Dent (Lonsdale)
Encyclopedia
Dent is a small village and civil parish in Cumbria
, England
, nestling in a narrow valley on the western slopes of the Pennines
within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is about 4 miles (6.4 km) south east of Sedbergh
and about 8 miles (12.9 km) north east of Kirkby Lonsdale
.
Historically
a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
, Dent lies in the valley of Dentdale, but the river is the River Dee
, a tributary of the River Lune
.
Both place name and dialect evidence indicate that this area was settled by Irish-Norse invaders in the 10th century (Hedevind 1967). Geoffrey Hodgson, in 2008, argued that this invasion accounts for the high frequency of the Hodgson
surname in the area.
Dentdale was one of the last Yorkshire Dales to be enclosed, Dent's Enclosure Award being made in 1859.
The Dent Brewery is an independent microbrewery
in Cowgill, just above Dent.
Dent was the original site of the Dent Folk Festival and is now the site of the Dent Music and Beer Festival at the end of June (see website: dentmusicandbeer.com) The first event was held in 2009 and was hailed as a great success
Dent was also the birthplace of the geologist, Adam Sedgwick
.
The Folk song 'The Jolly Miller of Dee' is popular in Dentdale and is thought by some local historians to have been inspired by the ancient watermill at Rash Bridge near the mouth of the River Dee.
Whilst fishing on the Dee at Dentdale in the 1840s, William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong saw a waterwheel in action, supplying power to a marble quarry. It struck Armstrong that much of the available power was being wasted and it inspired him to design a successful hydraulic engine which began the accumulation of his wealth and industrial empire.
Dent railway station
on the Settle and Carlisle Railway is about 4 miles (6.4 km) above the village at Denthead. Nearby, the railway goes over a viaduct
.
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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, nestling in a narrow valley on the western slopes of the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is about 4 miles (6.4 km) south east of Sedbergh
Sedbergh
Sedbergh is a small town in Cumbria, England. It lies about east of Kendal and about north of Kirkby Lonsdale. The town sits just within the Yorkshire Dales National Park...
and about 8 miles (12.9 km) north east of 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...
.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
, Dent lies in the valley of Dentdale, but the river is the River Dee
River Dee (Lune)
The River Dee is a river running through the extreme south east of Cumbria, a part of the Craven region traditionally part of the West Riding of Yorkshire....
, a tributary of the River Lune
River Lune
The River Lune is a river in Cumbria and Lancashire, England.It is formed at Wath, in the parish of Ravenstonedale, Cumbria, at the confluence of Sandwath Beck and Weasdale Beck...
.
Both place name and dialect evidence indicate that this area was settled by Irish-Norse invaders in the 10th century (Hedevind 1967). Geoffrey Hodgson, in 2008, argued that this invasion accounts for the high frequency of the Hodgson
Hodgson
Hodgson is a surname. In Britain, the Hodgson surname was the 173rd most common in 1881 and the 206th most common in 1998. In the United States of America, Hodgson was the 3753rd most popular surname in the 1990 census.-Origin and Meaning:The surname authority P. H...
surname in the area.
Dentdale was one of the last Yorkshire Dales to be enclosed, Dent's Enclosure Award being made in 1859.
The Dent Brewery is an independent microbrewery
Microbrewery
A microbrewery or craft brewer is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer, and is associated by consumers with innovation and uniqueness....
in Cowgill, just above Dent.
Dent was the original site of the Dent Folk Festival and is now the site of the Dent Music and Beer Festival at the end of June (see website: dentmusicandbeer.com) The first event was held in 2009 and was hailed as a great success
Dent was also the birthplace of the geologist, Adam Sedgwick
Adam Sedgwick
Adam Sedgwick was one of the founders of modern geology. He proposed the Devonian period of the geological timescale...
.
The Folk song 'The Jolly Miller of Dee' is popular in Dentdale and is thought by some local historians to have been inspired by the ancient watermill at Rash Bridge near the mouth of the River Dee.
Whilst fishing on the Dee at Dentdale in the 1840s, William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong saw a waterwheel in action, supplying power to a marble quarry. It struck Armstrong that much of the available power was being wasted and it inspired him to design a successful hydraulic engine which began the accumulation of his wealth and industrial empire.
Dent railway station
Dent railway station
Dent railway station serves the villages of Cowgill and Dent in Cumbria, England. It is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services....
on the Settle and Carlisle Railway is about 4 miles (6.4 km) above the village at Denthead. Nearby, the railway goes over a viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
.