Holme St Cuthbert

Last updated
Holme St Cuthbert
St Cuthbert's Church, Holme St Cuthbert - geograph.org.uk - 1500334.jpg
The church at Holme St Cuthbert, constructed from local sandstone.
Location map United Kingdom Allerdale.svg
Red pog.svg
Holme St Cuthbert
Location in Allerdale
Cumbria UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Holme St Cuthbert
Location within Cumbria
Population465 (2011) [1]
OS grid reference NY104470
Civil parish
  • Holme St Cuthbert
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Maryport
Postcode district CA15
Dialling code 01900
Police Cumbria
Fire Cumbria
Ambulance North West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cumbria
54°48′38″N3°23′37″W / 54.8106°N 3.3935°W / 54.8106; -3.3935 Coordinates: 54°48′38″N3°23′37″W / 54.8106°N 3.3935°W / 54.8106; -3.3935

Holme St Cuthbert (occasionally Holme St Cuthberts; pronounced and occasionally written Holme Saint Cuthbert) is a small village and civil parish in the county of Cumbria, United Kingdom. The village is located approximately 23 miles to the south-west of Carlisle, Cumbria's county town, and was historically in the county of Cumberland.

Contents

Civil parish

The civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert is a rural area, and includes the village of Mawbray and the hamlets of Aikshaw, Beckfoot, Cowgate, Dubmill, Edderside, Goodyhills, Hailforth, Jericho, New Cowper, Newtown, Pelutho, Plasketlands, Salta, and Tarns. [2] It is bordered to the north by the civil parish of Holme Low, to the east by Holme Abbey, to the south by Allonby along the Black Dub beck, and to the south-east by Westnewton. On its western side, the parish meets the Solway Firth, and has approximately four miles of coastline.

There were 421 residents in 160 households at the 2001 census, [3] and at the 2011 census, that number had risen to 465 residents in 185 households, [4] an increase of 10.5% in ten years. Despite the recent increase, however, the parish's population remains well below where it was in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1871-2, the population was given as 821, [5] and steadily declined in the years to at least 1961, [6] when it reached similar levels to those recorded in 2011.

Changes to the population of Holme St Cuthbert between 1801 and 2011. Parish population Holme St. Cuthbert.jpg
Changes to the population of Holme St Cuthbert between 1801 and 2011.

Mawbray, being the largest village in the parish, is the hub of the community. Mawbray's village hall is frequently used for a wide range of activities, and the Lowther Arms in Mawbray has been a popular spot for food and drink with residents of the parish since it re-opened in 2014 after two periods of closure in the 2000s and early 2010s. [11]

The parish (then known as a township) was said to be 6,301 hectares, with the land being owned by Holm Cultram Abbey. In 1814, common land was enclosed by an invocation of the Inclosure Acts. [12] Before becoming a parish of its own in 1857, [13] Holme St Cuthbert was listed as a quarter of the parish of Holme Cultram by at least 1801. The quarter was centred around Mawbray - then known as Old Malbray. Holme St Cuthbert was also known as St Cuthbert's township at that time. [14]

During the Second World War, 43 evacuees from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and the surrounding area were billeted to farms in the parish. [15]

At Dubmill Point on the parish's western boundary, the B5300 coast road runs atop the concrete sea wall. Seacroft Farm, Dubmill Point - geograph.org.uk - 63941.jpg
At Dubmill Point on the parish's western boundary, the B5300 coast road runs atop the concrete sea wall.

As a civil parish, Holme St Cuthbert has a parish council, which in 2018 consisted of seven members. [16] Parish council meetings are generally held on the 3rd Wednesday of January, March, April, May, July, September and November. The Annual Parish Meeting is generally held on the 3rd Wednesday in May of each year, where the parish council report to the community. [17] Since 2016, recorded minutes of parish council meetings have been available to all residents of the parish via their website. [18]

Holme St Cuthbert parish council took a stand against plans by the British government to use west Cumbria as a disposal and storage site for nuclear waste. The process, called Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) drew strong objections from the community at a meeting on the subject, and the council accordingly adopted a motion calling for west Cumbria to withdraw from the MRWS process. The main reasons for objecting were concerns about geology, damage to local tourism, and safety. Furthermore, the council stated that they had "no confidence" in their right to withdraw from the process as it progressed. [19]

Extremes of weather are uncommon in the parish, but one serious danger is from the sea. With over four miles of coastline in the parish, and a major road (the B5300) sticking very close to the shore, storms and even very high tides are a threat. In 2014 the sea wall at Dubmill Point, near Salta, was breached in several places, and a £130,000 repair scheme was commissioned by Cumbria County Council. [20] [21]

