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'''Blackhall''', also known as '''Blackhall Camp''' and '''Blackhall Racecourse''', especially during the time of the Great War, was the name synonymous with the small village of '''Blackwell''', approximately two miles south of Carlisle, Cumberland. Blackwell, and the racecourse situated in the village, was the location of the headquarters of the [[Lonsdale Battalion]], a Pals battalion formed by [[Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale]] and an executive committee.<ref group="lower-alpha">The [[Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale|Earl of Lonsdale]] was appointed Chairman, with Colonel Weston, M.P., as Vice-Chairman, [[William Walter Riddell Binning|Major Binning]], Mr. F. R. Hodgson, and Captain Wakefield were appointed Goveners of Local Committees, at Carlisle, Workington, and Kendal, respectively, and Mr. [[Gerald Spring-Rice]] became Hon. Secretary of the Executive Committee.</ref> The Lonsdale Battalion was raised in three detachments, those of Carlisle, Kendal and Workington.<ref name="lons-booklet">[[The Lonsdale Battalion Border Regiment, September 1914 to June 1915]].</ref><ref group="lower-alpha">There were four companies in the three detachments: {{A Company}} and {{B Company}} from East and North Cumberland were based at Blackhall Racecourse, {{C Company}} from Westmorland was based at Kendal, and {{D Company}} from West Cumberland was based at Workington.</ref>
'''Blackhall''', also known as '''Blackhall Camp''' and '''Blackhall Racecourse''', especially during the time of the Great War, was the name synonymous with the small village of '''Blackwell''', approximately two miles south of Carlisle, Cumberland. Blackwell, and the racecourse situated in the village, was the location of the headquarters of the [[Lonsdale Battalion]], a Pals battalion formed by [[Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale]] and an executive committee.<ref group="lower-alpha">The [[Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale|Earl of Lonsdale]] was appointed Chairman, with Colonel Weston, M.P., as Vice-Chairman, [[William Walter Riddell Binning|Major Binning]], Mr. F. R. Hodgson, and Captain Wakefield were appointed Goveners of Local Committees, at Carlisle, Workington, and Kendal, respectively, and Mr. [[Gerald Spring-Rice]] became Hon. Secretary of the Executive Committee.</ref> The Lonsdale Battalion was raised in three detachments, those of Carlisle, Kendal and Workington.<ref name="lons-booklet">[[The Lonsdale Battalion Border Regiment, September 1914 to June 1915]].</ref><ref group="lower-alpha">There were four companies in the three detachments: {{A Company}} and {{B Company}} from East and North Cumberland were based at Blackhall Racecourse, {{C Company}} from Westmorland was based at Kendal, and {{D Company}} from West Cumberland was based at Workington.</ref>


The village is one of several settlements within the {{wl|civil parish}} of {{wl|St Cuthbert Without}}, comprising Blackwell, Durdar, Carleton, [[w:Brisco, Cumbria|Brisco]] and {{wl|Wreay}}.<ref>[http://www.stcuthbertwithout.org.uk/ The Parish] St Cuthbert Without Parish Council. Accessed 20 December, 2022.</ref> These villages formed the scattered populace of St Cuthbert Without in what were mainly fields with small areas of developing settlements, although between 1891 and 1901, the population dropped dramatically from 16,152 to 3,456.<ref>GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, St Cuthbert Without CP through time. ''A Vision of Britain through Time''. [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10012107/cube/TOT_POP Total Population]. Date accessed: 20 December, 2022.</ref> Whilst much of the present-day parish still predominantly farmland, the area as it was during the start of the Great War, and further back in history, shows a different backdrop of rural life, a short distance from the centre of the city of Carlisle.
The village is one of several settlements within the {{wl|civil parish}} of {{wl|St Cuthbert Without}}, comprising Blackwell, Durdar, Carleton, [[w:Brisco, Cumbria|Brisco]] and {{wl|Wreay}}.<ref>[http://www.stcuthbertwithout.org.uk/ The Parish] St Cuthbert Without Parish Council. Accessed 20 December, 2022.</ref> These villages formed the scattered populace of St Cuthbert Without in what were mainly fields with small areas of developing settlements, although between 1891 and 1901, the population dropped dramatically from 16,152 to 3,456.<ref>GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, St Cuthbert Without CP through time. ''A Vision of Britain through Time''. [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10012107/cube/TOT_POP Total Population]. Date accessed: 20 December, 2022.</ref> Whilst much of the present-day parish is still predominantly farmland, the area around Blackhall during the start of the Great War, shows a different backdrop of rural life, a short distance from the centre of the city of Carlisle.


