THE Stipends of these fell Priests were never large. Wordsworth speaks of Ulpha as "an unwealthy mountain benefice". Most of these parsons eked out their stipends by a little farming and teaching. It is said at the time the Chapel was consecrated it was endowed with a small tithe of the district, or rather a modus in lieu of them, as a fixed annual payment from every tenement and landowner in the Chaperly. This was known as "the Priest's wage", as was similar to the "Chapel wage" of Seathwaite. By virtue of these payments each householder was allotted a pew. The payment of the "Priest's wage" was only commuted by all parishioners paying a lump sum towards the endowment, during the incumbency of the Rev. Chas. Whitaker. In the reign of Henry VIII the value of the Priest's wage is given as £3 14s. 111d. Fees and other offerings made the living up to £5. It was only in the XVIII century, and probably as a result of the encouragement given by "Good Queen Anne", that efforts were made to raise the general standard of the poorer livings. Ulpha was one of the many parishes which benefited considerably from the funds set aside by Queen Anne out of the fees which had formerly been used by Sovereigns for their own private purposes. Out of seven grants made by Queen Anne's Bounty three were to meet private benefactions.

The Parish possess four acres of land—part of Millom Marsh, assigned in lieu of common rights, to a small farm at Rottington, formerly belonged to the benefice. This house and eleven acres were bought by a grant from Queen Anne's Bounty of £200 in 1740 or 1747; but were later sold to Millom Ironworks. Twelve acres of land at Urswick were purchased with another grant of £200; and a third portion of 6 1/2 acres at Distington with the aid of a third grant.

As a result of good management on the part of someone, either Vicar, Churchwarden or Q.A.B., the land was sold. As a result of the sale £5,539 10s. 2d. was the balance handed over to the Bounty Office to invest in stock on behalf of the living. To this was later added another £800; _,and later another £300. The Diocesan Funds also gave £50 in 1864.

As a result of the rise in the cost of living after the 1914—18 War, subscriptions totalling £550 were received for the augmentation of the living. This sum was increased by grants, and the whole doubled by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

The Parsonage at River Bank was built in 1860. Previously the Vicars had lived in different houses in the parish or district. A Rectory, the property of Earl Lonsdale, is mentioned in a list

of houses in 1797, is the only record of an early parsonage. Christopher Philipson lived at the Church House, the farm near the Church. Hugh Hodgson, as mentioned above, lived at Stone-star. Isaac Gaitskell died at Sellah, and so did his second wife

at the time of his first wife, Hannah, in 1809, addresses were not always entered]. Whether he lived at Sellah itself or the adjacent buildings known as Whistling Green is not certain; the register simply states Sellah. His son, Wm. Gaitskell, the School Master, lived at Whistler Green, according to a directory published in 1829.

John Boulton lived at Bankend, a good four miles from Church. This state of things was altered in the year 1860. A note inserted in the register reads: —

"In remembrance of the dear child, Arthur Ismay Nicholson, who departed this life 6th March, 1859, a sum of £200 has this day been paid into the Bounty Office, towards the erection of a parsonage house in this parish; it will be met by a grant of £200 from the Governors of Queen Anne's Bounty. "May the peace of God abide in the house we build for His honour, and may its inmates always be a blessing to the neighbourhood. August 9th, 1860".

A list of subscriptions follows, including one for £10 "In memoriam of a nephew and Godchild from Miss E. Nicholson". A note adds that the Nicholsons concerned are descendants of those from Woodhow in Wasdale, but now of Dorking in Kent.

The house stands in two acres of ground and cost £700. A stone, which was formerly over the drawing-room window, but is now by the front door of the house, bears the inscription:

A.D. 1860, J. Walker, B.D., Incumbent.

The addition of the outbuildings was due to the Rev. W. Kewley, while the Rev. Chas. Whitaker added the water supply. Previously the water of the river was used for all purposes, and proper paths and steps were made from the kitchen door and the garden.

We have been told that three Misses Nicholson came over from Wasdale to a sale at Ulpha where each of them met her future husband. Their descendants are still with us.

XI

ANYONE standing on the hill by the ^"Travellers' Rest", and looking at the fell opposite cannot fail to notice a small collection of tall trees in a square enclosure, to be exact, 44 x 44 ft. in its dimensions. This enclosure, like the School, being on the East side of the river is actually in Seathwaite. This plot of land is known as the Quakers' Sepulchre. The origin of this burial ground is lost in obscurity. A Miss Satterthwaite, in a book on Colthouse Burial Ground, refers to two "Friends" (or Quakers, as we usually call them) being buried at Colthouse from Stoneythwaite in Ulpha. We may presume, therefore, that the Ulpha Burial Ground is of late origin. The last interment is said to have taken place in the childhood of the late Mrs. Fletcher, of Woodend. She could dimly remember the mourners staying the night with them. The isolated farm and cottages at Woodend was formerly noted for its Quaker sympathisers. The last Quaker burial from Woodend itself was either in 1745-55 or 1765. Wood-end, with the adjacent farms on the top, formed part of the old township of Birker. Many of the inhabitants, however, were connected with Eskdale, where the Quaker movement had some adherents. In the farmyard at Woodend can be seen a building used as a kind of barn, but with quite good mullion windows. This was the meeting house of the "Friends".

