14/05/2026
Our pony pals took Mimi for a walk to look at the wildflowers and herbs which grow all around us.
The history of the woodland surrounding Egremont Castle and Pickett How Farm is one of transition from a strategic defensive landscape and private hunting ground to a managed agricultural environment.
In the 16th century, the area was part of a "multiple estate" system where the Barony of Egremont controlled the surrounding land for both utility and prestige.
During this period, the lords of the manor (the Percy family, Earls of Northumberland) maintained "free chases" or private forests for hunting. A famous legend from the area, the "Woeful Tale," describes a Lady de Lucy being killed by a wolf while hunting in these very forests. In the folk law tale the Lord was said to of found his wife torn to pieces at the bottom of the hill, when he cried Woe to the hill, the name Waddow hill was formed. You can find this hill between low mill and Thornhill (behind waddow road)
With the decline of the Castle in the mid-1500s, Egremont Castle was already falling into disrepair. In 1529, it was sold to the Earl of Northumberland, and by 1570, it was documented as lying in ruins, except for one chamber used as a courthouse. This decline likely led to a shift in how the immediate woodland was managed, moving away from formal defensive clearing toward more practical agricultural use.
Woodlands were vital for the local economy. They were cut back to the stump, on rotational cycles of 7 to 15 years to provide timber for building, tool making, and charcoal for smelting the local iron ore.
The wilder forests of the 1500s were gradually tamed and enclosed over the 18th and 19th centuries, which saw a major phase of "enclosure," where formerly common or wooded land was divided into the managed fields and courtyard farms seen today. Pickett How Farm is part of this long tradition of pastoral farming in the West Cumbria coastal plain.
Today, the "wild" woodland around the castle and farm consists mainly of pockets of ancient broadleaved woodland and managed plantations. Many species found today are direct descendants of those used for food and medicine in the 1500s.
These areas are dominated by species like Sycamore, Oak, and Ash, with an understory of wildflowers and herbs such as: Stitchwort: historically used in folk medicine to treat "stitches" or pains in the side. Speedwell- which In the 1500s, species like Veronica officinalis, (little blue flowers) were highly valued as a "cure-all" tea for respiratory and digestive issues. Red Dead-nettle, was used as a potherb in the Tudor period to help stop bleeding. Cleavers: These are great for lymphatic drainage, water retention and have anti inflammatory property. Synthitum: known as knitbone - does exactly that; fixes broken bones. Milk thistle: was/is used as medicine helping to regulate blood sugar and an Anti inflammatory. In past times; Milk thistle was also often eaten as a vegetable. The stalks were boiled like asparagus, and the young leaves were added to salads after the prickles were trimmed off. Stinging nettles are found in abundance, Not only rich in vitamins and amino acids, this was a vital resource in the 1500s for making herbal tonics, soups, and was even used for weaving, due to it's strong fibers. Cow parsley is found allover the English countryside. plantin- often mistaken for a w**d was the original"paracetamol" known for being a pain killer, but has so many other health benafits too. These plants- thrive in these long-established habitats.
Traces of the historic use of the woods can still be found in the area, such as "pitsteads" (flat areas for charcoal burning) and "potash kilns" (used to burn bracken for soap-making), showing how industrially active these woodlands once were.
Today we still forrage for and use these herbs and plants for medicine for our ponies.
