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Lady's Rake, Borrowdale
Lady's Rake
locality:-   Walla Crag
civil parish:-   Borrowdale (formerly Cumberland)
county:-   Cumbria
locality type:-   track
coordinates:-   NY27612125 (etc) 
1Km square:-   NY2721
10Km square:-   NY22
altitude:-   1233 feet
altitude:-   376m

evidence:-   old map:- OS County Series (Cmd 64 10) 
placename:-  Ladys Rake
source data:-   Maps, County Series maps of Great Britain, scales 6 and 25 inches to 1 mile, published by the Ordnance Survey, Southampton, Hampshire, from about 1863 to 1948.

evidence:-   old map:- Gents Mag 1751
placename:-  Lady Craigs
source data:-   Map, uncoloured engraving, Map of the Black Lead Mines in Cumberland, and area, scale about 2 miles to 1 inch, by George Smith, published in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1751.
image
GM1311.jpg
"Lady Craigs"
knobbly hillocks; mountains 
item:-  JandMN : 114
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   old print:- Middiman 1784-92
placename:-  Lady's Rake ???
source data:-   Print, uncoloured engraving, Keswick Lake, Cumberland, drawn by T Smith, engraved and published by Samuel Middiman, 3 Grafton Street, Tottenham Court Road, London, 1784.
image  click to enlarge
MM0102.jpg
"Painted by T. Smith. / Engrav'd by S. Middiman. / KESWICK-LAKE. / Publish'd as the Act directs, Jany. 1st. 1784, by S. Middiman, London."
Accompanying text:-  "PLATE II."
"KESWICK - LAKE,"
"CUMBERLAND."
"... This View, near Lady's Rake, a large Opening iin the Rocks between Wallow and Barrow-Crags, ..."
item:-  Armitt Library : A6858.2
Image © see bottom of page

evidence:-   old text:- Gilpin 1786
placename:-  Lady's Rake
source data:-   Book, Observations, Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, Made in the Year 1772, on Several Parts of England, Particularly the Mountains, and Lakes of Cumberland Westmoreland, by Rev William Gilpin, 1772-74; published 1786-1808.
image GLP4p186, button  goto source
vol.1 p.186  "..."
"Part of this mountain is known by the name of Lady's-rake, from a tradition, that a young lady of Derwentwater family, in the time of some public disturbance, escaped a pursuit"
Gilpin 1786
image GLP4p187, button  goto source
vol.1 p.187  "by climbing a precipice, which had been thought inaccessible.- A romantic place seldom wants a romantic story to adorn it."

evidence:-   old text:- Clarke 1787
placename:-  Ladies Walk
source data:-   Guide book, A Survey of the Lakes of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire, written and published by James Clarke, Penrith, Cumberland, and in London etc, 1787; published 1787-93.
image CL13P069, button  goto source
Page 69:-  "..."
"... Opposite to Calf-Close-Reeds [Derwent Water], at about 300 yards distant from shore, look at a place called the Ladies Walk. (The watermen will shew it better than I can describe how to find it, as I could not well get it into the map.) The inhabitants and guides tell us, that it was so called from the Countess of Derwentwater, who made her escape up this dangerous way from Stable-Hills. I do not, however, believe the story; as I think it has been lately invented, like many more, which I shall therefore leave out: For the watermen and guides think they must tell the Tourist some extraordinary tale or other, and therefore endeavour to invent something that bears the face of probability."
"The attendants at the inns too strive against each other who can tell the most stories, and give the best intelligence (as they call it;) this intelligence is generally little more than the suppositions of travellers, which these guides tell for truth. They pretend also to shew views, and tell you, that such and such person admired them, without the least foundation. But to return; if this lady was obliged to escape, was every other pass guarded? No way, after she left Stable-Hills, but up this stupendous mountain, amongst rocks where scarcely any animal can travel, and at the age of 60? I give no answer to this question, as it does not deserve any."

evidence:-   old text:- Gents Mag
placename:-  Lady's Rake
item:-  rebellion, 17151715 Rebellion
source data:-   Magazine, The Gentleman's Magazine or Monthly Intelligencer or Historical Chronicle, published by Edward Cave under the pseudonym Sylvanus Urban, and by other publishers, London, monthly from 1731 to 1922.
image G8051123, button  goto source
Gentleman's Magazine 1805 p.1123  "... An hollow in the crumbling summit of Wallow Crag is named Lady's Rake, from a prevalent but almost incredible tradition, that by this steep Lady Derwent effected her escape from Cumberland, at the period of her Lord's arrest. ..."

evidence:-   old text:- Martineau 1855
item:-  1715 Rebellion
source data:-   Guide book, A Complete Guide to the English Lakes, by Harriet Martineau, published by John Garnett, Windermere, Westmorland, and by Whittaker and Co, London, 1855; published 1855-76.
image MNU1P075, button  goto source
Page 75:-  "... When the young Lord Derwentwater was captured for being "out" in 1715, his lady escaped, and saved her liberty and the family jewels (to use them on behalf of her husband) by clambering up one of the clefts of Wallabarrow Crag, since called the Lady's Rake. ..."

hearsay:-  
Lady Derwentwater is said to have come this way with some of the family treasure, escaping from Lord's Island after the failure of the 1715 Rebellion.

hearsay:-  
A hoard of 34 silver coins, pennies dated 1272-1327 were found below the gully.

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