Between November and December 2018 a public consultation called the Cumbria Coastal Strategy was held [22] to evaluate and manage the risks related to coastal flooding and erosion along the Cumbrian coastline. Holme St Cuthbert civil parish has approximately four miles of coastline, and this was assessed as part of the consultation. The well-defended area of coastline around Dubmill was mostly determined to have between five and twenty years worth of life left, but concerns were raised about failed rock-based sea defences to the south and north of Dubmill point. The consultation also set out to determine the impact coastal erosion would have on the village of Mawbray, with the potential to change tactics if there was to be significant impact. The sand dunes at Mawbray Bank were estimated to erode anywhere from 4 to 8 metres in the next 20 years, rising to as much as 40 m of erosion in the next century if left unchecked. At Beckfoot, it was noted that much of the erosion that has taken place and is predicted to take place in the future is as a result of individual storms rather than continuous, slow erosion. Over the next century, the coast at Beckfoot is estimated to endure no more than 6.6 m of erosion. [23] [24]

Village

The hamlet of Holme St Cuthbert as seen from the road from Newtown and Tarns. Holme St Cuthbert - geograph.org.uk - 63956.jpg
The hamlet of Holme St Cuthbert as seen from the road from Newtown and Tarns.

Holme St Cuthbert itself is particularly small. While it is home to the parish church, [25] church hall, and the local primary school, [26] there are very few houses. [27] There are two school buildings - the main building and a second, smaller one which serves as both the sports hall and canteen. Separating the two buildings is a car park, shared between the school and church.

St Cuthbert's Church was constructed of locally quarried sandstone, and remains in use today. The primary school, though it caters to less than 50 pupils, has been rated as "outstanding" by school inspectors Ofsted. [28] The church and school were built in 1845. [29] The opening of the church in that year meant that the village was no longer part of the parish of Holme Abbey, but instead was to become the namesake of a new parish.

The village lies along the road which runs from the B5300 coast road at Mawbray to the B5301 at Tarns. There is also a junction in the village, where a side road leads past the church hall to Goodyhills, less than a quarter of a mile away, and Jericho. There are no regular public transport links, though a school bus stops in the village bound for the Nelson Thomlinson school in Wigton. The nearest stop on a regular bus service is at Mawbray, where services run every two hours toward Maryport in the south and Silloth-on-Solway in the north. The nearest railway station is at Aspatria, five-and-a-half miles to the south-east, where trains on the Cumbrian Coast line run approximately once an hour north toward Carlisle and south toward Whitehaven, and occasionally Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.

Etymology

The name is derived from Old Norse, where the Norse word "holmr" meant "islet". Hence, "Holme St Cuthbert" means "St Cuthbert's islet". [30] [31] Saint Cuthbert, for whom the church is named, was an early Anglo-Saxon Saint who is most famous for his association with the Lindisfarne Gospels. It is unlikely he visited the parish, but he definitely visited Carlisle. [32] He is celebrated across the north of England and southern Scotland.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbeytown</span> Human settlement in England

Abbeytown, also known as Holme Abbey, is a village and civil parish in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beckfoot</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Beckfoot is a hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert in Cumbria, England. It is located on the B5300 coast road, three miles south of Silloth-on-Solway and two miles north of the village of Mawbray. The county town of Carlisle is twenty-five miles away to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blitterlees</span> Human settlement in England

Blitterlees is a small hamlet in the parish of Holme Low, one mile south of Silloth in Cumbria, United Kingdom. The hamlet of Wolsty is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south as the crow flies, or 2.25 miles (3.62 km) by road, and Cumbria's county town, Carlisle, is located 23 miles (37 km) to the east. The B5300, known locally as the "coast road", runs through the village on its way to Beckfoot, Mawbray, Allonby, and ultimately Maryport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mawbray</span> A village on the Cumbrian coast in England

Mawbray is a village in the civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert in Cumbria, England. Historically part of Cumberland. It is located on the Solway Plain, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) south west of Silloth, 7.9 miles (12.7 km) north of Maryport, and 25 miles (40 km) west of Carlisle. The B5300, known locally as the "coast road" runs to the west of the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salta, Cumbria</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Salta is a hamlet in the parish of Holme St Cuthbert in northwestern Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is 1.1 miles (1.8 km) southwest of the village of Mawbray, and 25.1 miles (40.4 km) southwest of the city of Carlisle. It has a population of about 35 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B5300 road</span> A road on the Cumbrian coast in England.

