Blindbothel is a village and

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 ...

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. It is on the edge of the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...

National Park, and is a couple of miles south of

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 ...

. It had a population of 174 according to the 2011 census. Blindbothel has an area of around On the East of Blindbothel is the River Cocker which flows to

. In the 1870s Blindbothel was described as :''"Blindbothel, a township in Brigham parish, Cumberland; 2 miles W of Cockermouth. Real property, £1,206. Pop., 116. Houses, 19."''

Population

The graph below shows the change in total population in Blindbothel from 1891 to 2011. The total population has gradually increased over time, however there was a sharp increase in 1951 of up to 200 people. Out of the four civil parishes;

Buttermere Buttermere is a lake in the Lake District in North West England. The adjacent village of Buttermere takes its name from the lake. Historically in Cumberland, the lake is now within the county of Cumbria. Owned by the National Trust, it forms p ...

, Lorton and

Loweswater Loweswater is one of the smaller lakes in the English Lake District. The village of Loweswater is situated to the east of the lake. Geography The lake is not far from Cockermouth and is also easily reached from elsewhere in West Cumbria. Th ...

, Blindbothel has the smallest population, as the land is mostly for agricultural use. However more recently the adaption for tourism has supplemented the land. Total Population of Blindbothel

The population density of Blindbothel in 2011 was 0.1 people per hectare. The 2011 census data show the mean age of Blindbothel was 43.7. With most people being in the 45–59 age group. Showing there are mostly older people living in Blindbothel. There were also more males than females living in Blindbothel in 2011, as there were 83 females and 91 males.

Housing

According to the 2011 census data, there are 70 households in total, however there were 72 in 2001, showing a slight decline. The 2011 census data also showed that 33 were married households with no dependent children, suggesting that older couples may have either moved here when their children are no longer dependent, or they have lived in Blindbothel since their children were young, as in another statistic most of the households in Blindbothel in 2011 have 2 people in each household. The type of housing is relatively similar, 45 of the households in Blindbothel in the 2011 census were detached, followed by 17 semi-detached, the housing may have all been built at around the same time, suggesting why.

Education

The Eaglesfield Paddle C. E. Primary Academy is the only school in Blindbothel, according to the 2011 census data, there were 4 schoolchildren living in Blindbothel, so there isn't a high demand for educational facilities there. The former Grant Maintained school, known as 'Paddle School' also offers a nursery class and aims to help children "''become independent, confident, self disciplined individuals, proud of their achievements and sensitive to the needs of others''"

Industry

In 1881 the most common occupational order for men was agriculture, where as the women were either domestic or didn't have a specified occupation. The land used to be mostly for agriculture and there are little services available in Blindbothel even now, so there are a lack of jobs available in the village, as in the 2011 census data, most people are in professional occupations or are Managers, Directors and Senior Officials. The data also shows that 23 people are retired, so most of the residents of Blindbothel are still economically active.

External links

Cumbria County History Trust: Blindbothel
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page)

References