The Magazine for Great Salkeld & area Issue 34 Summer 2019great-salkeld.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Craic-34-web-pdf.pdfPiano, Violin, Singing, Theory One-to-one lessons for all

Great Salkeld CRAIC Magazine 34 (Summer 2019) www.great-salkeld.net Page 1

CraicThe Magazine for Great Salkeld & areaIssue 34 Summer 2019


Hello from the Editor, Neil Wales has edited an article provided by local

historian and publisher T.C. Bell; where he details his belief that the area around Nunwick Hall was the site of a Roman Town. As well as looking back in time, we also look to the future and wellbeing of our planet with an article by Margaret Riches on ‘Keeping the Planet Buzzing’.

Chris Braithwaite gives advice on which apples to consider if you are planning an orchard. Richard Wood shares his knowledge about ‘The Deer of the British Isles’.

We highlight why the Church stain glass windows had such an important role to play in our parish and the community.

Julia Downie updates us on the ‘Auction of Promises’ which took place in April. Donald Maclennan

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THank you!Support is enormously helpful for the continued publication of the magazine.Would you like to contribute to Craic? We welcome short articles and news items. Please send your pieces to [email protected]. We won’t always have space to include every article or item in the current Craic; some items will be held over to subsequent issues, while some items will go onto the village website. News and Events are included on the Village website: www.great-salkeld.net The website contains the Diary of Village Events. Email Philip on [email protected] for diary inclusion.

Cover photo: local youngster by Fiona Exon

Wild orchids near the River Eden by Fiona Exon


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Stories in the stained glassOur beautiful village church, St Cuthbert’s, has some

lovely stained glass windows and is well worth a visit to take a look, especially on a day when it is sunny and the sunlight streams through the coloured glass into the church.

Stained glass windows in churches tell stories, primarily from the Bible, but also they commemorate events and people from the Parish or local history.

At a time when most people were not able to read or write and had no access to books, a stained glass window was a condensed and pictorial representation of stories from the Bible or even as a warning against sin. They gained recognition as a Christian art form sometime in the fourth century as Christians began to build churches. The spread of Christianity throughout Europe is directly related to the expansion of stained glass across the globe and made stained glass the dominant art form of the new millennium.

Until the sixteenth century, stained glass was primarily a Catholic art form and much of the precious art form was destroyed during the 16th century by order of King Henry VIII after his break with the Church.

Stained glass continued to flourish in England until the Reformation of the Church in the 1540s when changes in religious outlook undermined the need for sacred art.

Although coloured glass continued to be made in the 17th and 18th centuries, the craft declined and skills were lost. Only in the 19th century was there a serious attempt to rediscover the techniques of the medieval glazier. Today, almost all parish churches and cathedrals contain Victorian windows. Their quality and craftsmanship are now widely recognised. n

A window, possibly depicting the Last Supper.

A window appearing to depict Jesus healing the

sick and needy

St Cuthbert by Powell of Whitefriars. Note the depiction of Lindesfarne castle

to the right of St Cuthbert, and the arms of Lindesfarne to his left.


By Fiona Exon with some material sourced from websites. Photos by Fiona Exon.

A window dedicated to the memory of

Caroline Sanderson, and dated 1870.

The East window in the chancel.

Lower section of a window depicting the Resurrection and dedicated to Mary & Robert

Thompson of Inglewood: 1908.

Look up on the north wall and there is this window dedicated to William Nicholson

More can be discovered about the windows and the church and in the book ‘St Cuthberts Church and Parish Great Salkeld Cumbria: A History’ by Ian Broadway.

A window depicting Jesus with the children.

A window dedicated to J.S.

Mulcaster Rector of the church, and dedicated in 1866

in celebration of the restoration of

the chancel.


CRAIC Recipes - by Jo Thompson

Simple Strawberry TartServes 8

375g pack butter shortcrust pastry 500g strawberries, hulled and cut in half, smaller ones work better4 tbsp redcurrant or raspberry jelly350ml whole milk1 tsp vanilla paste or extract100g caster sugar4 large egg yolks25g plain flourFinely grated zest of one lemon23cm deep loose bottom tart tin

l Roll the pastry out on to a lightly floured surface to 2-3 mm thickness. Line the tin with the pastry and prick the base. Chill for 30 minutes.

l Preheat oven to 180c/ fan 160c/gas 4. Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and cook

for a further 10-15 mins until golden. Leave to cool completely.

