Natland is a highly attractive village located about two miles south of Kendalin the South Lakeland district of Cumbria and a little less south west of the main line railway station Oxenholme, The Lake District. At the time of the 2001 census, the population was 747. There were 672 electors on the register for Natland Civil Parish published in December 2007. The Civil Parish of Natland covers 892 acres of open countryside on the east bank of the River Kent, in Cumbria. It extends from the river to the sudden steep slope of Helm, which rises to 185m above sea level providing a fine viewpoint. Natland Village stands at the centre of the Parish. |  Natland from above Helm  Natland and Helm |
Signs of the earliest occupation of the Parish include earthworks on the summit of Helm, which could be an Iron Age fort. Undoubtedly the Romans used Helm in conjunction with the Roman Fort at Watercrook situated on the banks of the Kent, at the most northerly tip of the Parish. This four acre site was occupied by the Romans from the first century to the fourth century A.D. and many roman artefacts have been found.
Opinions differ as to the origin of the name "Natland". The English Place Names Society gives the derivation of Natland as the Old Norse "Natislundr", that is, "Nati's wood", Nati being either a mythological name or a proper name and Iundr "a small wood, a sacred grove" However Nicolson and Burn's 1777 "History and antiquities of the counties of Westmorland and Cumberland" describes Natland as "a small manor or lordship, containing only about 30 families. It seems to have had its name from the Nativi or bondmen probably placed there, as attendent upon the capital lord at Kendal castle to do servile offices."
The earliest recorded use of the name is in 1164. Natland Hall farm was granted permission for a chapel in 1246 and is probably the oldest building in the village. Natland Abbey, an agricultural community, a sub-branch of Furness Abbey is another 14th century building. Watercrook Farm, Natland Mill and Cracalt Farm are also of early origin. In 1674, the Dissenter Richard Frankland founded the Natland Academywhich tutored as many as twenty students until 1693.
There is a long standing legend that Natland has a Treacle Mine. What is certain is that there is a cave system running under the village from Helm to the river although the precise route is not known. For more information see Natland Treacle Mines and The Natland Pipeline Cave.
Village landmarks include St Mark's Church, the fourth church on the site, St Mark's C. of E. Primary School, the Village Hall and the Village Store & Post Office (formerly a public house- The Horse and Farrier). The Village Green, with its Coronation oak tree (1952), picnic table and two memorial seats is a popular venue for locals and visitors alike.
The Village Green and Helm are both common land owned by the Lord of the Manor, whose family seat is Sizergh Castle.
The Lancaster Canal ran through the west of the parish until its closure in 1947. Plans are now afoot to restore the canal and link it to a national waterways network
There are numerous public footpaths and attractive walks in the area- up Helm (with The Station Innat the north end and the Punchbowl at the south), north along the old canal tow path or the River Kent toward Kendal or south to Sedgwick. Sizergh Castle (National Trust with tea room and estate trails), Low Sizergh Barn farm shop, tea room and farm trail, Strickland Arms, Levens Hall & Park and Scout Scar are within walking distance. A regular bus service between Kendal andSilverdale has a bus stop near St Mark's Church;a more frequent service between Kendal andOxenholme runs along the A65 at the top of Oxenholme Lane. The Library Van stops in Park Close. |  |
For the definitive history of Natland, see Natland and Oxenholme - The story of a Westmorland village by Whin Inglesfield, Helm Press 2006.
For a 360 degree panoramic photo from the summit of Helm click on the photo below. The enlargement will open in a new page and you may need to click on it again to see it in all its glory so that you can scroll round the full vista.
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Zoom out to see its location regionally or nationally. Zoom in for a street plan. Or click for the Parish Council's Street Plan |  |
This aerial photograph was taken by J K St Joseph in 1949 (Cambridge University Collection) during a period of exceptional drought. The fort was built around 69 A.D. and is situated in a sharp loop in the river which affords protection on three sides. The site has also good road communications. There were as many as twelve buildings including barracks, granaries, bath house etc. |  |
There have been several excavations at the site and the three pictures below illustrate three of the objects found .
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Kendal Museum
The picture on the left is a portable altar. People feared the gods, and sought to win their favour, or ask for their help. In the middle is an inscribed memorial . It commemorates P. Aelius Basso an ex-centurion of the twentieth legion. On the right is a sculpture representing Bacchus, the God of Wine, as an infant.
A total of 65 coins have been found on the site. These Watercrook items are on display at Kendal Museum along with many other exhibits which are displayed in an imaginative, interesting fashion.
Extensive details of Watercrook Roman Fort can also be found in "Romans in the North West" by T W Potter. A copy is in the Kendal Library reference section.
