Heversham is a small 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 ...

in the

South Lakeland South Lakeland is a local government district in Cumbria, England. The population of the non-metropolitan district was 102,301 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 103,658 at the 2011 Census. Its council is based in Kendal. It includes ...

district 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. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 647, increasing at the 2011 census to 699. It is situated above the marshes of the

Kent estuary Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

which gives some fine views, notably from Heversham Head where there is a

toposcope A toposcope, topograph, or orientation table is a kind of graphic display erected at viewing points on hills, mountains or other high places which indicates the direction, and usually the distance, to notable landscape features which can be seen ...

. It has a variety of recreational facilities, including a fully functioning outdoor activities centre, tennis courts, bowling green and a playground. There are also rugby, football and hockey fields, as well as a cricket ground and pavilion.

History

Heversham had an abbey in the early Anglo-Saxon period. According to the ''

Historia de Sancto Cuthberto The ''Historia de Sancto Cuthberto'' ("History of St Cuthbert") is a historical compilation finished some time after 1031. It is an account of the history of the bishopric of St Cuthbert—based successively at Lindisfarne, Norham, Chester-le ...

'', in the early tenth century its abbot, who was called Tilred, purchased the village of

Castle Eden Castle Eden is a village in County Durham, in England. The population of the parish at the 2011 census was 642. It is situated a short distance to the south of Peterlee, Wingate, Hutton Henry, the A19 and Castle Eden Dene. The village is fam ...

and gave half of it to

Norham Norham ( ) is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, It is located south-west of Berwick on the south side of the River Tweed where it is the border with Scotland. History Its ancient name was Ubbanford. Ecgred of Lindisfarne ( ...

abbey so that he could be abbot there, perhaps because Heversham Abbey had been destroyed by the Vikings. Part of a carved stone cross still survives. It was found under the lych-gate of St Peter's Church, which may indicate that the monastery was located nearby.

Transport

Rail

It was on the Hincaster branch railway line from 26 June 1876. Passenger services ended on the branch on 4 May 1942.

Road

Heversham is situated just off the A6. It formerly straddled the A6, but the centre of the village was bypassed in the 1920s. However, the

Stagecoach bus route 555 The Lakes Connection 555 is a bus route operated by Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire in Cumbria and Lancashire, England. The scenic route covers a distance of and runs between the towns of Keswick and Lancaster via Grasmere, Windermere, ...

still passes through the centre. The new section of road was opened by the future

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...

and was named Prince's Way. The Heversham Hotel, referred to by the locals as the "Blue Bell", is on this bypass.

Schools

Heversham Grammar School existed for more than 370 years from 1613 until 1984, when it amalgamated with the comprehensive school in Milnthorpe to become the boarding house and 6th form college of

Dallam School Dallam School is a mixed, 11-19 secondary school with academy status, located in Milnthorpe, Cumbria, England. History The school was founded in 1984 through the merger of Heversham Grammar School and Milnthorpe Secondary School. Heversham ...

. The boarding and outdoors section of Dallam School are situated in Heversham and the outdoors centre is open to the public. The local primary school, Heversham St Peters, was closed in 2017. It used to be next to the church but was moved to Leasgill due to the fact that the toilets were right above the village water supply.

Famous people

Geoffrey Bibby Thomas Geoffrey Bibby (14 October 1917 – 6 February 2001, Aarhus) was an English-born archaeologist. He is best known for discovering the ancient state of Dilmun, referred to in Mesopotamian mythology as a paradise. He is often considered to ...

, archaeologist

References

External links

Heversham Parish Council Cumbria County History Trust: Heversham
(nb: provisional research only - see Talk page) * http://www.heversham.org/heversham_history_bingham_1.html * http://www.railscot.co.uk/Hincaster_Branch/frame.htm * http://www.dallam.eu * http://www.dallam.eu/outdoors {{authority control Villages in Cumbria Civil parishes in Cumbria South Lakeland District