l Put the milk and vanilla into a large saucepan, bring to the boil and then take of the heat and leave to cool down but needs to remain warm.

l In a large bowl, using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks and sugar for about 10 minutes until at least doubled in volume, then beat in the flour and lemon zest.

l Slowly add the warm milk to the egg mixture beating continuously.

l Return the custard mixture to a clean pan and gently bring back to the boil stirring continuously until it has thickened.

l Take off the heat and leave to cool covering the surface with some baking paper to prevent a crust forming.

l To assemble spoon the cooled thickened custard/crème pâtissier into the tart case and arrange an overlapping layer of strawberries in concentric rings until the surface is covered.

l Gently warm the jelly until melted and brush over the strawberries to glaze

l Serve with cream or strawberry ice cream

The tart case and crème pâtissier can be made the day before and then assembled a few hours before serving.

Readymade sweet pastry cases can also be used, either one large or use small ones and made up as individual tarts . n


Rich Strawberry Ice Cream

500g/ 1 lb ripe strawberries300 ml/1/2 pint double cream100g/ 4 oz caster sugarJuice of a lemonMakes approx. 1 1/4 pints

l Mash the strawberries or puree in a food processor.l Mix in the sugar, cream and lemon juice.l Turn it all into an ice cream maker if available and churn according to instructions.l Freezer method- pour into 2 freezer proof plastic tubs, keeping the layer not too deep. Cover and place in the freezer until firm but not hard, usually between 3-6 hours. Take them out and mash/ beat with a fork to mix well. Return to the freezer and repeat this process two or three times to achieve a nice smooth consistency.l Freeze until needed

The village hall was full and expectant. The programme consisted of seventy-

one diverse promises encapsulating the generosity of the village and wider community. Jack, as auctioneer, skilfully and quickly worked through the promises encouraging the bidding with a touch of humorous banter which was not always “PC” leaving me wondering what he was going to say next!! Half way through, glasses were refilled and everyone enjoyed some delicious canapes. I owe a great debt of gratitude to those who give so freely of their time and talents combined with the lavish bidding on the night. Those who doubled up on their promises substantially increased the amount raised. I would also like to thank those who helped on the evening. The final total of £9100 inclusive of some donations far exceeded my expectations. All in all it was a great night which seems to have been enjoyed by everyone.

The money raised will contribute towards the upkeep of the church, meeting the yearly Parish Share of £10,000 and the toilet/kitchen project. The PCC have had to go back to the drawing board and it now looks likely that the toilet will be sited inside the church which previously the church hierarchy did not favour. The PCC have received some initial costings; the next stage is to apply for a Church Faculty to obtain permission to do the building work required. The church is open, so this will remain a community resource. n

auction of Promises - Friday 26th april by Julia Downie


When considering a fruit garden maybe the best place to start is at the end - the

product. What is it you want to harvest and how much can you use and store? Apples continue to ripen after they have been picked, changing and improving flavour over time, so later season apples like Duke of Devonshire and Belle de Boskoop must be stored, cool, dark and dry and away from mice until properly ripe.

Soft fruit – Raspberry, Black, Red or White currents and Gooseberry along with Plums and Damson will need to be eaten or processed as soon as they are ready.

A full sized standard apple tree will produce a lot more than dwarf or cordon trees, something like 150kg after 6 years and more and more as time passes for the next 50 years! No wonder then that so many apples were offered free on the roadside last year.

So choose carefully what you grow. Consider also what the rest of the world

is growing – Discovery, Fiesta, Braeburn

and any number of disappointing substitute Cox apples will be available serially from the supermarkets from August to December; growing your own gives the opportunity to broaden the range.

Choices, choices – not only do you need to choose from very many varieties of apples, but you need to choose the size of your trees too. Probably the size of your garden will dictate, but maybe a specimen apple tree or two growing in the lawn – (think pink flowering cherry but with big showy fruit in September and nectar for pollinating insects in spring), along with a row of cordons against a south facing wall, boundary fence, or as a division in the garden to provide a succession of apple at harvest. If space is really limited, then there is no reason why gooseberry and blackcurrants should not be grown fan trained or as cordons. With gooseberry, there is the added advantage that there will be considerably fewer prickles at picking time!

