The Branthwaite Family of Lamplugh.

The word Branthwaite is the name of a village near to Lamplugh and would seem to be the most probable place of origin as families took the name in past times from the place where they lived. Whinnow means 'the same mans Haughr or how/ grave mound. (Betty Marshall)

The parish of Lamplugh is situated in the old county of Cumberland, England, now the county of Cumbria. The parish has four townships in it's midst, Murton, Lamplugh, Kelton and Winder. My search for Branthwaite ancestors started in the township of Murton at the hamlet of Whinnow a very small hamlet in the parish of Lamplugh, sometimes referred to in the parish registers as - Winnow, Whinnow, Whinnah, Whinnay, Whyney. The first Lamplugh Branthwaites seems to appear in the Parish Registers with John Branthat 'of Whinney' in 1570 and confirms in the registers with later generations that the Branthwaites did in fact live and farm in the parish of Lamplugh.

At Whinnow the many generations of the Branthwaite family seemed to have farmed, the Lamplugh Parish Registers tell us this as do census records and the Tithe Map and Schedule of 1839 as shown below.

The 1839 Tithe Map and Schedule tells us that a John Branthwaite lived at Whinnow and he owned a blacksmiths shop and garden and a house. It also tells us that a John Branthwaite farmed at Smaithwaite and farmed 'arable meadow' and 'plantation' some of his fields of parcels of land were: Will Meadow, Will Crook Close, Crookes Half Close, Low Close, Hay Gill, Hollow Roar, Thin Meadow, Great Brow and Great Brow Wood, he also owned a cottage a Hollings where Jeremiah Rawlings resided at that time.

Only two years later in 1841 the census for Lamplugh was taken and tells us that Sarah Branthwaite widow and wife of a John Branthwaite (died before 1841) resides at Winnow with her son Walker a blacksmith by trade and his wife Sarah (nee Hoskins) and confirms that another John Branthwaite son of John above and brother to Walker age 35, also blacksmith by trade and his wife Elizabeth aged 35 lived at Beck Smithy at Whinnow with their 6 children. We also see another John Branthwaite age 40, nephew of Sarah and John Branthwaite, (John being now desceased), also cousin to Walker Branthwaite, with his wife Mary anne (nee Carter), 35 and their five children where living at Smaithwaite at this particular time and that John was a farmer.

In the ten years that passed between 1841 and 1851 at Whinnah we see that now Walker Branthwaite is now head of the family at Whinnow and married to Sarah Mossop and they have 4 children and Walker is a blacksmith by trade like his father John before him. Sarah Branthwaite (nee Hoskins), his mother is living next door at this time and is aged 70 with his brother Joseph aged 31 and noted as an agricultural labourer and Sarah's Grandson John aged 7 then.

Back at Beck Smithy we see that John and Elizabeth are still residing there and now their son, Joshua aged 21 is a blacksmith also. Their other children Elizabeth 19, Sarah 15, and John 13, are teenagers now and Hannah is aged 11. Isaac Douglas in boarding with them at this time and is the local postman.

There were many other Branthwaite families generations before and after these families living in Lamplugh and other areas of Cumberland at the time of the Census' and Tithe Maps, for this reason only, that the families were born, lived and died at the hamlet or farm at Whinnow in Lamplugh, Cumberland and the information is indeed factual, I have followed the lives of the three Branthwaite families above.