Rydal with Loughrigg, 1848

RYDAL, with Loughrigg, a township, in the parish of Grasmere, union and ward of Kendal, county of Westmorland, 1½ mile (N.W.) from Ambleside; containing 343 inhabitants. The township comprises 5,201 acres, of which 2,500 are common or waste. Rydal Water, which winds through the valley for nearly a mile, is surrounded by romantic scenery of wood and mountain, and the lake which it forms here is remarkable for the beauty of its small circular islands. Loughrigg lies between the rivers Braythay and Rothay, from which it rises boldly into a lofty fell. Rydal Hall, the seat of the Le Flemings, was plundered in the great civil war by Sir Wilfrid Lawson, one of Cromwell's partisans; it is a handsome structure, and the grounds embrace much fine scenery. The living of Rydal is a perpetual curacy, with a net income of £100, in the patronage of Lady Le Fleming, who, at the expense of £1,500, erected the chapel, a small edifice with an octagonal spire, consecrated in 1825, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. A rent-charge of £18. 10. has been awarded as a commutation for the tithes of the township. William Wordsworth, the gifted poet-laureate, has long resided here, in a delightful cottage upon a mount; the grounds around it have been laid out under his own tasteful direction, and command lovely prospects of the lake and other objects of interest in this attractive district.