An Apple Orchard for Great Salkeld by Chris Braithwaite


Early, juicy, fresh and a bit sharp

Mid season, a bit more depth, still with crunch

Late keepers, rich flavour

Beauty of Bathgood from the tree, bruises

easily

Lord Lambourne sweet

Laxton’s Superb

George Cavesome years this is really

good

kidd’s orange Reda good Cox type apple

Topazcomes out well in flavour test

St Edmond’s Pippinan early russet

Charles Rossa bit chewy for my liking

Duke of Devonshire a local russet apple from

HolkerLodi

dual purpose from America Limelight Blenheim orange

cook or eat, triploidLemon Square

a cooker only grown in the Penrith area, a bit small

Ribston Pippinthe mother of Cox’s Orange Pippin, good to eat October through to December, from

Yorkshire, triploid

ashmead’s kernel you won’t get much fruit

from this one but it is reputed to be the very best flavour,

triploid

Delbard EstervilleFrench! and a bit soft as

you might expect

Scotch Bridgetlocal, cook till Christmas,

eat after that, triploid

Lane’s Prince alberta cooker more disease

resistant than Bramley’s Seedling

Apple tree size is dictated by the size of root – the rootstock, and also by the chosen variety. Rootstocks are constant but varieties can vary a good deal one from another. You are likely to come across the word ‘triploid’ when choosing apples, particularly apples for growing in the north – triploid apples have an extra set of chromosomes and have extra vigour and disease resistance. An advantage given our sometimes less than favourable growing conditions but with the disadvantage of being very poor pollen producers. They refuse to pollinate any

Is it time to list some apples which will work for you in the north?

other apples, so a triploid apple needs two others – one to pollinate the triploid and another to share pollen with the pollinator. Of course the more sorts you grow, big or small, the better the pollination will be. Catalogues give groups of flowering times, usually coded in numbers or letters with instructions to choose pollinators from the same group or one either side; probably not so critical in Cumbria since our spring weather usually compresses the flowering period, but it is not a good idea to choose a very early flowering variety. n

* Get your new orchard from RV Roger, The Nurseries, Pickering, YO18 7JW orfrom North Cumbria Orchard Group stand at Apples from Appleby 19th October 2019 * See apples growing at Acorn Bank Garden CA10 1SP* More advice and design help from Chris Braithwaite [email protected]* Have a look at “How Not to Grow Fruit Trees” on www.ncorchards.co.uk Resources page


Sadly, bees and other pollinators are in serious

decline. Their survival is threatened because of the impact of insecticides and intensive farming methods which have destroyed 95% of UK wildflower meadows since the 1960s. In addition, over the years, garden flowers have increasingly been developed to please the ‘human eye’. Flowers with large, multi- petalled heads, for example, may be attractive to us, but bees find difficulty in accessing the pollen and nectar inside their centres. Alien pests such as the ‘varroa mite’ (which arrived in the UK during the 1990’s,) have also weakened the bees’ resistance to other viruses and their ability to survive the cold, damp wintry conditions, such as we experience in Cumbria.

How you can help You can help save the bees by changing

your gardening habits: Avoid using insecticides . Bees absorb these

chemicals into their central nervous systems when they gather the nectar and pollen from plants. Some of these chemicals have been shown to interfere with the bees brains. They reduce their ability to communicate with each other and process the directional information that they use to find their way back to their hives.

Grow bee-friendly plants. Bees need to be able to access different plants so that they can find nectar and pollen throughout the year. Look out for the ‘bee friendly’ labels when you buy new plants, and download checklists of ‘bee friendly plants’ to

help you develop a ‘bee friendly garden’. Become a ‘hands off ‘ gardener! Leaving

an area of grass un-mown for a little longer than usual, will allow dandelions and clover to grow. These are excellent sources of ‘food’ for bees. When the clover heads turn brown it is a signal to the bees that it has been pollinated and has stopped producing nectar and pollen. Then you can mow the lawn! Sowing an area of the garden with wildflower seeds or allowing a few common weeds to grow will also provide food for the hungry caterpillars which will eventually become the next generation of butterflies and moths, as well as nectar and pollen for the bees!

Watch out for the Asian Hornet! The Asian Hornet is an aggressive predator of honey bees. It has recently been sighted in Lancashire during 2018 – so it is heading northwards. It has a dark brown body with an orange face and distinctive yellow legs. If you think you have spotted an Asian Hornet, take a picture of it and email it to [email protected]

Keeping the planet buzzing By Margaret Riches

By Margaret Riches, Treasurer Penrith Beekeepers Association.


