A Brief History of Sedbergh

It's possible that the name "Sedbergh" was derived from the Norse "Set Berg" meaning "flat-topped hill". Sedbergh is mentioned in the Doomsday Book and there was a Norman motte and bailey castle situated at Castlehaw at the eastern end of the town.

The town was granted a market charter by Henry III in 1251.

Sedbergh School was founded in 1525 by Roger Lupton, Provost of Eton College who is thought to have been born at Cautley, about 3 miles north of Sedbergh.

George Fox, founder of the Quakers, preached to a congregation of a thousand from a large rock on the fellside, which became known as Fox's Pulpit, at nearby Firbank in 1652 in the early days of the Quaker movement. The Quaker meeting house at Brigflatts, about 2 miles south of Sedbergh on the A683 to Kirkby Lonsdale, dates from 1675 and is the oldest Quaker meeting house in the North of England. It retains many of the original oak furnishings in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.

The economy of the town was originally mainly dependent on the school and farming, along with a hand knitting industry making use of the locally produced wool. The 1761 Turnpike Act led to improvements in the Kirkby Stephen to Lancaster and the Askrigg to Kendal roads, both of which passed through Sedbergh and made the town more accessible helping the growth of the knitting industry. The improved transport links led to the growth of several mills in the area using water power from the plentiful streams and rivers to process locally produced wool and cotton brought up from Manchester.

The railway came to Sedbergh in 1861 when the Ingleton Branch of the North Western Railway opened, joining Clapham, on the Skipton to Lancaster line, through Kirkby Lonsdale and Sedbergh to Lowgill where it joined the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway (now part of the West Coast main line) just south of Tebay. The Ingleton Branch ceased to carry passengers in 1954, and the line finally closed in 1967.

Although farming has declined over the years it still makes a significant contribution to the local economy along with the schools, assorted businesses and tourism.

Sedbergh was formerly in the West Riding of Yorkshire until county boundaries were re-arranged in 1974 and it became part of Cumbria whilst still remaining in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001 had a serious impact on the local economy. Although there were no cases of the disease in the area the restrictions on livestock movement had a drastic effect on farming and the closure of countryside footpaths resulted in a marked reduction in tourism due to the reduced number of walkers coming to the area. When foot and mouth disease was declared eradicated Sedbergh Chamber of Trade investigated what could be done to lift the town's spirits and, above all, to get economic regeneration kick-started. This led to two successful projects, the twinning with Zreče in Slovenia and the formation of Sedbergh Book Town.

Links relating to the history of Sedbergh

The Sedbergh & District History Society

The Society was founded in 1980 and now has members throughout the world. Its aims are to study, research, publish and stimulate interest in history, mainly in the history of the local area. The Society maintains an archive in the Sedbergh Community Office, this contains much information of interest to people researching the history of the area or their local family history.

Old Photographs from Francis Frith and Co.

A collection of old photographs of Sedbergh and District dating back to 1890 can be browsed and purchased from in the Francis Frith web archive.

The Sedbergh Embroidery

Sedbergh Stitchers formed a group in 1993 to create the Sedbergh Embroidery which depicts Sedbergh's landscape, historic buildings and social background and is on display in Sedbergh Library in Main Street. The web site has notes about the various historical features.

The Ingleton Branch of the North Western Railway

An account of the history of the line from the abandoned first proposal in 1854 and subsequent re-introduction and opening in 1862 through to it's final closure in 1967.

Farfield Mill Arts and Heritage Centre

Farfield Mill, built in 1836 as a woollen mill, has been restored as an arts and heritage centre. Artists' exhibitions and work being created can be viewed throughout the year. Heritage displays explain the production of cloth and the social history of the area. Working looms are sometimes in operation.
The mill also houses a shop and café.

UK & Ireland Genealogy (GENUKI)

The GENUKI web site has a page containing links to various 19th. century census transcriptions, church records, directories, gazetteers and map for the Sedbergh areas.

The Dales Knitting Tradition

Details of origins of the local hand knitting industry and sample knitting and embroidery patterns inspired by the Dales landscape.There is also a collection of photographs depicting the Dales Knitting tradition and some of the people, products and settings associated with its long history.