England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Eskdale St Catherine

The Parish

The chapelry of Eskdale, its mother parish being St Bees, lies in the south of Cumberland roughly 7 miles east of the coast at Ravenglass. Eskdale sits a similar distance away from significant numbered roads being amongst the highest land in England in a remote valley with the Lake District National Park. The dale formed by the River Esk has a string of small settlements from Eskdale Green to Dalegarth and Boot, which holds the parish church, all formed of stone-built farms for the support of low intensity upland grazing. Within the chapelry's acreage, on the slopes of Hardknott Fell, there sits one of the most remarkable Roman Fort sites in the land, sitting at almost 300 metres above the sea Mediobogdum fort would have certainly been a harsh posting for legionnaires from the Mediterranean. Whilst there would have been extractive industry within the valley with lead the main target, the local economy was underpinned by sheep, the hardy Herdwick sheep of the Lake District being the only breed capable of extracting a living from this area. Today Eskdale makes its living from sheep but also from visitors, the Esk for its fishing and the fells for the hikers. Modern developments have come to the valley with the construction of the narrow gauge railway from Ravenglass, initially to support the mining but nowadays a heritage steam line affectionately known as L'al Ratty. Eskdale is drained southwestwards by the Esk which reaches the Irish Sea at Ravenglass. Eskdale is an upland chapelry Eskdale Green sits at 70 metres above the sea with Boot a similar height, the chapelry, however, encompasses the highest land in England with the summit of Scafell Pike (shared with Wasdale Head) reaching 977 metres. Roughly 13,000 acres of the vast St Bees parish was assigned to Eskdale and that acreage would have supported a population of around 350 parishioners. Eskdale is not mentioned in Domesday Book which has no coverage this far to the north of western England.

The Church

St Catherine's church sits within the area of Boot but is accessed by a roughly surfaced lane from the main lane through the valley, it leaves just east of the Dalegarth terminus for L'al Ratty at the Brook House Inn and runs to the church which sits on the banks of the Esk. The church is a simple structure of nave and chancel combined into a single cell and augmented by a western bellcote and southern porch. The main body of the church shows Decorated styling, its 3-light eastern window demonstrates the style, and is usually assigned to the early 14th century. The church is built from the local rubble and capped with a slate roof.  Even in this remote setting the church received a Victorian restoration here it fell in 1881. The footpath/lane leading to the church is not recommended for vehicles so the church is one to visit on foot after finding parking, the railway terminus provides an ample car park. It is just over a quarter mile of scenic beauty of a walk to the church which sits within a churchyard devoid of obstacles for the photographer.