The Barony of Kendal is a subdivision of the English county of Westmorland

Westmorland

Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...

. It is one of two baronies in the county, the other being the Barony of Westmorland

Barony of Westmorland

The Barony of Westmorland was one of two baronies into which the English county of Westmorland was divided, the other being the Barony of Kendal. The barony covered the northern part of the county, and was divided into two wards — East ward and West ward. The barony included...

, and contains within it the wards of Kendal and Lonsdale. It covers the southwestern part of the county, including the towns of Kendal

Kendal

Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...

 and Kirkby Lonsdale

Kirkby Lonsdale

Kirkby Lonsdale is a small town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, on the River Lune. Historically within Westmorland, it is situated south east of Kendal along the A65. The parish had a population of 1,771 recorded in the 2001 census.Notable buildings include St...

.

Today's barony is the geographic remnant of the feudal barony whose caput

Caput

The Latin word caput, meaning literally "head" and by metonymy "top", has been borrowed in a variety of English words, including capital, captain, and decapitate...

 was at Kendal, granted by King William II(1087-1100) to William de Taillebois. During the reign of Henry I

Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...

(1100-1135) it passed to Chetell, son of Eldred lord of Workington

Workington

Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...

, Cumberland. Gilbert succeeded his father Chetell and his son William I took the name "de Lancaster" during the reign of Henry II

Henry II of England

Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...

(1154-1189). The barony was not however associated with the feudal barony and Honour

Honour (land)

In medieval England, an honour could consist of a great lordship, comprising dozens or hundreds of manors. Holders of honours often attempted to preserve the integrity of an honour over time, administering its properties as a unit, maintaining inheritances together, etc.The typical honour had...

 of Lancaster, in royal hands from 1164. The Barony is now part of the modern county of Cumbria

Cumbria

Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

.

Sources

• Farrer's Introduction to his Records of Kendal British History Online & Edenlinks website.