Wythop is a
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the north of
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
, England, between
Cockermouth
Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England, so named because it is at the confluence of the River Cocker as it flows into the River Derwent. The mid-2010 census estimates state that Cocke ...
and
Keswick. Population details are no longer maintained and can be found included in the parish of
Embleton
Wythop is within one mile of the
hamlets
A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...
of
Dubwath (in the parish of
Setmurthy) and Wythop Mill (in
Embleton).
Administratively Wythop forms part of the district of
Allerdale
Allerdale is a non-metropolitan district of Cumbria, England, with borough status. Its council is based in Workington and the borough has a population of 93,492 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 96,422 at the 2011 Census.
The Bor ...
.
Etymology and structure
*'Wythop' is " 'withy valley', cf. 'wīðig', 'hop' " (from the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
). 'Wīðig','
withy
A withy or withe (also willow and osier) is a strong flexible willow stem, typically used in thatching, basketmaking, gardening and for constructing woven wattle hurdles. ' means 'willow', 'hop' means 'a small enclosed valley'; so 'Wythop' is the 'valley of willow trees'.
*
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE (17 January 1907 – 20 January 1991), who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume ''Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'', published ...
stressed the unique nature of Wythop valley, in that instead of rising to a crest it fell away to the declinity of
Bassenthwaite Lake
Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest water bodies in the English Lake District. It is long and narrow, approximately long and wide, but is also extremely shallow, with a maximum depth of about .
It is the only body of water in the Lake ...
. However he also made the point that "its ''scenery'' is in no way freakish. ''Here is a charming and secluded natural sanctuary in an idyllic setting".
Viewpoint
The promontory of Beck Wythop was selected by
Thomas West as one of his four 'stations' for viewing Bassenthwaite Lake.
[G Lindop, ''A Literary Guide to the Lake District'' (London 1993) p. 201]
See also
*
Listed buildings in Wythop
Wythop is a civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It contains six listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. All the listed buildings are designated at Grade II, the lowest of the ...
References
External links
*
Cumbria County History Trust: Wythop(nb: provisional research only - see Talk page)
Villages in Cumbria
Allerdale
Civil parishes in Cumbria
{{Cumbria-geo-stub