KESWICK, a market-town in that part of the parish of CROSTHWAITE
which is in ALLERDALE ward below Darwent, county of CUMBERLAND,
27 miles (S.S.W.) from Carlisle, and 291 (N.W. by N.) from London,
containing 1Q01 inhabitants. This place is more
celebrated for the picturesque beauty of its lake, and
the magnificent scenery by which it is surrounded,
than for historical interest. Prior to the time of Edward
I. it was the property of an ancient family, one of
whose descendants in the female line, in the reign of
James II., was created Earl of Derwentwater. James,
the third earl, having taken part in the rebellion of
1715, was, in the early part of the following year, beheaded
on Tower hill, and his large estates being forfeited
to the crown, were settled .upon the commissioners of
Greenwich hospital, to whom the manor now belongs.
The town is romantically situated in a deep valley, on the
banks of the lake Derwentwater, embosomed in hills of
various elevations, and sheltered by the towering Skiddaw,
which crowns the lofty range of mountains that bounds
the northern extremity of the vale. The houses, though
chiefly of stone and generally well built, are rather neat
than handsome in their appearance. Aneat market-house,
crowned with a turret, was erected, in 1814, by the commissioners
of Greenwich hospital, for .the transaction
of the public business; and there are some good inns
and respectable lodging-houses for the accommodation
of the numerous parties that make this town the
principal station in their tour of the Lakes. There are
two museums, both well supplied with specimens of the
most curious and valuable minerals and fossils with
which this part of the country abounds. An annual
regatta takes place on the last Thursday and Friday in
August, the sports chiefly consisting of rowing, horseracing,
and wrestling.
The lake Derwentwater, which is within less than
a mile of the town, and separated from it by rising
ground, is nearly three miles and a half in length, and
one mile and a half in breadth, of an irregularly elliptical
form, and equally remarkable for the perfect tranquillity
and brilliant transparency of its waters, which
reflect with additional lustre the beautiful and sublime
scenery that adorns its banks. On the bosom of the
lake are some picturesque islands, of the richest verdure
and most luxuriant foliage. Lord's island, of
five acres in extent, was formerly the site of a noble
mansion belonging to the Earls of Derwentwater,
the foundations of which, now the only remains,
may, with difficulty, be distinguished in the woods
by which they are overspread. Vicar's island, containing
six acres, anciently belonged to the abbey of
Fountains, at the dissolution of which it was given, by
Henry VIII., to John Williamson, Esq., and was for
some time inhabited by a company of Dutch miners:
it is now elegantly laid out in plantations and pleasure
grounds, in the centre of which is a handsome villa, the
residence of General Peachy. Herbert's island, comprising
four acres, was so called from its having been
for many years the site of a hermitage occupied by
that saint, of whose cell there are still some faint
remains, though almost concealed in the recesses of a
thick grove; in honour of the saint, Appleby, Bishop
of Carlisle, granted forty days remission of penance to
all who should visit the hermitage on the anniversary
of his decease. About twenty years since, the late Sir
Wilfred Lawson, Bart, built a small grotto, or fishine-
cottage, on this beautiful island, which is almost in the
centre of the lake. There is also an island, called the
Floating island, which occasionally rises from the bottom,
but constantly adhering by its sides to the earth beneath,
it never changes its position: it is covered with reeds
and rushes interspersed with a variety of aquatic plants,
and forms by its sterility a striking contrast to the
others. The smooth surface of the lake is occasionally
disturbed by a visible agitation of the water, when there
is not a breath of wind in any part, and when the atmosphere
is perfectly calm; this phenomenon is called
the " Bottom Wind," but the cause of it has not been
satisfactorily ascertained. The lake, through which the
river Derwent has its course, also receives the waters
which in heavy rains issue in torrents from the fells of
Borrowdale, by which it is bounded on the south: these
falls present a spectacle of awful grandeur, the torrent
tumbling over huge abrupt masses of rugged cliffs,
separated by a tremendous chasm; and near the
