Cleator, Cumberland
Historical Description
Cleator, two villages and a parish in Cumberland, between the rivers Keekle and Ehen. The villages are Cleator and Cleator Moor; the first stands on the river Ehen, 4 miles SE by S ofWhitehaven, the other is within a mile of this; they have post, money order, and telegraph offices under Carnforth. 'Cleator Moor has two railway stations, one on the White-haven and Marron line, and the other on the Cleator and Workington Junction. It is rapidly growing, and is governed by a local board of twelve members. The parish comprises 2947 acres; population, 9464. The Flosh, adjacent to Cleator village, is the seat of the Ainsworth family. Ehen Hall is one of the seats of the Lindow family, and is at the south end of the village. There are two factories, and extensive collieries and ironworks. The living of Cleator (St Leonard's) is a vicarage in the diocese of Carlisle; net value, £232 with residence. Patron, the Earl of Lonsdale. There is a church at Cleator Moor, the living of which is a vicarage; net value, £290 with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Carlisle. There are two banks, an institute and reading-room, Conservative and Liberal rooms at Cleator Moor, and working men's recreation rooms at Cleator. There are Wesleyan, Presbvterian, Primitive Methodist, and Roman Catholic chapels.
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 | Cleator St. Leonard | |
Poor Law union | Whitehaven | |
Ward | Allerdale above Derwent |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1572.
Churches
Church of England
St. Leonard (parish church)
The church of St. Leonard is a building of native freestone in the Early English style, rebuilt in 1841 with the exception of the chancel, which dates from the beginning of the 12th century: the chancel walls, originally about 12 feet in height, were raised 2 feet at the close of the 18th century, when also the roof was reconstructed: an original Norman window remains on the north side, and west of it a sqaare-headed doorway: in the south wall is a 15th century window, and below it is a semicircular piscina, the projecting bowl of which has been broken off: on the east wall are remains of wall paintings of two dates: for a height of about 3 feet the walls are constructed of round cobbles, and portions of a clay and cobble floor have also been met with. In 1906 the church was largely rebuilt; the side walls of the nave were reduced in height, new windows inserted, a new hammer-beam roof was fixed, vestries and a porch were added on the north side and connected by an open arcade, and a western baptistery constructed: between this and the porch now rises a double gabled structure, containing 2 bells, outside which is a covered entrance; the work was executed from designs by Mr. J. H. Martindale, architect, of Carlisle, at a cost of abont £3,200: there are 403 sittings.
Roman Catholic
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
The Catholic church, dedicated to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, built in 1853, at a cost of £6,000, a fine example of the architect, E. Welby Pugin esq. is a beautiful cruciform Gothic edifice of red sandstone, and is 130 feet by 50 feet and 75 feet across the transepts; the western front is bold and effective, and is surmounted by a belfry of exceeding beauty: the interior, which is remarkable alike for its exquisite proportions and the chaste and elegant simplicity of the ornamentation, will hold 1,000 persons.
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 Cleator from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Cleator (St. Leonard))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Cumberland is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Cleator 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
Wath BrowVisitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Cumberland, 1615 is available on the Heraldry page.