Newlands Church
Encyclopedia
Newlands Church is a 16th century church situated less than 500 metres west of the hamlet of Little Town, Cumbria
, England
in the Newlands Valley
of the Lake District
. Its exact date of origin is unknown, but a map of 1576 shows a "Newlande Chap." on the site.
The church exterior presents white-washed roughcast walls and a green slate
roof; the interior displays two stained glass windows, a gallery, and a reading desk and a pulpit dated 1610. Tourists and hillwalkers
visit on their way to the fells. The church is a Grade II listed building.
, England
near the confluence of Newlands Beck, Scope Beck, and Keskadale Beck in the Lake District National Park
and 6 miles (9.7 km) by road from Keswick
. It is situated in the Newlands Valley
, separated from Derwent Water
to the east by the summit of Catbells
. It is surrounded by the high mountains which encircle the head of the valley.
’s map of 1576 shows a church on the site marked "Newlande Chap.". The church was mentioned again in 1594 when John Mayson of the local farm Stoneycrofte left the sum of 3s
4d to Newlandes Chappell in his will. Due to the effects of the plague of 1558 the church did not have an Incumbent
in its early years and it was not until 1610 that Anthony Bragg was installed as the church’s first Lay reader
. A Lay reader was an unqualified member of the clergy (usually a local person) who could read the services but could not perform christenings, marriages, or Communion, these duties being the bailiwick of the primary priest on his rounds of the valley. Nine Lay readers served the church until 1731, the longest serving being Thomas Birkhead (1654–1690) and John Atkinson (1690–1728).
and served until 1779. Newlands was one of the poorer clergy with an annual stipend
of £2 11s 7d, the lowest in the Diocese of Carlisle
. The church received three payments of £200 under the laws of Queen Anne's Bounty
in 1748, 1750 and 1757. Ten Curates served in Newlands until 1868. William Parsable served for 32 years (1794–1826), and was known as “Peppery Billy”. He also served as Headmaster at Crosthwaite School in nearby Keswick
, and was known for his quick temper and firm discipline which put fear into both the congregation and pupils.
. The graveyard was extended in 1926. The school remained open until 1967 when the pupils were transferred to Braithwaite
Primary School. The school room fell into disrepair after closure, but was refurbished in the late 1990s and reopened on April 9, 2000 by the Bishop of Carlisle as a place for quiet reflection. Today, twice monthly Sunday services are conducted, and the church is open during the day for visitors and hill walkers
to call in as they pass on their way to the fells. The church is a Grade II listed building.
which both date to 1610. The sandstone and wood lectern
dates to 1937. The wooden top of the lectern can be removed to allow the sandstone plinth to be used as a baptismal font.
The stained glass east window by Abbot & Co. of Lancaster
dates to 1845, and was paid for by local residents to commemorate the rebuilding of the church. It displays Christ holding the wine and bread beneath the words, "I am the true vine, I am the living bread". A stained glass in the middle south wall window (the only other in the church) by Shrigley and Hunt
displays St Michael
in armour with a lion's head on his shoulder. The window is a memorial to Thomas Roscre Johnston, killed in World War I
.
A slate memorial in the north wall commemorates the re-opening of the church by the Bishop of Carlisle on 4 June 1885. There are memorials to benefactors Moses and Sarah Mawson of Emerald Bank, and to the Clark brothers (slain in action during World War II
). The offertory box near the door is a memorial to John Bulman. A large wooden armorial with the Royal Coat of Arms of George II, dated 1737, hangs on the south wall.
and his daughter Dora
visited Newlands Church in May 1826 while on a walking tour of the fells from Rydal Mount
. Wordsworth was so impressed by his first glimpse of the church through half-opened leaves that he was prompted to write in his poem, "Ode To May":
In the summer of 1901, children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter
was staying at nearby Lingholm and often had the Vicar of Newlands Church and his family to tea. The vicar's young daughter Lucie Carr played with Potter's pet hedgehog during these visits and inspired the character of Lucie in The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
(1905). In the illustration of Lucie running along a path, Potter depicted the church in a grove of trees.
Little Town, Cumbria
Little Town is a hamlet in Cumbria, England, within the Lake District National Park. It is situated in the Newlands Valley, separated from Derwent Water to the east by the summit of Catbells. It is some by road from Keswick....