The B5300 is a B road which runs for approximately twelve miles between the towns of Silloth and Maryport in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, United Kingdom. From north to south, it passes through the villages of Blitterlees, Beckfoot, Mawbray, Dubmill, and Allonby. It runs through the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, passes close to the Salta Moss Site of Special Scientific Interest, Milefortlet 21, a Roman archaeological site, the salt pans, a remnant of the Solway plain's medieval saltmaking industry, and the village of Crosscanonby. It is an important route for carrying goods to and from Silloth docks and Maryport harbour. It is also the major road connecting smaller coastal settlements with Maryport and Silloth, from where other roads lead to Workington, Whitehaven, Wigton, and Carlisle. A short section of the road between Dubmill and Mawbray was closed in February 2019 due to coastal erosion, and reopened in June 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelutho</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Pelutho is a hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in Cumbria, historically in Cumberland, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edderside</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Edderside is a hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately one mile as the crow files to the south-east of Mawbray, or two-and-a-half miles by road, and a similar distance east of Salta, and north-east of Allonby. The small hamlet of Jericho is located less than a mile to the north-east. Approximately 23 miles to the north-east is the city of Carlisle. Allonby Bay, an inlet of the Solway Firth, is one-and-a-half miles to the south-west, as is the B5300 coast road which runs between Silloth-on-Solway, six-and-a-half miles to the north, and Maryport, six miles to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodyhills</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Goodyhills is a hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert, in northern Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located 1.5 miles east of the village of Mawbray, and 23 miles west of the city of Carlisle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtown, Holme St Cuthbert</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Newtown is a hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately two miles north-east of the village of Mawbray, a little over half-a-mile as the crow flies to the south-east of Beckfoot, and twenty-five miles west of the city of Carlisle. The B5300 coast road runs approximately three-quarters of a mile to the west of the hamlet, which goes to Maryport, nine-and-a-quarter miles to the south-west, and Silloth-on-Solway, approximately four miles to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holme Low</span> A civil parish in Cumbria, England

Holme Low is a civil parish in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, United Kingdom. It borders the parishes of Holme St. Cuthbert and Holme Abbey to the south, the town of Silloth-on-Solway to the north-west, and has a short stretch of coastline on the Solway Firth to the west. To the north, it is bordered by lands common to Holme St. Cuthbert, Holme Low, and Holme Abbey, which is an unpopulated area. Holme Low had a population of 373 in 137 households at the 2001 census, reducing slightly in the 2011 Census to a population of 362 in 162 households.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hailforth</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Hailforth is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert, in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately half a mile south-west of the village of Mawbray, and a similar distance north-east of Salta. Carlisle, Cumbria's county town, is situated twenty-five miles to the north-east. The hamlet consists of four houses, and is situated on the road which runs from Mawbray to the coast, where it joins the B5300 at Dubmill, three-quarters of a mile to the south-west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarns, Cumbria</span> A settlement in Cumbria, England

Tarns is a small farming settlement in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located two miles north-east of the village of Mawbray, and twenty-three miles south-west of Carlisle, Cumbria's county town. The B5301 road runs through the settlement, and along that road the town of Silloth-on-Solway is located five-and-a-half miles to the north, and Aspatria four-and-a-half miles to the south-east. Other nearby settlements include Aikshaw, Goodyhills, Jericho, and New Cowper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holme St Cuthbert School</span> A primary school in Cumbria, England

Holme St. Cuthbert School is a primary school which serves the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in the county of Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately one-and-a-quarter miles north-east of the village of Mawbray, the largest settlement in the parish, and twenty-three miles south-west of the city of Carlisle, Cumbria's county town. As of the 2018-19 academic year, there were sixty-two pupils enrolled in the school. This is just short of the school's capacity of sixty-six pupils. The current headteacher is Mrs Lynn Carini, who took over from Mrs Sheila Daniel in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolsty</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Wolsty is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Holme Low in Cumbria, England. It is located three-and-a-quarter miles south of Silloth-on-Solway, five miles west of Abbeytown, three-and-a-quarter miles north of the village of Mawbray, and twenty-three miles west of Cumbria's county town, Carlisle. The B5300 coast road, which heads north toward Silloth-on-Solway and south to Mawbray, Allonby, and Maryport, is three-quarters of a mile away by road, or less than a quarter of a mile by way of an unpaved farm track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B5302 road</span> A road in Cumbria, England

The B5302 is a B road which runs for approximately twelve-and-a-quarter miles between the towns of Silloth-on-Solway and Wigton in Cumbria, United Kingdom. From west to east, it passes through the villages of Causewayhead, Calvo, Abbeytown, Wheyrigg, and Waverbridge, and also passes near to Blackdyke and Blencogo. At its eastern end, it comes very close to the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and passes by Silloth Airfield, left over from the Second World War. Several of the villages that the road passes through were formerly served by trains on the single-track Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway, which closed with the Beeching axe in the 1960s. It is the main road connecting Silloth-on-Solway and surrounding settlements with the A596, and by extension, the city of Carlisle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubmill</span> A settlement in Cumbria, England

