England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bewcastle St Cuthbert

The Parish

The parish of Bewcastle lies in the extreme north of Cumberland, indeed it forms not only a substantial part of the border with Scotland but also with neighbouring Northumberland. Bewcastle covers a vast area of the border moors with no real defined village to call its centre. Bewcastle is located about 13 miles northeast of the city of Carlisle and sits in lanes some 4 miles north of the lonely B6318 which connects Haltwhistle, in Northumberland, with Langholm, in Scotland. Bewcastle has its origins and name from the castle built by Bueth, Lord of Gilsland on the site of a Roman station, the castle being demolished as a reprisal during the English Civil War. Whilst the area appears sparsely populated today this was not always so, apart from the rough grazing supporting numerous sheep and cattle, there were mines for coal and lead in particular. Today the area is one of vast moorland dominated by grouse moors and sheep laden fells. Bewcastle is drained by the Kirk Beck westwards whence it soon reaches the River Lyne then Esk to reach the Irish Sea through the Solway Firth. The area around Bewcastle's church is sited at around 150 metres above the sea but the parish contains a large area of fells with heights rising to above 500 metres on Glandhu Hill sharing the border with Northumberland. Whilst Bewcastle was not the largest in area within Cumberland it is certainly vast, it covered over 41,000 acres but of that almost half were common lands, given the extractive industries it supported a population of around 1,300 parishioners albeit few in the hamlet of Bewcastle, itself. There is no mention of Bewcastle in Domesday Book which did not cover this area of England.

The Church

St Cuthbert's church sits in the valley of the Kirk Beck and on its northern banks, a vast area of open fell rising steeply to the north surrounds the site of church and nearby castle site. The church appears fortified against the once prevalent border reivers with the northern face totally devoid of windows (a protection from the weather rather than the neighbours). Pevsner speculates whether the lancet windows are genuine early 13th century work but the majority of the church was rebuilt in Georgian times using the lancet style of a Commissioners church. The church is left with only a few lines in Pevsner's description as he devotes an entire page to Bewcastle's greatest asset, its runic cross. At 14 1/2 feet tall from its pedestal it is impressive in size alone. Once one considers its antiquity it is remarkable. Pevsner grants it a late 7th century date derived from its reference to Alcfrith son of Oswi who died in 670. The accomplished artwork is a "must see" and represents one of the iconic pieces of European art of the period and a rare survivor. The church stands at the crossing of the Kirk Beck by one of Bewcastle's many lanes, the trees surrounding the site are the only significant ones for many a mile. The churchyard is surrounded by not only trees but also a mid-height local stone wall, once through the boundary trees the site is unrestricted for photography.

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NB This register is bundled with its predecessor into a single archival deposit