England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Kirkland St Lawrence

The Parish

The parish of Kirkland sits in the extreme east of Cumberland forming part of the border with neighbouring Westmorland and very close to County Durham too. Kirkland is located roughly 8 miles east of the market town of Penrith and sits at the foot of the highest fell in the Pennine range, Cross Fell, and almost 4 miles from the nearest numbered road, the B6412 which follows the Eden valley. Kirkland is a small place indeed, little more than a fork in a pair of lanes occupied by a group of upland farms and, indeed, much smaller than the parish's chapelry of Culgaith which is substantially larger. This is mountain country, the moors largely being used for unimproved upland grazing by the ubiquitous Herdwick sheep of the district. The economy was underpinned by the extractive industries with lead, silver copper and even coal mined at various times over the centuries. Today Kirkland forms the base for the most frequently used ascent of Cross Fell, the notorious weather of the fell not deterring the adventurous hiker. Kirkland is drained westward by the Skirwith Beck which merges eventually with the Briggate Beck before joining the Eden north of Langwathby. The Eden, in turn, reaches the Irish Sea through the Solway Estuary after passing through Carlisle. Kirkland is sited at around 200 metres above the sea with land rising steeply eastwards to mighty Cross Fell which tops out at an impressive 893 metres and which lies just over 3 miles away. Kirkland parish was, like most upland parishes, extensive with almost 7,700 acres within the wider parish, however 3,000 of those acres are reserved for Culgaith chapelry; within the remaining 4.700 acres there would have been supported a hardy population of just over 500 parishioners. Domesday Book seldom mentions places this fare to the north and likewise Kirkland gets no mention in that book.

The Church

St Lawrence's church sits just into Kirkland Road, the northern fork of the two within the crook of the lanes' fork. The church has little remaining of the medieval having been largely rebuilt in 1880, indeed that substantial rebuild was the second the church had received as it was first modified in 1768. Pevsner struggles to find credible dating evidence for an early church noting the piscina as being representative of the 13th century Early English Gothic period whilst the chancel arch is of a similar age or perhaps the early 14th century of Decorated vintage. All else of the church dates from those substantial rebuilding phases. Within the churchyard, however, there stands a substantial early cross, over 8 feet in height it is an impressive sight. There is a substantial grassy sward outside the main gates in Kirkland Road with the churchyard resembling more an upland sheep paddock with dry-stone walling all around. The harsh climate of its altitude aids the photographer as it is too bleak for there to be any substantial trees about to impact the favoured aspects.