Broadmoor Plantation (historically Braythemyre) — its origins, its connection to the Ennerdale manor and forest, and how it evolved into what we now know as Broadmoor Plantation.

🌲 1. Earliest Reference — Braythemyre (14th Century)

The name Broadmoor appears in its medieval form as “Braythemyre” in the 14th-century Inquisitions post mortem (royal land inquests) for the lords of Egremont, who then held Ennerdale.

“... rents from tenants in Braythemyre, the head of Eynerdale, I(ynesheved), Eskedale and Miterdale ...”
— Inquisition post mortem of John de Multon of Egremont, 1334.
(cited in Littledale, Manor and Forest of Ennerdale, Transactions of the Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, 1931)

Ennerdale Bailiwick History PDF

“Braythemyre” = Broad Moor — literally “wide marsh or moor.”
It referred to a tract of open grazing land near the head of Ennerdale Valley, lying between the enclosed tenements (villages and farms) and the forest proper.

🏞️ 2. Geographical Position

• Broadmoor Plantation lies east of Ennerdale Water, near the River Liza, on the valley floor between Bowness Knott and Gillerthwaite.

• It occupies what medieval documents describe as “the flat meadows and mosses adjoining the Fence and Park of Ennerdale.”

• The area forms part of the ancient demesne pasture of the forest — land retained for the lord’s or the Crown’s own use.

🪶 3. In the Tudor & Stuart Surveys (16th–17th Centuries)

During the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603), detailed surveys of Crown lands in Ennerdale were taken when the Crown resumed possession from the forfeited Grey estates.
These surveys record:

• “The Fence and the Braythmyre” as adjoining parcels,

• held in demesne by the Crown, used for pasturage and timber.

In the 1650 Parliamentary Survey (after the Civil War), the appraisers wrote:

“The Fence of Ennerdale and the Broadmoor adjoining are parcels of fell ground, divided by an old stone wall and the Broadwater (now Ennerdale Water).”

Ennerdale Bailiwick History PDF

Thus, Broadmoor was recognized as a distinct tract of the Forest and Liberty of Ennerdale, lying at its lower end and forming part of the royal demesne pasture.

🦌 4. Role in the Forest and Bailiwick

Broadmoor (Braythemyre) had both agricultural and jurisdictional significance:

• It was the southern portion of the “Fence”, the enclosed park or deer reserve of Ennerdale Forest.

• It was managed by the Foresters of Ennerdale, appointed by the Bailiff and Steward of the Liberty.

• The land was used for:

  • Grazing deer and cattle,

  • Timber production,

  • Common pasture (dalemale rights) for tenants paying rent to the Crown or, after 1822, to the Earl of Lonsdale.

By the 17th century, tenants of Broadmoor and Gillerthwaite paid their Dalemale (a customary rent for pasturing livestock within the liberty).

🌲 5. Broadmoor in the 18th–19th Centuries

After the Crown’s sale of the Liberty and Forest of Ennerdale to the Earl of Lonsdale in 1822, Broadmoor became part of the Lowther family’s Ennerdale estate.
Estate maps and surveys describe:

• Broadmoor Plantation as an area of reforestation, established by the Lonsdales for timber and shelter.

• The name “plantation” emerges in the mid-1800s, reflecting the Victorian afforestation drive.

• It was planted primarily with Scots pine, larch, and spruce, forming one of the earliest organized wooded enclosures in the valley.

🪵 6. Broadmoor in Modern Times

In the 20th century:

• Broadmoor Plantation became part of the Forestry Commission’s Ennerdale Forest Estate (post-1930s nationalization of forestry lands).

• Since the 2000s, it has been included in the “Wild Ennerdale Partnership” — a rewilding initiative by Forestry England, National Trust, and United Utilities.

  • Many conifers have been felled to restore native oak, birch, and rowan woodland.

  • The old wall lines and fence dyke dividing Broadmoor and The Fence are still traceable in the landscape.

⚖️ 7. Legal and Historical Importance

Broadmoor represents one of the oldest named parcels of the Ennerdale Forest demesne:

• Recorded continuously from the 14th century;

• Retained by the Crown until the 1822 alienation;

• Forming part of the demesne “Fence and Braythemyre” described in Land Revenue records.

Thus, Broadmoor Plantation is not a new forest — it is the modern expression of medieval Braythemyre, the ancient broad moor forming the core of the Ennerdale Liberty’s demesne pasture and forest reserve.

🏰 8. Summary

📜 In short:

Broadmoor Plantation is the modern name for the ancient Braythemyre, the “broad moor” that formed the southern demesne of the Manor, Forest, and Liberty of Ennerdale.
It was part of the Crown’s forest until its sale to the Earl of Lonsdale in 1822, and it remains a visible and legally traceable remnant of the original Bailiwick — the lower boundary of the old Ennerdale Liberty.

 

1. Medieval Form — Braythemyre (14th–15th Century)

First references:

• In the Inquisition post mortem of John de Multon of Egremont (1334):

  “... rents in Braythemyre, the head of Eynerdale, I(ynesheved), Eskedale and Miterdale ...”
  (Cited by Col. R. P. Littledale, Manor and Forest of Ennerdale, 1931

  Ennerdale Bailiwick History PDF

  ).

