Parton

Is a civil parish of very limited extent, in the ward and petty sessional division of Allerdale-above-Derwent; the poor law union, rural and county court districts of Whitehaven; and the county council electoral division of Moresby. The area covers about 52 acres, which are assessed for the poor at £3,709. Its gross estimated rental is £4,282. The population in 1801 was 360; in 1851, 778; in 1881, 1,479; in 1891, 1,452; and at the present time it is about 1,480. For ecclesiastical purposes Parton is still united with Moresby.

The village of Parton is situated on the seashore, below the rocky heights occupied by the Roman station, 1½ miles N. by E. of Whitehaven, and boasts an antiquity greater than the latter place. Previous to 1795 the village did a little shipping trade, and had several vessels belonging to the port engaged in the export of coal; but in that year an unusually high tide swept away the pier, and the harbour has since been deserted, the neighbouring ports engrossing all the trade. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in fishing, and others find employment in the engineering works and brewery. The Lowca Engine Works were established in 1799 by Messrs. Tulk & Ley, and were worked by them until 1857, when they became the property of Messrs. Fletcher, Jennings & Co., who in 1884 sold them to the Lowca Engineering Co. They cover about 10 acres of ground, situated in the parishes of Harrington and Parton. It is one of the oldest engine works in the county, and gives occupation to about 250 hands.

A Free School was founded in 1818 by Joseph Williamson, Esq., who endowed it with a freehold estate in Arlecdon parish, which now produces about £36 per year; and a house in Parton was subsequently given by Chilwell Williamson, Esq., of Luton, Bedford, the founder's nephew, as a residence for the master. By the deed of settlement, sixty children, residents of Parton, were to be taught free, under the superintendence of three resident trustees, and five other respectable gentlemen, who were to hold a yearly scrutiny of the master's conduct and the proficiency of his scholars. The original constitutions have been somewhat modified since the passing of the Elementary Education Act; the school is now under Government inspection, and the master is paid a fixed salary, without residence. The committee now comprises four life trustees, the two churchwardens, and the two overseers. In 1886, a new school was erected on the same site as the old one, at a cost of £400, and an additional piece of land was given by the L. & N.W. Railway Co. There is now accommodation for about 110 boys.

The Mary Robinson School of Industry, for girls and infants, was enlarged and thoroughly restored in 1893, at a cost of about £300. The premises were the gift of Mrs. Bragg, of London, in memory of the lady whose name they bear. The school has an accommodation for about 130 girls, with an average attendance of 91; and 145 infants, average attendance 90.

The Wilson Memorial Sunday School was erected in 1876, and the Congregational Chapel in 1861. The United Methodist Free Church has accommodation for about 200 worshippers, and is in the Whitehaven Circuit. Both tile Liberal and Conservative Associations have halls, the former with an accommodation for 500, the latter 300.

Bulmer's History & Directory Of Cumberland, 1901

30 July 2006

© Steve Bulman