Cumrew

History

In the 1770s, William Hutchinson noted the outline of an extensive quadrangle in a field near the church, and speculated that it may indicate the site of Dunwalloght Castle, a fortified house in the area referenced in some documents from the late 13th century. There is not much supporting evidence for this claim or assumption, as when two small mounds were removed in 1832 there was no trace of a foundation. The Dacre family formerly owned two small estates in the area, which they sold to Sir Christopher Musgrave. William Dugdale, in his Baronage of England (1676) suggested that the Dacres had a castle at Cumrew. Beyond this allusion, nothing is known of Dunwalloght's history or its site.

On the summit of Cardunnock is a cairn of stones indicating a burial mound, believed to be of an ancient chieftain, having been buried with a war axe and flint headed spear.

St Mary's Church

The church is dedicated to St Mary, built in 1890 on a medieval site, and was designed by George Dale Oliver. The church is very small with a small tower to the west of the church which holds two bells. The church became a Grade II listed building on 1 April 1957.

Geography

The parish borders Croglin, Cumwhitton, Carlatton, and Castle Carrock. Most of the dwellings are on lower ground in the west of the parish. The parish also includes an area of high ground to the east called Cumrew Fell, with its summit at Cardunneth Pike.

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Cumrew, at parish and unitary authority level: Carlatton and Cumrew Parish Council, and Cumberland Council. The parish council is a grouped parish council, also covering the neighbouring parish of Carlatton. The parish council meets at St Mary's Church in Cumrew. For national elections, Cumrew is within the Carlisle constituency.

Administrative history

Cumrew was an ancient parish in the historic county of Cumberland. The parish was subdivided into two townships, called Cumrew Inside (which included the village and parish church) and Cumrew Outside. The parish was included in the Brampton Rural District from 1894 to 1934 and then the Border Rural District from 1934 to 1974.

Border Rural District was abolished in 1974, and Cumrew became part of the Carlisle district in the new county of Cumbria. The district of Carlisle was in turn abolished in 2023 when the new Cumberland Council was created, also taking over the functions of the abolished Cumbria County Council in the area.

Economy

Business in Cumrew is very limited and consisted of farms and a company called Cleanroom Supplies Ltd. The local farms include Rising Sun, Helme and Gateshaw Mill.

Demography

At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 102. and was 131 at the 2011 census.

The population of Cumrew decreased between 1831 and 1891. The population slightly increased in 1901 then took another turn and decreased again between 1921 and 1951. Since 1961, the population of the village has stayed in an upward trend.

Occupational structure of Cumrew in 1831

Information on the occupational structure of Cumrew is limited. The bar chart shows that many of the men living in the parish in 1831 were agricultural labourers working on farms, for example Rising Sun, Helme Farm and Cateshaw Mill, in and round Cumrew. The farms also supplied many of the boarding parishes with employment as 12 of the farmers employed agricultural labourers.

References

References

1. "2021 Census Parish Profiles". Office for National Statistics.
2. "Carlatton and Cumrew Parish Council".
3. "Geographic Numbers". ukphoneinfo.
4. (1880). "Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society: Volume 4".
5. "Description of Cumrew". UK and Ireland Genealogy.
6. "Geograph". Peter McDermott.
7. "Visit Cumbria". Visit Cumbria.
8. "Church of St Mary, Cumrew". British Listed Buildings.
9. "Cumberland Towns & Parishes". GEN UKI.
10. "Carlatton and Cumrew Parish Council".
11. "Carlatton and Cumrew Parish Council".
12. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey.
13. (1868). "Cumberland Sheet XXV". Ordnance Survey.
14. "Cumrew Ancient Parish / Civil Parish". GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.
15. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
16. {{cite legislation UK. (1973)
17. {{cite legislation UK. (2022)
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21. "Population changes in cumrew". Vision of Britain.
22. "Historical statistics". Vision of Britain.
23. "Population". Cumbria County Council.
24. "Cumrew AP/CP". Vision of Britain.
25. "Historical statistics – Occupational Information". Vision of Britain.