This week
we cross the Scottish Border in the footsteps of the Jacobite army in 1745 –
by the bridge at Longtown in Cumbria rather than the ford over the Esk used
by Prince Charles Edward Stewart’s followers. En route to lay siege to
Carlisle, they would pass the Arthuret Church (founded according to
tradition by monks from Jedburgh in 1150) and, perhaps, stopped for a drink
at the nearby St Michael’s Well. During the siege Prince Charles resided in
a house in the market town of Brampton, which is this week’s place to visit.
A plaque adorns the house where the Prince resided (now occupied by a shoe
shop) and across the road you can enjoy a fly-cup in the Jacobite Café. It
was in Brampton that Prince Charles received the keys of the City of
Carlisle from the mayor and aldermen as a token of surrender. The Jacobite
army took Carlisle on 17 November 1745.
For
maps and information about the area a visit to the Moot Hall in Market Place
is a must. The present building dates from 1817, replacing an earlier
structure from the 17th century, and houses the Brampton Tourist
Information centre. Thanks to the helpful lady manning the centre details of
how to reach the Capon Tree Memorial were obtained. About one mile from the
town centre, this marks the spot where six Jacobites were hanged on 21
October 1746 – three Scots and three English. A plaque bears their names and
regiments –
Lieutenant-Colonel John Innes, Forfarshire (Ogilvy's) Regiment; Captain
Patrick Lindsay, Kilmarnock’s Horse; Rananld MacDonald, Clanranald Regiment,
and from the Manchester Regiment (the only one raised in England) Sergeant
Thomas Park, Peter Taylor and Michael Dellard.
The Capon
Tree Memorial is well worth a visit but is not very well sign-posted. It is
said that the site got the name from the habit of Judges of Assize taking
refreshments under the tree on their journeys from Newcastle, probably
eating capons and other delicacies.
Back
in Brampton further refreshments can be obtained at the Capon Tree Café and
that is handily placed to visit St Martin’s Church which boasts some
magnificent stained glass windows designed by one of the founder members of
the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood – Edward Burne-Jones. The windows were made
in the studios of William Morris and are a must-see on any visit to
Brampton. Round the corner stands a statue of the Roman Emperor Hadrian
which acts as reminder of just how close the town stands to the wall bearing
his name. Hadrian’s Wall was designed to keep out the Barbarians (from that
part of the world now known as Scotland!) but today all are made very
welcome when visiting this pleasant, historic market town which lies in the
Irthing Valley.
Brampton
lies within the area known as ‘The Debatable Lands’ which lay on both sides
of the Scottish-English border. The Wardens, on both sides of the border,
had a hard job keeping the peace as raids by Scots and English were
commonplace, until James VI, King of Scots, also took on the better paid job
of King of England in 1603. So this week’s recipe – Hot Baked Wardens –
seems very appropriate, especially as I obtained it in a booklet at the Moot
Hall centre in Brampton. In England they were sold from large earthenware
dishes at fairs with the following cry –
‘Smoking hot, piping hot
Who knows what I’ve got
In my pot? Hot Baked wardens
All hot! All hot! All hot!’
Hot Baked
Wardens
Ingredients:
6 large firm pears; ½ - ¾ pint red wine; 1 oz brown sugar; pinch of ground
cinnamon, ginger and saffron
Method:
Peel the pears and place in an ovenproof dish. Mix wine, sugar and spices,
and pour over the pears. Bake in the oven, 180 deg C/350 deg F/Gas Mark 4,
for 20-30 minutes until tender.
