Place:


Brougham  Westmorland

 

In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Brougham like this:

BROUGHAM, a small village and a parish in West Ward district, Westmoreland. The village stands on the river Lowther, adjacent to its confluence with the Eamont; near the Lancaster and Carlisle railway, 1¾ mile SE of Penrith. It occupies the site of the Roman station Brovoniacum; and represents the Saxon town of Burgham, a place of note now extinct. ...


The parish includes also the hamlets of Hornby, Moorhouses, and Woodside; and its Post Town is Penrith. Acres, 6,040. Real property, £4,146. Pop., 239. Houses, 37. The property is divided among a few. Brougham Castle dates from the Saxon times; belonged to the Norman family of Veteripont; passed to the Cliffords; suffered desolation in the wars with the Scotts; was rebuilt by the Countess Anne; and passed to the Tuftons. It comprised three square towers, with connecting walls, enclosing a large court; and extensive ruins of it, grand and striking, still exist. James I. was entertained at it during three days, on occasion of his last return from England; and the poet Wordsworth makes it the scene of the great festival at the restoration of the "good Lord Clifford."

From town to town, from tower to tower,
The red rose is a gladsome flower;
Behold her, how she smiles to-day
On this great throng, this bright array!
Knight, squire, and yeoman, page and groom,
We have them at the feast of Brough'm.

Faint traces of Roman works are seen in the vicinity; and several Roman altars, urns, and coins have been found. A neat, lofty, stone obelisk, called the Countess' Pillar, stands a short distance to the south; erected by the Countess Anne Clifford, to commemorate her parting from her mother; and sung by Wordsworth, Rogers, Mrs. Hemans, and other poets. Brougham Hall, the seat of Lord Brougham, crowns an eminence adjacent to the Lowther river; commands a brilliant view to the mountains beyond Ulleswater; and has often been called the Windsor of the north. The manor connected with it belonged anciently to his lordship's ancestors; passed, by division and intermarriage, into different families; became reunited in the hands of one proprietor; and was purchased by the descendant of the original owners. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Carlisle. Value, £290.* Patron, Sir R. Tufton, Bart. The church was rebuilt, in 1656, by the Countess Anne Clifford.

Brougham through time

Brougham is now part of Eden district. Click here for graphs and data of how Eden has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Brougham itself, go to Units and Statistics.

How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Brougham, in Eden and Westmorland | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/3011

Date accessed: 28th March 2024


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