THE "PERCY SURVEY" 1578
INTRODUCTION
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The "Percy Survey" of the estates and privileges of Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, in the county of Cumberland, was compiled by Sir Cuthbert Collingwood and others, having been commissioned on 13 May 1578 [see here for background information]. Among these was the Forest of Copeland, encompassing the whole of the Earl's manors in Eskdale, Wasdale and Miterdale. The surveyors obtained information on the landholdings of each tenant, which was confirmed by committees of "homagers" appointed by the local manor courts. Eskdale and Miterdale were in the "Eskdale Ward", controlled by the Earl's "Bailiff between Ehen & Dudhen". [These abstracts are based on a photocopy transcript of the Survey on the library shelves at Whitehaven Record Office, the original document being retained in the family archive at Cockermouth]
then between Eskdale and the lands of Richard Irton and Thomas Stanley in Milla [i.e. Millom lordship] to where sike called Moore Beck [now one of several local streams known from their boundary importance as "Mere Beck"] enters the Eske, and up this sike between Eskdale and Moulcaster through the middle of Forest Mosse, to a way called the Street at Lang garth green; along this to the boundary with Kay howe then along that boundary to the water of Nyte (or Myte); then by a ditch running on the west of the river [possibly an ancient river course] to where another sike called Meare beck enters the Myte and up this sike to Houlegill head, then down Houlegill head to place called Little Houlegill by sike called Cargath syke, then by an old decayed wall to the water of Irte, then down the Irte to where Kidd beck joins it... etc. This way to more on the Copeland Forest boundary