Lowther

M.I.s for Lowther were transcribed in Westmorland Church Notes by E. Bellasis 1888-89

Returns survive for the 'census' of 1787 and are held at the Kendal Record Office of Cumbria Archives Service. The Record Office reference is WQ/SP/C. They are transcribed in Vital Statistics published by Curwen Archives Trust 1992. ISBN 1897590008.There are trancriptions on EdenLinks for

• Lowther
• Melkinthorpe

Census returns are available from the usual sources for 1841-1911.

A transcript of the 1841 census of Lowther, Hackthorp, Melkinthorpe, and Whale [HO107/1162] is provided by Virginia Gretton. It includes the following names:

ABBOTT, ARMSTRONG, ASKEW, ATKINSON, BACKHOUSE, BARR, BATEMAN, BENN, BIRD, BLACKLOCK, BLYTH, BOUSFIELD, BOWNESS, BOWSTEAD, BROWN, BRUNSKILL, BUSKBY, BYERS, CAMPBELL, CARRICK, CASTLEY, CONESTON, CPNNOR, COOK, COPLEY, COULSTON, COWIN, CROWDEN, CRUICKSHAK, DIXON, DONALD, DOWLEY, DOWSON, DUFTON, EDGER, ELLIOTT, FALLOWFIELD, FARRER, FAWCETT, FERGUSON, FOSTER, FRY, FURNESS, GARDESS, GLENTON, GOALDING, GOODBURN, GRAHAM, GREY, GRIFFIN, GROVY, HAMILTON, HARRIS, HARRISON, HAYTON, HEBSON, HENDRICK, HILL, HOBSON, HODGSON, HOLMES, HOPE, HOWE, HUDDART, HUDSON, HUNTER, IRVING, ION, JACK, JAQUES, JENKINSON, JOHNSON, KENDALL, KERSHAW, KIDD, KITCHEN, KNIGHT, LAMB, LANCASTER, LAYCOCK, LEACH, LITTLE, LONGLEY, LONGRIGG, LOWIS, M'CADE, M'CALL, M'CRONE, M'LEAN, MALLISON, MARSHALL, MASTYN, MATTINSON, MAWSON, MILLER, MONKHOUSE, NELSON, NICHOLSON, NIXON, ORPHAN, PARKER, PATTINSON, PEARSON, PEET, PLUMB, RELPH, RICHARDSON, RIDLEY, RIGG, ROBINSON, ROCHFORD, ROOK, ROPER, ROSE, SANDERSON, SARGANT, SCOTT, SEWEL, SIBSON, SIDDELL, SLEE, SMITH, SNAPE, STAGDALE, STAMPER, STEELY, STEPHENSON, STODART, SYSON, THOMPSON, THULKELD, TODD, TUNELTY, VARTY, WALKER, WALLY, WARD, WEST, WHARTON, WILKINSON, WILLS, WILSON, WINSKILL, WINTER, WOOF, WOOTHAM, YARKER.

Transcript and index for 1851 has been published by the Cumbria Family History Society and also in 'North Westmorland - An Index to the 1851 Census' compiled by David Lowis and Barbara Slack.

Parish Registers and Bishop's Transcripts are held by Cumbria Archives :
originals at Kendal RO and microfilm copies at Carlisle RO.

See the CASCAT online calogue for WPR12 for information on these and other parish records..

For searching on LDS familysearch.org see IGI batch numbers (compiled by Jake Prescott) 
or use the batch number search site (by Hugh Wallis).

• Geograph
• Flickr

The University of Leicester History, Directory & Gazetteer of Cumberland & Westmorland, 1829

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Lowther to another place.

