1€02.] Statiftical Account of the Parifh of Crofbyravenfworth 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
STATISTICAL ACCOUNT of the PARISH 
of CROSBYRAVENSWORTH, in the 
COUNTY of WESTMORELAND. 
ROSBYRAVENSWORT Happears 
to have derived part of its name 
from a large ftone cro/s of great antiqui- 
ty, which is ftill to be feen in the church- 
yard. This crofs may poffibly have 
been ereGied about the time of the firft 
promulgation of Chriftianity’ in ‘thefe 
countries ; and at this place, it is pro- 
hable, the founders and teachers of the 
Gofpel affembled the profelytes to the 
new religion for divine worfhip, previ- 
oufly to the ere&tion of Chriftian temples; 
and St. Auguftine himfelf, for ought we 
know to the contrary, may have preached 
Chrift to the people here*. 
The crofs coniifts of one folid freeftone, 
of neat but plain workmanfhip, and with- 
out any fculpture, about one foot fquare, 
and nine feer in height, and tapers up- 
wards ; but the top feems to have been 
broken off as if by defign, which might 
probably happen about the time of the Re- 
tormation. It ftands ina fquare block of 
folid treeftone, about two feet above the 
furtace of the ground, and fixed into its 
centre in a very mafterly manner; and 
the whole is founded fo carefully and fo 
deep, that, notwithitanding the numerous 
graves which are continually dug around 
it, the crofs ftill preferves its erect and 
perpendicular pofture. This appears very 
fufficient to account for the former part 
of the name of this parith. 
As to the latter, we may obferve, that 
in all ancient records it is denominated 
Crofbyravenswith or Crofbyravenswarh, 
very probably from a deep, woody, and 
fequeftered glen or vale, fituated a’ mile 
above the village of Crofby, and cailed 
Ravenfgill, where one arm of the brook 
takes its rife, and, being joined by two or 
three others, forms the river Lyvennate. 
This river, purfuing its courfe through 
the village, crofles the public road near 
the church, at a broad and fhallow place, 
commonly called, in the provincial dialect 
of the country, the Wath. In a lapfe, 
* The writer, however, of St. Auguftine’s 
Life, publithed in the Biographia Britannica, 
fuppofes him not to have travelled fo far 
north, and that this miffionary baptized fome 
converts, not in the river Swale, near York, 
as is related by Gervafe, and afterwards by 
Camden, but in another river of the fame 
name at the mouth of the Medway.—\See 
Biog. Brit. vol. 3, p. 363. 
Montury Mag. No. 87. 
419 
therefore, of feveral centuries, it is not 
improbable, that Crofbyravenswath may, 
through the effects of whim, ignorance, 
or carele(s pronunciation, have been cor- 
rupted to Crofbyraventworth 
This parifh, which is one of the moft 
elevated fituations in the county, lies in 
the deanery and barony of Weftmoreland, 
and in the diacefe of Carlifle. It is 
bounded on the eaft by the parifhes of 
Afby, and St. Laurence, Appleby; on 
the fouth, by the parifhes of Afby and 
Orton ; on the weft, by the parifhes of 
Orton and Shap; and on the north, by 
the parifhes of Shap and Morland. Its 
greateft extent, from north to fouth, will 
be near eight miles, and, from eaft to weft, 
about four miles. Somewhat more than 
one-half of the parifh 1s inclofed, partly 
with ftones, of which there is great abuns 
bance, and partly with growing tences ; 
and it is tolerably cultivated. The ret 
is entirely in a ftate of nature, and co- 
vered chiefly with bent and heath; al- 
though three-fourths of it, at leaft, might, 
by inclofing and cultivating, be brought 
to great improvement. 
The higher parts, towards the fouth, 
are principally mountainous and barren, 
the vale of Birkbeck alone excepted. 
The foil of the inclofed lands in Birkbeck 
Fells is, in general, of a wet and fpongy 
nature; but fome of it has been greatly 
benefited by draining, and has thereby 
become rich meadow ground. In the 
vallies, the foil is a dry gravelly loam ; 
and pretty good oats, barley, and pota- 
toes are grown, and ripen rather early. 
The fuel, which thefe people ufe, confifts 
altogether of peats, turf, and heath; and 
plenty of all thofe may be procured upon 
the neighbouring heights, though they 
have fuffered much of late years by the 
depredations of the inhabitants of a neigh- 
bouring parifh, who have inclofed their 
own common. By the affiftance of peats, 
they contrive to burn excellent lime. 
This mountainous diftri& contains 
about 18 families, who apparently live 
comfortably and happily, and are certain- 
ly not:under_ the neceffity of undergoing 
much hard labour to procure their fub- 
fiftence. Their cattle ave fmall, and their 
paftures coarfe, but noted for yielding ex- 
cellent butter. heir fheep are the black- 
faced horned kind, the wool of which is 
of an inferior quality; and they prefer 
them to others, on the fuppofition that 
they are better able to endure the ftoymy 
and inclement blafts of winter, in tits 
leak’ Gtuation. Mr. Pringle, h@wever, 
differs from them in opinion, There 
cee) is 
