CUMBERLAND. 



49*7 



Uud. 



Carlisle, its extent enlarges, stretching across the coun- 

 ty to Wigton, and thence towards Workington, so that 

 it includes nearly the whole northern portion of Cum- 

 berland. A strip of cultivated land stretches along the 

 western shore, from two to five miles in width. The 

 general character of this county is that of bleak moun- 

 tains, naked moors, and wild wastes : there are very 

 few woodlands : the Irthhig, Eden, and Caldew, are 

 the only rivers whose banks produce any quantity of 

 natural wood. The climate of Cumberland is very va- 

 riable, from the circumstances of its having such an 

 extent of sea-coast, and so large a portion of it being 

 occupied by mountains. The lower parts of the coun- 

 ty are mild and temperate, the snow seldom lying near 

 the coast for twenty-four hours ; while, on the moun- 

 tains, it may be seen for six or eight months. A very 

 considerable quantity of rain falls all over the county, 

 but especially near the mountains : the season of the 

 year most liable to heavy rain is the autumn. The 

 neighbourhood of Keswick is supposed to be as rainy 

 as any part of the kingdom : the quantity of rain vary- 

 ing, from the observations of seven years, from 64 to 

 84 inches. The rivers and rivulets of Cumberland are 

 very numerous : the principal are the Eden, the Ea- 

 mont, the Duddon, the Derwent, the Greata, the Cock- 

 er, the Caldew, the Esk, the Liddel, and the Irthing. 

 The Eden rises in Westmoreland, and enters Cumber- 

 land at its confluence with the Eamont ; it flows into 

 the Solvvay Frith near Rock-cliffe Marsh, where it forms 

 a very fine estuary : the vales between its banks and 

 the hills vary in breadth from 20 yards to half a mile : 

 they are provincially called Halm lands, and are very 

 fertile. The Eamont rises in Kirkstone in Westmore- 

 land, one of the most romantic mountains in England; 

 and passing through the vale of Patterdale to Uilswa- 

 ter, soon afterwards unites with the Eden. The Dud- 

 don rises near the shire-stones, which mark the union 

 of Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Lancashire: it runs, 

 during its whole course, through a narrow dell, skirted 

 by mountains and high lands. The Derwent rises 

 among the crags at the head of Borrowdale : its stream 

 is very precipitous, being dashed from rock to rock 

 till it flows into Derwent lake, at the foot of which it 

 unites with the Greata; and after passing through 

 Bassenthwaite water, and flowing through a narrow 

 vale, it is joined by the Cocker at Cockermouth, and 

 falls into the sea at Workington. The course of the 

 Cocker, which springs from a mountain near the black 

 lead mines, is peculiarly beautiful, from the variety 

 and romantic character of the country through which 

 it flows. The Caldew rises on the south side of Skid- 

 daw : its banks are very woody ; its vales rich and 

 beautiful, and the quality of its water is thought pe- 

 culiarly excellent for bleaching : it turns a number of 

 com and cotton mills. The Esk rises in Scotland, and 

 enters Cumberland at a place called the Moai ; after 

 which, flowing through a beautiful vale, and passing 

 Longtown in a westerly direction, it falls into the Sol- 

 way Frith. The Liddel also rises in Scotland, and 

 enters this county at Kirshope-foot ; it passes through 

 a wild and romantic country, in a deep and narrow 

 valley, in one part of which the rocks rise to a great 

 perpendicular height, covered with trees and bushes ; 

 it afterwards joins the Esk. The Irthing rises on the 

 hills which lie on the borders of Northumberland, and 

 falls into the Eden, near Newby : in some part of its 

 course, the scenery on its banks is very rich and beau- 

 tiful. 



The soils of Cumberland are rich, strong loams : these, 

 vol. vu. part Ji. 



however, occupy a etjoau pait of the county. Dry loams, 

 which occupy a greater portion than any other, nearly 

 one half of the lower districts, or those capable of culti- 

 vation, being of this soil : wet loam, and black peat earth, 

 which is in greatest abundance on the mountainous dis- 

 tricts, particularly those adjoining Northumberland and 

 Durham : it is also found on moors and commons in 

 the lower parts of the county, lying on a white sand .' 

 with this subsoil, it is most particularly ungrateful and 

 unprofitable. In Cumberland, there are a greater num- 

 ber of very small estates than perhaps in any other 

 county in the kingdom : many of them as low as L. 5 

 a year; and this kind of property does not often exceed 

 L.50, and seldom reaches L. 100: the generality of 

 these tenements are from L. 1 5 to L. 30 a year : they 

 are almost universally occupied by the owners. The 

 rental of the largest estate is said to be about L. 15,000 

 per annum. The greatest part of the land is held by 

 customary tenure ; which, besides being subject to 

 the payment of the usual fines on alienation, death, See. 

 are held under the condition of various services, called 

 boon days ; such as getting and leading the peats of the 

 lord of the manor, ploughing and harrowing his land, 

 reaping his corn, carrying letters, Sec. It is supposed 

 that two-thirds of the county are held by this kind of 

 tenure : the remaining part is generally freehold : 

 copyhold and leasehold are rarely met with. The ge- 

 neral size of farms is very small ; but these small farms 

 are gradually uniting into larger. Farms below L. 100 

 a year are the most common : scarcely any reach L. 500 

 a year. The most singular class among the Cumberland 

 farmers, are the " lairds," or " statesmen," as they are 

 provincially termed : they are the proprietors and far- 

 mers of the small tenements already noticed : they re- 

 tain all the honest} - , simplicity, and prejudices of an- 

 cient times : they cultivate their estates with their own 

 hands, grow or manufacture every thing they need, 

 and keep aloof alike from the increasing knowledge 

 and vices of the age. Leases are very unusual in Cum- 

 berland, and never extend beyond seven or nine years. 

 Much land is held on verbal contracts : besides the rent, 

 many services are required of the tenant, such as grind- 

 ing corn at a particular mill, supplying the landlord's 

 table with a certain number of chickens, &c. Although 

 this county is so very hilly, the roads are excellent : 

 this may partly be ascribed to the easy and full supply 

 of good materials, and to the universal use of single 

 horse carts, which not only save the roads, but enable 

 the farmer to lay a greater weight on the same num- 

 ber of horses : three of these carts are driven by a man, 

 or a boy, or even women and girls : along the coast, 

 more than half the carts are driven by females, gene- 

 rally under 20 years of age. Formerly grazing was 

 more attended to than the raising of corn ; but latter- 

 ly, especially on the rich strong loams, tillage has 

 greatly increased. There is nothing particularly wor- 

 thy of notice in the agriculture of Cumberland : the 

 native cattle are a small breed with long horns : great 

 numbers of these are reared and sold to drovers, who 

 bring them into the southern counties to fatten, under 

 the name of Cumberland ulcers. The dairies are small, 

 but the butter is of an excellent quality ; a good deal 

 is exported. There are two kinds of sheep, one pecu- 

 liar to the exposed and rocky districts, called the Hard- 

 rvicke breed: they are polled; mostly white, with a few 

 black spots, with fine small clean legs ; they are well 

 adapted to their situation : they are rarely covered or 

 overwhelmed in storms of snow, as they not only ga- 

 ther together in such circumstances, but keep stirring 

 3r 



liumiKT- 

 Uotf. 



Soil and 

 Agricultii 



r<ii atate. 



