£3 Account of Ravenfionedale, in the County of Weftmorland. [ Aug. 1, 
fociety, might not the purpofe be equally 
well attained by permitting the entails to 
be made upon.money in place of land, and 
is there not reafon to think that the pub- 
lic funds might be fufficiently permanent 
to become the fubject of fuch entails? 
A CiTizENoF GLascow. 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
An Account of RAVENSTONEDALE, ia the 
COUNTY of WESTMORLAND, 
HE almoit univerfal approbation 
Ji with which ftatiftical inguifitions 
have been lately received, and their ma- 
nifeft utility in difcovering the real ftate 
and nature of a country, and thereby di- 
recting to the different practical impiove- 
ments of which it is capable, are confi- 
derations that have induced the writer of 
this article to fubmit to the public the 
following obfervations.. ‘It is alfo his 
intention, to extend his inquiriés to the 
feveral diftri&s of which this county is 
compofed, ‘and, if proper and authentic 
information fhall be obtained, to conti- 
nue his reports in fome of the fubfequent 
numbers of the Monthly Magazine. 
Ravenftonedale, in all probability, de- 
rived its name from the great quantity of 
raven or grey fiones, which abound io the 
fouthern extremity of the parifh; though 
the late Dr. Burn, in his hiftory of Wetft- 
morland, has.traced it to a different ori- 
in. The river Rawvezx however, from 
which he fuppofes the appellation to have 
been received, muft certainly have ex- 
ifted in the Doétor’s imagination only; 
as a river of that name is now wholly un- 
known. Ina charter made in the time of 
Henry II. it is called Ravenftandale, 
which feems partly to confirm the deri- 
vation we have given ; /faxe being fill, 
as is well known, the provincial word 
for fone, throughout the counties of Weft- 
morland and Cumberland. ‘The extent 
of the parifh is about feven miles from 
north to fouth; and at its greateft breadth, 
five miles from eaft to weit. It is fixteen 
miles from Kendal, and twelve from Ap- 
pleby: is bounded ‘on the eaft by the 
parifh of Kirkby Stephen; on the fouth 
by the parifhes of Kirkby-Stephen and 
Sedbergh ; on the weft by the parith of 
Orton ; and on the north by the parifhes 
of Crofby Garret and Kirkby-Stephen. 
The nature and quality of the foil have 
one grand divifion, formed by fome rivu- 
jets that interfect and divide the eafiern 
from the weftern part of the parifh. 
Tinefe waters are alfo the boundaries 
which feparate the various kinds of ftone 
that are found here, and the difpofition 
and inclination of the different ftrata. On 
the eaft fide of the parifh and of thefe ri- 
vulets, the foil is generally upon a fine 
limeftone, but in fome fituations a, fandy 
Joam may be obferved. On the weft-fide, 
the foil, though of an excellent quality and 
fcarcely inferior to the other, is neverthe- 
lefs totally diffimilar: it lies upon a hard 
kind of ftcne, provincially denominated 
rag, which continues to fome diftance 
weftward without interruption, and with 
little or no variation. The difference in ~ 
the difpofition of the ftrata appears to 
be very remarkable: on the one.fide, they 
incline to the eaft; whilft on the other, 
they uniformly verge to the weft. As a 
map of this parifh has not perhaps ever’ 
been made, it is next to an impoffibility, 
to afcertain with any degree of exaétnefs 
the number of acres that Ravenftonedale 
contains. ‘The inclofed lands have, how- 
ever, been computed to confift of about 
two thoufand five hundred acres ; but this 
computation feems to be erroneous, and 
to fail fhort of the precife number. 
From its elevated fituation, and the yi- 
cinity of the mountains by which it is 
furrounded, it might naturally be fup- 
pofed, that the atmofphere of this part of 
the country could have little to recom- 
mend it, and that the climate in winter 
would be very fevere: ‘That this is really 
the cafe, the inhabitants have fufficient ex- 
perience. Great falls of rain and fnow 
_are very frequent. Butduring themonths © 
of January, February, and March, the 
cold is perhaps moft intenfe ; and at this 
feafon of the year the hills are generally 
covered with inow, which renders the air 
very chill and piercing, ‘It does not how- 
ever oft happen, that there is rain here 
when the wind blows from the eaft; the 
clouds being generally diflipated and 
breken on the high ridge of mountains,- 
which feparate Weftmorland from York- 
fhire. Inthe year 1777, the fmall pox 
was very mortal, and a great number of 
people died, all of whom, one excepted, 
had the difeafe naturally ; fince that time 
inoculation has -been more generally 
adopted, and its beneficial’ effects have 
been highly vifible. “The vaccine or cow- 
pox was alfo introduced during the laft 
winter, and was proved to be a more mild 
and eafy difeale Sian the fmall-pox, and 
a complete preventative againft the infec- 
tion of that diforder. Nor has inocula- 
tion for the cow-pox been confined to the 
practice of medical men only, Many 
have been inoculated by others, with 
great fuccefs. And “in fome inftances, 
parents themfeives wave inoculated’ their 
. own 
s 
: 
