Walshaw War Memorial

Walshaw War Memorial

Walshaw is situated  between Tottington and Bury, rather closer to Tottington. My father worked at Walshaw primary school, there is a picture here with his class. My Aunt Irene died in a rest home here too, so I have some quite poignant memories of Walshaw. However, Walshaw is a nice place. There is a huge church. It is known to the locals as "Walshaw Cathedral" and true to form, just about sits on the highest point of the village. The War Memorial doubles as a roundabout and a bus terminus, it is quite compact and is treated with all the proper reverence that it deserves. There is one inscription on the memorial that is important to me and that is Private W (Walker) Dunn. Walker Dunn was son of Walker Dunn and Eliza Hazelhurst. I believe that he had 6 other siblings. Walker died on the 2nd of July at the battle of the Somme and his name is also inscribed on the Pozieres Memorial in France.
The name Walker was an institution in the Dunn family. I can trace 5 Walkers in the family tree. The first name is Walker Greenhalgh who married into the Dunn family. There is more information here. There is a list of the inscriptions here
This memorial is on the National inventory of War Memorials as

                   WALSHAW

                                   UKNIWM Ref: 3245

St Catherine's old Church Tower at Crook

Approach to the Tower

Plaque on Tower

Inside the Tower

St Catherine's on old Map

On a winter's morning, I set off from the Church hall at Crook near Kendal. My destination was Bowness on the east side of Windemere, my route taking in the "Dales Way" and then heading back towards Crook over the top of Brant Fell, then heading south East to return. We skirted around Knipe Tarn and visited Birk Moss on the way. This path took us in a North Easterly direction to St Catherine's church tower. I had seen the mark on the map but I was surprised to see an almost intact church tower and no church. However I photographed the tower, inside and out.   The inscription was informative. I repeat it here although the Internet is awash with pix of the tower and the inscription.

"OLD ST. CATHERINES CHURCH CROOK

This tower built about 1620, is all that remains of the old Church which served the parish from 1516 until 1887 when because of structural defects, the body of the church had to be demolished. The tower was allowed to remain as a local historical landmark.

It was restored in 1993 with the help of grants from English heritage and the Lake District Special Planning Booard and a generous donation in memory of Judy Logan of Birk Moss, Crook 1963 - 1989."

Whilst photographing the tower I spotted a gravestone  Having read the inscription (below) and realised that as the church could no longer be on consecrated ground, there must be a reason that the the stone must still be there. 

Thomas Hutchinson Gravestone

The Tower

The old Church, new Church

 and Yew Tree Farm

The name Thomas Hutchinson is clearly recognisable, the date of death is too. 27th of July. However little else is clear. Ancestry revealed a Thomas Hutchinson an Agricultural labourer,  at a Yew Tree Farm or Cottage married to an Isabella Hutchinson in the 1861 census. Ancestry tells me that Thomas died in 1868, aged 66. Old maps website reveals that Yew Tree farm was opposite the church. He must have been regarded as special to be "allowed" to watch over his land. One or two mysteries remain. How could an "Ag Lab" be able to afford a quite superior gravestone. However census details are frequently wrong. The stone may well have been commissioned by the church if he had served the church with particular dedication.

Inside the hall at Crook

So it appeared that Crook has had at least three churches, a little unusual. It is also unusual that the original church was away from the village, placed on a low hill, yet still up quite a difficult track. It is said that bell from the old church has been installed in the new church. The Church hall is also a fair trek from the church too! An explanation may be that the old church was the chapel attached to Crook Hall. The last image is the tableau that is in the church hall. St Catherine's tower is clearly visible at the top of the picture.

So interesting! Good day out and followed off by a visit to Lord's Lot!

Spring into Old Hutton

Great War

John Wesley close-up

WW2

Old Hutton is in the old county of Westmorland and its roots go very deep. It is full of hardy folk who are friendly and loyal and who certainly know how to put on a great spread for visiting townies. Every year for at least 6 years the village has hosted the event "Spring into Old Hutton" organised by the "Bowland and Morecambe Bay" branch of the LDWA - the Long Distance Walking Association and the Village Hall is the centre of this event.  The weather is always fine!

