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PETER CROSTHWAITE, 



The Founder of Crosthwaite's Museum, Keswick. 



By J. Fisher Crosthwaite. 



(Read at Keswick.) 



Peter Crosthwaite was the third son of Robert Crosthwaite, 

 of Monk's Hall. He was born at Dale Head, in the parish of 

 Crosthwaite, and was baptized at the Parish Church on the 22nd 

 of September, 1735. His father learnt farming with Mr. Bell, of 

 Goose Well, who was farm-bailiff for the forfeited Derwentwater 

 Estates. He took the Dale Head farm, belonging to the ancient 

 family of Leathes, who came thither from Leathes, in this county, 

 in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. From this place he removed to 

 Monk's Hall, where he continued to reside till his decease, at the 

 age of eighty -five years, in the year 1787. His descendants have 

 resided there ever since, except for one short lease. Peter Cros- 

 thwaite probably received his education at the Crosthwaite High 

 School. When he left school, the only means of putting young 

 men forward in the neighbourhood were farming, a mechanical 

 trade, or the woollen manufacture. In many of the hamlets, 

 farming and weaving went on together. Most of the farmers and 

 yeomen brought up their sons either to farming or the woollen 

 trade ; but some went off to large towns, where they frequently 

 succeeded well. Now and then a more opulent yeoman sent a 

 son to Oxford, as was the case with Sir John Bankes. The subject 

 of this notice was sent to Brownbeck, in Naddle, (a farm which 

 belonged to his father,) to learn weaving with John Howe, who 

 was then the tenant. The employment was monotonous and 



