Asby, Westmorland

Historical Description

Asby, formerly Ashby or AsJcby, a parish in Westmoreland, on an affluent of the river Eden, adjacent to the Eden Valley railway, 3 miles from Ormside station, and 5 miles S of Appleby. It comprises the townships of Great Asby, Little Asby, Asby-Coatsforth, and Asby-Winderwath, and the tract of Grange Hall sometimes deemed extra-parochial; and its post town is Appleby. Acreage, 8494; population, 424. Great Asby belonged to Roger Clifford. Little Asby had formerly a chapel with a chantry, and belonged to the Honeywoods. Asby-Coatsforth belonged to the Coatsforths and the Mus-graves. Asby-Winderwath belonged to the Vanes. Asby-Overgrange belonged to Byland Abbey, and Gathorne to St Leonard's, York. Asby Hall is the seat of Lord Bective. Great part of the parish is mountainous. Three of the chief summits, Gathornelingow, Oxenburgh, and Castlefolds, have altitudes of respectively 1538, 1620, and 1700 feet. Asby-Scar is a ridge of rock extending about 2 miles from N to S, and 4 miles from E to W. A cavern called Pate Hole, about of a mile S of the hamlet of Great Asby, runs 430 yards in one direction and 230 yards in another, and has, at the end of its first gallery, a pool 20 yards long and a lofty dome. Some striking scenery occurs among the mountains. Freestone and limestone are worked. Copper-ore was formerly raised here, but the undertaking was abandoned. Several tumuli, various in form, exist at Sayle Bottom; and two, which were found to contain human remains, are at Gathorne Hall. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Carlisle; net value, £160. The church was rebuilt in 1866, at a cost of £3000, and is in the Decorated English style. There are also chapels for Baptists, Wesleyans, and Congregationalists, an endowed school, an almshouse, and other charities.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Asby from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Asby, Great (St. Peter))

Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Westmorland is available to browse.

Maps

Online maps of Asby are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)