Castle Sowerby, Cumberland
Historical Description
Castle-Sowerby, a parish in Cumberland, in Inglewood Forest, 3 miles NE of Carrock Fell, 3 SE by E of Hesket-Newmarket, and 8 W of Plumpton railway station. It comprises Bustabeck-Bound, How-Bound, Row-Bound, Southernby-Bound, and Stockdalewath-Bound; and its post town is Greystoke, Penrith. Acreage, 8647; population of the civil parish, 751; of the ecclesiastical, 311. The manor belongs to the Duke of Devonshire. An ancient fortress once stood near the church, and an old circular fort is on How-hill. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Carlisle; net value, £315 with residence. Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Carlisle. The church lias recently been restored.
Churches
Church of England
St. Mungo or St. Kentigern (parish church)
The church of St. Mungo, or St. Kentigern, in Row Bound, appears to have been originally a small Norman fabric, consisting only of nave and chancel; about the middle of the 13th century it was lengthened at both ends, and towards the close of the 16th century a south aisle and porch were added: during the 19th century the church underwent various repairs and alterations, in the course of which the Norman chancel arch was removed and the nave re-roofed and closed in with a flat ceiling of plaster: in 1889 the nave was new-roofed and the interior reseated, at a cost of £509, under the direction of Mr. C. J. Ferguson F.B.A., architect, of Carlisle, and the church now consiste of chancel, nave, south aisle, south porch and a western turret containing 2 bells: in the church is a monument to the Rev. Joseph Hudson D.D. prebendary of Carlisle, buried here at his own request: the aisle possesses great peculiarities, for it is not parallel to the wall of the nave or to that of the church, but inclines to the south, so that the church widens at the east and narrows at the west end: the old oak panelling of the former seats has been incorporated in the new, and the church now affords 230 sittings.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Cumberland is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Castle Sowerby 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
BustabeckHow Bound
Raughton Head with Gatesgill
Row Bound
Southernby Bound
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Cumberland, 1615 is available on the Heraldry page.