Place:Staveley in Kendal, Westmorland, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Staveley in Kendal is a village (previously a civil parish) in the South Lakeland District, in Cumbria, England. Historically part of the county of Westmorland, it is situated 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Kendal where the River Kent is joined by its tributary the Gowan. It is also known as Staveley in Westmorland to distinguish it from Staveley in Cartmel (a small village and parish near Newby Bridge which is now in Cumbria but was previously in Lancashire). Staveley has been broken into three new civil parishes (all redirected here): Nether Staveley, Over Staveley and Hugill (part). Their total population at the 2011 Census was 1,593 but this includes those living in the hamlet of Ings in Hugill parish.

History

The area has been inhabited since around 4000 BC (evidence of which can be seen close to High Borrans) when ancient Britons established farms. It has been suggested that the Romans built a road near Staveley to link the Roman forts at Kendal (Alauna) and Ambleside (Galava).[3] However, the existence of any Roman road in the immediate vicinity of Kendal is not confirmed.[4] On the other hand, the Roman road at High Street (a few miles north of Staveley) is well evidenced.

Weekly markets and a three-day annual fair were held from 1329 when the village was granted a market charter.

In the 18th century a turnpike road from Kendal to Ambleside was constructed through Staveley. In Dorothy Wordsworth's journal for 1802 there are references to an inn at Staveley (possibly the Eagle and Child).[5][6] She wrote: "I am always glad to see Stavel[e]y; it is a place I dearly love to think of"

Since the 1840s Staveley has had a railway station on the Windermere Branch Line from Windermere to Oxenholme. It is one of only a few locations in the Lake District National Park to have a station, but in the 19th century most tourists continued their journey to the railhead at Windermere. Staveley remained relatively unaffected by mass tourism until the 20th century.

Another 19th-century project built through Staveley is the Thirlmere Aqueduct, commissioned in 1894. On its way to Manchester, the aqueduct passes under the River Kent at Staveley.[7] Although the Staveley section of the aqueduct was constructed underground (via "cut-and-cover" and tunnelling techniques), some of the infrastructure associated with it is visible.

As a result of the Storm Desmond flood both the bridges over the River Gowan in the village were closed because of damage to their structures cutting the village in two for vehicular traffic. The Station Road / Abbey Square bridge was reopened after minor repairs. Gowan Old Bridge, a twin arch stone bridge with attached concrete footbridge near the confluence of the rivers, had severe damage to its central pier and remained closed. It was demolished in June 2016, after the re-routing of the gas main. A new single-span concrete beam bridge was constructed to replace it and opened on May 18, 2017.[8]

Governance

Historically within the county of Westmorland, it became part of the new non-metropolitan county of Cumbria in 1974.

The area of Staveley is divided into three civil parishes;

• Nether Staveley,
• Over Staveley
• Hugill (after Hugill Fell). Williamson's Monument is situated on the fell above this section of the parish.

Woods

The village got its name from the woodworking industry that thrived in the area due to the forests that originally covered the surrounding hills, and the close proximity of two rivers for processing the wood. Staveley means literally the 'field of staffs' (from the Middle English plural stave for staf OE stæf and the ME leye meaning pasture from Old English leah; akin to Old High German loh thicket, Latin lucus grove). Craggy Plantation

Woods in the area include:

• Beckmickle Ing (3.58 ha) which is managed by the Woodland Trust[9]
• Craggy Plantation, which belongs to the Lake District National Park Authority and is mainly deciduous.[10] This area was used in the 1990s for testing various measures to control the spread of North American grey squirrels into the native red squirrel habitats.[citation needed]
• Dorothy Farrer's Spring Wood (4.6 ha), which is managed by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust. There is a tradition of coppicing, which the trust continues in the interests of biodiversity. Birdlife includes the pied flycatcher.[11]
• Mike's Wood (3 ha) native woodland planted in the 1990s by the organisation Friends of the Lake District.[12]

Mills

In the Middle Ages, the mills at Staveley produced woollen cloth. During the Industrial Revolution there was cotton production at Staveley, and there is an 18th-century mill building from this time. The cotton industry shifted to Lancashire, and the Staveley mills were converted to work wood. By 1850 bobbin turning was the main industry in the valley.

While there is no longer any bobbin production, there are a carpentry businesses in the village including Peter Hall.[13]

St. James's Church

Stained glass window at St. James's Church designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones

Staveley Mill Yard

Main article: Staveley Mill Yard

At the weir by Wilf's Cafe visitors can see water being drawn from the River Kent, which originally powered a waterwheel, replaced in 1902 with turbines.

Research Tips