There are 2 plaques in the hall. One made of fine and well preserved wood commemorates those who served in the Great War and the other one is a appears to be a paper version but beautifully written in a frame commemorates those  who served in the WW 2., There are also old photographs in the village hall. They are clearly fond of their village, and with good reason because it is indeed beautiful.  It still is very agricultural and has a mixture of lowland and hill pastures. The village is overshadowed by the "Helm" which I believe has an Iron Age fort on the highest ridge. Perhaps the most interesting thing in the village is the plaque on one of the houses opposite the church which states that John Wesley stayed in the village in 1749. There is much evidence of pack horse trails in the area. The local area abounds with what appears to be old packways and bridal ways.

St Pauls Church, Marton, Blackpool.

It was a Saturday morning, I had gone to have the tyres changed on the car and I decided that I could do the walk down Preston New Road, visit the memorial and head back. However Blackpool away from the seafront is just like any suburban town and has a wealth of history just waiting to found. I went down Preston Old road instead, took photos in Marton Burial Ground, unusually there does not seem to be a church "looking after" it , found a boundary marker that I didn't know existed, took photos of the "Boars Head", and the hall opposite. There are some older cottages there too - they also ended up in the memory card too. Turned onto Whitegate drive at the "Saddle" pub, which is the longest permanently licensed pub in Blackpool. There is a shot up Preston Old Road from here.

The inscription

St Pauls Memorial

John Picken Dixon

The Outside of the Church

The inside of the church

The church is set back from the road and there is a pleasant clump of trees in front of the church. The memorial is set in front of the grass and is on the corner of a side road and Whitegate Drive. I walked around the church, there are some quite unusual features. The bell tower is set very low. There are no gravestones to be found. There is a tasteful foundation stone set in the church wall commemorating the founder of the church, John Picken Dixon. A biography is found here. The biography states that some members of the family are buried in the crypt at the church. The founder and his family have had a very illustrious career as an industrialist as well as having a huge influence in Blackpool and in particular, Marton.  It is quite a large size and is made of fine red brick, very much a traditional build - It is quite a modern church, but the surprises lie within. No pews - Apparently there was quite a bit of resistance from some members of the congregation. Looks good though! There were some ladies setting up for a Saturday coffee morning, on remarking there was very little in the way of ornamentation she showed me through the offices.

Cookson Memorial

Cookson Memorial

Metal Plaque inside Church

The memorial plaques to the first incumbent and his family. All three plaques are dedicated to the Cookson family whose origins clearly hark back to South Lakeland. A church definitely worth a visit! There is the compete list of the names on the memorial here as well as some more pictures of the church

Sunbrick Burial Ground

Looking towards stone plaque

The Stone Plaque

The metal Plaque in the doorway

Looking at the exit

The Burial Ground

I stumbled upon this Quakers burial ground at an unearthly time of the day, way before breakfast, the dew was still wet on the ground. It was to be several hours before bacon was to be had. The bacon stop was well on the way to the Hoad monument. What was immediately striking was the peace and sanctity of the place.

It was no surprise that the Quakers had chosen the same place as our ancient ancestors had on Birkrigg Common for their stone circle. I wonder what our Quakers had thought of that those ancient stones.

There was no obvious signs that this was a burial ground, There were no mounds of earth. It was enclosed with local stone walls - obviously the sheep "tended" the short grass. There were tell-tale signs! There was however a low door with an inscribed metal plate and an inscribed stone inside. The location of Sunbrick is here and the location of the Birkrigg Stone Circle is here.  The inscriptions on the two plaques are below.

The Stone Inscription

SUNBRICK 

FRIENDS BURIAL PLACE

BETWEEN THE YEARS 1648 AND 1767 THE REMAINS OF 223 FRIENDS WERE INTERRED HERE AMONG WHOM WAS MARGARET FOX WIDOW OF GEORGE FOX WHO DIED AT SWARTHMORE HALL THE 27TH OF 2ND MONTH 1702 AGED 89 YEARS THE REGISTERS ARE IN THE REGISTER OFFICE OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS HOUNDSDITCH LONDON

The Metal inscription in the doorway

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS

SUNBRICK BURIAL GROUND

BETWEEN THE YEARS 1654 AND 1767 THERE WERE BURIED HERE 227 FRIENDS AMONG WHOM WAS MARGARET FOX WIFE FIRST OF JUDGE THOMAS FELL AND SECONDLY OF GEORGE FOX FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS

SHE DIED AT SWARTHMOOR HALL ON APRIL 23 1702 AGED 87