Askham 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 ...

in the Eden 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. It is in the historic county of

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 360, decreasing slightly to 356 at the 2011 Census. It is situated on the eastern 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, south of Penrith. Nearby are the remains of

Lowther Castle Lowther Castle is a country house in the historic county of Westmorland, which now forms part of the modern county of Cumbria, England. It has belonged to the Lowther family, latterly the Earls of Lonsdale, since the Middle Ages. It is a fu ...

, the site of the annual Lowther Show, a three-day event of country pursuits.

History and Culture

The primary landmark of Askham is

Askham Hall Askham Hall is a country house near Askham in Cumbria. It is a Grade I listed building. History A peel tower was built on the site during the 14th century. It passed into the hands of the Sandford family and in 1575 Thomas Sandford had it subs ...

, it evolved from a

pele tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standing ...

in the

14th century As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was a century lasting from 1 January 1301 ( MCCCI), to 31 December 1400 ( MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and n ...

and was passed to the Sandford family after the Helbecks and Swinburns. In 1575, Thomas Sandford had it enlarged. In 1828 it served as a

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

before being passed to the

Lowther family This article summarises the relationships between various members of the family of Lowther baronets. *Sir Christopher Lowther **Sir John Lowther, of Lowther (d. 1637) *** Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet (1605–1675) **** John Lowther (of Hackthorpe ...

in the 1830s – the 7th Earl of Lonsdale used the hall as his residence following the abandonment of

in 1937. Askam Hall became a

grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building in 1968. After 2012, the Countess of Lonsdale converted it into a hotel. The manor was 'anciently' referred to as Ascum. Many public houses, such as the 'Punch Bowl', have old beams with splits in them where coins are forced 'for luck'. This practice may be linked to examples, called '

Wish Tree A wish tree is a tree, usually distinguished by species, location or appearance, which is used as an object of wishes and offerings. Such trees are identified as possessing a special religious or spiritual value. Postulants make votive offering ...

s', often

hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

s which are traditionally linked with fertility, as in 'May Blossom'. The trunk and branches in these cases are covered with hundreds of coins which have been driven through the bark and into the wood. The local traditions are that a wish will be granted for each of the coins so treated (Rodger 2006). Another local custom is the throwing of coins from the bridge onto a boulder that lies below the water level. Getting the coin to stay on the rock gives the thrower 'good luck'. These are examples of '

Touch Pieces A touch piece is a coin or medal believed to cure disease, bring good luck, influence people's behaviour, carry out a specific practical action, etc. What most touch pieces have in common is that they have to be touched or in close physical contac ...

'. Obvious connections exist with water generally and the practice of throwing in coins to seek 'favours' of the water spirits.

Governance

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

in the same name exists. This ward stretches south to Bampton with a total population of 1,432.

References

* Rodger, Donald, Stokes, Jon & Ogilvie, James (2006). Heritage Trees of Scotland. The Tree Council. P.87.

External links

Cumbria County History Trust: Askham
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page) Villages in Cumbria Civil parishes in Cumbria Eden District {{Cumbria-geo-stub

History and Culture

Governance

See also

References

External links