Inglewood Forest
Encyclopedia
Inglewood Forest is the name now given on maps to a large tract of mainly arable and dairy farm land with a few small woodland areas between Carlisle and Penrith
in the English
non-metropolitan county of Cumbria
or ancient county of Cumberland
.
Soon after the Norman Conquest of England this area became a Royal Forest
. The word forest in this sense did not necessarily mean a wooded area but one that was set aside for hunting though several areas of Inglewood were heavily wooded. The animals that were hunted in this area were mainly deer
and wild boars.
Inglewood means the "Wood of the English or Angles": although Cumbria is usually thought of as a Celt
ic region, Angles
did migrate here before the Viking Invasions and the rule of the area by the Scottish
Kingdom of Strathclyde
, and the name suggests significant numbers had settled here.
The forest boundaries changed many times and included at one time most of the Cumberland wards of Leath
and Cumberland
but the core or heart of the forest was the parishes of Hesket-in-the-Forest
, Skelton
and Hutton-in-the-Forest.
Andrew of Wyntoun
's Orygynale Chronicle (written c.1420) places the forest as the original setting of the Robin Hood legend
, the following is taken from the chronicle:
The forest ultimately belonged to the English Crown and was governed by the strict Forest Law exercised by wardens. In the reign of Henry VIII
the forest laws were repealed and Inglewood ceased to be a Royal Forest although it is still to this day marked on maps as such".
The borough and city of Carlisle (ie: the area within the city walls) was outside the forest though Penrith was within it and was the main administrative centre and market town
for the southern part of the region.
The manors
of Penrith, Great Salkeld
, Langwathby
, Carlatton (not Carleton as it sometimes said to be), Castle Sowerby
and Scotby were collectively known as the Honour
of Penrith and were at first given to the Scottish crown in exchange for Scotland given up its claim to all of Cumberland. In 1272 King Alexander III
complained that a William de Leyburne, the local seneschal, has unlawfully appropriated the manors' rents. Later Edward I
took them for himself. Later they passed to the Neville family
but came back to being Crown property during the Wars of the Roses
and remained so until the joint reign of William III
and Mary II
. The honour was also known as "The Queen's Hames" due to the fact the manors were often given to a Queen consort
on her marriage or at the death of the previous consort. The last Queen consort to be Lady of the Manor or Honour was Queen Catharine of Braganza, consort of Charles II
.
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
non-metropolitan county of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
or ancient county of Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
.
Soon after the Norman Conquest of England this area became a Royal Forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
. The word forest in this sense did not necessarily mean a wooded area but one that was set aside for hunting though several areas of Inglewood were heavily wooded. The animals that were hunted in this area were mainly deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
and wild boars.
Inglewood means the "Wood of the English or Angles": although Cumbria is usually thought of as a Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic region, Angles
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
did migrate here before the Viking Invasions and the rule of the area by the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Strathclyde , originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the post-Roman period...
, and the name suggests significant numbers had settled here.
The forest boundaries changed many times and included at one time most of the Cumberland wards of Leath
Leath
Leath was one of the wards of the ancient county of Cumberland in north west England. Cumberland unlike most other English counties was divided into wards rather than hundreds....
and Cumberland
Cumberland (ward)
The ward of Cumberland was one of the ancient divisions of the historic county of Cumberland, England. In most other counties these divisions were called hundreds or Wapentakes.The ward included Carlisle and Wigton and took in parts of Inglewood Forest...
but the core or heart of the forest was the parishes of Hesket-in-the-Forest
Hesket, Cumbria
Hesket is a large civil parish in Eden District, Cumbria, England. It was formed in 1934 by a County Review Order which merged the civil parishes of Hesket in the Forest and Plumpton Wall.-Villages in the parish:...
, Skelton
Skelton, Cumbria
Skelton is a small village and civil parish about north west of Penrith in the English county of Cumbria. It is on the former route of the B5305 road, which is now about to the north....
and Hutton-in-the-Forest.
Andrew of Wyntoun
Andrew of Wyntoun
Andrew Wyntoun, known as Andrew of Wyntoun was a Scottish poet, a canon and prior of Loch Leven on St Serf's Inch and later, a canon of St...
's Orygynale Chronicle (written c.1420) places the forest as the original setting of the Robin Hood legend
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
, the following is taken from the chronicle:
- "Lytil Jhon and Robyne Hude
- Wayth-men ware commendyd gude
- In Yngil-wode and Barnysdale
- Thai oysyd all this tyme thare trawale."
The forest ultimately belonged to the English Crown and was governed by the strict Forest Law exercised by wardens. In the reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
the forest laws were repealed and Inglewood ceased to be a Royal Forest although it is still to this day marked on maps as such".
The borough and city of Carlisle (ie: the area within the city walls) was outside the forest though Penrith was within it and was the main administrative centre and market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
for the southern part of the region.
The manors
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Penrith, Great Salkeld
Great Salkeld
Great Salkeld is a small village and civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria, England, a few miles to the north east of Penrith.The village is believed to have been connected at one time by a bridge over the River Eden to Little Salkeld...
, Langwathby
Langwathby
Langwathby is a village and civil parish in northern Cumbria, England. It is situated about north east of Penrith on the A686 road. The village lies on the banks of the River Eden....
, Carlatton (not Carleton as it sometimes said to be), Castle Sowerby
Castle Sowerby
Castle Sowerby is a civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria, England. It has a population of 337, and includes the hamlets of How Hill, Millhouse, Newlands, Sour Nook, Southernby and Sowerby Row....
and Scotby were collectively known as the Honour
Honour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
of Penrith and were at first given to the Scottish crown in exchange for Scotland given up its claim to all of Cumberland. In 1272 King Alexander III
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
complained that a William de Leyburne, the local seneschal, has unlawfully appropriated the manors' rents. Later Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
took them for himself. Later they passed to the Neville family
Earl of Westmorland
Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland for leading the Rising of the North. It was revived in 1624 in favour of Sir Francis...
but came back to being Crown property during the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
and remained so until the joint reign of William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and Mary II
Mary II of England
Mary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
. The honour was also known as "The Queen's Hames" due to the fact the manors were often given to a Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
on her marriage or at the death of the previous consort. The last Queen consort to be Lady of the Manor or Honour was Queen Catharine of Braganza, consort of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
.