor, the Earl of Lonsdale.

Traditional building materials are limestone and sandstone in a variety of colours, with local slate on older roofs and Welsh slate on the post-railway buildings. Mr Lowe pointed out keys to ‘reading a building' from the obvious dates stones, and styles of windows and doorways. Styles ranged from Elizabethan through to 20 th century, but the group were informed that some foundations could be as early as 13 th century.

The magnificent late 19 th century bridge over the river Lowther was admired, and the old church restyled by Robert Smirke the Architect who designed the nearby Lowther Castle . Tantalising glimpses of Askham hall with its pele tower could be seen through the trees, whilst the imposing gateway to the hall is listed in its own right.

The majority of buildings are small cottages of 18 th century date, with larger Georgian and Victorian houses. Some showed signs of enlargement and alteration at different periods whilst still retaining some original features. The village green had an open watercourse running through it, most of which is now culverted; and the short open section which survives was sadly dry.

Any new developments are on the outer perimeter so do not encroach on the village; and one new development of three houses has used traditional styles and materials so that it blends quite nicely into the village scene.

Towards the end of the evening the group climbed to the highest point of the village for a panoramic view to the Pennines lit by late sunshine. The evening was most enjoyable, and informative, this being due in no small part to the enthusiasm and knowledge of the guide. Mr Lowe was thanked by Jean Scott-Smith.

Next month the group will visit Carlisle Castle on Sunday 25 th July for a guided tour led by Leo Holden meet at the castle at 1:30p.m. There will an entry charge to the castle.

Please inform Liz or Jean 01931 716244/716386 by 20 th July if planning to attend.

REPORT ON MEETING OF SHAP LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY HELD ON MONDAY 24 th MAY 2010.

History Society enjoys images old and new.

Shap Local History Society gathered for their last indoor meeting until September. Chairman Jean Jackson welcomed everyone and explained that the advertised speaker, who was to have addressed the meeting on turnpikes and milestones, had cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, so an emergency presentation had been arranged at short notice.

Liz Amos projected a series of images of old views of Shap and district that have recently been acquired by the Society for its archive; Mrs Jackson described the scenes and shared other interesting information about former residents.

Wherever possible, Mrs Amos had taken photographs of the scenes from the same viewpoints as they look today. It was interesting to see how some buildings had been changed out of all recognition, whilst others had vanished completely; one derelict property had been restored and given a new lease of life.

The presentation ended with photographs of village groups such as cricket and football team, the village silver band and Rose fetes. The evening was greatly enjoyed by all.

The next event will be an outing on Monday 14 th June to Askham for a walk around the village led by Andy Lowe, there will be a charge of £1 for members and £3 for visitors, everyone is asked to meet in the village car park at 7p.m.

REPORT ON THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAP LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY HELD ON MONDAY 26 th APRIL 2010.

Local History Society looks to the future.

Shap Local History Society gathered for their Annual Meeting in the Green Room of Shap Memorial Hall. Chairman Jean Jackson welcomed everyone and thanked the officers, Liz Amos the secretary for her efficiency, Jean Scott-Smith the Vice Chairman for her work with publicity and the Shap Memorial Trust; and committee members Liz Kerrey for her energy, Wendy Fairer for her practical help, and Ken Noble for his local knowledge. All had helped to make the Society a success.

Barbara Cotton had resigned as Treasurer, and Mrs Jackson paid tribute to her work with difficult grant applications. The grant money was used to carry out some necessary repairs at the Heritage Centre.

She went on to say that last summer's Family Research exhibition had been a moderate success, but there seemed to be a real lack of local interest in the exhibitions, and the Society would like to see more involvement with the school. This summer's exhibition on Mardale Homesteads which opened over Easter is already proving a great success; there had been more visitors that weekend than there had been for a whole summer in previous years.

The financial report submitted by Mrs Cotton was read by Mrs Amos and this showed the Society to be holding its own. Jean Scott-Smith submitted the accounts for the Shap Memorial Trust.

The following were elected: Chairman, Jean Jackson, Vice Chairman, Jean Scott-Smith, Secretary and Treasurer, Liz Amos, Committee: Wendy Fairer, Liz Kerrey, and Ken Noble. Mrs Scott-Smith is to take on the role of Membership and Programme secretary. There is one vacancy on the committee, and Dennis Hale was appointed as auditor for the coming year.

A Local History quiz has been compiled by Mrs Scott-Smith as a fund raiser and these were available for sale. Members were asked to submit ideas for next year's programme.

Following the business meeting, Mrs Scott-Smith gave a short talk on local customs – Eastertide to Midsummer, starting with Lent, Easter, pace eggs and pace egging plays, the talk covered topics such as Yak Bob Day, shaking-bottles, seasonal bonfires, hiring fairs and midsummer revels. She described the traditional local dish, herb pudding made from Easter ledges, nettles and a variety of green vegetables, she had brought one she had made earlier for members to sample. Mrs Jackson thanked her for the interesting talk, saying she was sad that the young people of today would not have any knowledge or experience of many of the colourful customs that were still observed as recently as fifty years ago.

The next meeting will be on Monday 24 th May at 7:30p.m. A selection of newly acquired photographs from the Society's archive will be presented by Jean Jackson and Liz Amos.