Dufton Cumbria and its Lake District.

Dufton village north of Appleby-in-Westmoreland Cumbria

Dufton

The village of Dufton (“farmstead where the doves were kept”) looks up to the slopes of the limestone and volcanic Dufton Pike in East Fellside. From time to time the cold Helm Wind whistles strongly down the valley from nearby Cross Fell.

Before the Norman conquest an ancient earthworks fort sat on Castle Hill. The slight remains include a ditch and bank. Lead mining was an important industry in the 1800's. The London Lead Company (owned by Quakers) was instrumental in building village cottages for their workers and families. They provided Dufton with piped water in 1858, a school, and a library.

Dufton's large rectangular green is surrounded by cottages and farms, and an avenue of lime trees marches down its center.

On the green sits a fountain/horse trough placed there by a Mr. Wallace of the London Lead Company. The reddish coloured fountain is topped with a ball finial. Its inscription (after translation from the Latin) reads:

''There is a clear pool, whose waters gleam like silver. It is not tainted by shepherds, or by their she-goats grazing on the mountain. Nor is it muddied by cattle, or by birds or wild animals, or by a branch fallen from a tree".

Many of the village homes are of Cumbrian red sandstone; others are painted white. The local pub, built in the 18^th century, serves cask ales in front of an open fire.

17^th century Dufton Hall, part of the manor of Dufton, was held by a number of prominent people in the area, including the Greystoke and the Dacre families. It is now converted into a B&B. Dufton's best known resident was John Boste, a zealous Catholic priest who was martyred in 1594, and canonized in 1970.

St Cuthbert's Church, 1½ miles to the northwest, was established as early as the late 1200's, but the present red sandstone church is largely of 1784 with a medieval nave and chancel. It serves both Dufton and Knock, a village nearby. A Wesleyan chapel was built in 1820 (now a B&B), and the Primitive Methodists built a church here in 1839.

In late August Dufton celebrates its rural heritage with the Dufton Agricultural Show and Sheepdog Trials. Included are fell racing, and drystone wall building competition.

Dufton Ghyll, a nature reserve and wooded valley, run by the Woodland Trust, lies near the village and is popular for walks. Moor House is another nature reserve in the area. Red squirrels, hares, curlews, lapwings, and oystercatchers frequent the countryside.

The Pennine Way winds through Dufton, with a trail leading to the natural amphitheatre, High Cup Nick, on the edge of the north Pennine escarpment. Dufton is a small village set in typical Eden Valley countryside.

Location Map Dufton
Dufton is located 3 miles north of Appleby-in-Westmoreland, off the A66.

Woodland Trust website: www.woodland-trust.org.uk

Photos courtesy of Graeme Dougal

© 1997-2009 by The Cumbria Directory. Reproduction of this work in whole or in part, including images, and reproduction in electronic media, without documented permission from The Cumbria Directory is prohibited.