LRO ref DDX 194/31

Part I - Lancaster to Bolton-le-Sands - Distance 4.5 miles

The team left Lancaster market cross turning into Chiney Lane at Kemps Lane end and down to the rive Lune and over the bridge. Turning left below the stone wall bank stood a gallows, including victim, on the open ground at the half-mile distance. Just short of the one mile reading was a crossroads leading to “Torryson [Torrisholme] & to poulton [Morecambe] & Bear [Bare]” on the one hand and “Skirton” on the other.

One and a half miles further along after the “Kendall Road” branch with “trees scattering” on the left came a further cross roads again leading to “Torrysum & poulton & Beer” and opposite to “Sline”. The next unnamed hamlet, now Hest Bank, had an inn called The White Horse and finally after leaving the road on to the marsh at the “Heisum [Heysham]/Bolton” crossing they arrived at the houses of Will Stout and Thomas Yates at Red Bank.

Part II - Bolton-le-Sands to Hest Bank - Distance 2.0 miles

What happened here is not clear but if, having called on Will Stout, they realised that the tide was not fully out for a few hours, then there was time for another short local survey before the guide arrived. This survey was drawn on a new sheet of paper, shared with Part III. It began on the hill above Bolton-le-Sands at “Hawksahill” [Hawksheads].

They travelled down the hill past the lane to Kellet into the village of Bolton with its fourteen houses round the church. The route went out to the marsh road by Hatlocks house on to the hamlet of Hest Bank with its four dwellings.

By now, one imagines that the way across the Sands was safe and that the Guide had arrived to steer the team with their horses and equipment to the other side at Kents Bank and then on to Cartmel.

Part III - Cartmel to Sand Gate Marsh - Distance 2.0 miles

Several routes were measured starting from Cartmel and it is not clear in which order they were made. They have therefore been written in the order listed in the Lancashire Record Office. This was a short measured walk of a little over two miles starting at “Cartmell” market place. At a quarter of a mile was Headless Cross with one house. This place only had the lower part of the cross in place when it took its name but now it has a new top section. The next house was at the junction to Birkby Green lived in by Will. Wain. There was only one more house in the next mile before the footbridge and this was at three-quarters and lived in by Mr. Stanton. At Cark Hall, a magnificent extant building set back off the road 40 yards, and one and a half miles from the start lived Esq. Alleson [Rawlinson]. The branch road opposite led to “Templand or Allethett [Allithwaite] or Cart Lane”. A little further along in open ground the road split into three directions. The left to Cark, the right to “Hooker” Hall occupied by Esquire Preston and straight ahead to Sand Gate Marsh which is the way over the sands to Ulverston.