kendal history...
Today's bustling market town of Kendal can be traced back to the 8th century, when the settlement of Kirkland was established near a crossing point over the River Kent. A church was built here, which was given to St Mary's Abbey in York (recently founded by William II) and Kirkland became a monastic estate, administered from a nearby manor house. William II also created the Barony of Kendal to secure his northern territories. Kendal's first castle (a wooden motte and bailey) was erected at Castle Howe (SD 513 924), but later replaced by stone-built Kendal Castle on the opposite side of the river. This 13th-century castle, built on a drumlin (or glacial hill), was the seat of power and administration for the barons of Kendal for over 200 years, but on the death of the last baron in 1483 it gradually fell into a ruinous state.
During the medieval period, the market town of Kendal developed to the north of monastic Kirkland (separated by the ancient boundary of the Black Beck). The barons laid out the town with long burgage plots behind the street frontages, accessed through archways. Over time, these became ‘yards' of industrial activity with numerous workshops for weaving, dyeing, shearing, dry-salting and tanning. Kendal rapidly developed as a trade centre for all manner of local goods, but it was the woollen industry that brought fame and wealth to the town and sustained its economy for over 600 years. In 1695, over half of Kendal's principal householders were actively involved in textile occupations such as wool combing, weaving, cropping, dyeing and tailoring, with carding, spinning and knitting undertaken by women and children. Evidence of the importance of the wool trade is reflected in Kendal's motto of ‘Pannus mihi panis' (‘Cloth is my bread') and its coat-of-arms featuring teasels (for raising the fabric's nap) and hooks (for securing bales of wool and cloth to packhorses).
Kendal Green
Many different woollen cloths were made in Kendal but the most famous is ‘Kendal Green' - a hardwearing cloth said to have been worn by the Kendal Bowmen (who fought at the battles of Crecy in 1346 and Poitiers in 1356). Shakespeare refers to ‘Kendal green' in Henry IV (Part I), so it was already well-known by 1597. The green colour was achieved by first steeping the cloth in a yellow dye from dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria) and overdyeing it in blue from woad (Isatis tinctoria) or indigo.
Trains of packhorses would deliver Kendal's goods to York, London and other parts of the country. Much cloth was shipped to North America to clothe slaves on the plantations, with the return cargo bringing sugar and tobacco - raw materials which gave rise to the mint cake and snuff-making enterprises of Kendal.
Kendal Mint Cake
Is known for its high-energy giving qualities and is much in demand by outdoor explorers. The ‘cake' is essentially made of sugar, with peppermint flavouring and other ‘secret' ingredients. Kendal Mint Cake was taken to the Antarctic by Sir Ernest Shackleton on his expedition of 1914 and to the summit of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. Mint cake is still made in Kendal by Romneys (www.kendal.mintcake.co.uk), Quiggins (www.quiggins.co.uk) and Wilsons (www.funchocs.com).
Kendal Brown Snuff
Is a product of trade from North America and the Caribbean. Kendal used to have several snuff-making industries, of which one still survives - Samuel Gawith & Co (www.samuelgawith.co.uk).
To enhance trade, a canal link to Lancaster was opened in 1819, which terminated at a canal basin in Kendal. Trade flourished and brought much needed income to the town, but the arrival of the railway in 1846 heralded its decline. Commercial traffic ceased in 1947 and the canal was closed to navigation in 1955. Today, the basin and much of the canal have been filled in, but there are plans to re-open the canal and develop the basin area in the future.
Kirkland and Kendal continued to operate as independent townships until the former was absorbed into the borough of Kendal in 1908, which became the administrative centre of Westmorland. Today, Kendal is the commercial centre of South Lakeland with excellent shopping and leisure facilities, and a thriving industrial base.
Farrer's coffee
Farrer's coffee and tea blenders on Stricklandgate are one of the oldest coffee roasting and blending shops in the country. The shop, which has been serving customers since 1819, has most of its 18th century fittings intact and is worth a look inside. www.farrerscoffee.co.uk
K Shoes
K Shoes started making shoes in Kendal in the 19th century (the ‘K' standing for ‘Kendal'), and quickly gained a reputation for high quality shoes. Although the company is now part of Clarks Shoes, the ‘K' brand has been retained. Plans are underway for a major new K Shoe heritage centre in Kendal in 2009.
James Cropper
Paper making at Burneside dates back to the mid-18th century. In 1845 James Cropper took over the Burneside Mills and expanded the range of paper products and colours, securing for the company a niche market in speciality papers today.
Goodacre Carpets
Established in Kendal in 1863, was recently taken over by Woodward Grosvenor carpets. Their ‘Naturally Herdwick' range uses wool from Cumbrian hill sheep to produce a unique and extremely hardwearing carpet.
