Dunsop Bridge
Encyclopedia
Dunsop Bridge is a village within the Ribble Valley
borough of Lancashire
, England, situated 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Clitheroe
, 15 miles (24 km) south-east of Lancaster
and 24.5 miles (39 km) east of Skipton
. It is in the civil parish
of Bowland Forest High
.
It is one of two main contenders for the location of the exact geographic centre
of Great Britain
. The other town is Haltwhistle
in Northumberland
, some 71 miles (114 km) to the north. Dunsop Bridge's claim is calculated on the fact that it is the gravitational centre of the island (although the exact point is at Whitendale Hanging Stones, near Brennand Farm, 4+1/2 mi north of the village).
In 1992, BT installed its 100,000th payphone
at Dunsop Bridge and included a plaque to explain its significance - the plaque reads "You are calling from the BT payphone that marks the centre of Great Britain." The telephone box was unveiled by Sir Ranulph Fiennes
.
The Queen
has visited Dunsop Bridge twice, once during the late 1980s and more recently in the summer of 2006.
of the River Dunsop
and the River Hodder
before the Hodder flows south to join the River Ribble
outside Clitheroe
. The bridge from which the village takes its name consists of two simple arches which span the river.
On 8 August 1967, Dunsop Valley
entered the UK Weather Records
with the highest 90-min total rainfall at 117 mm. As of July 2006, this record remains. The village is surrounded on all sides by the rolling hills of the Forest of Bowland
and is located within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
. Nearby is the Salter Fell Track, a pass along which the Lancashire Witches are believed to have been taken to their trial at Lancaster Castle
.
until the 1974 reorganisation of local government.
Dunsop Bridge was developed into a village in the mid 19th century as a result of the lead
mining industry in the area. Before that, there were only a few isolated houses and farms in the area. Thorneyholme House, close to the centre of the village, was home to John Towneley
, 13th Lord of Bowland, in the period up until his death in 1878. Prior to that, it had been home to Richard Eastwood, an acclaimed breeder of racehorses and shorthorn
cattle.Eastwood, an acclaimed breeder of racehorses and shorthorn
cattle. Eastwood, land agent to the Towneleys
, was the last known Bowbearer of Bowland. He died in 1871 and is buried at St Hubert's, Dunsop Bridge.
From the late eleventh century, Dunsop had fallen under the ancient Lordship of Bowland
which comprised a Royal Forest
and a Liberty
of ten manors spanning eight townships and four parishes and covered an area of almost 300 square miles (777 km²) on the historic borders of Lancashire
and Yorkshire
. The manors within the Liberty
were Slaidburn
(Newton-in-Bowland, West Bradford
, Grindleton), Knowlmere, Waddington
, Easington
, Bashall
, Mitton
, Withgill (Crook)
, Leagram
, Hammerton
and Dunnow (Battersby)
.
In 2009, it was reported that Charles Towneley Strachey, 4th Baron O'Hagan had stepped forward on behalf of the Towneley
family to claim the title of 15th Lord of Bowland. Previously, the Lordship had been thought lost or in the possession of the Crown
having disappeared from the historical record in late nineteenth century. The Towneleys
had owned the Bowland Forest Estate from 1835 and it transpired that the title had been retained by an extinct family trust. Controversially, Lord O'Hagan went on to sell the Lordship of Bowland at auction. The 16th Lord of Bowland was later revealed to be a Cambridge University don who specialises in the history of Lancashire, its place names and dialects and has ancestral links to the Forest. The 16th Lord made an official visit to the village in April 2011. His Bowbearer of the Forest of Bowland
, Robert Parker, was in attendance, together with representatives from the Bowland Higher
Division Parish Council, the Forest authorities, community leaders and other dignitaries.
Dunsop has a more ancient historical significance, however. The river formed the easternmost boundary of the territory of Amounderness
in the ninth century and is cited in a grant made by King Athelstan to Wulfstan of York in 934 AD.
church of St. Hubert’s was built to the design of Edward Pugin, from, it is believed, the winnings of the racehorse Kettledrum owned by Colonel Charles Towneley
of Towneley Hall, Burnley
in the 1861 Epsom Derby
The Toweneley stud was at nearby Root Farm. The Towneleys' agent and an early patron of St Hubert's, Richard Eastwood, is entombed outside the front entrance to the church.