Now at one time the inhabitants of Birker refused to pay rates to the Wardens of Ulpha as there was no pauper in their township. Up to this time they had always joined with the inhabitants of Ulpha in paying the local expenses and claiming, as a consequence, the rights of burial and seats in Ulpha Chapel. On their refusal to pay the rates they were deprived by the Wardens of their seats at Church. Now it would be interesting to know whether the people of Birker turned Quakers out of pique or whether their refusal to pay the rates was part of their general opposition to all things ecclesiastical. They were not, however, very consistent Quakers, for several of them were baptised, the fact being noted in the registers. Why these people fixed on the site which they did, a good five miles from this abode to bring their dead, is another mystery. We can only surmise that either the landowner of New Close, where the burial ground is situated, was in sympathy with the "Friends", or that the place was central for others, perhaps at Broughton Mills or up at Stoneythwaite.

An old Mr. J. Casson, of Kiln Bank, the next farm, could remember the ground as being used as an orchard. Later it became a vegetable garden. About 1870, Mrs. Gunson, of Oak Bank, planted the trees which one now sees, and put up a new gate. It is supposed to be the duty of the tenants of New Close to keep the place in order. The "Sepulchre" is well worth a visit. Around the walls is a stone ledge, obviously a seat for those attending funerals or meetings. A curious fact noticed by those who stamp on the soil is a sound as though the ground beneath one's feet were hollow.

XII

THE inhabitants of Ulpha and district have benefited considerably from the liberality of the Gunson family. As far back as any records go there have been Gunsons in the Duddon Valley as Yeomen, Millers and Gentlemen. One of them, Samuel Gunson, was village constable as well as miller, and another, Wm. Gunson, kept the Plough Inn, which is now Kirk House Farm. In 1861, John Gunson built Oak Bank, though there had been a smaller house and mill there before. The same year his son Joseph married Eleanor, daughter of the Rev. Edward Tyson, Vicar of Seathwaite. Their only child, John, inherited a considerable fortune, as both his father and mother came from a well-to-do family. John Gunson had but indifferent health, was never married, and died at his London residence in April, 1912, aged 50. His principal legacies are the following: —

To the Kendal Clerical Charity £2,000, to be known as "The Eleanor Gunson Trust", to provide for the daughters and widows of deceased Clergymen who had held livings in the Diocese of Carlisle and who may be in necessitous circumstances.

To the Vicar and Churchwardens of Ulpha £500, the income arising therefrom to be applied to the maintenance and repair of Ulpha Church, "during such time as the Gunson Brass in Ulpha Church, the Graves and Tombstones in the enclosure granted to me in Ulpha Churchyard, and the tomb of my grand-father John Gunson, of Birks, are kept in proper repair and condition".

A similar sum was left to the Vicar and Wardens of Seathwaite, "so long as the Brass to my mother, my grandfather, Tyson's Tombstone and Railings, and the Tyson's Brasses and Tablets in Seathwaite Church, and the Inscription in the School house in Seathwaite aforesaid are kept in proper repair and condition."

The Almshouse Trust was John Gunson's greatest gift to this parish. He gave to the Trustees a choice of sites, an acre and a half to be taken at their discretion from the Church-house estate, as well as power to take what stone and sand should be necessary for the erection and repairs of the proposed Alms-houses.

To provide for the cost of building and endowment of the houses, a sum of £13,000 was placed in the hands of the Trustees. The people who form the Trustees are the following: ^—The owners of Oak Bank, Duddon Hall and Broadgate, the Vicar of Ulpha, and the Chairman of Ulpha Parochial Meeting and Broughton Parish Council.

The cottages, of which there are ten, are free absolutely, with a garden, doctor, the right of claiming the Old Age Pension if of proper age, and an allowance each week from the Trustees.

Over the centre of the front of the Almshouses there is inscribed—"The Joseph and Eleanor Gunson Almshouses. These houses were built and endowed by their only son, John Gunson, as a memorial of his great love for his parents^".

Those qualified for a house must be born in Ulpha, or have resided for five years in the parishes of Seathwaite or Broughton, or at a place within the old Bootle Union boundaries.

The aged and the poor have good cause to bless the memory of John Gunson; may his soul rest in peace, and may others be moved to follow his example in giving light at eventide to those less fortunate than themselves.

The Vicar and Churchwardens again benefited in 1948 under the will of the late Mrs. Ruth Gunson, who bequeathed the sum of £718 for the support of Ulpha Church and Churchyard.

XIII

ABOUT one mile further up the valley than the Church, one comes to a building with the inscription "Wesleyan Chapel, 1842". This was founded by a member of the family of Allason, which has now died out. The motive of the people connected with this Chapel was in line with the original ideas of John Wesley: to establish a meeting place for Bible reading and prayer meetings. The principal meetings were held on Sunday afternoons, and were attended by many Churchpeople who had no intention of forming a sect. The expenses of these are largely met by the proceeds of a legacy of a certain Henry Kitchen, who left a sum of money for this purpose.

