Bassenthwaite
Bassenthwaite is a village and civil parish in the borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, historically part of Cumberland, within the Lake District National Park, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 412,[1] increasing to 481 at the 2011 Census.[2] There is a Church of England Church, St John's Bassenthwaite[3] and a tiny Methodist chapel. The village contains many elements of the archetypal English village including a green, primary school and a stream that runs through it.
Bassenthwaite | |
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![]() Bassenthwaite Cottages and Sun Inn | |
![]() ![]() Bassenthwaite Location within Cumbria | |
Population | 481 (2011) |
OS grid reference | NY2332 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | KESWICK |
Postcode district | CA12 |
Dialling code | 017687 |
Police | Cumbria |
Fire | Cumbria |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Bassenthwaite is at the foot of Skiddaw, one of the highest mountains in England at 3,054 feet (931 m). Robin Hood,[4] Skiddaw, Ullock Pike, Longside Edge and Barf can be seen from the village.
Location
Bassenthwaite is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from Bassenthwaite Lake, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) east of Cockermouth, 7.1 miles (11.4 km) north of Keswick, 23 miles (37 km) south of Carlisle and 23.9 miles (38.5 km) west of Penrith.
Toponymy
'Bassenthwaite' is "'Bastun's clearing', pers.[onal] n.[ame] plus 'þveit' 'clearing', also 'common', 'lake'. The 1st el[ement] is usually taken to be the Anglo-French nickname or surname 'Bastun', originally meaning 'stick', while the 2nd is ON 'þveit' 'clearing'. The lake, in early times known as 'Bastun's water', takes its name from the village." [5] (ON=Old Norse).
Governance
Bassenthwaite is part of the parliamentary constituency of Workington. In the December 2019 general election, the Tory candidate for Workington, Mark Jenkinson, was elected the MP, overturning a 9.4 per cent Labour majority from the 2017 election to eject shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman by a margin of 4,136 votes.[6] Until the December 2019 general election The Labour Party has won the seat in the constituency in every general election since 1979.The Conservative Party has only been elected once in Workington since World War 2, at the 1976 by-election.[7]
Prior ro Brexit, for the European Parliament residents in Bassenthwaite vote to elect MEP's for the North West England constituency.
For Local Government purposes it is in the Boltons Ward of Allerdale Borough Council and the Bothel and Wharrels Division of Cumbria County Council.
Bassenthwaite has its own Parish Council; Bassenthwaite Parish Council.[8]
St Bega's Church
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The Church of St Bega is the parish church of Bassenthwaite, it's located in a field near the lake, some distance away from the village. It was built about 950 AD and is a Grade II* listed building,[9]
St John's Church was built later as a chapel of ease.[3]
References
- Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Allerdale Archived 13 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2009-11-22
- "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- "Bassenthwaite". The Binsey Team Ministry. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- "Robin Hood".
- Whaley, Diana (2006). A dictionary of Lake District place-names. Nottingham: English Place-Name Society. pp. lx, 423 p.20. ISBN 0904889726.
- "Workington parliamentary constituency – Election 2019".
- "A vision of Britain website – general elections section". Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- "Bassenthwaite Parish Council".
- Historic England. "Church of St Bega (1332957)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bassenthwaite. |
- Cumbria County History Trust: Bassenthwaite (nb: provisional research only - see Talk page)