Dalton in Furness, Lancashire Genealogy

England Lancashire  Lancashire Parishes

Parish History
DALTON-IN-FURNESS (St. Mary), a markettown and parish, in the union of Ulverston, hundred of Lonsdale north of the Sands, N. division of the county of Lancaster, 5 miles (S. W.) from Ulverston, and 265 (N. W. by N.) from London; containing, with the port of Barrow, the chapelries of Ireleth, Ramsyde, and Walney, and the townships of Yarleside and Hawcoat, 3231 inhabitants. This place derives its name from its situation in a dale in the lower part of the district of Furness, of which it was formerly the chief town. According to Tacitus, Agricola, when he had conquered that district, erected a fort here for its protection; and the remains of a Roman road, discovered in 1803 by some workmen, at a considerable depth from the surface, confirm the probability of Dalton having been a Roman station, though there are no other vestiges except some slight traces of the fosse by which it was surrounded. The mount whereon the fort was built, upon examination, was found to be of artificial construction: it was defended on the south and west by steep precipices, and on the east by a rampart and ditch; and a brook which flowed at the base supplied the garrison with water. The town derived its principal importance from the erection of the magnificent Abbey of Furness, founded in 1127, by Stephen, afterwards king of England, for monks of the Cistercian order, whom he removed from Tulketh, in Amounderness, to this valley, where, obtaining valuable grants, they continued for more than four centuries. The abbots were invested with extensive privileges, and enjoyed large possessions; they held in their own right the woods, pastures, fisheries, and mills of the district, and had considerable shares in the salt-works and mines. At the Dissolution, the revenue was valued at £966. 7. 10. The abbey formed a vast pile of buildings, the character of which was more that of simple magnificence arising from their extent, than of richness and beauty resulting from their style. The body of the church, with the lower portion of the transepts, is in the Norman style; the chancel, with the additions to the transepts, is early English, and the stone of better quality. The chapels, and the vestry on the east of the transept, are of less ancient date, and, together with the chapter-house and refectory, and conveutual buildings, of more elaborate execution: the stone of these parts, with the exception of being covered with a light-coloured lichen, is as perfect as when first used. The western tower, though very massive, is of the same elegant style, and built with the same kind of stone. A large portion of the ruins was cleared from the rubbish by which their features were concealed, and protected from further injury, by the late Earl of Burlington; but there is much still unexplored. The remains occupy a considerable part of an area of 65 acres, called the Deer Park, inclosed with a stone wall, in the sequestered vale of Bekang's Gill, about a mile and a half south of the town; the approaches are strewed with memorials of the abbots, and mutilated tombs. In the reign of Edward III., a castle, in which, during peaceable times, the abbots held their secular courts, was erected in the town, probably as a place of retreat for the inhabitants, and for the protection of their property, from the frequent predatory incursions of the Scots, of whose approach numerous beacons in this part of the country were kept in constant readiness to give notice. In the reign of Henry VIII., Lambert Simnel, the pretended earl of Warwick, landed at the Pile of Fouldrey, whence he proceeded to assert his claims to the throne; and during the war in the reign of Charles I., the town and neighbourhood were the scenes of frequent engagements between the hostile parties.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis (1848), pp. 4-8. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50913 Date accessed: 29 June 2010.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Census records
Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Lancashire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.