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Brough in Westmorland County England History and GeographyBROUGH, or BURG under STAINMOOR, a parish in EAST ward, county of WESTMORLAND, comprising the market town of Brough, the chapelry of Stainmore, the townships of Brough-Sowerby and Hilbeck, and part of the township of Kaber, and containing, exclusively of Kaber, 1837 inhabitants, of which number, 940 are in the town of Brough, 8 miles (S.E. by E.) from Appleby, and 262 (N.N.W.) from London, on the high road to Glasgow. This town occupies the site of the ancient Verter', or Veteris, where, towards the decline of the Roman empire in Britain, a prefect with a band of directores was stationed. It was partly built with the ruins of that fort, from which circumstance it probably derived its appellation, and is distinguished from other places of the same name by its vicinity to an extensive ridge of rocky mountains, that separates this county from Yorkshire. It flourished as a place of considerable importance prior to the Conquest, soon after which a conspiracy was formed here by the northern English, against the government of William. At what time the castle was erected is not precisely known; but in 1174 it was nearly demolished by William, King of Scotland, who laid waste the town: it was subsequently restored, and in 1521 was nearly destroyed by a fire that broke out after the celebration of a Christmas festival by Lord Clifford; it remained in a ruinous state till 1660, when it was repaired by Lady Ann Clifford, Countess Dowager of Pembroke. This fortress was situated upon an eminence, abruptly steep towards the north and west; and on the south and east, where the acclivity is more gentle, it was defended by a ditch and a strong rampart: the remains consist of some massive towers, of which the keep, a large square tower with turrets at the angles, called C?sar's tower, was almost perfect in 1792, when the lower part of one of the angles fell down, leaving the upper part adhering by the cement only to the main building. Great part of it has within the last few years been removed, and the remainder is in a state of progressive dilapidation: its present proprietor is the Earl of Thanet. The town, divided into Market-Brough and Church-Brough, is pleasantly situated, and is crossed by the Swindale Beck, which flows into the river Eden; it consists principally of one long street: the houses are rather commodious than handsome: the inhabitants are well supplied with water. Two attempts have been made to introduce the cotton manufacture into the town, but both have failed; part of the buildings has been converted into dwellings, and part into a large corn-mill: several of the female inhabitants are employed in knitting white yarn stockings. The parish contains mines of lead and coal, with strata of limestone and freestone. The market, granted in 1331 by Edward III. to Robert, Lord Clifford, is on Thursday, but is of little note; corn is admitted toll-free: fairs are held on the Thursday before Whit-Sunday, and September 30th; the latter, called Brough-Hill fair, is held on a common, two miles from the town, and is celebrated for the sale of linen and woollen cloth, wearing apparel, articles of hardware, and live stock: cattle fairs are also held in the town, on the second Thursday in March and April. This parish was formerly a chapelry within the parish of Kirkby-Stephen: the living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Carlisle, rated in the king's books at £8. 8. 9., endowed with £200 private benefaction, and £200 royal bounty, and in the patronage of the Provost and Fellows of Queen's College, Oxford, to whom the rectory and advowson were given, at the request of Robert Egglesfield, founder of that college, and for several years rector of this parish. The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is a large handsome structure of great antiquity; a square embattled tower was added in 1513: the windows are ornamented with richly stained glass, which, from an inscription on one of them appears to be of the time of Henry VIII.: the pulpit is formed of one entire stone, and there are several interesting monuments. Independents and Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists have each a place of worship. The free school is endowed with a portion of the revenue of a dissolved chantry and hospital, founded in 1506, by John Brunskill, the former for two chaplains, one of whom was to instruct the children of the parish in grammar: the present building was erected by Lord Thanet; and though at the dissolution of the chantry, the pension was reserved for the continuation of the grammar school, the course of instruction is at present confined to reading, writing and arithmetic. A National school for sixty girls was established in 1828. Many Roman coins and other antiquities have been found at various times near the castl? and within the last thirty years an earthen vessel full of silver quinarii, many of which are in good preservation, and particularly one with a perfeet impression of the head of Titus Vespasian, having on the reverse a female figure in a weeping posture: there are several tumuli on the mountains in the neighbourhood. On Stainmoor, in that part of the parish which verges upon Yorkshire, William the Norman, and Malcolm, the Scottish king, erected a cross, called Reycross, as a boundary between the two kingdoms: the site is now marked by two stones. Cuthbert Buckle, lord mayor of London in 1593, was born here. From Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England 1831, courtesy of Databases 4 Sale |
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