Orton, Cumberland

Historical Description

Orton, a village and a parish in Cumberland. The village stands 3¼ miles N of Curthwaite station on the Maryport and Carlisle railway, and 5 W by S of Carlisle. It is called Great Orton, has a hamlet called by distinction Little Orton, is an ancient place of quaint appearance, and was in the old times surrounded by a bank and ditch which included the intake land (on the ancient three-field system). It has a post office, of the name of Great Orton, under Carlisle; money order and telegraph office, Burgh-by-Sands. The parish contains also Baldwinholme. Acreage, 4287; population, 477. There is a parish council of eight members. The manor and advowson belong to the Briscoe family. An eminence, called Parson's Thorn, commands an extensive view of Cumberland and part of Scotland. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Carlisle; net value, £322 with residence. The church stands on an eminence, and is a Norman structure in good condition, consisting of chancel, nave, and western bell-cot. It was thoroughly restored in 1886.

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.

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 Orton from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Orton)

Land and Property

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

Maps

Online maps of Orton 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

Visitations Heraldic

The Visitation of Cumberland, 1615 is available on the Heraldry page.