The church was opened on 2 May 1865 by Bishop Richard Roskell
of Nottingham
. The medieval font was originally from the ancient church at Burholme near Whitewell
. The east and west windows are by J. B. Capronnier of Brussels
and date from 1865. In its early years, the Church was served by the Jesuit Order, presumably from nearby Stonyhurst
.
The middle west window depicts St. Hubert who is the patron saint
of hunters, as a huntsman accompanied by a stag. The Forest of Bowland
was once a royal hunting forest. According to legend St. Hubert’s conversion to the Catholic faith took place on a Good Friday
when, while hunting a stag, he saw a vision of a cross between its antlers and heard a voice telling him to seek instruction in the Christian faith. In 705, he became Bishop of Maastricht
, later of Liege
.
Ribble Valley
Ribble Valley is a local government district with borough status within the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Clitheroe. Other places include Whalley, Longridge and Ribchester. The area is so called due to the River Ribble which flows in its final stages...
borough of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England, situated 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
, 15 miles (24 km) south-east of Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
and 24.5 miles (39 km) east of Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
. It is in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Bowland Forest High
Bowland Forest High
Bowland Forest High is a civil parish in the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England, covering some 20,000 acres of the Forest of Bowland. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 163.. The parish includes the settlements of Hareden, Sykes, and Dunsop Bridge. It covers...
.
It is one of two main contenders for the location of the exact geographic centre
Centre points of the United Kingdom
There has long been debate over the exact location of the geographical centre of the United Kingdom, and its constituent countries, due to the complexity and method of the calculation, such as whether to include offshore islands, and the fact that erosion will cause the position to change over time...
of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The other town is Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle is a small town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, situated east of Brampton, near Hadrian's Wall, and the villages of Plenmeller, Rowfoot and Melkridge...
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, some 71 miles (114 km) to the north. Dunsop Bridge's claim is calculated on the fact that it is the gravitational centre of the island (although the exact point is at Whitendale Hanging Stones, near Brennand Farm, 4+1/2 mi north of the village).
In 1992, BT installed its 100,000th payphone
Payphone
A payphone or pay phone is a public telephone, often located in a phone booth or a privacy hood, with pre-payment by inserting money , a credit or debit card, or a telephone card....
at Dunsop Bridge and included a plaque to explain its significance - the plaque reads "You are calling from the BT payphone that marks the centre of Great Britain." The telephone box was unveiled by Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Ranulph Fiennes
Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, OBE , better known as Ranulph Fiennes, is a British adventurer and holder of several endurance records. He is also a prolific writer. Fiennes served in the British Army for eight years including a period on counter-insurgency service while...
.
The Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
has visited Dunsop Bridge twice, once during the late 1980s and more recently in the summer of 2006.
Geography
The village is located at the confluenceConfluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the River Dunsop
River Dunsop
The River Dunsop is a river in the Forest of Bowland in Northern England. It flows into the River Hodder at Dunsop Bridge.It begins at the confluence of the Brennand River and Whitendale River, both of which rise high up in the surrounding moorland. It then flows through the steep-sided Dunsop...
and the River Hodder
River Hodder
The River Hodder is a river in Lancashire, England. The river is a County Biological Heritage Site.It rises on White Hill and flows for approximately 23 miles to the River Ribble, of which it is the largest tributary...
before the Hodder flows south to join the River Ribble
River Ribble
The River Ribble is a river that runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire, in northern England. The river's drainage basin also includes parts of Greater Manchester around Wigan.-Geography:...
outside Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
. The bridge from which the village takes its name consists of two simple arches which span the river.
On 8 August 1967, Dunsop Valley
River Dunsop
The River Dunsop is a river in the Forest of Bowland in Northern England. It flows into the River Hodder at Dunsop Bridge.It begins at the confluence of the Brennand River and Whitendale River, both of which rise high up in the surrounding moorland. It then flows through the steep-sided Dunsop...
entered the UK Weather Records
UK Weather Records
The UK Weather Records note the most extreme weather ever recorded in the United Kingdom, such as the most and fewest hours of sunshine and highest wind speed.-Temperature:-Rainfall:...
with the highest 90-min total rainfall at 117 mm. As of July 2006, this record remains. The village is surrounded on all sides by the rolling hills of the Forest of Bowland
Forest of Bowland
The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells, is an area of barren gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England. A small part lies in North Yorkshire, and much of the area was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire...
and is located within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
. Nearby is the Salter Fell Track, a pass along which the Lancashire Witches are believed to have been taken to their trial at Lancaster Castle
Lancaster Castle
Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle located in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. Its early history is unclear, but may have been founded in the 11th century on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of the River Lune. In 1164, the Honour of Lancaster, including the...
