Round the Lake Country (Glasgow, 1909)
Dedicated ‘To the Memory of the Late Rev. W. S. Calverley, a Pioneer in the Preservation and Understanding of many of the Norse Sculptured Stones in Cumberland’. William Slater Calverley (1847-1898) served in a number of Lake District parishes before becoming vicar of St. Kentigern’s Church, Aspatria, in 1885. He was an amateur antiquarian of some distinction.
In its review of the book, the local newspaper, the Penrith Observer, noted:
In prose and verse, the contributions of Canon Rawnsley to the literature of the Lakeland counties would suffice to make a very respectable library. His volumes are numerous, but probably the fugitive pieces if brought together would make a still larger bulk. What is more to the purpose, the Vicar of Crosthwaite never lacks interest in what he writes. His sonnets, which seem to have been less frequent than was the case a few years ago, have not invariably reached a high level of merit, giving the impression of having been “knocked off” by way of pastime rather than as serious literary efforts. But when content to leave the muse and adopt the more attractive prose, Canon Rawnsley has no superior as a writer on topics pertaining to the land of fells and lakes. One reason for this stands out transparently in every one of his volumes: he is steeped in the literature of Cumberland and Westmeria. No writer has ever produced anything worth reading which the Canon cannot recall and utilise with good effect. Every parish, and almost every mile of many parishes, is occupied for him by the spirits of dead and gone notabilities; every mountain, fell, tarn, lake, and moor has its story, ancient or modern, many of them, indeed, told in recent years by the pen of the Vicar of Crosthwaite. He does not pose as an archaeologist, nor as a deep antiquary, but in other phases of local life Canon Rawnsley can rightly claim an unequalled position. For these among other reasons, lovers of local literature will welcome another volume from him.
Contents
Round the Coast of the Lake Country (pp. 1-24)
The Lily-Woods of Arnside (pp. 25-37)
In a Cumbrian Gullery (pp. 38-46)
The Gosforth Cross (pp. 47-67)
At St. Bees (pp. 68-79)
St. Cuthbert’s Last Journey in Cumberland (pp. 80-90)
Gowbarrow Fell and Aira Force (pp. 91-106)
At the World’s End (pp. 107-125)
At the Countess’ Pillar (pp. 126-157)
Ald Hoggart O’ Troutbeck (pp. 158-191)
Brough Hill Fair (pp. 192-209)
The Bewcastle Cross (pp. 210-227)