The term Blackhall appears in various places throughout the site. Whilst the administrative area known as Blackhall, or '''Blackhall Low''' as it was known (see below), did exist prior to the end of the 19th Century, both Blackhall and Blackwell have been used interchangeably in other source materials contemporary with the Great War after it ceased to be used as an official authoritative area.
The term Blackhall appears in various places throughout the site. Whilst the administrative area known as Blackhall, or '''Blackhall Low''' as it was known (see below), did exist prior to the end of the 19th Century, both Blackhall and Blackwell have been used interchangeably in other source materials contemporary with the Great War after it ceased to be used as an official authoritative area.
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[[File:Grandstand at Blackhall Racecourse.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The grandstand at Blackhall (Blackwell) Racecourse]]
[[File:Grandstand at Blackhall Racecourse.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The grandstand at Blackhall (Blackwell) Racecourse]]
[[File:Parade of recruits 01.jpg|thumb|300px|A parade of recruits 'standing to' at the racecourse]]
[[File:Parade of recruits 01.jpg|thumb|300px|A parade of recruits 'standing to' at the racecourse]]
The name Blackwell, along with its variations, gets its name from the black, heathy land of the ancient royal forest of Inglewood, which stretched from the southern boundaries of Carlisle to Penrith. The land is steeped in history and is described in John Marius Wilson's ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' of 1870 as a place "long stocked with red deer, fallow deer, and other bests of the chase." <ref group="lower-alpha">John Marius Wilson describes Inglewood Forest thus: "A quondam forest in Cumberland; extending from Penrith to the neighbourhood of Carlisle, and measuring about 60 miles in circuit. It was given by the Conqueror to Ranulph de Meschiens; was long stocked with red deer, fallow deer, and other beasts of chase; was the scene of hunts by Edward I., when residing at Carlisle; formed an object of keen contests between the Scots and the English, for possession of its fastnesses; was finally ceded by the Scots in 1237; became afterwards the property of the Crown; continued to be strictly a forest till the time of Henry VIII.; and was given to the first Earl of Portland by William III."</ref><ref>John Marius Wilson (1870). ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales''. vol. 3, p. 1044. [https://archive.org/details/imperialgazettee03wils/page/1044/mode/2up?q=Inglewood+Forest Archive.org] Date accessed: 20 December. 2022.</ref> Today, like other royal forests that still survive in name, the trees have long since disappeared. Inglewood Forest is mainly arable, with a few small pockets of wooded areas within this open landscape.
The name Blackwell, along with its variations, gets its name from the black, heathy land of the ancient royal forest of Inglewood, which stretched from the southern boundaries of Carlisle to Penrith. The land is steeped in history and is described in John Marius Wilson's ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' of 1870 as a place "long stocked with red deer, fallow deer, and other bests of the chase." <ref group="lower-alpha">John Marius Wilson describes Inglewood Forest thus: "A quondam forest in Cumberland; extending from Penrith to the neighbourhood of Carlisle, and measuring about 60 miles in circuit. It was given by the Conqueror to Ranulph de Meschiens; was long stocked with red deer, fallow deer, and other beasts of chase; was the scene of hunts by Edward I., when residing at Carlisle; formed an object of keen contests between the Scots and the English, for possession of its fastnesses; was finally ceded by the Scots in 1237; became afterwards the property of the Crown; continued to be strictly a forest till the time of Henry VIII.; and was given to the first Earl of Portland by William III."</ref><ref>John Marius Wilson (1870). ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales''. vol. 3, p. 1044. [https://archive.org/details/imperialgazettee03wils/page/1044/mode/2up?q=Inglewood+Forest Archive.org] Date accessed: 20 December. 2022.</ref> Today, like other royal forests that still survive in name, the trees have long since disappeared. Inglewood Forest is mainly arable, with a few small pockets of wooded areas within this open landscape.