.
History
Dunsop Bridge was in the West Riding of YorkshireWest 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...
until the 1974 reorganisation of local government.
Dunsop Bridge was developed into a village in the mid 19th century as a result of the lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mining industry in the area. Before that, there were only a few isolated houses and farms in the area. Thorneyholme House, close to the centre of the village, was home to John Towneley
John Towneley
John Towneley was an English Whig politician.He was elected at the 1841 general election as a Member of Parliament for Beverley, and held the seat until he did not stand at the 1852 general election.- Personal Life :...
, 13th Lord of Bowland, in the period up until his death in 1878. Prior to that, it had been home to Richard Eastwood, an acclaimed breeder of racehorses and shorthorn
Shorthorn
The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late 18th century. The breed was developed as dual purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however there were always certain blood lines within the breed which emphasised one quality or the other...
cattle.Eastwood, an acclaimed breeder of racehorses and shorthorn
Shorthorn
The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late 18th century. The breed was developed as dual purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however there were always certain blood lines within the breed which emphasised one quality or the other...
cattle. Eastwood, land agent to the Towneleys
Towneley (family)
The Towneley or Townley family are an English recusant family whose ancestry can be traced back to Norman England. They take their name from Towneley Hall in Burnley, Lancashire, which was the family seat until its sale in 1901.-The Towneleys of Towneley Hall:...
, was the last known Bowbearer of Bowland. He died in 1871 and is buried at St Hubert's, Dunsop Bridge.
From the late eleventh century, Dunsop had fallen under the ancient Lordship of Bowland
Lordship of Bowland
The Lordship of Bowland, an ancient English title connected with the Forest of Bowland in the northwest of England, was once thought lost and was only recently rediscovered. It disappeared from sight in 1885 when the estates of the Towneleys, one of Lancashire’s great aristocratic families, were...
which comprised a Royal Forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
and a Liberty
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
of ten manors spanning eight townships and four parishes and covered an area of almost 300 square miles (777 km²) on the historic borders of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. The manors within the Liberty
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
were Slaidburn
Slaidburn
Slaidburn is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. With a population in 2001 of just under 300, it covers just over 5000 acres of the Forest of Bowland...
(Newton-in-Bowland, West Bradford
West Bradford
West Bradford may refer to:*West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania*West Bradford, Lancashire*Bradford West...
, Grindleton), Knowlmere, Waddington
Waddington
Waddington is a large rural commuter village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Situated approximately south of Lincoln on the A607 Grantham Road...
, Easington
Easington, Lancashire
Easington is a civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England, with a population in 2001 of 52. Prior to 1974, it formed part of Bowland Rural District in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It covers just over 9000 acres.-History:...
, Bashall
Bashall Eaves
Bashall Eaves is a village and civil parish in the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England, about four miles west of Clitheroe. The placename element eaves is Old English and refers to Bashall's location on the borders of the Forest of Bowland.According to the 2001 census, the parish of...
, Mitton
Great Mitton
Great Mitton is a village and a civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is separated from the civil parish of Little Mitton by the River Ribble, both lie about 3 miles from the town of Clitheroe...
, Withgill (Crook)
Great Mitton
Great Mitton is a village and a civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is separated from the civil parish of Little Mitton by the River Ribble, both lie about 3 miles from the town of Clitheroe...
, Leagram
Bowland-with-Leagram
Bowland-with-Leagram is a civil parish in the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England, covering part of the Forest of Bowland. According to the census, the parish had a population of 181 in 1951 and 128 in 2001....
, Hammerton
Slaidburn
Slaidburn is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. With a population in 2001 of just under 300, it covers just over 5000 acres of the Forest of Bowland...
and Dunnow (Battersby)
Slaidburn
Slaidburn is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. With a population in 2001 of just under 300, it covers just over 5000 acres of the Forest of Bowland...
.