British History Online provides historical notes for Lowther from The Later Records relating to North Westmorland by John F. Curwen (1932)

Cumbria County History Trust has published a "Jubilee Digest" for the township of Lowther

Magna Britannica et Hibernia.Volume 6: Westmorland by Thomas Cox (Vicar of Bromfield, Essex) 45 pages, printed in 1731.
Transcription by Sarah Reveley, Joan Fisher and Lisl Schoenwald. (Rootsweb Westmorland Listmembers) (c) 2003

"Lowther, a Village situate upon the River Loder, from when our Antiquaries believe it took its Name, as Strickland doth from the River which runs by it. In the Reign of King Rich. II. Reg 13. it was the Demesne of Roger Lord Clifford 4th, who died possessed of it that Year, and left it to his Son and Heir Thomas, by whose Heirs general his great Estates passed into divers Families, and among the Rest to the Family of Lowthers, who took their Name from it, and have for many Ages had their Seat here, called Lowther-Hall. But least we should diminish any Thing from so antient and noble a Family by our Derivation of their Name from the Town, we will not pass over the Conjectures of the Learned concerning it. Olous Wormius, the Danish Antiquary, being consulted by Sir Henry Spelman, at the Instigation of Sir Peter Osborn, about the Derivation of this, among other English Names, says he finds it among the antient Danish Names of their Kings, and tells us it is derived from the Words Loth and Er, which signify Fortune and Honour, and so make it carry a fortunate Stock of Honour in the very Etymology. Others look upon it as a very honourable Name, because they observe many of the Emperors and Princes of Germany to be called Lotharius; but since most of our English Names, and that of the most noble Families are taken from the Towns of which they were Lords, we shall rather prefer our first Opinion. This Family Lowther hath made a great Figure in this County for many Generations, and several of them have born Offices of State; for Sir Hugh Lowther, Knt. was Attorney General to King Edw. I. and another Sir Hugh Lowther, Knt. was one of the Justices of the King's Bench 5 Edw. III. Sir John Lowther was Sheriff of Cumberland 26, 27, and 28 Edw. III. Hugh Lowther, Esq; was Knight of the Shire for Westmorland, 14, 33, and 46 Edw III. John Fitz hugh de Lowther was also Knight of the Shire 50 Edw. III. And 2 Rich. II. Sir Hugh de Lowther was made Knight of the Bath at the Marriage of Prince Arthur, eldest Son of King Hen. VII. Sir Richard Lowther was Sheriff of Cumberland, and Lord Warden of the West Marches. Sir Christopher Lowther, Knt. was one of the Judges of the Court at York, and his Son John was created a Baronet by King Charles I. His Son Sir John Lowther being a Person of great Accomplishments, and of a considerable Interest in this County, appeared early for King William at the Revolution in 1688, which acceptable Service that Prince having taken Notice of, made him Vice-Chamberlain of his Household soon after he and his Princess were advanced to the Throne, as also one of his Privy Council, Keeper of the Privy Seal, and one of the Lords Justices in that King's absence; in which Stations having done his Majesty and the Nation good Service, that King was pleased further to advance him to the Honour of Baron Lowther and Viscount Lonsdale. He much adorned and beautified his Seat here, called Lowther Hall, with curious Paintings and rich Furniture, but it hath lately been burnt down. In his Honour he was succeeded by Richard his eldest Son and Heir, who came of Age March 1712-13, but died of the Small-Pox in December following, and was succeeded in his Honour and Estate by Henry his Brother, now Lord Viscount Lonsdale, then a Minor, and though now of Age, we do not understand that he is married."

The name Lowther is perhaps connected with Old Irish lothur 'canalis', Bret. laoer 'a trench'.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference NY543219 (Lat/Lon: 54.590223, -2.709353), Lowther which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

Lowther is in the diocese of Carlisle and wills will be in Carlisle Record Office.

Hearth Tax records for 1674 Lowther transcribed on Edenlinks
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Hackthorpe (Lowther) transcribed on Edenlinks.
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Melkinthorpe (Lowther) transcribed on Edenlinks.
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Whale Moor (Lowther) transcribed on Edenlinks.

Window Tax records for 1777 Lowther transcribed on Edenlinks.
Window Tax records for 1777 Melkinthorpe transcribed on Edenlinks.