You could take up beekeeping or become a friend of Penrith Beekeepers Association (PBKA) . Beekeeping is a fascinating hobby. Before you decide to start, check on the suitability of your garden for keeping bees. Is there sufficient sources of nectar and pollen for the bees to forage? At the height of the summer there is likely to be 50-60,000 bees in the colony. A lot of mouths to feed! If you have a garden which is suitable for bees, but prefer not to become a beekeeper, then other beekeepers might like to site their bees there.

PBKA has a training apiary in the apple orchard at Acorn Bank, the National Trust property at Temple Sowerby. Most Sunday afternoons between April and September, the PBKA beekeepers are there inspecting the bees. Members of the public are welcome to watch them at work or even try on a bee suit and take a closer look at the bees under the watchful eyes of the experienced beekeepers. If you would like to know more about bees and beekeeping, visit www.penrithbeekeepers.org PBKA would welcome your interest and support to keep the planet buzzing! n

From the archives - Great Salkeld from the air - mid 1990s There are more changes than you would think since then....


Romans and Vikings in Great Salkeld By Mr T.C Bell, Edited by neil Wales

In recent months Mr. T.C. Bell of Sockbridge, Penrith, has carried out a Magnetic Anomaly

Survey of the grounds of Nunwick and the area around St. Cuthbert’s Church. The survey measures variations in the earth’s magnetic field by identifying and mapping natural and man made structures obscured by overlying materials. A study of these shapes on a magnetic map can reveal much information about the features that are underground.

For the last 24 years he has followed his interest primarily on the trail of the Romans but this has evolved to both the Vikings and the Chinese. The following is a brief summary of his findings for your interest and consideration.

BaCkGRounDBritain was first invaded by the Romans, led

by Julius Caesar, in 55BC and 54BC. These were not full invasions but exploratory expeditions to find out what the country was like. The next invasion, led by Claudius, was in 43AD and one of its objectives was to exploit Britain’s wealth of metallic ores – Iron, Gold, Copper, Zinc, Tin and Lead plus Lead’s derivative Silver. This involved the canalisation of rivers and the construction of roads, forts, granaries, and barracks for slave

workers and housing for Roman soldiers and their followers. Specialists such as surveyors, geologists, engineers, smelters and their families also had to be catered for. Local control was put in the hands of minor governors. It should be remembered that the Romans were quite an advanced civilisation. There is a Roman altar on display within the church porch and think of the road through the village, long, straight and possibly following the route of an old Roman road. It is well known that there were fortresses in both Penrith and Carlisle and so almost certain that troops would be aware of the area in which we now live.

nunWICkNunwick Hall was the site of a Roman town,

complete with a governor housed in his trapezium shaped turreted praetorium. The site was constructed solely for the exploitation of the iron ore deposited along the banks of the River Eden during the Ice Age. The local iron ore appears to have been deposited in a 20 metre band along the banks.

To the left (North) of the drive to the Hall is the cricket pitch. The pitch is sited over a Roman Harbour lined with puddled clay. The harbour


was accessed via a canal to the River Eden and a further harbour, now a reeded area, was sited west of the sewage plant. The cricket pitch harbour, connected to the River Eden, supplied the adjacent walled granary compound immediately to the north of the cricket pitch and possibly the Roman town’s forum (shopping centre) which overlooks the harbour from the north. It could also have been supplied by the canal by the waste water site, north of the forum shopping centre, this being closer.

It should be remembered that before the Romans could exploit the sources of the metallic ores, they had to canalise the River Eden to enable it to take their boats up the river to carry food and tools and the metallic ores back down the river.

The slope rising from the cricket pitch to the main road was the site of seating for a Roman D shaped theatre. There are 39 rows of seats. The stage was at the bottom of the slope. Between the stage and the now cricket pitch (then the Roman harbour) are the foundations of a public toilet. This is the first of many theatres and amphitheatres located by Mr. Bell which does NOT appear to have a lion house and adjacent jail with a tunnel to the stage area to stage the execution of criminals “ad bestias”.

The D shaped theatre was flanked by a canal running up the slope via ladder locks. Between the canal and the drive to the Hall are the foundations of three insulae (strip houses). These are standard Roman civilian dwellings, each 70 metres long x 10 metres wide, with 10 unpaved rooms and one end paved room. Possibly these dwellings also formed shops for the patrons of the theatre.

Elsewhere on the site are foundations for further insulae, a signal tower, barracks and stables for the Governor’s Cavalry Escort, and a trapezium shaped turreted Praetorium for the Governor. Between the Hall and the River Eden, a fort was situated which was approximately 100 metres square. There was also a Bath House and Temple. In all Mr. Bell calculates that the occupation numbered roughly10,450 people.