In 2009, it was reported that Charles Towneley Strachey, 4th Baron O'Hagan had stepped forward on behalf of the Towneley
Towneley (family)
The Towneley or Townley family are an English recusant family whose ancestry can be traced back to Norman England. They take their name from Towneley Hall in Burnley, Lancashire, which was the family seat until its sale in 1901.-The Towneleys of Towneley Hall:...
family to claim the title of 15th Lord of Bowland. Previously, the Lordship had been thought lost or in the possession of the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
having disappeared from the historical record in late nineteenth century. The Towneleys
Towneley (family)
The Towneley or Townley family are an English recusant family whose ancestry can be traced back to Norman England. They take their name from Towneley Hall in Burnley, Lancashire, which was the family seat until its sale in 1901.-The Towneleys of Towneley Hall:...
had owned the Bowland Forest Estate from 1835 and it transpired that the title had been retained by an extinct family trust. Controversially, Lord O'Hagan went on to sell the Lordship of Bowland at auction. The 16th Lord of Bowland was later revealed to be a Cambridge University don who specialises in the history of Lancashire, its place names and dialects and has ancestral links to the Forest. The 16th Lord made an official visit to the village in April 2011. His Bowbearer of the Forest of Bowland
Forest of Bowland
The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells, is an area of barren gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England. A small part lies in North Yorkshire, and much of the area was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire...
, Robert Parker, was in attendance, together with representatives from the Bowland Higher
Bowland Forest High
Bowland Forest High is a civil parish in the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England, covering some 20,000 acres of the Forest of Bowland. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 163.. The parish includes the settlements of Hareden, Sykes, and Dunsop Bridge. It covers...
Division Parish Council, the Forest authorities, community leaders and other dignitaries.
Dunsop has a more ancient historical significance, however. The river formed the easternmost boundary of the territory of Amounderness
Amounderness
Amounderness was a hundred of Lancashire in North West England. Formerly, the name had been used for territories now in Lancashire and north of the River Ribble that had been included in Domesday Yorkshire.-Etymology and history:...
in the ninth century and is cited in a grant made by King Athelstan to Wulfstan of York in 934 AD.
St. Hubert's Church
The CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
church of St. Hubert’s was built to the design of Edward Pugin, from, it is believed, the winnings of the racehorse Kettledrum owned by Colonel Charles Towneley
Towneley (family)
The Towneley or Townley family are an English recusant family whose ancestry can be traced back to Norman England. They take their name from Towneley Hall in Burnley, Lancashire, which was the family seat until its sale in 1901.-The Towneleys of Towneley Hall:...
of Towneley Hall, Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
in the 1861 Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
The Toweneley stud was at nearby Root Farm. The Towneleys' agent and an early patron of St Hubert's, Richard Eastwood, is entombed outside the front entrance to the church.
The church was opened on 2 May 1865 by Bishop Richard Roskell
Richard Roskell
Bishop Richard Butler Roskell was Bishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham and Titular Bishop of Abdera.Born on 15 August 1817 at Gateacre, near Liverpool, he was ordained a priest on 9 June 1840, aged 22...
of Nottingham
Bishop of Nottingham (Roman Catholic)
The Bishop of Nottingham is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham in the Province of Westminster.The diocese covers an area of and spans the counties of Derbyshire , Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and North Lincolnshire...
. The medieval font was originally from the ancient church at Burholme near Whitewell
Whitewell
Whitewell is a hamlet within the Ribble Valley borough of Lancashire, England, in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Historically, it lay on the border of the former West Riding of Yorkshire. It stands above a picturesque bend in the River Hodder.The hamlet comprises Upper...
. The east and west windows are by J. B. Capronnier of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and date from 1865. In its early years, the Church was served by the Jesuit Order, presumably from nearby Stonyhurst
Stonyhurst
Stonyhurst is the name of a rural estate owned by the Society of Jesus near Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. It is dominated by Stonyhurst College, its preparatory school Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall and the parish Church of St Peter's.-The Estate:...
.
The middle west window depicts St. Hubert who is the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of hunters, as a huntsman accompanied by a stag. The Forest of Bowland
Forest of Bowland
The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells, is an area of barren gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England. A small part lies in North Yorkshire, and much of the area was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire...
was once a royal hunting forest. According to legend St. Hubert’s conversion to the Catholic faith took place on a Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
when, while hunting a stag, he saw a vision of a cross between its antlers and heard a voice telling him to seek instruction in the Christian faith. In 705, he became Bishop of Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
, later of Liege
Bishopric of Liège
The Bishopric of Liège or Prince-Bishopric of Liège was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries in present Belgium. It acquired its status as a prince-bishopric between 980 and 985 when Bishop Notger, who had been the bishop of Liege since 972, acquired the status of Prince-Bishop...
.
External links
- BBC news pictures of Dunsop Bridge