7 Co KIRKBY STEPHEN. 
world, being far removed from any inhabitants, and well 
adapted to give us an idea of the wifdom and piety of our 
Saxon anceftors, in choofing for fuch a purpofe a fituation 
fo well calculated to infpire with devotion.” This in- 
fcription, which is on a large Hone over the door of the 
church, and within the porch, is in Saxon characters, and 
is a lingular and valuable curiofity. Mr. Brooke fays that 
<e Memorials of the erection and confecration of ou r churches 
by infcription are not numerous in general, but antece¬ 
dently to the Norman conquelt they are indeed exceeding 
rare. Mr. Pegge fays that there are not more than three 
or four that actually precede the Norman sera.” And the 
former of thefe learned antiquarians thinks that the church 
was rebuilt, and the infcription engraved, between the 
years 1056 and io6j. The church, as appears from the 
infcription, was dedicated to Chrift and St. Gregory the 
Pope, and was probably the place of worlhip belonging 
to the manor of Kirkby ; and, as a church is mentioned 
as being at Kirkdale only in Doomfday-book, the prefent 
ftrufture at Kirkby has been built in after-ages, when it 
grew more populous.. 
About four miles north-eaft of Kirkby Moorfide, and 
at the edge of the Moors, is a village called Leftingham, 
where was formerly a benediCline motiaftery, founded by 
Cedde, or Chad, bilhop of the Eaft Saxons, or London, 
about the year 648. The church is very ancient and large, 
confidering the obfcure place in which it Hands ; and has 
probably belonged to, or been a part of, the monaftery. 
It is not unworthy the attention of a traveller. 
KIRKBY STE'PHEN, a pretty large populous mar¬ 
ket-town in Weftmoreland, two miles fouth from Brough, 
and two hundred and fifty-feven from London. It is fi- 
tuated on the welt bank of the river Eden. The whole 
town confiftsof one fingle ftreet, indifferently built, which 
lies nearly north and fouth, opening on Helbec mountains 
at one extremity, and Wildbore at the other. There was 
once a fine market-place, feventy-yards wide, and near 
one hundred long; but lioufes have been differed to be 
built on it, and others afterwards to be built before them. 
The market is on Monday; and, as the ftocking-manu- 
fafture fupplies the principal trade, this traffic is the firff 
at the market. Here are alfo three fairs; one on the 
Monday before Midfummer, when numbers of men and 
women, boys and girls, are hired for a month during the 
hay-harveft; the fecond, on the 2d of October, which is 
the day after Brough-hill fair ; and the third, which is 
chiefly intended for the fale of cattle and flieep, on the 
17th of October. The church is a vicarage, valued in the 
king’s books at 48I. 19s. 2d. the clear yearly value of 
w’hich is probably at this time between two and three hun¬ 
dred pounds Herling. In the time of William the Con¬ 
queror, it was in the patronage of Ivo de Talebois, baron 
of Kendal, who granted the advowfon to the abbot and 
convent of St. Mary’s, at York. After the dilfolution of 
the monafteries, the patronage came into the pofleffion of 
the Whartons, of Wharton, in whole family it continued 
till the late duke of Wharton bellowed it on his fteward, 
Matthew Smales, efq. of Gilling, in Yorklhire. From him 
it defcended to Henry Chaytor, efq. of Croft, who grant¬ 
ed the fame to his fecond fon, Henry Chaytor, LL. D. who 
enjoyed the living many years, and in whofe family the 
advowfon ftill remains. The prefent vicar is the Rev. 
Thomas Cookfon, who alfo holds a perpetual curacy in 
the neighbourhood of Richmond in Yorklhire. The 
church is a large building, and has two rows of Hone pil¬ 
lars, fix in a row, plain and round. The vicarage was 
rebuilt by the late Dr. Chaytor, and is beautifully iituated 
upon an eminence, on the weftern bank of the river Eden. 
Near to the vicarage, and almoft adjoining to the eaft end 
of the church, is the fchool, which was formerly occupied 
by the reftor. The ftipend belonging to this fchool 
amounts to about forty pounds per annum. To this 
fchool formerly belonged fome exhibitions to Oxford and 
Cambridge; which, it is probable, have been loft. 
The parifli and town of Kirkby Stephen are faid to de¬ 
rive their name from the church being dedicated to St. 