There has been settlement in the immediate area of Blackwell since prehistoric times and the Roman occupation of Britain, evident in cropmark features from aerial photography.<ref>LUC & Haynes. Section 6.2, p. 28.</ref> This is strengthened given Blackwell's proximity to Carlisle, the once Roman stronghold of {{wl|Luguvalium}}, and the {{wl|Carvetii}} tribe of {{wl|Celtic Britons}} who inhabited the land, and much of present-day Cumbria, prior to Roman intervention. In addition to this, there is surviving medieval archaeology evident in a settlement with cultivation remains near the racecourse<ref>LUC & Haynes. Section 6.3, p. 28.</ref> providing moderate-high archaeological potential within this area.<ref>LUC & Haynes. Section 6.4, p. 28.</ref>


Throughout this site the term Blackhall or Blackhall Camp is used to signify the location of the Lonsdale Battalion at the racecourse, known today as Carlisle Racecourse. Blackhall refers to Blackhall Low, a subdivision of St Cuthbert Without, and is used frequently from source material.<ref group="lower-alpha">Source material with use of the term Blackhall:
Throughout this site the term Blackhall or Blackhall Camp is used to signify the location of the Lonsdale Battalion at the racecourse, known today as Carlisle Racecourse. Blackhall refers to Blackhall Low, a subdivision of St Cuthbert Without, and is used frequently from source material.<ref group="lower-alpha">Source material with use of the term Blackhall:

Revision as of 10:48, 22 December 2022

Template:Location infobox

This article is about the location used by the Lonsdale Battalion during the Great War.
For a brief history of the Lonsdales at this location, see Blackhall Camp - Formation and training.

Blackhall, also known as Blackhall Camp and Blackhall Racecourse, especially during the time of the Great War, was the name synonymous with the small village of Blackwell, approximately two miles south of Carlisle, Cumberland. Blackwell, and the racecourse situated in the village, was the location of the headquarters of the Lonsdale Battalion, a Pals battalion formed by Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale and an executive committee.[a] The Lonsdale Battalion was raised in three detachments, those of Carlisle, Kendal and Workington.[1][b]

The village is one of several settlements within the civil parish of St Cuthbert Without, comprising Blackwell, Durdar, Carleton, Brisco and Wreay.[2] These villages formed the scattered populace of St Cuthbert Without in what were mainly fields with small areas of developing settlements, although between 1891 and 1901, the population dropped dramatically from 16,152 to 3,456.[3] Whilst much of the present-day parish is still predominantly farmland, the area around Blackhall during the start of the Great War, shows a different backdrop of rural life, a short distance from the centre of the city of Carlisle.

The term Blackhall appears in various places throughout the site. Whilst the administrative area known as Blackhall, or Blackhall Low as it was known (see below), did exist prior to the end of the 19th Century, both Blackhall and Blackwell have been used interchangeably in other source materials contemporary with the Great War after it ceased to be used as an official authoritative area.

Historic maps

Historic maps have a wealth of information. Even to the novice they can reveal interesting facts and provide a timeline of events. The primary sources used here are the Ordnance Survey maps from the National Library of Scotland. This resource enables the user to view historic maps side by side, allowing for study and comparison, not only with other historic maps but also with satellite imagery. This tool aids in understanding how the geography of an individual’s area of interest has changed over time.

The Ordnance Survey maps of 1868, 1901 and 1926 show the various settlements of St Cuthbert Without prior to, and for a period of time after, the Lonsdale Battalion were in residence at Blackwell. These three maps provide us with a long enough period of time to see the subtle differences that occurred and how the landscape changed. There are various other maps that provide a broader look at the area, typically with less detail the further back in time the maps were published.[c] Comparing the different maps, especially those after 1926 discussed here, significant developments have taken place and once small hamlets and villages have been swallowed as the expansion of Carlisle continued throughout the 20th Century. That said, the purpose of this text is simply to outline the settlement of Blackwell, its environs and how that relates to the Lonsdale Battalion and their tenure at the racecourse.

Before the Lonsdale Battalion’s residency in the village, Blackwell can be seen on the Ordnance Survey map of 1868.[d] It is here that the name Blackhall Low is prominent, however, on subsequent maps published in 1901[e] and 1926,[f] there is a distinct absence. The name Blackhall all but disappears from the Ordnance Survey maps from these years, and is survived only by Blackhall Wood House, a short distance east of Durdar. To understand why this happened is to realise what Blackhall Low was and the purpose it served.

