Matterdale

Civil parish of Cumbria, England

Human settlement in England
  • Matterdale
District
  • Eden
Shire county
  • Cumbria
Region
  • North West
CountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townPENRITHPostcode districtCA11Dialling code01768PoliceCumbriaFireCumbriaAmbulanceNorth West UK Parliament
  • Penrith and The Border
List of places
UK
England
Cumbria
54°35′53″N 2°52′55″W / 54.598°N 2.882°W / 54.598; -2.882

Matterdale is a civil parish in the Lake District of Cumbria, England. It lies on the northern shore of Ullswater. The parish includes the settlements of Dockray, Matterdale End, Ulcat row, Watermillock and Wreay. It had a population of 526 in 2001,[2] reducing to 483 at the 2011 Census.[1]

Much of the parish consists of moorland and fells, including Hart Side, Gowbarrow Fell and Little Mell Fell. The "Three Dodds" (Stybarrow Dodd, Watson's Dodd and Great Dodd) lie on the western boundary of the parish. The western part of the parish is drained by Aira Beck, which falls over Aira Force to enter Ullswater. The parish is the setting for James Rebank's 2015 autobiographical book The Shepherd's Life.

Etymology

Matterdale "is probably 'the valley where bedstraw grows' from ON 'maðra' (the cognate of OE 'mæddre') and ON 'dalr'..."[3] (ON=Old Norse; OE=Old English).

See also

  • iconCumbria portal

References

  1. ^ a b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Matterdale Parish (E04002554)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ^ UK Census (2001). "Local Area Report – Matterdale Parish (16UF045)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  3. ^ Whaley, Diana (2006). A dictionary of Lake District place-names. Nottingham: English Place-Name Society. pp. lx, 423 p.231. ISBN 0904889726.

External links

  • Cumbria County History Trust: Matterdale (nb: provisional research only - see Talk page)
  • Matterdale Community Association (local community online resource)