Natland Church was a chapelry within the large parish of Kendal. In 1246 Ralph Daincurt gave to Master Roger Pepin, rector of the Church at Kirkby-in-Kendale, land at Natalunt in a competent place, 80ft in length and 40ft in breadth, to hold during his life, for the site of a barn in which to put his tithe at Natalunt. ( This was to the SSW of the present Church and now a bungalow called Tithe Barn occupies the site over the corner of Helm Lane).
Natland was in the archdeaconry of Richmond, which, until 1541, was part of the Diocese of York. It is probable that Natland Abbey - or an earlier primitive building on that site - was used by the monks of St Mary's Abbey, York, to collect the rents and tithes. (I'm not sure what the difference is between the terms 'rents' and 'tithes').
In 1541 the southern part of what is now the Diocese of Carlisle, was transferred to the Bishopric of Chester, and it was not until the 1850's that the diocese took its present shape.
After the dissolution of the Monasteries, in the mid 16th century, the Rectory of Kendal passed from St Mary's Convent at York ( why Convent as distinct from Abbey?) to the Crown - and therefore, in 1553 was in Queen Mary's gift and she bestowed this to Trinity College, Cambridge.
The tithes were originally paid in Kendal - hence the necessity for the tithe barns - which wouldn't be convenient at a distance and with awkward cartage/haulage. Eventually, to settle the many disputes this arrangement caused, an Act of Parliament in 1834 introduced the Kendal Corn Rent, with definite sums based on the price of crops. The rents were apportioned among the chapelries of Kendal Parish Church - including Natland. Later the Kendal Corn Rent Bill of 1932, enabled individual tithe payers to redeem their tithes at any time which led to the end of the Kendal Corn Rents. The Churchwardens appointed a collector of tithes, which were payable to Trinity College, Cambridge. The total amount of the township of Natland was initially £112. During the 1960's or thereabouts, many payers (and we were not all payers) had bought out their tithes, reducing the numbers to about 20. You will be probably know how many are still paying this - I'd be glad to hear how many.
Footnote by Stan O'Connor
About 1965 the Vicar (the Rev Eric Mann) approached me and said "I have a job for you". Somewhat innocently I offered my services. The job was to persuade individuals to buy out of their tithes. I have forgotten the exact number - somewhere about sixty or so and during the next months I laboured away at this. The difficult part was that the tithe holders had animal grazing rights on common land (eg the Helm). These related to cattle, sheep and ducks. When houses were built the particular grazing rights were apportioned over the houses. For example our share at High Meadows was "half a sheep" or something like that. Whin is right to say that about twenty people retained their grazing rights - the Vicar was one!. The main reason for this was the owner of the rights could attend the meeting of the "Commoners of Natland" and express their views on the letting of grazing on Helm. All the correspondence and the names of those who retained their grazing rights should still be in the Commoner's records.
St Mark's 1825 Church
This was the third church in the village, built in 1825. A new site was chosen for this church, a hundred yards from the old one, and where the present church stands. There was also a burial ground for the first time. The cost was £550 of which £450 was subscribed by parishioners. |  |
The pews were numbered and most were reserved for particular persons or for the occupants of the larger houses. The rest "shall be set apart and perpetually remain for the use of the poor inhabitants".
 | The Chancel was initially very small and the pulpit and reading desk were placed on the South side about half way down the church with all the pews facing them. The people in the Eastern half of the Church, therefore faced the pulpit but had their backs to the altar. |
In 1872 the Church was reseated and in 1879 a new chancel, organ chamber, and vestry were built (as in photo above).
Extract from "The Church on Natland Green" by Laura Oldham,
copies can be purchased in the Church.
copies can be purchased in the Church.
The present church is the fourth in the village.
For more information on the churches in Natland
back as far as 1246 see History of Natland and Visit Cumbria .
For more information on the churches in Natland
back as far as 1246 see History of Natland and Visit Cumbria .
Powder Works Cottages
The Census of 1901 shows five of these Cottages. They were situated where Park Cottages are now. As their name indicates they were owned by the local Gunpowder Works.
The local Gunpowder Works were at Sedgwick and Gatebeck. Sedgwick was the earliest one being established in about 1764 and supplied local quarries with blasting powder. One advantage of the site was its seclusion which allowed a dangerous process to operate in relative safety. There was also sufficient woodland to supply the key ingredient of charcoal.The site was relocated in 1850 to a larger site at Gatebeck.
In 1901 the five Cottages housed 25 persons (including children) with 8 employed at the Works. The trades are interesting and are recorded as Powder Maker, Wrapper, Cartridge Filler, Gunpowder maker, Machinist.
More details of the local gunpowder mills can be found in "'Gunpowder Mills of Cumbria" by Tyler which can be purchased at Ottakers and there is also a copy in Kendal Library in the reference section.