Township of Blackhall Low

Blackhall Low served as a township, a subdivision or local district of the larger parish of St Cuthbert Without. These usually contained a village or small town[4] and a church. Townships were used for administrative purposes but these were becoming obsolete by the end of the 19th century due to government reform.[5] This reform essentially removed the townships by converting them to civil parishes, which by modern standards are used for similar administrative purposes for local government. During this reform, some townships were amalgamated into other civil parishes, whilst others simply gained civil parish status in their own right.[5] The term township is no longer used officially in England today, and is little used in its original historical context, but it has seen a recent revival, especially as subdivisions of boroughs in the north of England.[5] The various different tiers of ecclesiastical and civil authority in England can appear convoluted and is beyond the scope of this text.

The later maps of 1901 and 1926, whilst no longer showing the township of Blackhall Low, still furnish the reader with information about the size and names of settlements, the number of dwellings within a settlement, the various authority boundaries, and the removal and addition of dwellings as various settlements progressed through time. An example of this can be seen in the 1868 map, where the wooded area directly south of Blackwell Hall was called Blackhall Wood. In later maps and through to present day, it is known by the name of Toddhills Wood. Other places of note in the 1868 map for Blackhall Low are Blackwell Terrace and Blackwell House, both in close proximity to the White Ox inn, which was demolished in 1904 and rebuilt as the current building we see today. This is now used as a private dwelling.[6] Blackwell Common is named in the 1901 map and still serves as a green space today in exactly the same footprint. The racecourse did not exist in the 1868 and 1901 maps. It was built in 1904 and moved from its previous site called the Swifts, near the centre of Carlisle.

Two historic maps of note are Christopher Saxton's map of 1576 and John Speed's map of 1611 that show these exquisite hand-coloured engravings with Blek Hall as the first main settlement south of Carlisle.[7] This conjures intrigue as to what may have survived in the village from that time. However, according to a 2017 strategic landscape appraisal of the Carlisle South area, "nothing of that date is now identifiable in the hamlet." [8]

Blackwell

The grandstand at Blackhall (Blackwell) Racecourse
A parade of recruits 'standing to' at the racecourse

The name Blackwell, along with its variations, gets its name from the black, heathy land of the ancient royal forest of Inglewood, which stretched from the southern boundaries of Carlisle to Penrith. The land is steeped in history and is described in John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870 as a place "long stocked with red deer, fallow deer, and other bests of the chase." [g][9] Today, like other royal forests that still survive in name, the trees have long since disappeared. Inglewood Forest is mainly arable, with a few small pockets of wooded areas within this open landscape.

There has been settlement in the immediate area of Blackwell since prehistoric times and the Roman occupation of Britain, evident in cropmark features from aerial photography.[10] This is strengthened given Blackwell's proximity to Carlisle, the once Roman stronghold of Luguvalium, and the Carvetii tribe of Celtic Britons who inhabited the land, and much of present-day Cumbria, prior to Roman intervention. In addition to this, there is surviving medieval archaeology evident in a settlement with cultivation remains near the racecourse[11] providing moderate-high archaeological potential within this area.[12]

Throughout this site the term Blackhall or Blackhall Camp is used to signify the location of the Lonsdale Battalion at the racecourse, known today as Carlisle Racecourse. Blackhall refers to Blackhall Low, a subdivision of St Cuthbert Without, and is used frequently from source material.[h] These sources state both Blackhall and Blackwell. Both have been used to refer to the same locale: the village of Blackwell and the nearby Lonsdale Battalion camp within the grounds of the racecourse. While Blackhall Low ceased to exist before the start of the Great War, the name had stuck and continued to be used at least during the Lonsdale occupation of the racecourse and surrounding area of the village.

On 25 September the camp, located at the racecourse, was officially started with 75 recruits under the command of Major Binning and Captain Sale. On 15 October 1914, the West Cumberland recruits were transferred from Workington to Blackhall and with an increase in numbers there was greater need for proper accommodation instead of the sleeping in the Grandstand, the stables and other various temporary shelters. Hutments to house all the men needed to be built. Whilst there was ample space for the accommodation, the Westmorland men remained at Kendal until 5 January 1915, when the hutments were completed and ready for use. The Westmorland men moved to Headquarters under the command of Colonel Haworth. He handed over C Company, 280 strong[1] and at this point, with all four companies situated on site, Blackhall became the epicentre of the Battalion. Men that had grown up together were enlisting together and "during these formative days of the Battalion’s earliest history it became clear to everyone in the Border Counties that this really was a Battalion of 'Pals,' of comrades, and of Border men." [1]

Durdar

Further south but still in historical Blackhall Low is the hamlet of Durdar. It was here that large tree plantations of various sizes existed. Durdar comprised a cross-roads, a few dwellings one of which was the Black Lion inn.