, England
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...
in the Newlands Valley
Newlands Valley
The Newlands Valley is in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is regarded as one of the most picturesque and quiet valleys in the national park, even though it is situated very close to the popular tourist town of Keswick and the busy A66 road.The valley forms part of the civil...
of the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. Its exact date of origin is unknown, but a map of 1576 shows a "Newlande Chap." on the site.
The church exterior presents white-washed roughcast walls and a green slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof; the interior displays two stained glass windows, a gallery, and a reading desk and a pulpit dated 1610. Tourists and hillwalkers
Hillwalking
In the British Isles, the terms hillwalking or fellwalking are commonly used to describe the recreational outdoor activity of walking on hills and mountains, often with the intention of visiting their summits...
visit on their way to the fells. The church is a Grade II listed building.
Location
The whitewashed roughcast Church of Newlands lies in open countryside some 500 yards (457.2 m) to the west of the hamlet of Little Town, CumbriaLittle Town, Cumbria
Little Town is a hamlet in Cumbria, England, within the Lake District National Park. It is situated in the Newlands Valley, separated from Derwent Water to the east by the summit of Catbells. It is some by road from Keswick....
, England
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...
near the confluence of Newlands Beck, Scope Beck, and Keskadale Beck in the Lake District National Park
Lake District National Park
The Lake District National Park is located in the north-west of England and is the largest of the English National Parks and the second largest in the United Kingdom. It is in the central and most-visited part of the Lake District....
and 6 miles (9.7 km) by road from Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
. It is situated in the Newlands Valley
Newlands Valley
The Newlands Valley is in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is regarded as one of the most picturesque and quiet valleys in the national park, even though it is situated very close to the popular tourist town of Keswick and the busy A66 road.The valley forms part of the civil...
, separated from Derwent Water
Derwent Water
Derwentwater is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria....
to the east by the summit of Catbells
Catbells
Catbells is a fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It has a modest height of but despite this it is one of the most popular fells in the area. It is situated on the western shore of Derwent Water within of the busy tourist town of Keswick...
. It is surrounded by the high mountains which encircle the head of the valley.
Origins
The exact date of the origin of Newlands Church is unknown, but is believed to be some time in the middle 16th century. Christopher SaxtonChristopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton was an English cartographer, probably born in the parish of Dewsbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England around 1540....
’s map of 1576 shows a church on the site marked "Newlande Chap.". The church was mentioned again in 1594 when John Mayson of the local farm Stoneycrofte left the sum of 3s
Shilling (English coin)
The English shilling was a coin of the Kingdom of England, when first introduced known as the testoon. It remained in circulation until it became the British shilling as the result of the Union of England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.There were twenty shillings to the...
4d to Newlandes Chappell in his will. Due to the effects of the plague of 1558 the church did not have an Incumbent
Incumbent (ecclesiastical)
In Anglican canon law, the incumbent of a benefice, usually the parish priest, holds the temporalities or assets and income.Depending on the terms of governance of each parish an incumbent might be either:...
in its early years and it was not until 1610 that Anthony Bragg was installed as the church’s first Lay reader
Lay Reader
A lay reader is a layperson authorized by a bishop of the Anglican Church to read some parts of a service of worship. They are members of the congregation called to preach or lead services, but not called to full-time ministry.Anglican lay readers are licensed by the bishop to a particular parish...
. A Lay reader was an unqualified member of the clergy (usually a local person) who could read the services but could not perform christenings, marriages, or Communion, these duties being the bailiwick of the primary priest on his rounds of the valley. Nine Lay readers served the church until 1731, the longest serving being Thomas Birkhead (1654–1690) and John Atkinson (1690–1728).
Curacy
In 1731, Joseph Fisher was appointed the church's first CurateCurate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
and served until 1779. Newlands was one of the poorer clergy with an annual stipend
Stipend
A stipend is a form of salary, such as for an internship or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from a wage or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work performed, instead it represents a payment that enables somebody to be exempt partly or wholly from waged or salaried...
of £2 11s 7d, the lowest in the Diocese of Carlisle
Diocese of Carlisle
The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, formerly the king's confessor and now prior of the Augustinian priory at...
. The church received three payments of £200 under the laws of Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty was a fund established in 1704 to augment the incomes of the poorer clergy of the Church of England. The bounty was funded by the tax on the incomes of all Church of England clergy, which was paid to the Pope until the Reformation, and thereafter to the Crown.In 1890, the total...
in 1748, 1750 and 1757. Ten Curates served in Newlands until 1868. William Parsable served for 32 years (1794–1826), and was known as “Peppery Billy”. He also served as Headmaster at Crosthwaite School in nearby Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
, and was known for his quick temper and firm discipline which put fear into both the congregation and pupils.