south-east extremity of the lake are the falls of Lowdore,
an immense amphitheatre of precipices, from
which the waters, rushing with impetuosity, and frequently
interrupted in their descent by projecting rocks,
form a stupendous cataract, the roar of which, when
the violence is aggravated in rainy seasons, may be
heard for many miles. At the extremities of the fall
are Gowder crag, five hundred feet in height, of rude and
terrific aspect, and Shepherd's crag, in the fissures of
which are almost every variety of forest trees, plants,
and flowers, growing with wild luxuriance. Within
this concave range of rugged cliffs is a powerful echo,
of which the numerous reverberations are repeated with
great force and distinctness of articulation; a cannon
discharged in this situation produces, on its explosion,
an effect equal to that of a park of artillery, the successive
reverberations continuing with diminished force
until they gradually die away. The northern, extremity
of the lake is characterised by features of majestic grandeur
and romantic beauty, the more prominent of which
are the Skiddaw and Saddleback -mountains; the former,
three thousand and twenty-two feet above the level
of the sea, of a dark-coloured slate interspersed with
verdure, in several parts affording pasturage for sheep,
and terminating with a double apex almost constantly
enveloped in mist; the latter, undulating with graceful
curve to the height of two thousand seven hundred and
eighty-nine feet, of similar hue with Skiddaw, and
having its northern declivity covered with herbage,
and overspread with various mountain plants. In the
distance, the Carrock Fell, two thousand two hundred
and ninety feet in height, is seen among the interesting
group of objects which add so much beauty and magnificence
to the scenery for which Keswick and its
vicinity are so deservedly celebrated.
The manufacture of woollen goods is carried on to
some extent, consisting chiefly of kerseys, swansdowns,
toilinets, blankets, &c.: there are also a carpet manufactory,
and a manufactory for black-lead pencils, the
material for which is obtained in the celebrated mine
at Borrowdale, in this neighbourhood. The mountains
abound in mineral wealth: a mine of lead is now in
successful operation a little below the lake; and upon
Greta river, which passes by the town, are corn-mills,
and a forge for the manufacture of spades, scythes,
and edge -tools. The market, held on Saturday, is very
considerable for corn, which is pitched; and, in addition
to the varieties of fish which the lake produces,
in abundance, it is supplied with mutton of superior
flavour, and with provisions of every description. The
old shambles, which stood at the northern end of the
town-hall, were pulled down in 1815, when new ones
were erected. The fairs are on the Saturdays before
Whitsuntide and Martinmas, for hiring servants; and
on the Saturday next after October 29th, for cheese
and sheep: on the first Thursday in May, and every
other Thursday for six weeks following; there are small
fairs for horses and cattle, and a large cattle market is
held on the llth of October. The commissioners of
the hospital hold a copyhold court, and a court baron
in May and October, for the recovery of debts under
40s. The parish church stands about three quarters of
a mile north-westward from the town. There are places
of worship for Independents and Wesleyan Methodists
in the town, and adjoining it is a building formerly used
a.s a place of worship by the Society of Friends, but now a
school of industry for girls. About a mile to the south,
qn an eminence, the summit of which forms a level
plain of considerable extent, is a supposed Druidical
temple. Sir John Banks, Lord Chief Justice in the
reign of Charles I., was born here, in 1589; during his
absence from home, Corfe Castle, where he then resided,
was defended against the. parliamentarians by the intrepidity
of Lady Banks and her daughters, who, assisted
only by their domestics, kept possession of it until
relieved by the royal forces. The workhouse for the
garish was founded by Sir John Banks, who in 1644 bequeathed
£200 for building a manufactory, and lands
now producing £200 per annum, for employing the
poor. Robert Southey, L.L.D., the poet-laureat, resides
at Greta hall, near Keswick. William Green, an eminent
landscape painter, who published, in two volumes,
a description of the Lakes in Cumberland, Lancashire,
and Westmorland, was for sixteen years a resident at
this place.