Bassenthwaite


Bassenthwaite is a village and civil parish in the borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, historically part of Cumberland, within the Lake District National Park, England.
According to the 2001 census it had a population of 412, increasing to 481 at the 2011 Census. There is a Church of England Church, St John's Bassenthwaite and a tiny Methodist chapel. The village contains many elements of the archetypal English village including a green, primary school and a stream that runs through it.
Bassenthwaite is at the foot of Skiddaw, one of the highest mountains in England at. Robin Hood, Skiddaw, Ullock Pike, Longside Edge and Barf can be seen from the village.

Location

Bassenthwaite is approximately from Bassenthwaite Lake, east of Cockermouth, north of Keswick, south of Carlisle and west of Penrith.

Toponymy

'Bassenthwaite' is "'Bastun's clearing', pers. n. plus 'þveit' 'clearing', also 'common', 'lake'. The 1st el is usually taken to be the Anglo-French nickname or surname 'Bastun', originally meaning 'stick', while the 2nd is ON 'þveit' 'clearing'. The lake, in early times known as 'Bastun's water', takes its name from the village." .

Governance

Bassenthwaite is part of the parliamentary constituency of Workington. In the December 2019 general election, the Tory candidate for Workington, Mark Jenkinson, was elected the MP, overturning a 9.4 per cent Labour majority from the 2017 election to eject shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman by a margin of 4,136 votes. Until the December 2019 general election The Labour Party has won the seat in the constituency in every general election since 1979.The Conservative Party has only been elected once in Workington since World War 2, at the 1976 by-election.
Prior ro Brexit, for the European Parliament residents in Bassenthwaite vote to elect MEP's for the North West England constituency.
For Local Government purposes it is in the Boltons Ward of Allerdale Borough Council and the Bothel and Wharrels Division of Cumbria County Council.
Bassenthwaite has its own Parish Council; Bassenthwaite Parish Council.

St Bega's Church

The Church of St Bega is the parish church of Bassenthwaite, it's located in a field near the lake, some distance away from the village. It was built about 950 AD and is a Grade II* listed building,
St John's Church was built later as a chapel of ease.