ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The AGM of the Landowners will be in the Main Hall of Crosthwaite School at 7pm on Tuesday 3rd February 2026. All residents of the Parish are welcome. Come and find out about our land on Whitbarrow and how you can get involved in its management. Progress on our conversion to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation will be reported and there will also be a presentation with opportunity to contribute to the proposals for the land next to the Recreation Field, purchased this year for the village by The Landowners. It may be that there are newcomers to the village who are unfamiliar with the remarkable organisation called the Landowners of Crosthwaite and Lyth. Its origins lie in the Enclosure Award in 1815. Much of Whitbarrow (538 acres!) was allocated to the Proprietors of Crosthwaite with Lyth as a group, with some rights reserved for the inhabitants. That unusual – possibly unique – clause is the foundation of the present charitable trust called The Landowners of Crosthwaite and Lyth. With acquisitions, the Landowners now own about 600 acres shown on this map. We have a modest income and apply it to good causes in the parish – the school, the recreation field, the Memorial Hall – most recently a defibrillator. We also manage the beautiful land with great care and attention. It is a remarkable area with an interesting flora and some very special butterflies (sadly very diminished this year). For an informal conversation about ‘The Landowners’ - please email in the first instance and one of the Trustees will call you back. OPERATION OF DRONES Drone flying is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) with additional controls by other agencies and landowners. Natural England prohibits the flying of drones over SSSI designated land and this is supported by The Landowners of Crosthwaite and Lyth who prohibit the flying of drones over all their landholding, SSSI designated or not. In exceptional circumstances drone operators who comply with all CAA regulations may, with the prior written approval of both Natural England and The Landowners of Crosthwaite and Lyth, operate a drone for specific purposes. We would be grateful for continued reports of unauthorised drone activity. from "Cameos of Crosthwaite and Lyth" As a result of the Enclosures Acts most of the land in the valley went to the big landowners.
However, under the terms of the 1815 Heversham Award three parcels of land were made over to the
people of Crosthwaite and Lyth. These were the Township Allotment (155.3 hectares), the Township
Plantation (47.7 hectares) and the White Scar Quarry (6.75 hectares), all on Whitbarrow Scar. It was recommended that a committee be set up to look after the land. The annual
general meeting could be attended by everyone in the parish but the voting power rested
with the landowners. Tenant farmers did not have voting rights. The Landowners derive income from letting out land for grazing, selling
timber and from renting Whitbarrow Cottage, also in their ownershhip. From the 1930s stone from the quarry
made a small income but when contractors started building the new A590 road, a large amount
of shilla (small pieces of limestone) was sold. Money from this sale was invested and provides
an on-going income for the Landowners' charity. The quarry is now closed. Recently the Landowners of Crosthwaite and Lyth have obtained charitable status
and the money has been used to support community projects.
The village school has benefited, as has the Recreation Committee.
Land was bought, drained, levelled and fenced to provide tennis courts, a bowling green,
a children's playground and a small football pitch.
It was opened in 1995 and the Recreation Committee pay a peppercorn rent. Nowadays the land is primarily managed to conserve its unique biological and geological character.
Along with the land on the Scar, owned by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, the Landowners' land
has been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and also a Special Area of
Conservation (SAC) by the European Commission, which recognises that the limestone pavement,
scree slopes, ancient semi-natural and deciduous woodland are all of great importance.
The habitats supported by this area include rare and scarce plants and uncommon invertebrates,
particularly butterflies and moths. In pursuit of their aim to manage their land with high
regard for the significance of these habitats, the Landowners have recently added a small
area of woodland, near the quarry, for use as a nature reserve. In 2015 the Landowners had their 200th anniversary. To celebrate this milestone several tasks and events, as follows, were organised. Also included here are maps of our landholding (it was requested to make this public at the AGM of 2011). The properties of the Landowners are managed by a committee of Trustees as follows Chairman: Martin Casson Land Agents: Deborah Lund MRICS FAAV, GSC Grays, Unit 9, Underley Business Centre, Kearstwick, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria LA6 2DY T: 01524 880340 E: To contact the chairman e-mail to Select AGM minutes from the drop-down box below Select Account Statements from the drop-down box below Select Account Notes from the drop-down box below The High Allotment on the northern end of Whitbarrow is owned by The Landowners of Crosthwaite and Lyth for the community and has recently come within a Countryside Stewardship grant scheme for management as Wood Pasture. For more information click on this link which is a summary of the Management Plan for The High Allotment - The Landowners of Crosthwaite and Lyth
The Landowners of
Crosthwaite and Lyth
The Township and the Landowners
of Crosthwaite and Lyth
2015 our Bicentennial Year
Maps
Current Trustees
Matthew Dobson
Claire Hensman
Tony Marshall
James Park
John Sceal
David Stott
Robert Sykes
John Hartley Trotter
Documents
The management of the High Allotment
Registered Charity No: 1073467