WARCOP PARISH is a large irregularly formed district, lying partly on the west, and mostly on the east side of the Eden, from which it extends eastward to Warcop-Fell, being bounded by the parishes of Appleby St. Michael, Brough, Musgrave, Crosby-Garret, Kirkby-Stephen, Asby, and Ormside, and by part of Yorkshire. The western portion, being in the vale of Eden, is very fertile, but the rest is a wild mountainous region, where there is a lead mine. The parish consists of four manors and townships, which support their poor conjointly; and contained in 1821 a population of 713 souls, of whom 369 were resident in Warcop, 129 in Bleatarn, 52 in Burton, and 163 in Sandford.

WARCOP is a considerable village, on the east bank of the Eden, at the confluence of two becks or rivulets, 5 miles SE. of Appleby, and 5 miles N. by W. of Kirkby-Stephen. The manor, from the reign of John till that of Elizabeth, was held by the family of Warthecop, or Warcop, who sold it to the Braithwaites of Ambleside, of whom it was purchased, together with the advowson, the demesne lands, and tithes of Warcop and Bleatarn, by Thomas Carleton, Esq., with whose daughter it passed in marriage to George Stephenson, Esq., one of whose daughters carried it in marriage to Wm. Preston, M.A., whose descendant the Rev. Wm. Michael Stephenson Preston, M.A., is the present lord of the manor, as well as patron and incumbent of the VICARAGE, which is valued in the King’s Books at £9 5s. 3 1/2d.; but in 1772 it received 43 ½ acres of land, at the enclosure of Sandford commons, as a commutation for the tithes of that township; and in 1815 the inhabitants of Warcop enclosed their common, and allotted 80 acres, and £400 for the corn and hay tithes, and 90 acres for the vicarial tithes. The CHURCH is an ancient fabric, dedicated to St. Columbe, an apostle of the Picts, who settled in the Hebrides in the sixth century, but was never canonized at Rome. It has a tower with two small bells, and two porches. The vicarage-house was re-built a few years ago, and appears to have been anciently moated round. The Methodists built a small chapel here in 1821. Warcop Hall, the seat of the vicar, is a handsome mansion, overlooking the village, embosomed in a rich grove of sycamores. But Warcop Tower, now the property and seat of George Park, Esq., was anciently the manor-house. About 100 yards SW. of the village in Castle-hill, where a large fortress once covered more than an acre of ground, but has long since disappeared, most of its ruins being removed (it is said) in 1606, for the erection of the church steeple at Kirkby-Stephen. Nearly 200 yards south of Castle-hill is Kirksteads, where wrought free-stones (supposed to be remains of a chapel) have been found. An ancient Cross, which stood upon the common, was removed after the enclosure, and erected in the village, at the expense of the present vicar, who holds his manor-court in June or July. The parish feast, or rush-bearing, is held on St. Peter’s day, and is fraught with the same ceremony and amusement as that at Musgrave.

BIRKS, a hamlet in Bleatarn township, one mile NW. of Warcop. Here is an old chapel and burial ground, formerly occupied by the Sandemanians, and now by the Independents under the ministry of the Rev. John Capper, who rent it of the proprietor, Mr. Richardson, of Kendal. At Black-Syke a wood foot bridge crosses the Eden between Warcop and Sandford.

BLEATARN township is that part of the parish lying on the western side of the Eden. It contains several dispersed dwellings, and a small village 1 ½ mile SSW. of Warcop, and is separated from Asby parish by the Wolversdale Beck. In the reign of Henry II. this manor was granted by John Tailbois to the Abbot and Convent of Byland, in Yorkshire, who had a CELL of Monks here at Sawbridge, in Wolversdale, where the monastic buildings "appear to have covered a pretty large parcel of ground," and had near to them two large fish ponds or tarns, and a large marshy park, which, with the rest of the common, was enclosed in 1790, and enfranchised in consideration of an allotment given to the lord, who, however still receives 7d. fines from the tenants of the old enclosures, and an annual rent charge of 6d. per acre from the owners of the enclosed common. After the dissolution Henry VIII., in 1547, in consideration of £2,100 11s., granted "the demesne and manor of Blaterne" to the family of Bellasis, who, in 1682, sold the manor to Nicholas Salvin, from whom it was purchased in 1685 by George Fothergill, who sold it to an ancestor of its present possessor, the Rev. Sir. C. J. Musgrave, of Edenhall. The Sawbridge, and other estates in this manor, which belonged to the aforesaid monastery, are tithe-free if occupied by their owners; but if let to farm, the tenants do not enjoy that valuable exemption. An abundance of excellent lime is found in the township.

BROUGH HILL, celebrated for the largest fair in the North of England, is in Warcop township.

BURTON, a small hamlet and mountainous township, with only six houses, 2 miles N. of Warcop, and 4 miles W. by S. of Appleby. On the north side of the township is Rutman-Fell, now improperly called Roman-Fell. The manor passed from the ancient family of its own name to the Heltons or Hiltons, who held it many generations, till their heiress carried it in marriage about 1720 to Thos. Wybergh, Esq., of Clifton, by whom she had 22 children. Wm. Wybergh, Esq. is the present lord of the manor, and owner of all the estates except one farm. Here was born Archbishop Bainbridge. The lead mine, at Kirsty Bank, is held under a lease by James Robinson and Co.

SANDFORD is a good village and fertile sandy township, on the east bank of the Eden, 4 miles SE. of Appleby. The manor was held by the Sandfords till the reign of Henry V., after which is passed to the Warcops of Colby, whose two co-heiresses, in 1592, sold the estates to the tenants, who afterwards (about 1690) purchased the demesne and manorial rights of Andrew Wharton, so that the numerous freeholders are now lords of their respective estates, which are all tithe-free, as has already been seen. Near the village and the site of the Roman road, are three tumuli, one of which is 91 paces in circumference, and was opened at the request of Bishop Lyttleton in 1766, when some remains of arms, bones, ashes, and an urn were discovered, and supposed to have belonged to an ancient British chieftain. Near to these sepulchres are two small intrenchments; and there was formerly a circle of large stones, long since removed for building purposes. Near Copland Beck, which divides this township from Bongate, was formerly a round tower or castle, opposite to which was an hospital founded by one of the Veteriponts, the ancient lords of the great barony of Westmorland.

History taken from History, Directory & Gazetteer of Westmorland - Parson & White 1829