Stephen. The parilh is of very confiderable extent, being 
eleven or twelve miles from north to fouth, and feven or 
eight from eaft to weft ; and its form, though in fome re- 
fpefts irregular, moft nearly refembles that of a .parallelo¬ 
gram. It is fituated in the barony of Weftmoreland, and 
in the deanery of Carlifle ; and is bounded on the eaft by 
the parilhes of Brough and Bowes; on the fouth, by the 
pariffies of Grinton, Aifgarth, and Sedberg, in the coun¬ 
ty of York ; on the weft, by the pariflies of Sedberg, Ra- 
venftonedale, and Crolbygarret; and on the north by the 
pariflies of Crolbygarret, Mufgrave, and Brough. The 
face of the country is in many parts broken and uneven. 
On the fouth Hands Wildbore-fell, which is faid to have 
been fo denominated from its being formerly much fre¬ 
quented by wild boars, and which is probably the liigheft 
mountain in the county, not even excepting Crofs-fell. It 
is furrounded by a few others of lei's fize, all of which are 
covered with heath, and 011 the tops of which nothing is 
heard fave the whiltlings of the lonefome plover. Theaf- 
cent to the top of Wildbore-fell is on one fide extremely 
fteep, and on the other dopes gradually, and forms an ob- 
tufe angle with the plain. On its fiummit is a fpacious 
plain, where horfe-races were formerly held, and where 
there is alfo a finall tarn, which, however, contains no filh. 
This plain affords a l'ublime and pifturefque profpedh 
Looking weftward, we have a fine view of the lea, near 
Miinthorp, which may be clearly dilcerned with the naked 
eye, and which has a fine effedt, efpecially at the felting 
of the fun. On the north is leen Crofs-fell and the lofty 
mountains of Cumberland, ftretching out to a great ex¬ 
tent. Turning to the eaft and fouth, the view is bound¬ 
ed by “ Stanemore’s wintry wafte,” and the bleak hills of 
Yorklhire. Defcending from the fummit of this moun¬ 
tain in a northern direction, we arrive near the bottom of 
the hill, at a place vulgarly called Green Law, which 
ought probably to be denominated Green-Lawn. Here 
the natural variety and colouring which the feveral ob¬ 
jects produce is not lefs wonderful than pleafing. Look¬ 
ing ealtward we have a view of the towns of Kirkby Ste¬ 
phen and Brough, and of the furrounding country; but 
what chiefly captivates the attention, is a fine and open 
plain, extending f rom Stanemore through a great part of 
what is called the Barony of Weftmoreland. The ruling 
tints of this.landfcape are green and gold, that arife from 
an intermixture of woods, of pafture-grounds, and fields 
of corn, which are finely contrafted by the grey rocks and 
hanging cliffs that appear behind Helbec-hall, lately the 
feat of J. Carlton, efq. The mountains which ftand oppo- 
lite to Wildbore-fell on the eaft, are chiefly mafies of 
rocks, covered with a thin ftratum of earth. 
In the moft fouthern part of the parifli, and at a place 
called the Hill of Hugh Morvill, who was one of the lords 
of Weftmoreland, riles the river Eden, the kuna of Pto¬ 
lemy, which, unlike the God of Labours, does not at its 
outlet give evidence of its future ftrength. This river, 
flowing through the vale of Mallerftang, meanders along 
the fide of Wharton-park and Wharton-hall, with many' 
beautiful windings, and pafles clofe by the town of Kirk¬ 
by Stephen. After receiving in its courfe* the united 
ftreams of the Emont and the Lowther, and of many tri¬ 
butary rivulets, it enters Cumberland, and, running ma- 
jeftically. along the whole length of that county, empties 
its waters into the Solway Frith, below Carlifle. The ri¬ 
ver Belay, which has been rendered famous in long by the 
verfes of the late Dr. John Langhorne, bounds this parifli 
on the north for a confiderable diftance till it difeharges its 
waters into the Eden, in which the name is loft. Both ri¬ 
vers abound with trout of an excellent quality, though in 
point of quantity the Eden is, perhaps, more diftinguilh- 
ed. On the other fide of the finall hill, where fprings the 
Eden, which, as has been intimated, takes a northern di¬ 
rection, two other rivers, the Swale and the Ure, have their 
