Gleaston
| Gleaston | |
| Lancashire | |
|---|---|
 Gleaston mill | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SD255707 |
| Location: | 54°7’37"N, 3°8’24"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Ulverston |
| Postcode: | LA12 |
| Dialling code: | 01229 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Westmorland & Furness |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Barrow and Furness |
Gleaston is a village, with a population of around 400, in the Furness area of Lancashire, standing between the towns of Barrow-in-Furness, Dalton-in-Furness and Ulverston.
Traces of settlement have been found here from the Mesolithic period. In the Middle Ages it was the centre of the manor of Muchland.
Today, Gleaston is largely a commuter village for the nearby towns, but its past is still visible in the remains of Gleaston Castle and Gleaston Water Mill, which is open as a tourist attraction.
Name
The Domesday Book of 1086 records Gleaston as Glassertun. Joan Lee suggests that this could mean 'farm by a stream' from the Brythonic glas and Old English tun, as there is a swift beck running through the village. Alternatively the suffix may be the Cumbric / Old Welsh glas meaning 'green', and one suggestions adds the Cumbric and er meaning 'fallow land' or 'ploughed land', all with the Old English tun, meaning a town or village.[1]
The greater part of Gleaston, the villages of Leece and Dendron, are included in the parish of St Matthew Dendron. The ancient village of Leece is built around a tarn and appears twice in the Domesday Book. Leece was listed in the Manor of Hougun held by Earl Tostig.[2]
Pre-history
Archaeological digs in the 1990s brought to light the ancient history of the village. Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age artefacts were found and the position of a prehistoric lake, which once covered a field between the castle and the mill, was discovered, proving that the local area has been inhabited for thousands of years.
Gleaston Castle
In the 13th century the Lords of the Manor of Muchland moved their seat of residence from nearby Aldingham to Gleaston and probably built a wooden hall on the site of the present castle, about five hundred yards north of the village. The building that stands today was begun in the 14th century by the first Baron of Aldingham, John de Harrington.
The castle consisted of a quadrangular courtyard surrounded by high curtain walls, with substantial towers at the four corners. The north western tower would have contained the great hall and lord's apartments. The castle was abandoned in 1458 when the family line died out and the manor eventually passed to the crown.
Gleaston Water Mill
- Main article: Gleaston Water Mill
Just north of the village is Gleaston Water Mill. Now a tourist attraction, the mill would once have been used to grind oats for farmers throughout the Furness area. The present mill was built in 1774 on the site of an earlier one and its water wheel and milling machinery are still in working order. The Mill is privately owned and was restored in the early 1990s and preserved for posterity. Also on the site are the Dusty Millers restaurant and Pigs Whisper country store.
The village now
Much of the village that can be seen today is 20th century. Since the 1960s the village has experienced a small scale population explosion. Previously there were five farms within the village itself as well as a pub, post office, Co-op and police station, most of which were 19th century buildings. The oldest remaining buildings all date from the 17th century and there are numerous 18th century buildings.
Today, all the amenities and the five farms have disappeared and all the buildings have been converted into dwellings as Gleaston gradually became a commuter village for nearby Barrow and Ulverston. Most of the fields and large gardens in the village were also given over to development as pressure rose in the 1970s and 1980s to provide the growing number of workers at Vickers (now BAE Systems), Glaxo and Furness General Hospital with homes. Gleaston even has its own small estate called Mounts Meadow.
The village has its own large village green, a small football pitch which was made by Bryan Hindle and brothers Paul and John Clarke, a community hall and a children's playground, which are all owned and run by the villagers themselves. Every year a sports day and barbecue is held to raise funds and for locals to meet and enjoy themselves. In November each year the village has its own bonfire and fireworks display, on Guy Fawkes Night.
In the year 2000, to celebrate the millennium a short walk was created in a small piece of woodland adjacent to the green, behind the beck.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Gleaston) |
References
- ↑ Mannix & Co.: 'History, Topography and Directory of Westmorland', 1851
- ↑ Gleaston and its Water Mill