Hethersgill

Township in Kirklinton parish, Eskdale ward, Cumberland.

Acreage:

5,464 acres [2,211 ha]. Commons in Hethersgill and Kirklinton Middle Quarter, totalling 4,264 acres [1,726 ha], enclosed 1735.

Population:

665 in 1801, rising to peak of 799 in 1841. Decline thereafter, falling to 447 by 1931 and to 382 in 2001.

Landownership:

part of barony of Kirklinton (see Kirklinton Middle Quarter).

Economy:

predominantly agricultural. Quarrying in Hether Burn valley and clay digging at Prior Rigg for brick-making later 19th century; commercial peat extraction on Bolton Fell in later 20th century.

Places of worship:

church of St Mary, built 1876 as chapel of ease. Wesleyan Methodist chapel at Ullermire built 1833; replaced by chapel in Hethersgill village, built 1901; closed 1979. Quaker meeting house at Sykeside built 1688; rebuilt 1736; closed 1913.

Schools and other institutions:

endowed school at Shaw Foot, near Ullermire, rebuilt 1871 and enlarged 1895; closed 1980s. Reading room by church at Hethersgill, built early 20th century; now demolished. Village hall built 1950s.