Bromfield, Cumberland
Historical Description
Bromfield, a township and a parish in Cumberland. The township lies on an affluent of the river Waver, 2½ miles NW of Leegate railway station, and 6 W by S of Wigton. It includes the hamlets of Crookdale and Scales. Acreage, 3028; population of the township, 384; of the ecclesiastical parish, 1555. The parish contains the four civil parishes of Bromfield, Crookdale, and Scales; Langrigg and Mealrigg; Blencogo; Dundraw, Kelsic and Wheyrigg, and has post offices at Langrigg under Aspatria and Allonby under Maryport. The surface extends 9½ miles south-westward to the coast, and borrows character from the proximity of the Caldbeck and Sidddaw mountains. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Carlisle; gross value, £295 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of Carlisle. The church was restored in 1862, and again in 1893. A free endowed school was founded in 1612 for fifteen scholars by Richard Osmotherlawe, and it was enlarged in 1861. Under a scheme of the Charity Commissioners it has become an elementary school under the education department. Boucher the antiquarian was a native, and is buried here.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Cumberland | |
| Ecclesiastical parish | Bromfield St. Kentigern | |
| Poor Law union | Wigton | |
| Ward | Allerdale below Derwent |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The registers date from the year 1654.
Churches
Church of England
St. Mungo (parish church)
The church of St. Mungo is an ancient building of stone, in the Norman and Early English styles, consisting of chancel with two chapels, nave, north aisle, south porch and a western turret containing one bell, and a small turret for a Sanctus bell: one of the chapels is dedicated to St. George and the other to the Blessed Virgin Mary: the interior contains antiquities dating from the 6th century; all the windows are stained, and of these eight were presented by the late Joseph Nelson esq. of Moor Row House, in this parish: the church affords 400 sittings.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Bromfield from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Bromfield (St. Kentigern))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Cumberland is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Bromfield 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)
Villages, Hamlets, &c
AllonbyBlencogo
Crookdale
Dundraw and Kelsick
Kelsick
Langrigg and Mealrigg
Mealsgate
Scales (Bromfield)
West Newton
Wheyrigg
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Cumberland, 1615 is available on the Heraldry page.