Crook 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

, England, on the B5284 road between

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, England. It lies within the River Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of t ...

and

Windermere Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...

. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 340, increasing at the 2011 census to 364, and decreasing at the 2021 census to 350. The earliest known mention of Crook was circa 1170-1184.

Etymology

The exact reason for the village being called 'Crook' is unknown. However, it could come from the

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

word 'krókr' or the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), 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 developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

word 'crōc' which both mean: a crook, a bend; usually denoting land in the bend of a river, but sometimes a nook, a secluded corner of land. The name could be referencing the secluded location of the Church and Hall. It is speculated that the neighbouring town's name, Windermere, also derives from

. The spelling of 'Crook' has not been consistent throughout the years and has been spelt in a variety of ways: Crok(e), Crook(e), Cruke, and Croyke.

Notable Buildings

The original St. Catherine's church was built circa 1516 and served as the main church for the parish. A tower was constructed in 1620 and is all that remains of the old church to this day The tower was refurbished in 1993 using funds from grants and donations. The main body of the church was purposely demolished in 1887 due to structural defects. The new St. Catherine's church was built in 1882 by Stephen Shaw, a local architect, in a plain late Perpendicular style and still operates today. Crook Memorial Hall was built in 1926/7 and commemorates the local soldiers who died during

World War 1 World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War 2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisin ...

. It also serves as a public venue for local functions. Until 1984, the village had a school for local children. The original school was built in 1795, rebuilt in 1852, and remained in use until its replacement by a new school in 1873. The new school was located in the centre of the township and served as the main schoolhouse for the parish until its closure in 1984. A replacement was never built, possibly due to a lack of demand. A mile to the north of the village, Hollin Hall is a Grade II listed building.Hollin Hall at British Listed Buildings Online
/ref>

History

Crook has been a minor village for most of its history, with its population never rising above 400. Surrounded by hills, most of its economy consisted of agriculture that focused on local

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

, such as herdwicks, and the manufacturing of woollen products, such as woollen

worsted Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead (from Old English ''Wurðestede'', "enclosure place"), a village in the English county of Norfolk. T ...

s. In the 19th century, there was a focus on

bobbin A bobbin or spool is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which yarn, thread, wire, tape or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in industrial textile machinery, as well as in sewing machines, fishing reels, tape measures ...

production with two bobbin mills: Crook Mill and Birks Mill, with the latter having industrial machines.

References

External links

Crook and Winster Parish Council

Cumbria County History Trust: Crook
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page) Villages in Cumbria Civil parishes in Cumbria Westmorland and Furness {{Cumbria-geo-stub

Etymology

Notable Buildings

History

See also

References

External links