Local historian and archaeologist Jan Hicks has been carrying out some on-the-ground research for the ‘A Way Through’ project. She is part of the Lunesdale Archaeology Society and delivering the work on their behalf. One of her tasks has been to try and locate more evidence for drovers. In the following blog she describes evidence for both drovers and packhorse trains in the Salterwath area near Shap:
“On the fell a few miles south of Shap and just to the west of the M6 is the Galloway stone. The name suggests a link with [Scottish] drovers, and it may be a marker for droves coming across Crosby Ravensworth fell and heading south towards Orton. Although difficult to see on the ground due to the long tussocky grass and massive overgrowth with bracken, a Google earth image shows the characteristic braided paths caused by wandering herds of animals [or packhorse trains].
© Getmapping Plc and Bluesky International Limited 2021
The area has been much altered by the construction off the M6 and the railway. The track to Salterwath (wath = ford) is now a metalled single track road leading to the farm. The ford itself has been replaced by a metal bridge, although a short walled lane leads to it, suggesting that the bridge is on the site of the ford.
Before the ford, as you reach the farm, there is a couple of small fields. One of these contains the remains of a small building. Might this be a stance for cattle, with a barn for the drovers? The walls around the fields are certainly very old – probably mediaeval – as indicated by the large number of very large boulders incorporated into the lower courses.
Just upstream from the site of the ford is a footbridge over the river. This has wooden sides added, and is now simply farm access, but the remains of a cobbled surface and the lack of sides suggest that it may have been used by pack animals (this bridge is also discussed in the ‘A Way Through’ blogpost Medieval Trade Routes in Westmorland).
Over the main bridge a path heads across the fell to the A6, meeting the old line of the Kendal-Shap road at Wasdale Old Bridge. Climbing down into the beck and under the bridge you can see that this bridge has been widened to take road traffic.
Following the old road south over Wasdale bridge takes you over the lower slopes of Packhorse Hill and onto Demings Moss.”
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There were some railway cottages at Salterwath, referred to as Salterwath Cottages/Railway Cottages. I believe there were two and that they were built for platelayers on what is now the West Coast Main Line. The cottages have been demolished. Does anyone know when these were demolished and why? I suspect they were demolished in the 1970s. There was a Joan Gallagher of Salterwath Cottages in 1950. The cottages were without a water supply c1898-1900.
Hopefully someone will be able to help you Ruth
Iam Marian O’Gallagher married to Colm whose mother was Joan and we are putting together info about his early life as he lived at Salterwath.we would love a photo of them
The Gallagher family lived there until about 1954. John Gallagher was a signalman at Shap Summit. He was transferred to Carnforth in 1954. I do not know when the cottages were demolished. If anybody has a photo of them they would add to my early memories of the place