Helme Lodge was built for William Dilworth Crewdson in 1824-7; the architects being Francis and George Webster who were responsible for many of Kendal's finest buildings. A square Grecian Villa of great quality, built of limestone with freestone dressings and a service wing projecting to the east, it represents the retreat to the country of this Kendal banker. |  |
The golden freestone is used for window architraves and the Ionic portico which was carved at Longridge Fell by William Coulthard of Lancaster who was paid £135/16/9 and carried to the site by the Kendal-Lancaster canal.
The designs show variations in planning within a fixed outline. The best design shows the staircase leading to an Ionic gallery under a dome. The handrail is like those at Kendal Town Hall. There were excellent fireplaces throughout of local and imported marbles. Along the south front is a metal verandah . When repairs were carried out after a fire in 1915 the tripartite windows on the west were pushed forward to give balconies above them. Some subsidiary buildings like the stables and the gig house were by William Airey . The Lodge was divided into flats in 1988.
Extracted from 'The Websters of Kendal' by Angus Taylor and published by Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society
St Mark's Home for Boys
On July 1st 1882 four boys became the first inhabitants of St Mark's Home for Boys, Natland. The Reverend Charles Whitaker founded the Home and acted as Warder after The Waifs and Strays Society ( later the Children's Society) took over in 1894.The number of boys housed quickly grew to 25.
The first boy to be taken into care at the Home was partially disabled due to a fall on ice and neglect by his parents. At the age of 10 he worked as a crossing sweeper on Clapham Common. After he left the Home he became a reader in a print firm, got married and had a daughter, In the 1920's he wrote poems under the pseudonym 'A Waif'. He died of tuberculosis in March 1930.
The Home had a Scout Troop. On February 10th 1912, the boys had their first outing. All the boys from Natland lined the village to see the troop proudly march down the road in their uniforms. This picture was taken in October 1902. The clothes they are wearing are their Sunday best - an outfit they wore to Church on Sunday. In 1960 the home started to look after girls as well as boys |  |
St Mark's ceased being a home in 1975 and became a holiday centre for children in other Society Homes. The Centre closed in 1995 and Appletree School for problem children now occupies the site.
What was life as a Waif and Stray in St Mark's Home really like?
Those familiar with Natland will recognise the large Victorian building on Sedgwick Road as being the Appletree Special Needs Residential School. Many will remember it in its earlier guise as St Mark's Church of England Children's Society Home. Fewer will recall (unless they have read Whin Inglesfield's book on Natland & Oxenholme) that it was originally founded as St Mark's Home for Boys by the Church of England Incorporated Society for Providing Home for Waifs and Strays. |  The former St Mark's Home for Waifs and Strays |
 George with his sisters Lily and Ann | In her book, Whin refers to the Waifs and Strays Society becoming the Church of England Children's Society in 1947 and that St Mark's Home "gradually became more relaxed". She is silent on what conditions were like for the residents in the years prior to the change. However one former inmate, George Wenman, has been in touch withNatland.info, initially with a letter to theOpen Forum (see message 38 seeking to get in touch with a former friend). Subsequently George met John Fisher to discuss how to organise Scarecrow Festivals. On hearing George's story of his time at St Mark's Home during the war, John suggested to him that it should be told to a wider audience. It is a tale of sadness and of bullying yet at the same time provides an unusual insight into everyday life coupled with underlying humour and optimism. |
To learn what life was like as a Waif and Stray in St Mark's Home, Natland, click on George's Story.
 | Here you can see residents and visitors clustered on the Village Green for the Millennium photo taken from the church tower Click on the picture for a larger version. How many dogs can you see in the photo? There are at least 13! |
The 2001 Census records Natland civil parish as having a population of 747;
369 males (49.4%) and 378 females (50.6%).
369 males (49.4%) and 378 females (50.6%).
Ages | Population | Percentage |
0 - 4 | 18 | 2.4% |
5 - 15 | 82 | 10.9% |
16 - 24 | 50 | 6.7% |
24 - 64 | 409 | 54.8% |
65 - 74 | 112 | 15.0% |
75+ | 76 | 10.2% |
There were 114 singles persons, 447 and 86 widowed or divorced.
519 reported thesleves as in good health but 164 were recorded as suffering from limiting long term illness. 101 persons were recorded as providing unpaid care.
519 reported thesleves as in good health but 164 were recorded as suffering from limiting long term illness. 101 persons were recorded as providing unpaid care.
7 people were unemployed.
The number of dwellings was 363 of which 224 were detached, 102 semi-detached and 37 flates. The number of second homes was 14.
The number of cars owned in the village was 513. 150 households had 1 car, 132 had 2 cars and 25 had 3 cars.
For census information on Natland Ward (as opposed to the civil parish)
see Natland Ward Profile
see Natland Ward Profile
