Newbiggin, Dacre
| Newbiggin | |
|---|---|
 Village Hall, Newbiggin |
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 Newbiggin
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| Newbiggin shown within Cumbria | |
| OS grid reference | NY470289 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PENRITH |
| Postcode district | CA11 |
| Dialling code | 017684 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Newbiggin is a small village in Cumbria, North-western England. It is in the Dacre civil parish about 3 mi (4.8 km) west of Penrith. It lies at 750 ft (230 m) sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly wind by Flusco Pike, 150 ft (46 m) higher. It is described as a "non-nucleated village," lying for a mile along either side of the C3019 between the A66 and the B5288. There are at least six other villages in Cumbria with the same name, which is derived from the Old English ‘new biggin', or new house. Locally this village is referred to as the "Stainton Newbiggin," to distinguish it from the others.
Geologically, the village is situated on a junction between carboniferous limestone and Penrith sandstone. The Putnam Fault passes to the west of the village. There is a line of springs and wells which runs through the village, and these sources of water may have been the motivation for the original human settlement of this site.
There is evidence of human activity at Newbiggin since the very earliest times. Remains of Neolithic burials were found on Flusco Pike in 1875. Such finds are likely to date from 3000 BC or earlier. The 1775 enclosure maps of Newbiggin and Stainton identify several fields in Newbiggin as containing standing stones. Taylor recorded the remains of a line of standing stones running between Newton Reigny and Newbiggin. Several of the stones can still be seen in the fields or gardens in Newbiggin.
The Romans' invasion of Britain in 55 BC, and the subsequent garrisoning of several thousand soldiers and their horses at the Roman Wall required enormous amounts of grain, meat, timber and animals. There is evidence that much of the land south of Carlisle provided these commodities with an extensive grid network or farms and access roads. Several quern-stones, used for grinding grain, have been discovered in Newbiggin, and identified as probably Roman in origin. This suggests some sort of minor Roman settlement in Newbiggin, perhaps a smallholding or farm. A Roman coin hoard has been found near Newbiggin with material dated from 400AD. Roman remains have also been found nearby at Stainton and Blencowe.
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Wikipedia