At Castlesteads or Old Penrith just north of Plumpton village are the remains of a RomanFort known as Voreda.[6] Just north of the site, aerial evidence has located two Roman camps, with limited excavation work in 1977 revealing pottery dating from AD 120.[7][8] The structures are located near to the main Roman Road connecting the Vale of York to Carlisle, which now forms part of the modern-day A6.[8]
Many of the villages in the parish have names with Norse origins, several with the common suffix of 'thwaite', from the Norse clearing or meadow. The name Hesket itself derives from the old Norse for horse ('hestr') and road or race course ('skeid').[9] In 1822, a Viking cairn was discovered in the parish, along the route of the A6, near the modern location of Court Thorn GP Surgery, during operations to widen the road. The objects uncovered were placed in the collection at Tuille House Museum in Carlisle.[10]
In 1885, Police Constable Joseph Byrnes was shot and killed by three assailants in Plumpton. The trio were wanted in connection with a burglary at Netherby Hall. The men were later caught and sentenced to death by hanging.[12] A memorial to Constable Byrnes was erected in the village and is now Grade II listed.[13]
The civil parishes of Hesket-in-the-Forest and Plumpton Wall were formed under the Local Government Act 1894. Plumpton Wall was incorporated into Hesket-in-the-Forest in 1934, following a County Review Order.[14]
A district ward named Hesket exists, which incorporates the Parishes of Hesket and Catterlen, electing two representatives to Eden District Council.[18] The ward is currently represented by Conservative Councilor Elaine Martin and Independent Group Councillor David Ryland, both elected in May 2019.[19] At county level, the parish falls within the Greystoke and Hesket ward, electing one councillor to Cumbria County Council. In 2017, the seat was won by the Conservative Tom Wentworth-Waites.[20]
In March 2022, it was confirmed that Cumbria would be restructured into two unitary authorities, abolishing the County Council and all six District Councils. Elections for a shadow authority took place in May 2022, and, since April 2023, Hesket now falls within the new unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness.[21]
Hesket Parish Council divides into three electoral wards, Armathwaite, Calthwaite and Southwaite, each electing five Parish Councillors.[22]
Transport
The Settle-Carlisle Railway, which opened in 1876, runs through the parish with a station at Armathwaite.[23] Next to it is a Victorian signal box maintained by local volunteers and open for viewing.[24] The West Coast Main Line also runs through the parish.[25] At one time there were stations on the line at Plumpton, which closed in 1948,[26] and Southwaite and Calthwaite, both of which closed in 1952.[27][28]
The M6 motorway and the A6 road run parallel to each other through the parish with a motorway service area at Southwaite.[29] The 104 bus service also runs through the villages of Plumpton, Low Hesket and High Hesket, operated by Stagecoach between Carlisle and Penrith.[30][31] There is a community bus service, Fellrunner, which provides return journeys to Carlisle and Penrith from various stops in the parish. The service was established in 1979, spearheaded by a local clergyman, the Reverend Phillip Canham, and is run entirely by volunteers.[32]
Amenities
The parish has five primary schools, in the villages of Armathwaite, Calthwaite, High Hesket, Ivegill and Plumpton. There are three village halls, in the villages of Low Hesket, Ivegill and Armathwaite, run by volunteers, and a community centre housed in a former Methodist chapel between the villages of Calthwaite and Plumpton. The villages of Armathwaite, Calthwaite, High Hesket, Ivegill and Plumpton all have parish churches.
Armathwaite village has a village shop and post office, two public houses and a children's play area. Calthwaite has a public house, a children's play area and a youth football club. Low Hesket also has a public house. The primary school playground in Plumpton doubles as a children's play area out of school hours. The village has a garden centre and cafe at the former station yard.[33]
Places of interest
The parish contains sixty-six listed buildings, including three Grade II* listed: Armathwaite Castle,[34] now a private residence, the Church of St Mary's in High Hesket,[35] dating from the 18th century but incorporating parts of the medieval church building, and the 16th-century Southwaite Hall Copper House and barns.[36] It also contains the Grade II listed Katharine Well at Mellguards, just outside the village of Southwaite, built as a memorial to the sister of the local architect and philanthropist Sara Losh.[37]
Gallery
The Old School Hall, Armathwaite, now a village hall
All Saints Church, Calthwaite
High Hesket Church of England Primary School
Grade II* listed Armathwaite Castle, now a private residence
Crook's Bridge, over the River Petteril
Byrnes Monument, Plumpton
Waiting room on the southbound side at Armathwaite Station
Cottages, Plumpton Village
Railway Bridge, Southwaite
Bull's Head Farmhouse, Grade II listed building near Plumpton Foot.
Armathwaite Bridge, which spans the River Eden
Cottages, High Hesket Village
Traditional Cumberland signpost in Armathwaite village
Hesket House, Grade II listed building in High Hesket village
St John the Evangelist Church, Plumpton
Drybeck Viaduct, part of the Settle-Carlisle Railway
Remains of Voreda, a Roman Fort at Castelsteads, Plumpton