Rebuilding
By the early years of the 1840s, the church was in a rundown state. John Monkhouse became Curate in 1840, and raised funds to rebuild the structure and to add a school. The school was built on the west side of the church at a cost £37 and opened in 1841. A modern plaque outside the school says it was built in 1877 but records confirm its construction in 1841. The rebuilding of the church cost £200 and included a new roof, new windows and an end wall. The height of the building was increased thereby, allowing for the construction of an upstairs Gallery.1880s to present
In 1882, the church received its first vicar, A.C. Forbes, and, in 1885, further renovations were conducted with new pews, new flooring, and a heating system being installed. A slate plaque was put in the north wall to commemorate the re-opening by the Bishop of CarlisleBishop of Carlisle
The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.The diocese covers the County of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District...
. The graveyard was extended in 1926. The school remained open until 1967 when the pupils were transferred to Braithwaite
Braithwaite
Braithwaite is a village in the northern Lake District, in Cumbria, England. Historically within Cumberland, it lies just to the west of Keswick and to the east of the Grisedale Pike ridge, in the Borough of Allerdale. It forms part of the civil parish of Above Derwent.The eastern end of the...
Primary School. The school room fell into disrepair after closure, but was refurbished in the late 1990s and reopened on April 9, 2000 by the Bishop of Carlisle as a place for quiet reflection. Today, twice monthly Sunday services are conducted, and the church is open during the day for visitors and hill walkers
Hillwalking
In the British Isles, the terms hillwalking or fellwalking are commonly used to describe the recreational outdoor activity of walking on hills and mountains, often with the intention of visiting their summits...
to call in as they pass on their way to the fells. The church is a Grade II listed building.
Interior
At the east end of the church is a reader’s desk and pulpitPulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
which both date to 1610. The sandstone and wood lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
dates to 1937. The wooden top of the lectern can be removed to allow the sandstone plinth to be used as a baptismal font.
The stained glass east window by Abbot & Co. of Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
dates to 1845, and was paid for by local residents to commemorate the rebuilding of the church. It displays Christ holding the wine and bread beneath the words, "I am the true vine, I am the living bread". A stained glass in the middle south wall window (the only other in the church) by Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt was the name of an English firm which produced stained glass windows and art tiles.The business began in the 1750s when Shrigley's was a painting, carving and gilding firm in Lancaster, Lancashire....
displays St Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
in armour with a lion's head on his shoulder. The window is a memorial to Thomas Roscre Johnston, killed in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
A slate memorial in the north wall commemorates the re-opening of the church by the Bishop of Carlisle on 4 June 1885. There are memorials to benefactors Moses and Sarah Mawson of Emerald Bank, and to the Clark brothers (slain in action during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). The offertory box near the door is a memorial to John Bulman. A large wooden armorial with the Royal Coat of Arms of George II, dated 1737, hangs on the south wall.
Literary connections
The poet William WordsworthWilliam Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
and his daughter Dora
Dora Wordsworth
Dora Wordsworth was the only surviving daughter of William Wordsworth , major Romantic poet and British Poet Laureate. Her babyhood inspired Wordsworth to write the beautiful "Address To My Infant Daughter" in her honour...
visited Newlands Church in May 1826 while on a walking tour of the fells from Rydal Mount
Rydal Mount
Rydal Mount is a house near Ambleside in the Lake District. It is best known as the home of the poet William Wordsworth from 1813 to his death in 1850....
. Wordsworth was so impressed by his first glimpse of the church through half-opened leaves that he was prompted to write in his poem, "Ode To May":
- “How delicate the leafy veil
- Through which yon house of God
- Gleams, mid the peace of this deep dale
- By few but shepherds trod!"
In the summer of 1901, children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
was staying at nearby Lingholm and often had the Vicar of Newlands Church and his family to tea. The vicar's young daughter Lucie Carr played with Potter's pet hedgehog during these visits and inspired the character of Lucie in The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was published by Frederick Warne & Co. in October 1905. Mrs. Tiggy-winkle is a hedgehog and a washerwoman who lives in a tiny cottage in the fells of the Lake District. A child named Lucie happens upon...
(1905). In the illustration of Lucie running along a path, Potter depicted the church in a grove of trees.