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¥801.] Account of Ravenftonedale in the County of Weftmoreland. 
probably denoting a hill or rifing ground), 
not far from Sunbiggin tarn, are two fu- 
muli, which were opened, and many hu- 
man bodies found in them. It was ob- 
ferved, that the bodies were placed in fuch 
a manner that all the heads extended to 
the fummit of the hill, and that the hands 
were ftretched over their breafts. At 
Newbiggin, a village, in this parifh, there 
was formerly a chapel, fuppofed to have 
been dedicated to St. Helen ; and at the 
north end of the village, is a field called 
chapel garth, and a {pring known by the 
name of St. Helen’s well. On the high- 
way from Kirkby-ftephen to Sedberg, and 
near Rawthey bridge, is a circle of large 
fiones, fuppofed to be the remains of a 
Druidical temple. Mr. Fawcett Hunter 
had a houfe lately, remarkable for its fitu- 
ation, which was very defcriptive of the 
nature and elevation of the country. The 
water that fell off one fide of this houfe, 
ran into a brook that joins the river Eden, 
which empties itfelf into the fea below 
Carlifle; whilft the water that defcended 
from the other fide of the houfe, flowed 
into the rivers Rawthey and Lune, which 
fall into the fea below Lancatfter. 
Of perfons that deferve to be particu- 
lariy mentioned, and who were once emi- 
nent and diftinguifhed characters, and na- 
tives of this parifh, we may perhaps pro- 
perly reckon the following. 1. Sir Wil- 
liam Fothergil], who lived in the reign of 
king Henry VIII. and was ftandard-bearer 
to Sir Thomas Wharton, at the famous 
rencounter at Sollom Mofs, where a very 
few Englifh routed a Scotch army of fif- 
teen thoufand men. 2. George Fother- 
gill, efq. of Tarr-houfe, who lived in the 
time of Charles If. and was clerk of the 
peace for the county of- Weftmoreland, 
3. Thomas Fothergill, B. D. mafter of 
St. John’s College in Cambridge, and 
founder of the grammar-fchool in Raven- 
fionedale. 4. Mr. Anthony Fothergill 
of Brounber, who, without any affiftance 
from a liberal education, and by the mere 
force of natural endowments, was the au- 
thor of feveral confiderable traéts, religi- 
“ous and controverfial. 5. George Fother- 
gill, D. D. late principal of St. Edmund-— 
hall in Oxford, who favoured the public 
during his life with feveral fermons 
preached*before the univerfity on particu- 
lar .occafions, and left behind him two vo- 
Jumes of fermons for publication, which 
exactly pourtray the life and manners of 
the author. He was a perfon of the 
greateft piety and virtue; and whiift fel- 
low of Queen’s College, in the fame uni- 
verfity, was univerfally efteemed one-of the 
MontTury Mac. No. 77. 
191 
moft learned and eminent tutors of his 
time*. Hedied in 1760, aged fifty-four. 
6. Thomas Fothergill, D. D. late provott 
of Queen’s college in Oxford, prebendary | 
of Durham, anda younger brother of the 
above-mentioned Dr. George Fothergill. 
He fucceeded his brother as tutor in the 
college, and in every refpeét imitated his, 
amiable and laudable example. He was 
author of feveral fermons; and died in 
1796, in the eighty-third year of his age. 
Both brothers were great benefactors to 
the public inftitutions here ; and their me- 
mories will be long held in reverence and 
efteem. 
The public roads in this parifh, and 
indeed throughout the whole county, 
have been confiderably improved of late 
years. In Ravenftonedale three pence per 
pound, according to valuation, is paid an- 
nually out of all landed property, as a mo- 
dus or prefcription for the making and re- 
pairing of roads ; and as excellent mate- 
rials are near at hand, they are not only 
well made, but kept in good repair. 
There are two large turnpikes, with feve- 
ral crofs roads, in the parifh; and fome 
others are at prefent under contemplation. 
It is to be hoped, that no prejudices fhall 
Operate to counteract any improvements 
that may be deemed necellary, and which, 
however confidered in the mean time, mutt 
ultimately conduce to the comfort and 
the advantage of the people. 
A book-fociety was fet on foot here, 
about feven or eight years ago; but in 
the {pace of two or three years, it was 
found neceflary to be diffolved. The fub- 
{cription money, which was only five fhil- 
lings per ann. was certainly very inade- 
quate to an undertaking of this nature. 
But independent of this, the genius and 
circumftances of the people, who from 
their occupation cannot be fuppofed creat- 
ly inclined to purfuits of a literary tenden- 
cy, were perhaps the moft ferious difficul- 
ties, with which this inftitution had te . 
contend. In giving a general charaéter 
of the inhabitants, however, it is only 
jut to fay, that they are a fenfible, fober, 
and induftrious people ; and though pof- 
{effing a competent fhare of the comforts 
and conveniences of life, they have not ar- 
rived at fuch a fiate of civilization and re-~ 
finement, as to depart from that pleafing 
fimplicity which chara&terizes and adorns 
rural {cenes. . 
In this parifh are about 120 horfes of 
all defcriptions; and 10170 fheep upon 
€<See Public Charaéters of 1799 and 1806,” 
in the life (I think) of Dr. Harrington, 
; the 
