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Since 1974 Sedbergh is a small town and civil parish in Cumbria, England. Previously it was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies about 10 miles (16 km) east of Kendal and about 10 miles (16 km) north of Kirkby Lonsdale. The town sits just within the northern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Sedbergh is at the foot of the Howgill Fells on the north bank of the River Rawthey which joins the River Lune about 2 miles (2 km) below the town. Sedbergh has a narrow main street lined with shops. From all angles, the hills rising behind the houses can be seen. Until the coming of the Ingleton Branch Railway Line in 1861, these remote places were reachable only by walking over some fairly steep hills. The railway to Sedbergh was closed in 1965. The civil parish covers a large area, including the hamlets of Millthrop, Catholes, Marthwaite, Brigflatts, High Oaks, Howgill, Lowgill and Cautley, the southern part of the Howgill Fells and the northern part of Baugh Fell. George Fox, a founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), spoke in St. Andrew's Church (which he called a "steeple house") and on nearby Firbank Fell during his travels in the north of England in 1652. Briggflatts Meeting House was built in 1675 and is the namesake of Basil Bunting's long poem Briggflatts (1966). [edit] HistorySedbergh's parish church dedicated to St. Andrew dates from the 12th century, though restored periodically since then. There is at least one house in the village dating from the 14th century, and there are the remains of a motte and bailey castle believed to date from Saxon times. Sedbergh's main industries for many years were farming and the production of woollen garments. Wool was taken to mills where it was spun into yarn from which people in their homes knitted clothing, including hats and socks. The garments were sold by local merchants to, among other places, the coal miners of Northumberland and Durham. This trade has long since disappeared. It is remembered at Farfield Mill, just outside the town, where there is an exhibition of weaving equipment, and workshops for a number of artists and crafts workers.
Sedbergh was originally an ecclesiastical or "ancient" parish in the Staincliffe and Ewcross Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. The ancient parish had two townships: Dent and Garsdale. It became a separate civil parish in 1866 and from 1894 until 1974 it was located in Sedbergh Rural District. In the nationwide reorganization of municipalities in 1974 it was transferred to Cumbria. [edit] Research Tips
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