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Images of the first vicar at St James, from 1869 and including the installation of the ring of 8 bells at Barrow in 1877.
He came from Kirkby Ireleth, and the tenor bell inscription includes the phrase "RICARDO PALGRAVE MANCLARKE A.M. VICARII"

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Images from an early etching/engraving (circa 1880-1890) of view from rural Walney Island, to the contrast of the industrial foundry/steelworks of Barrow Hematite Steel Company Limited on the left, the busy port including sailing vessels and steamers on Walney channel; and the graving and Devonshire docks, and now industrial town of Barrow on the right hand side; With St James Church and School surrounded by fields in the centre of the image.

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There is a SLIDESHOW with old and new photographs together, and further down this page there is More Information about Cavendish Memorial and this set of photographs.

Group Photograph at the
Cavendish Memorial Fountain
(Bolton Abbey Estate)

Group Photograph - St James' Bell Ringers Excursion to Bolton Abbey.
(circa 1886-1890)

Riverside walk along the
River Wharfe from Bolton Abbey

Waterfall probably in the 'Valley of Desolation'/Posforth Gill tributary of River Wharfe, North of Bolton Abbey

Group photograph - St James' Bell Ringers Excursion
(circa 1886-1890) probably on outing to Bolton Abbey.

Waterfall probably in the 'Valley of Desolation'/Posforth Gill tributary of River Wharfe, North of Bolton Abbey

'The Strid' on the River Wharfe North of Bolton Abbey

Three figures on outing to Bolton Abbey?
Perhaps more senior figures such as Churchwardens or Tower Captain, based on attire, and fact they have been photographed seperately to the main group.

'The Strid' on the River Wharfe North of Bolton Abbey

Church Outing to Bolton Abbey (circa 1890)

The Tower Log Book records an excursion sponsored by generosity of the church and churchwardens to Kirkby Lonsdale and the River Lune in July 1886.
It is quite possible that after the success of the excursion to Kirkby Lonsdale, that a similar excursion took place a year or two later to Bolton Abbey, especially considering connection of The Duke of Devonshire and Cavendish family to St James' church, and Barrow-in-Furness.

The photographs above are irrefutably taken on an outing to Bolton Abbey (see the modern day photo equivalents below), and although the photographs were kept with the tower records, there are too many people pictured to be the ringers of St James. It would seem plausible that it was a general church outing, including the ringers.

CAVENDISH / DEVONSHIRE
The 'Duke of Devonshire' is the hereditory title held by the Cavendish family.
The Bolton Abbey Estate formerly belonged to the Dukes of Devonshire until a trust was set up by the 11th Duke of Devonshire.
The nearby Holker Estate is the home of Lord Cavendish, descended from the 3rd son (Lord Edward Cavendish) of the 7th Duke of Devonshire.

Lord Frederick Cavendish (2nd son of the 7th Duke of Devonshire) together with his elder brother Spencer Cavendish, the 8th Duke of Devonshire and Barrow-in-Furness' other founding fathers (Ramsden, Schneider, Buccleuch) gifted the solitary bell at St James that rang until it ws replaced in 1877 by the ring of 8 bells we have today.

Death of Lord Frederick Cavendish
Lord Frederick Cavendish was newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland but was murdered on the same day (6th May 1882), while he was walking in Phoenix Park with the permenant under-secretary for Ireland. Thomas Burke was the target but tragically both were fatally stabbed by several men from an extreme Irish nationalist group known as the Irish National Invincibles.

The Cavendish Memorial Fountain was erected in the Bolton Abbey Estate, and it was inaugurated in June 1886 to commemorate his life (see NY Times). See also Waymarking.

It is in front of this fountain that the members of St James church are pictured. The memorial fountain is in almost pristine condition, which suggests the memorial was relatively new. The outing probably took place shortly after the arrival of the railway with Embsay station built in 1888, but certainly before the turn of the century. It is possible that the excursion had been organised to pay respects to Lord Frederick Cavendish and visit the Duke of Devonshire estates.

Modern day photographs of Bolton Abbey (taken 25th August 2013) from similar viewpoints to old photos above.

SLIDESHOW with old and new photos together

The Cavendish Memorial Fountain

Bolton Abbey

Waterfall in the Valley of Desolation

Waterfall in the Valley of Desolation

The Strid on the River Wharfe

Top of The Strid on the River Wharfe