Crosby Ravensworth: History and Landscape

For a stay in Crosby Ravensworth, three interests can be distinguished: ecclesiastical architecture, archaeological monuments and a walk through Crosby Ravensworth Fell and the valley. St Lawrence’s and the churchyard cross offer specific architectural details; Ewe Close brings together evidence from different periods; the walk adds a landscape route to these themes. This lets you focus on history or nature and take the tour duration into account when planning.

Church architecture and medieval churchyard cross

The oldest surviving part of St Lawrence’s is the crossing, dated to around 1200. The crossing is the area where the nave and transepts meet. An altar tomb for Sir Lancelot Threlkeld dates from the early 16th century and is also located in St Lawrence’s. These two details provide different historical reference points: the early date of an architectural feature and a later tomb.

The Crosby Ravensworth churchyard cross is protected as a Scheduled Monument. Its medieval, chamfered stone shaft is 2.1 metres high; the architectural ornament is characteristic of the Early English style. The monument thus displays form, dimensions and style as specific features.

Ewe Close: settlement, road and farmstead

Ewe Close is considered the best-preserved native Romano-British settlement in north-west England. The monument also includes a section of the Roman road Wicker Street. It also features a medieval farmstead with a rectangular stone building, a paved courtyard or cattle enclosure, and a small outbuilding. These components show the different ways the site is described: as a settlement, with a section of a Roman road, and with a medieval farmstead. The regional context is important for understanding its significance: the comparison relates to north-west England.

The Charles II monument

The Charles II monument at the source of the River Lyvennet commemorates an event in 1651: Charles II drank from the spring there while travelling south from Scotland. Thomas Bland of Reagill erected the monument around 1851; it was renewed in 1861 at Mr Gibson’s expense. Three reliefs depict a profile bust of Charles II, a crown and a lion. The dates distinguish the event being commemorated from the monument’s later construction and renewal.

Walking and practical conditions

The walk through Crosby Ravensworth Fell and the valley is 6 miles (9.2 kilometres) long, takes 2½ hours and is rated moderate. It offers panoramic views of the Pennines, the Howgills and the Lakeland Hills. A local walking brochure from 2018 gives these route details and views; check local path conditions before planning your walk.

The same brochure describes the village road in Crosby Ravensworth and the road around Maulds Meaburn as fully accessible to wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility. As conditions may change, check the current access situation before your visit. Walkers are welcome to take shelter in St Lawrence’s; toilet and kitchen facilities are also available there. If you plan to use these facilities, confirm their current availability in advance.

Discover more destinations: Farlam, Frizington, Pooley Bridge, Dalston, Elterwater, Garrigill, Kirkby Thore, Barrow-In-Furness.

For the wider travel overview: Cumbria.