Brackenthwaite is a hamlet in the parish of Buttermere, in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It is situated some south of Cockermouth. It lies within the Lake District National Park.
History The name is recorded as Bracanethuaite in the 12th century. It derives from the Old Norse brakni 'bush' and thveit 'assart' (cf. thwaite) like Bregentved (Denmark) and Bracquetuit (Normandy) (cf. Thuit).François de Beaurepaire, Les noms des communes et anciennes paroisses de la Seine-Maritime, éditions Picard 1979. Published with the support of the CNRS. p. 52.
Brackenthwaite was historically a township in the ancient parish of Brigham. The parish of Brigham was large, and its four south-eastern townships of Brackenthwaite, Buttermere, Lorton and Wythop were served by a chapel of ease at Lorton.
The township of Brackenthwaite took on civil functions under the poor laws from the 17th century onwards. As such, the township also became a civil parish in 1866, when the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws. The parish of Brackenthwaite was included in the Cockermouth Rural District from 1894.
In 1934, the parish was abolished and its area added to the neighbouring parish of Buttermere. At the 1931 census (the last before the abolition of the parish), Brackenthwaite had a population of 89.
See also
Listed buildings in Buttermere, Cumbria
External links Cumbria County History Trust: Brackenthwaite (nb: provisional research only - see Talk page)
References