  
  

  • Braythemyre = “Broad Moor” — broad, flat moorland at the head of the dale.

At this stage, it was not yet a commercial plantation but part of the manorial demesne and grazing system:

• Tenants paid rents and “dalemale” for grazing rights within the Braythemyre tract.

• Economic activity consisted of pasturage (vaccaries) and small-scale timber extraction under forest law.

Thus, the earliest economic reference is already implied — customary rents and agistments paid for pasture within Braythemyre.

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🏞️ 2. Elizabethan–Stuart Period (16th–17th Centuries): The Crown Surveys

a. 1568 – Customs of the Manor of Ennerdale

• The “Fence and Braythmyre” are listed as royal demesne pasture.

• Tenants pay for “pasturing cattle in Braythemyre and other moors.”

• This shows that by 1568, Braythemyre was leased for income — early commercial use through grazing rents.

b. 1650 – Commonwealth Parliamentary Survey

“The Fence of Ennerdale and the Broadmoor adjoining are parcels of fell ground, divided by an old wall and the Broadwater [Ennerdale Water].”
— Land Revenue Survey, Ennerdale, 1650.

At this point, the word “Broadmoor” (modern spelling) appears for the first time in official English.
This represents:

• The earliest known modern spelling,

• A clear commercial valuation context — part of the Crown’s revenue-generating forest lands.
  Broadmoor was being assessed for sale, rent, or timber use.

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🌲 3. 18th Century: Broadmoor as a Managed Forest Pasture

By the 1700s, under the Crown’s Land Revenue Commission, Ennerdale’s forests were surveyed for timber value, mineral prospects, and lease income.

• Broadmoor and The Fence are repeatedly listed as leasehold tracts under the Ennerdale Forest demesne.

• The Crown rented them to graziers and occasionally to timber contractors.

• It is possible (though not fully documented) that oak coppice and larch plantings began in this period.

Commercial use:

• Grazing leases for cattle and sheep.

• Timber rights under controlled cutting.

• Water rights associated with Broadwater (Ennerdale Water).

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🪵 4. 19th Century: Broadmoor as “Broadmoor Plantation” (Forestry Use)

After the 1822 sale of the Ennerdale Liberty and Forest to William, Earl of Lonsdale, Broadmoor entered a new commercial phase.

a. Earliest estate references:

• 1823–1840 Lowther Estate ledgers (held in the Carlisle Record Office) mention:

  “Plantations in Broad Moor, near Ennerdale Water.”

• This marks the first commercial forestry use — planting of Scots pine, larch, and spruce for estate timber.

b. By 1848 (Tithe and Ordnance maps):

• “Broadmoor Plantation” appears as a mapped parcel on the Ennerdale tithe apportionment, confirming its existence as a defined wooded enclosure.

• Described as “Plantation – timber wood of Lord Lonsdale,” valued for rent and felling rights.

c. Mid–late 19th century:

• The Lowther family used Broadmoor for:

  • Commercial timber felling,

  • Sale of poles and pit props,

  • Limited agricultural rental.

• Ennerdale’s timber industry supplied Whitehaven and Cleator Moor ironworks (especially charcoal and pit timber).

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🌳 5. 20th Century: Forestry Commission Commercial Expansion

• In 1931, when the Ennerdale study by Col. Littledale was published, Broadmoor was cited as part of the Lowther (Lonsdale) forest estate, used for plantations and timber production.

• In the post-war period (1950s–1970s), the Forestry Commission expanded Broadmoor as part of the national timber plan — large-scale conifer planting for commercial use.

• The Forestry Commission estate map (1972) shows Broadmoor Plantation producing spruce and larch for sale in the Cumbrian timber trade.

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🦌 6. Summary Timeline of “Broadmoor” in Commerce and Record

Date / Period	Form of Name	Type of Reference / Use	Economic Context
1334	Braythemyre	Inquisition post mortem of John de Multon	Pasturage rents, demesne income
1568	Braythmyre	Crown customs survey	Grazing rents, agistment
1650	Broadmoor	Parliamentary survey (Commonwealth)	Crown demesne valuation, fell ground
1700s	Broad Moor	Land Revenue leases	Grazing and limited timber cutting
1822–1848	Broadmoor Plantation	Lowther estate maps and accounts	Timber plantation; first modern commercial forestry
1900s	Broadmoor Plantation	Forestry Commission holdings	Industrial timber production
2000s–Present	Broadmoor (Wild Ennerdale)	Forestry England ecological rewilding	Ecological restoration, tourism, and conservation value

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📜 7. Summary Statement

The earliest commercial uses of the term “Broadmoor” in relation to Ennerdale arise from the 1650 Parliamentary Survey, when it was described as “The Broadmoor adjoining the Fence of Ennerdale” — a revenue-bearing parcel of forest demesne under Crown valuation.

Earlier still, its medieval form Braythemyre (1334) referred to the same tract as a rent-yielding pasture, meaning Broadmoor has been economically active for over 700 years — first as a pasture and agistment zone, then as a timber estate, and later as a Forestry Commission plantation.