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History
The history of human activity in Borrowdale goes back at least 6,000 years. So, how did it develop into what we see today?
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age was an important period in human history, as it marked the emergence of complex metal working and the use of bronze to craft tools, weapons, and other items. These Bronze Age cairns, or stone mounds, often contained the remains of people who where buried along with their possessions, providing insight into the culture and beliefs of the people who lived during this time. Additionally, some of the cairns may have served as territorial markers or gathering places, demonstrating the presence of organised societies and cultures during the Bronze Age.
Iron Age
Castle Crag is an incredible example of Iron Age engineering, with its hill fort perched atop the summit. It's believed that the 10th century Scandinavian settlers were inspired to name the valley Borrowdale, a combination of the words "borg" (fort) and "dalr" (dale or valley). This is a great reminder of the amazing feats of engineering and ingenuity of our ancestors.
Roman Period
You might be interested to know that the Roman Samian ware found at Castle Crag by Thomas West is on display at the Keswick Musuem. This type of pottery is very rare, and it is believed that the Romans may have used Castle Crag as a fort. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit to see this unique piece of history.
Saxon Period
The Saxons were a Germanic people who settled in Cumbria from the 7th century onwards. While they did not make a home in Borrowdale, Northumbrian Saint Herbert had a hermitage on an island on Derwentwater. Herbert was a close friend of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and the two prayed that they might die on the same day, which they did in 687. The islands is still called St. Herbert's Island and it was used by Beatrix Potter as the setting for Owl Island in her book "The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin". It is a fascinating piece of history that is still remembered today.
Scandinavian Period
The origins of the words fell, beck, rigg and thwaite come from Scandinavian settlers who came to Borrowdale in the 10th century. These words were used to describe the landscape and the features they encountered. The suffix thwaite was often used to name their settlements after the clearings they created. The settlers also used the term saetrs to describe the summer pastures they created for their livestock. It is interesting to look at the names of Borrowdale's settlements to discover the Scandinavian influence.
Medieval/Early Modern Period
The earliest recorded mention of Borrowdale can be traced back to 1209, when Alice de Rumelli granted the Manor of Borrowdale, including Grange, Stonethwaite, and Langstrath, to Furness Abbey, a powerful Cistercian monastery - with the agreement that the monks would pray in perpetuity for the souls of her family members. Additionally, Fountains Abbey, another major monastery located in Yorkshire, also owned land in the east of the valley. These monasteries played an important role in shaping the history of Borrowdale. They drained and cultivated the land, built the first field walls, and established a farm, known as a grange, at present day Grange-in-Borrowdale. The monasteries were dissolved in the late 1530s, and their lands were taken by the Crown and subsequently sold off to Richard Graham, leader of one of the Border Reiver families, or remained as part of the Duchy of Lancaster. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, German miners, working for the Company of the Mines Royal, extracted copper from Ellers near Grange, and later, graphite from Seathwaite.
17th Century
In 1614, James I sold off former monastic lands in the Great Deed of Borrowdale. This allowed some families in Borrowdale to purchase their own home and land, leading to the rise of the 'yeoman' or 'statesman' farmer, who owned and worked their small estates. The 17th century was a more peaceful and prosperous time for the north of England, and in Borrowdale, many houses and farms were rebuilt in stone. Many of these structures still survive today, and you can spot date stones on walls or date lintels over doorways, often bearing initials. Additionally, to meet the demand for slate, quarrying began in earnest, with Honister Slate Quarries opening in 1643. Additionally, St Andrew's Church at Stonethwaite was consecrated in 1687.
18th Century
In the 18th century, agricultural land was gradually enclosed with drystone walls that are now the hallmark of the Lake District. At the time, the main road from Keswick was just a narrow track, roughly following the river. It was along this track that early travellers, such as poet Thomas Gray and clergyman William Gilpin, visited the area. They wrote about the scenery in dramatic and exaggerated terms, and their descriptions helped to popularize the Lake District as tourist destination. The Catholic priest Thomas West also wrote one of the early guidebooks to the area in 1778, in which he provided detailed instructions for visiting specific view points, called 'stations'. These stations often included landmarks such as Castle Crag, and visitors would use a small convex mirror called a Claude Glass to view the scenery in a more picturesque manner. Today, visitors to the area capture the scenery through postcards or digital images. In the 18th century, the people of Borrowdale lived off their own produce, made their own clothes, like Sarah Youdale, who died in 1869 aged 101, who recalls "Everybody lived on their own produce, and were clad wid yam mead cloth. There wasn't a farmhouse be ye med hard through a' t'lang neets, whirring and burring o't'wheels."
19th Century
The 19th Century saw a significant increase in tourism in Borrowdale, leading to a lot of building work in the area. The famous Bowder Stone, a popular tourist attraction, was already well known in the early 19th century. In 1842, a road was cut directly through the valley from Keswick, replacing the previous route from Watendlath. St. Andrew's Church in Stonethwaite was rebuilt, in 1860, Holy Trinity Church in Grange was built. in 1894, the Methodist Church and village school were both constructed. The Lodore, a small inn until the 1860s, became the largest hotel in the valley. The Borrowdale Hotel was built in 1866. Additionally, the first Ordnance Survey map of Borrowdale was produced in 1862, and in 1873, the school in Stonethwaite was built, to be replaced by a new school in 1968, built by the grandsons of the original builder, Hodgsons of Keswick. Lastly, in 1891, the graphite mining company was officially wound up.
20th Century
Conservation efforts in Borrowdale began in the 20th century. In 1902, Canon Rawnsley, one of the co-founders of the National Trust in 1895, helped to raise money from public subscription to buy Brandlehow and donate it to the National Trust. Today, the National Trust owns about 25,000 acres of land in the Borrowdale area. With the increasing number of visitors to the area, Bed & Breakfast accommodations flourished in the valley. Up until 1935, the Honister Pass road was unsurfaced, which made the journey challenging for visitors traveling over the pass by coach. Beatrix Potter even noted that this journey could be used "as a cure for the colic." As more visitors began to explore the fells, there was a need for organised mountain rescue. The quarrymen of Honister provided this service until 1946, when Colonel Rusty Westmorland formed an official mountain rescue team in Keswick. It is hard to believe, but mains electricity did not come to Borrowdale until the 1960s, due to the relative remoteness of Lake District valleys and a delay of about 30 years caused by opposition to overhead power cables. Most power cables in Borrowdale are now buried underground. Watendlath, a small farming hamlet, did not get mains electricity until December 19, 1978. The Christmas tree in the car park was kept lit until March to celebrate the occasion.
Present Day
Farms
It's truly amazing to think the number of farms in Borrowdale has decreased by more than half over the past 6 centuries. The valley has been able to maintain its farming tradition and landscape despite the decrease in farm numbers, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the local farmers. As we move into the future, it is important to recognise and appreciate the work that these farmers have done to keep the valley's farming culture alive.
Industry
The community of Borrowdale in England has experienced a transformation in recent years. Where once the primary source of income was from the extraction industries, such as the Honister Slate Mine, the economic landscape has shifted and the tourism industry has become the main provider of jobs. Despite the changes, the people of Borrowdale still maintain their time-honoured tradition of hospitality. There are a number of holiday homes in the valley, the Honister Slate Mine is still operating, offering mine tours, a shop and a cafe. This combination of tradition and modernity makes Borrowdale a unique and inviting destination.