Poems

Appendix

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

There were very few organised forms of entertainment. Sometimes a dance would be held in the village, but it was more likely to have been held in the Assembly Rooms at Dalton or Ulverston. Cock fighting was a popular Furness Sport. Wrestling was well attended. In July 1851, William Fisher records . . . . "a Great rusling match at Ulverston Jackson and Atkinson suposed to be 7000 spectators present". Barrow villagers held their Sports' Days in the channel bottom, opposite the Ship Inn.

 

There were races and other events, such as leaping with the pole, wrestling, horse racing and trotting. The following advertisement is dated 8th December 1851 . . . . "Barrow Sports Open to all England, to be held at the King's Arms on 1st January 1852", with "Rabbit Shooting", "A Foot Race for Three Fat Geese", "A Quoiting Match", and "Rabbit Coursing With Men"; this advertisement ends . . . "a good substantial Dinner on the Table at One o'Clock".

 

Like any other rural community there was bound to be a fair amount of rumour and gossip; William Fisher also recorded scandals of the day. In 1824 Thomas Park was accused of rape by a servant girl, but was acquitted by a jury at Lancaster assizes. In 1817, Fisher records "the Revd John Trowton Married to Betty Layland after being a disconslate a widdower 15 weeks".

 

DISEASE

 

Smallpox: Dr William Close from Dalton introduced vaccination in 1799, surprisingly in this remote area, only three years after Jenner's original experiments. William Fleming, a nineteenth century diarist, wrote . . . Friday, March 15, 1816 - In spite of the Vaccine Inoculation from the Small Pox rages in Ulverston with deadly Violence and spreads fast among the Children there, but I do not hear of any being infected who have been cut for the Cow Pox. However, its Efficacy in preventing the Small Pox will most likely now be put to the Test and many doubts removed".

 

Cholera: Only 171 years ago Barrow villagers died of cholera from drinking polluted water and through lack of medical knowledge and unhygienic conditions. William Fisher records the following in his diary . . . Oct. Elizabeth, the wife of Nickles Fisher of Little Mill Stile began in the Cholera on the night of the 7 and died on the 8 her Grand Daughters residing with her begun on the 12 and died on the 13 Nicholas Fisher husband of the above Elizabeth Fisher begun on the 14 and died on the 15 a daughter took it a few days after but recovered again it threw the country into such an alarm it was thought necessary to prevent its further spreading to burn every article in the House and Clock alone was saved and it had the desired effect. I write this Decr 22 and there has not been another case the loss will be mad up by the Parish".