Wythop is a
civil parish in the north of
Cumbria, England, between
Cockermouth 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 Population details are no longer maintained and can be found included in the parish of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 of
Dubwath
Dubwath is a hamlet in the Allerdale district, in Cumbria, England. It is part of the parish of Setmurthy. The population of this civil parish taken at the 2011 Census was 148.
It is situated on the B5291 road between Cockermouth and Keswick. ...
(in the parish of
Setmurthy
Setmurthy is a civil parish in Allerdale, Cumbria, England, historically part of Cumberland, within the Lake District National Park in England. In the 2011 census it had a population of 110. The spelling "Satmurthawe" is seen in 1473.
The R ...
) 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' means 'willow', 'hop' means 'a small enclosed valley'; so 'Wythop' is the 'valley of willow trees'.
*
Alfred Wainwright stressed the unique nature of Wythop valley, in that instead of rising to a crest it fell away to the declinity of
Bassenthwaite 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
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