Royal Baron & Baroness of Hawkshead in the county of Cumbria

Brief Description:

Famous for WILLIAM WORDSWORTH going to school here in Hawkshead. The township of Hawkshead was originally owned by the monks of Furness Abbey; nearby  Colthouse  derives its name from the stables owned by the Abbey. Hawkshead grew to be an important wool market in medieval times and later as a market town after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1532.

It was granted its first market charter by King James I in 1608. In 1585, Hawkshead Grammar School was established by Archbishop Edwin Sandys of York after he successfully petitioned Queen Elizabeth I for a charter to establish a governing body.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Hawkshead became a village of local importance. Hawkshead Market Hall was completed in 1790.

William Wordsworth (afterwards poet laureate) was educated at Hawkshead Grammar School, whilst Beatrix Potter lived nearby as did William Heelis, a local solicitor, in the early 20th century.

With the formation of the Lake District National Park in 1951, tourism grew in importance, though traditional farming still goes on around the village. Hawkshead has a timeless atmosphere and consists of a characterful warren of alleys, overhanging gables and a series of mediaeval squares. It is eloquently described in William Wordsworth’s poem The Prelude.

Much of the land in and around the village is now owned by the National Trust. The National Trust property is called Hawkshead and Claife.

Family Names:

Following family names once held the Title:

• Sandys
• Sawrey
• Cooper

Held by Royalty:

Once held by:

• King Henry VIII
• Edward VI
• Mary I
• Elizabeth I
• James I
• Charles I
• Charles II