Adamthwaite Farm near Ravenstonedale in Westmorland ... is this where it all began?

Adamthwaite is an isolated farm on the moors, about 1000ft above sea-level, in the parish of Ravenstonedale, Cumbria, England. The original farm is mentioned in documents dating back to about 1500, but the main building which stands today was rebuilt by Thomas Adamthwaite in 1684.

At the end of the 17th century it consisted of several small farms huddled close together in a small valley, with Harter Fell to the East, Green Bell and Ravenstonedale Common to the North West, and Wandale Fell to the South. An old track led through the valley - linking Adamthwaite to Ravenstondale in the North and to the South it passed their nearest neighbours at Murthwaite before continuing to Rathay Bridge and Sedbergh.

In 1683, Thomas Adamthwaite was admitted as a tenant of Upcast – one of the properties at Adamthwaite at Fell End. However, he appears to have sold ‘one close called Mean Close with two gates in Adamthwaite sslass’ to Richard Mowland in 1684 and ‘one whole messuage and tenement’ to Michael Knewstubb in 1694.

In 1690 John Adamthwaite of Adamthwaite had left the largest of the four farms to his daughter, Sybel, who subsequently married Thomas Adamthwaite of Sedberg in 1697. After their marriage, Thomas became known as ‘Thomas Adamthwaite of Adamthwaite’

In 1716 the smallest of the farms had been owned by another Thomas Adamthwaite (it is not known who owned this portion before 1716) who married Agnes Atkinson.

In 1741 this farm also passed over to William Adamthwaite who already owned the larger farm. Did Thomas move to Steps Beck at this point?

William died in 1756 and the two farms passed to William Dixon who left them to his sons in 1766, but in 1766 one of the sons, Richard Dixon, transferred them back to the son of the first William and his wife Agnes Metcalf - this was yet another William Adamthwaite (b.1744) who married Jane Stephenson in 1767.

This William sold the largest farm to John Relph in 1766. In 1790 he appears to have been a tenant farmer at Stenerskeugh and then he left Ravenstonedale shortly afterwards.