watch to be set at the day-going, and to continue until the day be light; and the day watch, when the same is, to begin at the day light,
and to continue until the day be gone."
PENRITH BEACON.
From a Photo by Mr. John Bolton, Penrith.
Penrith Beacon had an important place in the system of watch and ward in the south-eastern [Pg 13]parts of Cumberland and North
Westmorland. As a former local poet wrote:--
"Yon grey Beacon, like a watchman brave, Warned of the dreaded night, and fire-fed, gave Heed of the threatening Scot."
The hill before being planted as it now appears, was simply a bare fell, without enclosures of any kind. The late Rev. Beilby Porteus, Edenhall, in one of his books,[2] after mentioning the uses of Penrith Beacon, added:--"Before these parts were enclosed, every parish church served as a means of communication with its neighbours; and, while the tower of Edenhall Church bears evident to-kens of such utility, there yet exist at my other church at Langwathby, a morion, back, and breast-plate, which the parish were obliged to provide for a man, termed the 'Jack,' whose business it was at a certain hour in the evening to keep watch, and report below, if he perceived any signs of alarm, or indications of incursions from the Border."
South Westmorland had as its most important look-out station, Farleton Knott, where "a beacon was sustained in the days of Scot-
tish invasion, the ruddy glow of which was responded to by[Pg 14] the clang of arms and the war notes of the bugle."
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Wardhole, now known as Warthol, near Aspatria, was once an important protection station, watch and ward being kept against the Scots; from this place "the watchmen gave warning to them who attended at the beacon on Moothay to fire the same." The ancient beacon of Moota is about three miles from Cockermouth. Dealing with the natural position of Bothel, Nicolson wrote over a century ago:--"The town stands on the side of a hill, where in old time the watch was kept day and night for seawake, which service is performed by the country beneath Derwent at this place, and above Derwent, in Copeland, at Bothil, in Millom. It is called servicium de bodis in old evidences, whereupon this hill was named the Bode-hill, and the village at the foot of it Bode-hill-ton (Bolton), or Bodorum Collis. The common people used to call a lantern a bowet, which name and word was then in use for a light on the shore
to direct sailors in the night, properly signifying a token, and not a light or lantern, as they call a message warranted by a token a bodeword, and the watchmen were called bodesmen, because they had a bode, or watchword given[Pg 15] them, to prevent the enemy's fraud in the night season."
There was a noted beacon near Bootle, from which that town took its old name--"Bothill"--the beacon being fired, upon the discovery of any ships upon the Irish Sea which might threaten an invasion, by the watchmen who lay in booths by the beacon. For the support of this service the charge or payment of seawake was provided. This payment occurs in connection with various manors; thus on an inquisition of knights' fees in Cumberland it was found that Sir William Pennington held the manor of Muncaster "of
the King as of his castle of Egremont, by the service of the sixth part of one knight's fee rendering to the King yearly for seawake
12d, and the puture of two serjeants." At the same inquiry it was certified that William Kirkby held the manor of Bolton, in the par-
ish of Gosforth, of the King "by knight's service, paying yearly 10/- cornage, and seawake, homage, suit of court, and witness-man."
He also paid two shillings seawake for other lands in the district. Many other instances of this tax for watch and ward in old days
might be quoted, but diligent search and inquiry during the last few months have failed to show that it is now exacted[Pg 16] in any
form, or when the payments were allowed to lapse.
Of watch and ward as applied to town and village life as distinct from Border service there may be found in Cumberland and
Westmorland records many very interesting and suggestive reminders. By the famous statute of Winchester it was provided that
from Ascension Day to Michaelmas in every city six men should keep watch at every gate, in every borough twelve men, and in every
other town six or four, according to the number of the inhabitants, and that these should watch the town continually all night from
the setting to the rising of the sun. This was but one of three kinds of watches, the others being kept by the town constable, and the
other set by authority of the justices. Every inhabitant was bound to keep watch in his turn, or to find another. It was specially pro-
vided that the watching and warding should be by men able of body and sufficiently weaponed, and therefore a woman required to
watch might procure one to watch for her. While the person thus chosen had to bear sundry punishments in default of carrying out
a duty which was neither pleasant nor safe, there was the wise provision that if a[Pg 17] watchman were killed in the execution of
his duty, as in endeavouring to apprehend a burglar, his executors were entitled to a reward of PS40. In the standard work by Orton's
best known former Vicar may be found two copies of Westmorland warrants, one for the keeping of watch, and the other for the
commitment of a person apprehended by the watch, while there is also a copy of an indictment for not watching. This was no mere
matter of form; for hundreds of years after King Edward instituted the system it was the chief safeguard against robbery, and in a
great many places against incursions of the enemy.
At Kendal watch and ward was strictly maintained, not for the purpose of keeping out marauding Scots or other undesirable characters, but for the maintenance of quiet and order in the streets. In 1575 the Mayor and burgesses of Kendal made the following order with reference to the watching of the borough:--
"It is ordered and constituted by the Alderman and head burgesses of this borough of Kirkby Kendal, that from henceforth nightly in the same borough at all times in the year, there shall be kept and continued one sufficient watch, the same to begin at nine of the clock of the night, and to continue until four of the clock in the morning, in which watch always there shall be six persons, viz.,[Pg
18] two for Sowtergate, two for Marketstead and Stricklandgate, and two for Stramagate, to be taken and going by course in every constablewick one after the other, and taking their charge and watchword nightly off the constables or their deputies, severally as in old times hath been accustomed; which six persons so appointed watchmen nightly shall be tall, manlike men, having and bearing with them in the same watch every one a halberd, ravenbill, axe, or other good and sufficient iron bound staff or weapon, sallett or scull upon every one his head, whereby the better made able to lay hands upon and apprehend the disordered night walkers, mal-
efactors, and suspicious persons, and to prevent and stay other inconveniences, and shall continually use to go from place to place
and through street and street within the borough during all the time appointed for their watch, upon pain to forfeit and lose to the
Chamber of this borough for every default these pains ensuing, that is to say, every householder chargeable with the watch for his
default 3s. 4d., and every watchman for his default such fine and punishment as shall be thought meet by the Alderman and head
burgesses."
Shortly before the end of 1582 the foregoing order was repealed and another regulation substituted. The material part was in the following quaint terms, the original spelling being observed:
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"And shall contynnally goo and walk ffrome place to place in and throughe suche streete within the same boroughe as they shal be opoyntyd and assigned by the Constabull or his deputy then settinge the watch that is to say