kirkby lonsdale history...
Early signs of occupation in the area are indicated by the presence of a Neolithic stone circle on Casterton Fell and remains of Celtic settlements at Barbon, Middleton and Hutton Roof.
During the Roman occupation, a Roman road followed the course of the river Lune, linking the forts at Low Borrow Bridge (near Tebay) and Over Burrow (south of Kirkby Lonsdale). A Roman milestone unearthed in 1836 and described as ‘the best in the country' was re-erected on a hill near Hawkin Hall (SD 623 859), close to where it was found.
Kirkby Lonsdale developed at a crossing point over the River Lune where several drovers and packhorse routes converged and is one of the few Cumbrian towns mentioned in the Domesday Book, where it is described as Cherchibi (village with a church). The earlier church was wholly rebuilt by the Normans, who also erected an artificial mound or motte on nearby glebe land. A wooden tower or ‘keep' would have been built on the top, and the stronghold used as a base to administer power and control over the surrounding area. In later years, the mound was used for cockfighting, hence the current name of Cockpit Hill. In 1093, Ivo de Taillebois (the Baron of Kendal), gifted the church at Kirkby Lonsdale to St Mary's Abbey in York, who held it until the Dissolution. Thereafter, the Abbey and all its possessions including St Mary's Church at Kirkby Lonsdale were granted to Trinity College, Cambridge who retain patronage to this day.
In 1227, the town gained a market charter and the right to hold an annual fair every September. Every week, stallholders would gather on Market Street to sell their wares, with horse traders in the Horsemarket and pig sellers in Swinemarket. Thursdays were, as now, the scene of great activity as people flocked into the town to buy all manner of goods and merchandise. By the early 19th century, the old market area was becoming too congested for adequate trade, so a new marketplace was built in 1822. The weekly market and daily throughput of drovers and packhorse carriers created a bustling town with a surprisingly large number of inns and ale houses to cater for thirsty travellers - some 29 in total, of which six still function as licensed premises.
So it goes ... Devil's Bridge
Many years ago, before there was a bridge in Kirkby Lonsdale, an old woman lived on the banks of the Lune and kept a few animals. One night her cow strayed across to the other side of the river and would not come back. In response to her predicament, the Devil appeared and promised to build a bridge by morning in exchange for a soul - the first to cross the bridge, thinking that it would be the woman herself. By morning the bridge was complete and the old woman agreed to fulfil her part of the bargain. She delved into her bag and threw a bun across the bridge, whereupon her small dog ran over to retrieve it. The devil, in a fit of rage at being thwarted, howled in anger and vanished leaving behind a smell of burning brimstone (sulphur).
The steep incline of Mill Brow with its fast-flowing (now culverted) stream was the ‘industrial heart' of Kirkby Lonsdale, with several mills utilising water to power processes such as grinding corn, bark and bone, carding wool, manufacturing snuff, making bobbins, fulling cloth and sawing timber.
Today, Kirkby Lonsdale bustles with activity, hosting not only a weekly market and monthly farmers' market but a great array of local events. Alongside traditional butchers and bakers and scented-soap makers, the town is quietly developing a reputation for quality local food and home decor!
