| Swarthmoor | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Swarthmoor Location in South Lakeland  Swarthmoor Location within Cumbria | |
| OS grid reference | SD2777 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Ulverston |
| Postcode district | LA12 |
| Dialling code | 01229 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
Swarthmoor is a small village near Ulverston, in Cumbria, England. Located on the Furness peninsula, it was historically part of Lancashire.
Swarthmoor Village was named after its location on the Swarth Moor, which was formerly a marsh-covered moorland. The Swarth Moor's name was derived from the word sweart, meaning black. [1]
Before 1850 there were just a few farmsteads on Swarth Moor, and Swarthmoor Hall, which is located to the east of today's village. George Fox (1624–1691), a founder of the Quakers, came to the area in 1652 and was later allowed by Judge Thomas Fell (1598–1658) to use Swarthmoor Hall as a meeting place. Fox later purchased land from the Swarthmoor Estate to build Swarthmoor Friends' Meeting House. The modern village of Swarthmoor grew in the mid-19th century, with houses built to accommodate the workers from nearby iron ore mines, particularly the Lindal Moor Mines. Some of the houses in Fox Street were built by John Bolton ('Old Daddy Bolton'), who was a surveyor and geologist. As the village grew in size it joined with the hamlets of Cross-a-Moor and Trinkeld. In 1883 a reading room on Fox Street was opened by Lord Muncaster, as a place for local miners to read newspapers – the Reading Rooms building is now used by village organisations, its upper floor is the church of St Leonard. [2]
Situated on the outskirts of the village is Swarthmoor Hall, where in 1652 George Fox founded the Quaker movement. [3]
Swarthmoor is home to Swarthmoor Social Football Club Founded in 1946, the club has two adult teams who play in the Furness Premier League. The Junior set-up was re-formed in 2005 and has over 200 children playing ranging from 4 to 16 years old.
There is a public house in the village – The Miners Arms.
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies a few miles south of the Lake District National Park and just north-west of Morecambe Bay, within the Furness Peninsula. Lancaster is 39 miles (63 km) to the east, Barrow-in-Furness 10 miles (16 km) to the south-west and Kendal 25 miles (40 km) to the north-east. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 11,524, increasing at the 2011 census to 11,678.
Swarthmoor Hall is a mansion at Swarthmoor, in the Furness area of Cumbria, North West England. Furness is part of the historic county of Lancashire. The Hall was home to Thomas and Margaret Fell, the latter an important player in the founding of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) movement in the 17th century. It is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It remains in use today as a Quaker retreat house.
Margaret Fell or Margaret Fox was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends. Known popularly as the "mother of Quakerism," she is considered one of the Valiant Sixty early Quaker preachers and missionaries. Her daughters Isabel (Fell) Yeamans and Sarah Fell were also leading Quakers.
Dalton-in-Furness is a town in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, 4 miles (6 km) north east of Barrow-in-Furness. Along with the rest of the Furness peninsula, it was historically part of Lancashire. It is in the parish of Dalton Town with Newton, alongside the nearby hamlet of Newton-in-Furness. In 2011 it had a population of 7,827.
Nenthead in the county of Cumbria is one of England's highest villages, at around 1,437 feet (438 m). It was not built until the middle of the 18th century and was one of the earliest purpose-built industrial villages in Britain.
Sedbergh is a town and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Cumbria. It falls within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire. Since April 2023, it has been administered by Westmorland and Furness local authority. The 2001 census gave the parish a population of 2,705, increasing at the 2011 census to 2,765. It lies about 10 miles (16 km) east of Kendal, 28 miles (45 km) north of Lancaster and about 10 miles (16 km) north of Kirkby Lonsdale, within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It stands at the foot of Howgill Fells, on the north bank of the River Rawthey, which joins the River Lune 2 miles (3 km) below the town.
Kirkby-in-Furness, generally referred to simply as Kirkby locally, is a village that is the major part of the parish of Kirkby Ireleth in the Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it is close to the Lake District National Park. It is about 3 miles (5 km) south of Broughton in Furness, 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Ulverston and 9 miles (14 km) north of Barrow-in-Furness. It is one of the largest villages on the peninsula's north-western coast, looking out over the Duddon estuary. To its east is the SSSI of Kirkby Moor and to its west is the SSSI of Duddon Estuary. The 2021 census showed Kirkby to have a population of 580.
Lindal-in-Furness is a village on the Furness peninsula, in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies eight miles to the north-east of Barrow-in-Furness, on the A590 trunk road. The civil parish is Lindal and Marton which had a population of 755 at the 2011 Census.
Bardsea is a village in the Low Furness area of Cumbria, England. It is two miles to the south-east of Ulverston on the northern coast of Morecambe Bay. It is in the historic county of Lancashire.
Yealand Conyers is a village in the civil parish of The Yealands, in the Lancaster district, in the county of Lancashire, England. In 2011 the former parish of Yealand Conyers had a population of 190.
Cleator Moor is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, England, within the historic county of Cumberland. It had a population of 6,936 at the 2011 census.
Dendron is a small village in South Cumbria, England. It is situated around three miles from the town of Barrow-in-Furness. The village was once just a collection of farms, but many of the old farm buildings have now been converted into houses for commuters working in Barrow, Ulverston and Dalton.
Countersett is the largest of the three settlements in Raydale, around Semerwater in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is in the Yorkshire Dales to the north of the lake. The Boar East and West were once one farm, and before that a pub called The Boar Inn. The date 1667 was above the door, along with a Latin inscription which translated as "Now mine, once thine, but whose afterwards I do not know"
Askam and Ireleth is a civil parish close to Barrow-in-Furness in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it originally consisted of two separate coastal villages with different origins and histories which, in recent times, have merged to become one continuous settlement. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,632, reducing at the 2011 census to 3,462.
Thomas Fell, was a lawyer, member of parliament and vice-chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Leonard Fell, was an English Quaker.
Alice Curwen was an English Quaker missionary, who wrote an autobiography published along with correspondence as part of A Relation of the Labour, Travail and Suffering of that Faithful Servant of the Lord, Alice Curwen (1680). Her maiden name and parentage are unknown. She came from Baycliff in the Furness district of Lancashire, and spent part of her life as a missionary and social activist in New England and the Caribbean.
Sarah Fell (1642–1714) was an English Quaker accountant and writer at Swarthmore Hall. She was the daughter of Margaret Fell and Thomas Fell, and the eventual stepdaughter of George Fox.
Isabel Yeamans was an English Quaker preacher, and daughter of Margaret Fell and step-daughter of George Fox, co-founders of the Religious Society of Friends.
Thomas Salthouse (1630–1691) was an English Quaker preacher and writer.
Media related to Swarthmoor at Wikimedia Commons