This Cache is situated at Mawbray Banks, ( an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ), near to the Village of Mawbray on the Solway Coast of Cumbria. Mawbray is about 2 miles north of Allonby, and about 5 miles south of Silloth. About 1.5 miles east is the tiny hamlet of Holme St Cuthbert, with the rather grand St Cuthbert’s Church. The church was built in 1845 and originally had a wooden spire which was destroyed in a storm in 1919.
Mawbray means ‘maiden’s castle or stronghold’ and refers to the existence of an old Roman fort; the Roman fort of Bibra was situated between Mawbray and Beckfoot. The Romans used the bank as a cemetery, where military personnel were cremated on pyres and their ashes buried in pots.
In the 17th century, the Quakers held secret religious meetings, ‘the meeting place upon Mawbray Banke’. Sand and gravel for use in the building industry use to be taken from the banks until fairly recently. Today the Banks are protected, being designated an area of outstanding beauty. According to the local historian, Francis Grainger, Mawbray has been in existence since 1150. It is a village of some 40 houses right on the Solway coast. In former times the inhabitants were mostly farmers and a few fishermen. On a fine day, standing on a high point of Mawbray Banks, looking southeast towards Skiddaw and northwest towards Criffel, one can take in the magnificent, unspoilt views across the Solway Plain to the Lakeland Hills and across the Solway Estuary to Scotland.
Mawbray is a very ancient settlement; its field pattern suggests it was established in Anglo-Saxon times. It was certainly there when the monks arrived at Holm Cultram in the 1150s. There are dates on several door lintels, one of the earliest, 1778, being that on the cottage next to Mawbray Farm.
The barn in the yard at Sycamore Lodge seems of little interest but its modern rendering conceals what may be the oldest building in the village. The building is still largely a clay dabbin and was originally constructed around crucks with a thatched roof. It is difficult to date precisely but was probably constructed between 1550 and 1650. It has been extensively patched with cobbles.
Note.....A small herd of Cattle are now free to roam on Mawbray Banks, but we are assured they are docile and will cause no trouble, this info is posted at the entrance to the Banks.
Cache is a Camo Container with room for Swaps and small TB’s
Plenty of Parking near GZ.
Stealth will be required as this is a Muggle prone Area, so beware of Muggles walking their Duggles
By kind permission of Solway Coast AONB.
Well done to ian27368 for FTF