XIV

IT is fitting to close this short account of the Chapelry of Ulpha with the mention of certain things recorded in a Directory of Cumberland and Westmorland in the year 1829. We are told that there is a large supply of woods and coppice, the latter of which provide a plentiful supply of material for hoops, bobbins, etc., that Rainsbarrow Wood is famous for fine hazel nuts, which, in a favourable year, are worth about £200; and that a blue slate quarry raises about 1,400 tons per annum. Two copper mines were formerly worked, and zinc has been found. Fine trout are to be had from the Duddon. Salmon was plentiful until 1805 when a Mr. Towers built a weir at Duddon Grove. This has resulted in litigation at Lancaster, and the obstruction has been lessened. This Mr. Towers, a self-made man, was responsible for the building of what is now known as Duddon Hall.

XV

SINCE the author wrote the original text of "A Mountain Chapelry" many changes have taken place in the Duddon Valley, some good, some not so good. The following is a brief account of some of these changes.

In 1962 the Rev. B. S. W. Simpson left the Parish and another of the many attempts to unite the Parishes of Ulpha and Seathwaite at last succeeded. The Rev. Roy D. Greenwood was appointed Vicar of both Parishes and chose to live at Ulpha. The Seathwaite vicarage was sold to Canon and Mrs. Stewart in 1963 and it is interesting to note that one of the conditions of the sale was that the vicarage could no longer be called by that name, nor could it be allowed to be used as a hostelry or tavern. What better name than Walker House, further to keep alive the name of Wonderful Walker. The future of the vicarage at Ulpha is, at the time of writing, in the balance, as the Diocesan Pastoral Committee are considering the position of the Churches in the valley and that of Broughton-in-Furness.

In 1973 the Parishes lost their Vicar, and the Vicar of Broughton, the Rev. Gerald C. Anthony, became Priest-in-Charge of both Ulpha and Seathwaite, together with Broughton Mills and Woodlands. It is proposed that Ulpha and Seathwaite become Chapels-of-Ease. One Vicar for five Parishes is a sign of the times, but must indeed be a sizeable task even with the considerable help given by Canon Stewart.

The old wooden porch to the Church at Ulpha was replaced in 1961 by the present stone one. A new lid to the font was given by the family of the late John Gunson in his memory.

Miss Peggy Whitaker has donated a lovely silver chalice and paten in memory of her sister Miss Eleanor Sarah Whitaker, and two Churchwardens' staffs were given by the Nursing Sisters of Barrow, in thankfulness for the life she devoted to nursing.

The altar frontals and riddel curtains in white and gold of the sanctuary, and the frontal cloths, were the gifts of Miss C. Turner. The seat in the Churchyard was given in memory of Commander V. M. Cooper, 1884-1957, and Miss J. B. Turner, 1890-1968, by Mrs. J. B. Cooper and Miss C. Turner. The seat outside the Churchyard was given by the late Robert Bowden in memory of his wife Edith on May 12th, 1968.

The Mothers' Union no longer exists in the valley. Consider-able building additions have been made to Ulpha School, which has become a Primary School for the whole valley under the Headmistress, Miss Susie Clarkson, assisted by Mrs. D. Jarvis. Some farms have been taken over and the land combined with that of other farms, the houses being sold and used as holiday homes.

The National Trust has bought many farms in the valley, and the Forestry Commission has acquired much land which they are re-aforesting. The cottages adjacent to the school and two at Hinning House were built for their employees, although one of those at Hinning House has recently been sold to a private buyer.

Furness Water Board in 1972 rebuilt their premises at the filter beds, replacing the old green wooden hut with a large slate building. Derelict houses, such as Low Hall and Stonestar, empty for many a year, have been bought and renovated with loving care, and now once again grace the valley. It is said that foxes were at one time bred at Stonestar in days gone by. Hand shearing of sheep, milk separating and butter making are rapidly disappearing, and slate quarrying has ceased altogether.

Electricity came to the valley in 1962, and yet although it is just over a decade ago, one wonders how one ever managed without it.

At the time of writing, bathrooms are being added to the Almshouses, now called Gunson Cottages.

The whole valley is now in the County of Cumbria, and the river is no longer the county boundary, but is still the boundary between the Parishes of Ulpha and Seathwaite.

Whilst progress has been made in some directions, in others the reverse is the case. A regular bus service, three buses a day, three days a week, gave place to one hired bus, once a fortnight, making life difficult for those without cars. However, in March 1974 the Post Office started a Postal Bus Service from Broughton to Seathwaite with connections with public transport to Millom and Ulverston—a service which is proving of great benefit to the valley.

The Traveller's Rest Hotel is no longer an Inn, having been converted into flats, and so the Newfield at Seathwaite is now the sole Inn in the valley.

Despite the many changes, the valley remains one of the most beautiful in the Lake District. May we who have inherited such beauty be wise enough to protect it from those who, for immediate gain, would despoil it, and pass it on unspoiled to future generations.

Some more about Ulpha - Dale Larnin