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Natland
Map
Mystery Solved
A
few years ago I was at a jumble sale in
Staveley and bought the map of Natland and
Oxenholme shown on the right (click on it
for an enlargement) for about 50p. I
often wondered about its origins and now the
mystery has been solved, as will shortly
be revealed!
It
is a delighfully illustrated map, showing
field names and several drawings including
Natland Hall Farm, Natland Mill Beck Farm,
St Mark's Church, The (old) School, Hawes
Bridge, The Cockpit, The Wishing Tree, The
Station Inn, Helm and a Roman Soldier. It
has a recipe for Oxenholme Ginger Beer and
quotes two verses from Bonnie Jane of Natland:
Before
the year had past and gone,
Jane was
married unto John,
Long they dwelt beside
the thorn
On the Green at Natland
How
many years they liv'd to see
Natland
Fair, and rounds of glee
Round about
the Lover's Tree
On the Green at Natland
The
legend around the side reads:
The
name Natland comes from Nat (a proper name) and lound,
a grove of trees. The Parish consists of 1,155
acres of farm land and 20 acres of water. It slopes
down from 605 ft- the summit of Helm, to the river Kent,
100 ft above sea level. Helm and the Village Green
are common land. There is a cluster of cottages
around the church and green, a good many new houses
and some fine old farm houses. Oxenholme dwellings
centre mainly on the railway junction started in 1846.
The Lancaster canal was opened in 1819, but much
of it is now filled in. In olden times the Palm
Fair was held on the village green on Palm Sunday. It
lasted several days and embraced wrestling, leaping,
cock fighting, dancing and racing. In the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries Natland was noted as a residence
for wandering earthenware dealers who erected their
tents on the village green.
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I
have never seen another copy of the map although I have
seen one of another Westmorland Village in similar style.
It obviously dates from after the Park Close houses
were built and before the new school was opened
(1967). Someone suggested it might have been commissioned
by the WI.
I
was thinking of putting an article on Natland.info to
ask if anyone could throw any light on who produced the map. However,
when
I went round to see the Ushers to take their photograph
recently, there, hanging on the wall, was a similarly
styled map of the Kent Estuary. They were able
to tell me that the cartographer cum illustrator was
former Natlander, Daphne Lester. By a happy coincidence I was in touch with
Daphne as a by-product of the Art Exhibition so I asked
her about the map.
Daphne
has confirmed that she did produce the map. She
told me:
Well,
yes, I can tell you all about it! I did indeed
paint it for the W.I. and I think it was some kind of
W.I. celebration for which all clubs were asked to produce
a scrap book about their village. I think that
the original scrap book may be in the archives at County
Hall - I don`t think the W.I. headquarters would have
room!
It
was such fun to do - I walked miles asking farmers about
their field names, and Wendy Balmer introduced me to
the poem about Bonny Jane. Unfortunately I haven`t
dated the map, but the scrapbook would obviously be
dated. When the W.I. first printed copies, they
did it in black and white, and some, I think, in negative
black and white, which didn`t work very well, then a
few years ago they wrote and asked if they could do
another printing in aid of funds, and this is the colour
version.
I
lived at Church View, Natland from 1961 until 1983
and was a member of the W.I. and took a choir of ladies,
who were very good and keen, and were even chosen to
sing in a great W.I.production at the Royal Albert Hall,
called The Brilliant and the Dark, by the then master
of the Queen`s Musick, Malcolm Williamson. I loved
my cottage on the green but after my Dad died
I found this house in Milnthorpe with a granny
flat which my Mother enjoyed for 12 years.
I
enjoy doing illustrated maps and have done about thirty
I think - Wendy has one of Westmorland which I did years
ago, and Norma Hewertson has the Scilly Isles. I
have also done Mull, Arran, Guernsey, the Settle to
Carlisle railway (twice!), the Furness Peninsular, the
Arnside AONB and others I can`t recall at the moment!
Having
retired many years ago I still paint, enjoy my music
and garden like mad to try to keep on top of the place
- never manage it!
It
was good have the mystery solved.
Don
Shore, 8th April 2008
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