Beetham is a village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district, in Cumbria, England, situated on the border with Lancashire, 6 miles (10 km) north of Carnforth.[2] It is part of the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,724,[3] increasing at the 2011 census to 1,784.[1]

Beetham
Early 20th century postcard of Beetham
Beetham is located in Cumbria
Beetham
Beetham
Location within Cumbria
Population1,784 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSD4979
Civil parish
  • Beetham
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCARNFORTH
Postcode districtLA7
Dialling code01539
PoliceCumbria
FireCumbria
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cumbria
54°12′29″N 2°46′30″W / 54.208°N 2.775°W / 54.208; -2.775

History

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Craven in the Domesday Book of 1086 shows that up till 1066 Earl Tostig was lord of Beetham and the surrounding areas of Farleton, Preston Richard, Hincaster, Heversham and Levens in Cumbria plus Yealand Redmayne and Borwick in Lancashire. Beetham manor then amounted to 25 carucates (ca. 3000 acres/1250ha) of ploughland. The Norman Conquest of England added it to the extensive lands of Roger de Poitou.

Demography

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The parish had a population of 1,724 recorded in the 2001 census,[4] increasing to 1,784 at the 2011 Census.

Community

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Points of interest include:

Geography

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The River Bela flows past the village and through the deer park of Dallam Tower, skirting Milnthorpe before it washes out into the Kent Estuary near Sandside.

Half a mile to the south-east, Beetham Hall is a 14th-century fortified manor house, now largely ruined, adjoining later buildings.[5] It is a grade II* listed building,[6] with a separately II* listed curtain wall[7] and a grade II barn,[8] and is now occupied by a firm of funeral directors.[9]

To the north of the village is the paper factory employing 140 people and producing 45,000 tonnes/year, specialising in kraft paper for pharmaceutical and food packaging.[10] In 2021 it was acquired by Inspirit Capital from BillerudKorsnäs and renamed Pelta Medical Papers, the word Pelta deriving from the Greek word for a light-weight shield carried by a peltast.[11][12] There has been a paper mill on the site since 1788, and in 1964 it was the UK's largest producer of kraft paper.[13] Records at Companies House show the previous company names as J & J. Makin (1901–1990), (J.) Bibby Paper (1990–1997), Barlow Paper (1997–1999), Henry Cooke (1999–2004), and Billerud/BillerudKorsnäs (2004–2021.[14]

Civil parish

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The civil parish of Beetham includes the main villages of Beetham and Storth and the smaller communities of Carr Bank, Sandside, Hale, Slackhead, Farleton and Whasset.[15]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Beetham Parish (E04002588)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  2. ^ AA Book of British Villages. Drive Publications Limited. 1980. p. 53. ISBN 9780340254875.
  3. ^ UK Census (2001). "Local Area Report – Beetham Parish (16UG005)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Parish headcount" (PDF). Cumbria County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  5. ^ "Beetham Hall". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Beetham Hall and attached outbuildings (1312254)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  7. ^ Historic England. "Curtain wall approximately 30 metres north of Beetham Hall (1137542)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  8. ^ Historic England. "Barn approximately 20 metres north of Beetham Hall (1336114)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  9. ^ "About us". Fishwicks Ltd. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Beetham, UK". Our production sites. BillerudKorsnäs. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  11. ^ Blade, Michelle (1 November 2021). "UK-based investor Inspirit Capital acquires paper mill in Beetham". Lancaster Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  12. ^ "BillerudKorsnäs divests the Beetham mill". BillerudKorsnäs. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Our production units: Beetham". BillerudKorsnäs. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Pelta Medical Papers Ltd. overview". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Companies House. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Welcome". Beetham Parish Council. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
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