Brampton Old Church stands within a burial ground rich in local history. The Trust's self-guided booklet provides a map and 15 numbered stops, ranging from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century memorials to medieval cross slabs preserved in and around the church.
What you will discover
The route brings together social history, public service, military life, music, travel, faith and the changing use of the church itself. The booklet starts with a map of the graveyard, then identifies each monument by its position and appearance so visitors can find it on the ground.
Florence Evelyn Arnott MBE RRC
A First World War hospital commandant recognised for her nursing leadership, and an active participant in Brampton's civic life.
William Carrick
A solicitor and coroner for the Eastern Division of Cumberland whose long public career included nearly four thousand inquests.
Margaret Richardson
A striking local story linked with the Jacobite rising of 1745 and remembered for an independent, sharply worded epitaph.
Mary Martin and the Geltwood
A memorial connected with the wreck of the barque Geltwood off South Australia on its maiden voyage.
Richard de Caldecotes
A medieval cross-slab naming a fourteenth-century vicar of Brampton, decorated with a book and chalice.
Medieval grave covers
Several carved sandstone slabs reveal the church's medieval history and the people once associated with the parish.
How to use the self-guided tour
- Download or print the booklet. The first page contains the numbered map of the churchyard.
- Begin outside and follow stops 1 to 13. Each entry describes the monument's location or appearance and tells the story connected with it.
- Continue inside the Old Church for stops 14 and 15. These include the medieval memorial to Richard de Caldecotes and the inscribed stone of Phillip Feilding.
- Help care for the site. Please treat the churchyard, memorials and church interior with respect, and leave monuments undisturbed.
Stories across centuries
The earliest exposed dated grave on the route is associated with William Atkinson. Other stops introduce the Burrough family, with connections to the Battle of Waterloo and the court painter Thomas Highmore; Peter Burn, a local writer and charitable figure; Edward Forster, a tailor and cornet player central to Brampton's musical life; railway engineer Joseph Hope; civic figure Robert French; Congregational minister Joseph Bliss; and several medieval stones attributed to clergy and local families.
Together, these memorials show how the graveyard can be read as a record of Brampton's wider history: its families, professions, public institutions, military connections, overseas journeys and religious life.
Plan your visit
Brampton Old Church
Old Church Lane
Brampton, Cumbria
CA8 2AA
The guide is self-paced. Outdoor surfaces in an old churchyard can be uneven, so please wear suitable footwear and take care around historic stones.