Dubmill is a settlement in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately one mile south-west of the village of Mawbray, half-a-mile to the west of the hamlet of Salta, three-quarters of a mile south-west of the hamlet of Hailforth, and one-and-a-half miles north of the village of Allonby. Carlisle, Cumbria's county town, lies approximately twenty-eight miles to the north-east. The B5300, known locally as the coast road, runs through Dubmill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowgate, Cumbria</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Cowgate is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately a quarter-of-a-mile south-west of Newtown, one mile north-west of the hamlet of Holme St. Cuthbert, and one-and-a-half miles north-east of Mawbray. Other nearby settlements include Goodyhills, one-and-a-quarter miles to the south-east, Hailforth, one-and-three-quarter miles to the south-east, and Beckfoot, one-and-a-half miles to the north. Carlisle, Cumbria's county town, is approximately twenty-four-and-a-half miles to the north-east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plasketlands</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Plasketlands is a small settlement in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately a quarter-of-a-mile south-west of Goodyhills, a quarter-of-a-mile to the south of the hamlet of Holme St. Cuthbert, and one-and-a-half miles east of Mawbray. Carlisle, Cumbria's county town, is twenty-four miles away to the north-east. The settlement is divided into two distinct parts: High Plasketlands and Plasketlands. Jordan beck, a tributary of the Black Dub beck, flows through Plasketlands on its way to Allonby Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salta Moss</span> A Site of Special Scientific Interest in Cumbria, England

Salta Moss is a raised blanket mire which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest ('SSSI') located in the hamlet of Salta, in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It was determined to be of biological interest under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The site, measuring 45.6 hectares, was officially designated in August 1982.

References

  1. "Parish population 2011" . Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  2. "Cumbria Geography Atlas". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
  3. "Holme St Cuthbert (parish): Key Figures for the 2001 Census". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  4. "Neighbourhood Statistics - Lead Key Figures for Holme St. Cuthbert parish" . Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  5. "Vision of Britain - Holme St. Cuthbert" . Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  6. "Vision of Britain - Holme St. Cuthbert historical population" . Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  7. Parson & White (1976) [1821]. History, directory and gazetteer of Cumberland & Westmorland with Furness and Cartmel. Michael Moon. p. 340. ISBN   0-904131-12-2.
  8. "Vision of Britain - Holme St. Cuthbert CP through time" . Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  9. "Non Metropolitan District of Allerdale: Parish headcounts". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  10. "Neighbourhood Statistics - Lead Key Figures for Holme St. Cuthbert parish". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  11. http://www.solwaybuzz.co.uk/Issues/issue_130/page_all.pdf Solway Buzz, December 2014, page 7.
  12. "Holme St Cuthbert". Cumbria County History Trust. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  13. "Solway Plain Churches". 3 May 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  14. Parson & White (1976) [1821]. History, directory and gazetteer of Cumberland & Westmorland with Furness and Cartmel. Michael Moon. p. 341. ISBN   0-904131-12-2.
  15. "Holme St Cuthbert history group - The Evacuees".
  16. "Councillors". Holme St. Cuthbert Parish. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  17. "Holme St. Cuthbert Parish Council" . Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  18. "Meeting Agendas & Minutes". Holme St. Cuthbert Parish. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  19. "Holme St. Cuthbert parish council letter - MRWS" (PDF).
  20. "BBC News - Cumbria coastal floods leave tons of debris". BBC News. 2 February 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  21. "Cumbria County Council - Dubmill Point sea defence repairs underway" . Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  22. "Cumbria Coastal Strategy (CCS)". Cumbria County Council. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  23. "Cumbria Coastal Strategy document 11e5" (PDF). Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  24. "Cumbria Coastal Strategy document 11e4" (PDF). Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  25. "Holme St Cuthbert St Cuthbert's Church – Visit Cumbria".
  26. "Holme St Cuthbert School - Home".
  27. "Google Maps".
  28. "Ballet star shows off charity portraits".
  29. "Solway Plain Churches". 3 May 2014.
  30. Armstrong, A. M.; Mawer, A.; Stenton, F. M.; Dickens, B. (1950). The place-names of Cumberland. English Place-Name Society, vol.xxi. Vol. Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 295.
  31. Armstrong, A. M.; Mawer, A.; Stenton, F. M.; Dickens, B. (1952). The place-names of Cumberland. English Place-Name Society, vol.xxii. Vol. Part 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 478.
  32. "The Anglo Saxons on the Solway Plain".