Of the above population 3,600 were slaves, used to mine the iron ore from the banks of the river. A slave burial ground has been identified with 34 rows each with 88 inhumations, a total of c2992, all orientated North – South, and tightly packed as sardines in a can. One will never know the mortality or replacement rate; sufficient to state, possibly a near 80% mortality rate. (I shall not divulge the location of this burial ground in case residents are prone to nightmares. Suffice it to say that it appears that this field has not yet been built on. Could it be at the bottom of your garden? N.W.)

ST. CuTHBERT’S CHuRCHMr. Bell’s says that his survey shows that the

Church was built on the site of a small Roman fort. Evidence of the origin of the site being a Roman altar which is at present on display in the Church porch. The slight elevations of the ramparts of the fort can be seen on the east and west sides of the church yard. The mound at the north end, near the entrance gate, was the site of a Roman signal tower. A magnetic anomaly survey located the surrounding defensive ditch and the stone base for the wooden signal tower. The grassed area between the playground and the Old School was the site of the Roman fort’s wash house and toilet.

The Play Ground is the site of a Viking settlement, the post holes of 12 long houses each circa 30 metres x 9 metres, running North-South being located by magnetic anomaly. A Viking cemetery is at the North end of the playground; each inhumation orientated North- South and spaced one metre apart, three rows of inhumations being located.

The author’s previous surveys have shown that nearby Wan Fell was worked for iron ore. Together, with the deposits along the banks of the River Eden, this was the Roman town of Great Salkeld’s source of wealth, using the local canalised becks as transportation highways to the harbours at Nunwick and thence on to the river.

(Anybody ready to start digging? NW)

Neil Wales(Roman Governor – retired)


by Richard Wood

There are a number of deer species in the U.K., some being indigenous, some

introduced.Perhaps one of

the most beautiful is the Fallow Deer (Dama dama) (right). Much favoured as an ideal quarry for hunting, it also aided its preservation. However, it is the deer of choice for keeping in stately parks. Chestnut brown with white spots but may also be black or white, as seen at Levens Hall. Bucks have broad-bladed antlers whilst the doe has none. Bucks are about 37 inches high at the shoulder whilst does are slightly smaller. A doe will give birth to a single fawn.

Red deer (Cervus elaphus) (below) are to be found mainly in Scotland, although there is a good sized herd in the Martindale area. Stags and hinds live separately for most of the year, except at rutting time in the autumn. Stags are about 48 inches high at the shoulder and their antlers have many points (tines). In autumn, at the start of the rutting season, stags will split up from the group and start forming a harem of 10-20 hinds. This is when the stags issue bellowing roars before fighting a potential rival with its antlers.

Sika deer (Cervus Nippon) were introduced to this country about 120 years ago from Russia, China and Japan. Known as “The Spotted Deer”, it is very similar in all other ways to the Red Deer, being approximately 32 inches at the shoulder.

The Deer of the British IslesReindeer (Rangifer tarandus) were

once numerous in Britain, 200,000 years ago.! But with climate change, they died out. Reintroduced to Scotland in 1952 near Aviemore, males (Bulls) and females (Cows)

both grow antlers, the only species to do so. With large feet, and using their antlers, they are able to sweep away snow in order to feed on grasses, sedges and lichens during the winter.

Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) are the smallest of our native deer and the most likely to be seen locally. Living in woodland, they break cover at dawn and dusk to feed on woodland edges and hedges, eating tree shoots or shrubs. Twins are common, sometimes even triplets. A foxy red,

with a white chin strap and 25 inches at the shoulder. When disturbed, will often stamp their feet and show their white rump as a means of warning. Old antlers are cast off in autumn and new ones grow during the winter, protected from frost by woolly skin(velvet), which is rubbed off in May.

Muntjac deer (Muntiacus reevesi) originate from Asia and are sometimes called the Barking Deer. Introduced to the Duke of Bedfords estate at Woburn in 1900, they have escaped and now successfully colonised the majority of England and Wales. They have no fixed breeding season and can give birth every 7 months. The smallest deer in the U.K.,

about the size of a Labrador dog, they are extremely secretive and hard to spot.

Other lesser known deer species have been introduced, including Chinese Water Deer, axis deer and Pere Davids deer. n


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The Magazine for Great Salkeld & area Issue 34 Summer 2019great-salkeld.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Craic-34-web-pdf.pdfPiano, Violin, Singing, Theory One-to-one lessons for all