St Cuthbert Without

The parish of St Cuthbert takes its name from St Cuthbert’s Church in Carlisle. The size of the original parish of St Cuthbert was larger than what exists today. In 1866 it was divided creating two separate parishes, that of St Cuthbert Within and St Cuthbert Without.[13] This was not the only change to the parish boundaries over the years. The expansion of Carlisle saw further changes to the boundaries and the separate parish of Wreay would eventually be incorporated into St Cuthbert Without in 1934.[14]

Naming the parish St Cuthbert "Without" may at first appear unusual but there is a simple reason this was done. That part of the ecclesiastical parish was outside the city boundary or walls. On the other hand, St Cuthbert "Within" was part of the ecclesiastical parish located within the city boundary, which was eventually absorbed into Carlisle civil parish in 1904.


Mannix & Whellan, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Cumberland, 1847)

Notes

  1. ↑ The Earl of Lonsdale was appointed Chairman, with Colonel Weston, M.P., as Vice-Chairman, Major Binning, Mr. F. R. Hodgson, and Captain Wakefield were appointed Goveners of Local Committees, at Carlisle, Workington, and Kendal, respectively, and Mr. Gerald Spring-Rice became Hon. Secretary of the Executive Committee.
  2. ↑ There were four companies in the three detachments: A Company and B Company from East and North Cumberland were based at Blackhall Racecourse, C Company from Westmorland was based at Kendal, and D Company from West Cumberland was based at Workington.
  3. ↑ This is not to say that historic maps are in any way less ornate. Much is the opposite with these hand-drawn and coloured maps, displayed to the present-day viewer with incredible artistic detail.
  4. ↑ The map was originally surveyed between 1865-67 and published 1868.
  5. ↑ The map was originally surveyed between 1861-63, revised in 1899 and published in 1901.
  6. ↑ The map was originally surveyed between 1861-63, revised in 1924 and published in 1926.
  7. ↑ John Marius Wilson describes Inglewood Forest thus: "A quondam forest in Cumberland; extending from Penrith to the neighbourhood of Carlisle, and measuring about 60 miles in circuit. It was given by the Conqueror to Ranulph de Meschiens; was long stocked with red deer, fallow deer, and other beasts of chase; was the scene of hunts by Edward I., when residing at Carlisle; formed an object of keen contests between the Scots and the English, for possession of its fastnesses; was finally ceded by the Scots in 1237; became afterwards the property of the Crown; continued to be strictly a forest till the time of Henry VIII.; and was given to the first Earl of Portland by William III."
  8. ↑ Source material with use of the term Blackhall:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Lonsdale Battalion Border Regiment, September 1914 to June 1915.
  2. ↑ The Parish St Cuthbert Without Parish Council. Accessed 20 December, 2022.
  3. ↑ GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, St Cuthbert Without CP through time. A Vision of Britain through Time. Total Population. Date accessed: 20 December, 2022.
  4. ↑ Township Collins English Dictionary.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Wikipedia article: Township (England). Date accessed: 19 December, 2022.
  6. ↑ LUC & Haynes. Section 6.16, p. 32.
  7. ↑ Guide to the Lakes Date accessed: 18 December, 2022.
  8. ↑ LUC & Haynes. Section 6.14, p. 32.
  9. ↑ John Marius Wilson (1870). Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. vol. 3, p. 1044. Archive.org Date accessed: 20 December. 2022.
  10. ↑ LUC & Haynes. Section 6.2, p. 28.
  11. ↑ LUC & Haynes. Section 6.3, p. 28.
  12. ↑ LUC & Haynes. Section 6.4, p. 28.
  13. ↑ History of the Parish St Cuthbert Without Parish Council. Date accessed: 20 December, 2022.
  14. ↑ GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, St Cuthbert Without CP through time. A Vision of Britain through Time. Wreay Ch/CP Date accessed: 21 December, 2022.

Sources

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